Stronghold Crusader II

22.09.2014
Critic 64/100
Users 67/100
Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to Stronghold: Crusader, the original 'castle sim'. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189, with a new 3D engine and realistic castle destruction powered by Havok Physics. Crusader 2 will recapture the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation. True to its roots this new Stronghold will define old school real time strategy, combining RTS and city builder gameplay. Playing as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter, you must use a deadly array of troops and destructive siege equipment to decide the fate of the holy lands. Lead your forces into battle as either Richard the Lionheart or the Sultan of Syria in two historic single-player campaigns, with dynamic events such as tornados and locust swarms. Become the greatest Lord by managing your desert economy and seizing control of vital oases. To dominate the battlefield you will need to command more than 25 unique unit types, mastering their special abilities. Raise morale with the Sergeant at Arms, charge in with the Sassanid Knight, use Archers to launch an arrow volley or scale castle walls with the deadly Assassin. Once your skills have been perfected put them to the test in skirmish mode or take the battle online with up to eight players. Create teams, choose different AI opponents and design your own map in the ultimate skirmish or multiplayer game!

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DLCs

17.12.2015

Stay away from my lands, infidel! Stronghold Crusader 2: Freedom Fighters casts you as a fearless Arabic Lord set on taking the fight back to the invading Crusader hordes. After defending Saladin’s peaceful farmland from cowardly Crusader skirmishes, you must enlist the aid of The Shah and counterattack! Once the Crusaders have been lured out of their castle and into the desert you will land the killing blow, launching an assault on the mountain camp where they make their last stand. Available for the first time ever as a standalone DLC, 'Freedom Fighters' adds two missions to the base Stronghold Crusader 2 game. Set during the events of the main Arabic story campaign the 'Freedom Fighters' mini-campaign introduces new scenarios, achievements and challenges suitable for all players.

17.12.2015

The sons of pigs have me surrounded... Send me your fastest men! Stronghold Crusader 2: Delivering Justice casts you as one of the few remaining honourable Crusader Lords. Fighting to maintain order and prevent further bloodshed in the Holy Land, you must protect vulnerable Arab merchants, fend off raiding parties and capture an enemy castle on the path to Jerusalem. While keeping rogue elements in line and maintaining the peace, players will also settle the score with an old enemy in disguise. Available for the first time ever as a standalone DLC, 'Delivering Justice' adds two missions to the base Stronghold Crusader 2 game. Set during the events of the main Crusader story campaign the 'Delivering Justice' mini-campaign introduces new scenarios, achievements and challenges suitable for all players.

20.03.2015

Blow the horn, bang the drum, The Pig is coming to town! The Princess & The Pig DLC resurrects one of four central antagonists from the original Stronghold (2001) in a brand new Crusader Trail, while also introducing a completely new character in the form of the noble Princess. The first piece of downloadable content available for Stronghold Crusader 2, The Princess & The Pig adds seven missions, two AI opponents, 10 achievements and new castle designs unique to The Princess and The Pig.

13.05.2015

The Angel of Death hovers over your castle! The Emperor & The Hermit DLC introduces two extra AI opponents and an all-new Crusader Trail campaign. Spiritual successors to The Emperor and The Abbot from the original Stronghold Crusader (2002), The Emperor and The Hermit are driven by religious fervour. Backed by zealots who follow their cause without question, be it just or corrupt, both leaders represent a dangerous new threat to all sides in the Crusader conflict. The next expansion for Stronghold Crusader 2, The Emperor & The Hermit adds seven missions, two AI opponents, 10 achievements, additional player shields and new castle designs unique to The Emperor and The Hermit.

01.07.2015

The law of the Templar is coming to the desert! The Templar & The Duke DLC adds an extra Crusader Trail campaign and new AI characters, two Crusaders with contrasting origins, values and strengths. One is a brutal newcomer who embodies the Crusades' nebulous motivations, while the other stands as successor to King Phillip from the original Stronghold Crusader (2002). Both men desire a glorious victory in the Holy Land, with The Templar seeking to cleanse the holy land of heretics and The Duke hoping to emerge from Phillip's shadow and make his mark on the world, ideally without suffering too many casualties! The third expansion for Stronghold Crusader 2, The Templar & The Duke adds seven missions, two AI opponents, 10 achievements, five custom shields and new castle types unique to these new Lords.

06.11.2015

Their horsemen ride like thunder across the plain, like the kings of old! The final DLC for Stronghold Crusader 2, The Jackal and The Khan adds two characters and an extra Crusader Trail. Tackle new missions, claim achievements, customize your coat of arms and lay siege to new castle designs.

Part of collection:
Stronghold (last 3 games)

07.11.2023

Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign.

09.03.2021

The next chapter in Firefly Studios' real-time strategy series, Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly's first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East. In Warlords you take command of Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons, classic units and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

05.10.2017

Tax, torture or treat your peasants! Rehabilitate criminals or sentence them to death? Decide as you enjoy jousting over a lavish banquet, all while under siege from the warmongering Lord Barclay. The Steam Edition comes with tighter integration with Steam including Steam Achievements, Multiplayer, Trading Cards and Workshop plus some new additions such as new maps, visual enhancements and widescreen support.

Part of collection:
Stronghold: Crusader (last 3 games)

22.09.2014

Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to Stronghold: Crusader, the original 'castle sim'. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189, with a new 3D engine and realistic castle destruction powered by Havok Physics. Crusader 2 will recapture the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation. True to its roots this new Stronghold will define old school real time strategy, combining RTS and city builder gameplay. Playing as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter, you must use a deadly array of troops and destructive siege equipment to decide the fate of the holy lands. Lead your forces into battle as either Richard the Lionheart or the Sultan of Syria in two historic single-player campaigns, with dynamic events such as tornados and locust swarms. Become the greatest Lord by managing your desert economy and seizing control of vital oases. To dominate the battlefield you will need to command more than 25 unique unit types, mastering their special abilities. Raise morale with the Sergeant at Arms, charge in with the Sassanid Knight, use Archers to launch an arrow volley or scale castle walls with the deadly Assassin. Once your skills have been perfected put them to the test in skirmish mode or take the battle online with up to eight players. Create teams, choose different AI opponents and design your own map in the ultimate skirmish or multiplayer game!

21.10.2013

The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions. Stronghold Crusader HD features several campaigns documenting the First, Second and Third Crusades, as well as conflicts within the individual Crusader states. Battles such as Nicea, Heraclea, siege of Antioch, Krak des Chevaliers and the Siege of Jerusalem all feature, as do the Crusader Trails from the Stronghold Warchest and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.

Could be interesting

30.10.2002

Age of Mythology is a real-time strategy game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Drawing inspiration from Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology rather than historical events, it diverges from the Age of Empires series while sharing familiar gameplay elements. The campaign follows Arkantos, an Atlantean admiral embarking on a journey through the lands of the game's three cultures, hunting for a cyclops who is in league with Poseidon against Atlantis.

10.11.2006

Take command of your armies and expand your reign. Conquer, destroy, rebuild and improve the cities of the greatest medieval nations of the Western and Middle Eastern world. Employ diplomacy to manipulate your allies and enemies and direct epic and visceral real time battles with up to 10,000 meticulously detailed troops shedding blood on lush 3D landscapes complete with dynamic weather effects in order to re-write history and rule the world. Spanning four and a half centuries of Western history’s most bloody and turbulent era, Medieval 2 encompasses the golden age of chivalry, the Crusades, the creation and propagation of gunpowder, the rise of the professional army and the discovery and conquest of the Americas. The indirect sequel to 2002’s Medieval: Total War, Medieval 2 is set between years 1080 and 1530 and focuses on medieval warfare, religion and politics in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

20.05.2003

Combining the deep tactical elements of turn-based strategy games with the rapid gameplay of real-time strategy, Rise of Nations puts you in command of one of 18 civilizations over the course of thousands of years of history.

31.07.2002

Stronghold: Crusader is the successor to Firefly Studios's 2001 game Stronghold. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in a pseudo-Europe, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades. The game features a multitude of new Arabian units that can be purchased in a new building, the mercenary post. Though the Arabian troops do not require any weapons to produce, they are rather expensive. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest. This version was a compendium of Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader, containing additional characters and an additional Crusader Trail. Stronghold Warchest was only released in limited number of countries (i. e. USA or Poland), meaning players in the rest of the world have never encountered the second Crusader Trail, or second set of characters. This changed when an updated version of Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme was released in early 2008.

19.10.2001

Stronghold is a historic real-time strategy game developed by Firefly Studios. While the game focuses primarily on conquest and expansion through military pursuits, Stronghold does provide space for economic strategy and development: there is both an economic and a military campaign to be played and both are discussed in the game manual. The game takes place in Medieval Britain around the time of AD 1066, though, since there is sometimes no time limit, scenarios can continue to hundreds of years beyond this date.

13.08.2013

Four centuries of detailed history come alive in Paradox’s classic grand strategy game. Lead any nation from Renaissance to Revolution in a complex simulation of the early modern world. Master the art of war, diplomacy and trade to shape and change your nation’s history!

01.10.2005

As King, it is your duty to lead your people in their struggle to raise your kingdom from its humble beginnings to a position of power and prestige. War, diplomacy and a burgeoning economy are the means by which you increase your power and expand your influence. A unique Knight-management system will offer you brand new possibilities to enhance your personal strategy.

18.04.2005

Tax, torture or treat your peasants! Rehabilitate criminals or sentence them to death? Decide as you joust over a lavish banquet, all while under siege from the warmongering Lord Barclay. Will you entertain with medieval tournaments or rule with an iron fist and dispense feudal justice to overworked and malnourished peasants? With powerful barons jostling for power over a disintegrating kingdom, it is up to you to stem the tides of ambition and unite the land under the one true King! Building on the sim gameplay of the original Stronghold, Stronghold 2 allows players to rule as they please and still conquer each skirmish. Unhappy peasants turn to crime and must be punished, rival lords can raise entire armies on their title alone and sieges must be fought tooth and nail, with close combat taking place inside castle structures. Stronghold 2 Online extends this gameplay to competitive multiplayer for up to eight players, with offline skirmish mode also available against computer-controller opponents. The online services used GameSpy which was shutdown. The Steam Edition is the only version of Stronghold 2 that still features multiplayer using Steam Multiplayer.

13.10.2006

Lead as fantasy characters throughout history: King Arthur and the forces of Camelot, Siegfried and Dietrich in the German Ice Campaign, and unleash the fury of the forces of evil in Vlad Dracul’s Transylvania.

04.04.2013

Folk Tale is a single-player fantasy village builder RPG game in which you lead a ragtag band of peasants in growing a small settlement into a thriving market town, while dastardly minions plot your downfall. Sound the rallying call and head out into the wilds with parties of heroes and fight back the tide of evil in a game of endless possibilities. Rule with tyranny and oppression, or liberalism and justice. Play as a merciless expansionist hell-bent on destruction, or as a gold-hoarding mercantilist who'll sell their own grandmother. With random events and dynamic story, in Folk Tale you never know how the story will unfold. Folk Tale is inspired by Warcraft 3, The Settlers, Banished, The Guild 2, Majesty 2 and Black and White 2.