Stronghold 2

 PC
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 228 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 96 out of 228
  2. Mixed: 74 out of 228
  3. Negative: 58 out of 228
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  1. JosephL.
    Sep 7, 2006
    6
    I enjoyed the game but found some technical problems and bugs kept it from being a truly memorable gaming experience. First off the graphics and sound were adequate. The swaying trees and miscellaneous animals roaming around as well as the peasants going about their daily lives. Very nice. Hearing pikemen and bowmen scream their heads off as they get blasted off the wall by a trebuchet I enjoyed the game but found some technical problems and bugs kept it from being a truly memorable gaming experience. First off the graphics and sound were adequate. The swaying trees and miscellaneous animals roaming around as well as the peasants going about their daily lives. Very nice. Hearing pikemen and bowmen scream their heads off as they get blasted off the wall by a trebuchet ... Freackin awesome. However, the lag issue is a problem ... which occurs even if your above the recommened requirements and play on a lesser setting. That sucks. Plus the forced micromanagement I saw someone else write about is definately a downer. I like being able to manually pick peasants and decide where to send them or what to build ... not build the building and have them go to it with no option for changing his job later. Oh and the biggest one ... not being able to build buildings or walls in lands outside of mine that I capture ... THAT really sucks. Makes it almost impossible to defend unless you send a huge army to EACH estate. Not feasable. Anyway. Maybe some of the concerns and issues we have will be implemented in a Stronghold 3 perhaps? hmmm? Better storyline ... better AI ... increased building and peasant control ... yeah I like the sound of that.… Expand
  2. Mr.D.
    Jun 5, 2007
    5
    This is an extremly good game but crahes occurr too many times. I reckon with another 2 months work from the team (instead of rushing it for customers) they could have had a perfect game with really gamers really happy. I enjoyed SH:C and enjoyed SH2 aswell if they could possibly make a patch that would stop the crashes it would be a 10 out of 10 from me.
  3. Bernardo
    May 4, 2005
    5
    Yup, the lag is terrible. Multiplayer is not something to start with (it could take days with the lag). Singleplayer allmost same thing. Graphics not so good. The graphics from Stronghold Crusader were better! This just looks like a: "Lets try something 3D!" Its not worth the money.
  4. GamesmanP.
    Apr 21, 2005
    6
    The game is absoloutely fantastic until your castle gets to a certain size, frame rates die. There will need to be a rather serious patch. Should have scored a 9. Needed to use an ugrade system instead of mass building deployment.
  5. Stephen
    Apr 25, 2005
    6
    Buggy as heck. Lacking almost all the humor of SH & SHC. No taunting animations. No developer interaction in the community.
  6. RonaldT.
    Apr 25, 2005
    5
    This game deserves a much higher score - and once the developers get the bugs worked out I'll come back and revote. But for now this is what it's worth. What's finished is high in quality and style, but it's still full of bugs, lag, and crashes - released too early for my tastes.
  7. JamieS.
    May 3, 2005
    5
    It SHOULD be a good game. It looks great. It's an interesting idea. But ... Iso far I'e installed it twice, played for an hour or so at a time, then uninstalled. .. even with every setting low, there's too much lag! My system has a gig of ram, a radeon 9700 pro with 128 meg ram, and 300 gigs of hard drive space .... and it still lags, lags, lags .... tand yet the graphics It SHOULD be a good game. It looks great. It's an interesting idea. But ... Iso far I'e installed it twice, played for an hour or so at a time, then uninstalled. .. even with every setting low, there's too much lag! My system has a gig of ram, a radeon 9700 pro with 128 meg ram, and 300 gigs of hard drive space .... and it still lags, lags, lags .... tand yet the graphics are only mediocre, not cutting edge. far cry, which has graphics superior in every way, runs fine at 1024x768 ! The engine in this software ruins the entire game, it just can't handle it. Shame.… Expand
  8. GeorgeS.
    Apr 25, 2005
    6
    Painfully long loading time. and in game lag is unbearable. they really need to rethink this game from the bottom up. i believed in the first stronghold more so than this one. hopefully the third one, if they make one, will be alot better than this. this game has so much potential!!!!
  9. Serjo
    Nov 24, 2017
    10
    I bought this game shortly after it came out, and I have to say that in my opinion it's the best and most fun Stronghold game ever. I have played the original Stronghold, Crusader, Legends, SH 3 and Crusader 2, but enjoyed SH 2 the most by far. The singleplayer campaigns are super fun and well made, I really liked those animated sequences in between missions, and the multiplayer is evenI bought this game shortly after it came out, and I have to say that in my opinion it's the best and most fun Stronghold game ever. I have played the original Stronghold, Crusader, Legends, SH 3 and Crusader 2, but enjoyed SH 2 the most by far. The singleplayer campaigns are super fun and well made, I really liked those animated sequences in between missions, and the multiplayer is even more awesome. A lot of people disliked this game for things like the honor system, along with the kitchen, estates, crime, rats and gong, but the extra complexity that those things added to the game is exactly the reason why I loved it so much. They could have been implemented in a better way, like for example less crime when people are happy, or giving the gong farmers enough time to clean a place up instead of having the gong make you less popular immediately etc., but even the way it is now is better than not having those things at all. The map editor was also great and very intuitive to use, which is a very important thing to someone like me who loves to create his own maps. I really can't understand why so many people disliked this game, the only explanation I can come up with is that most of them are kids and therefore want everything to be as simple as possible.… Expand
  10. SilentHightimes
    Sep 12, 2014
    7
    ok campaign nothing special fun if you like the genre.City building is fun and wish more games were like it i like having a lot going on and a lot of work put into things, with the fun combat if only online was balanced better.Online is great fun but some big flaws that ruin the game that never got fixed apple trees ftw.

    Burning logs and flying Cows are awesome.
    Worth $50
  11. Disappointed
    Sep 2, 2005
    3
    Some of the buidlings aren't rotable for placement, logs aren't cleared from the environment, so you can't build anything on it. Selecting 10 archers to fit into a outpost is simply near to impossible. Too many troops and you will experience "unselected" bugs. Lousy AI. Stupid concepts : Why can't I feed my viliages with a vegi plot, and eel but I can hold a feast with Some of the buidlings aren't rotable for placement, logs aren't cleared from the environment, so you can't build anything on it. Selecting 10 archers to fit into a outpost is simply near to impossible. Too many troops and you will experience "unselected" bugs. Lousy AI. Stupid concepts : Why can't I feed my viliages with a vegi plot, and eel but I can hold a feast with them. Why must there be hornor before I can recruit people. Why Can't I build structures/castles in land not belonging to me. U mean in real life this doesn't happen?… Expand
  12. SeanH.
    May 2, 2005
    1
    I loved SH and thought SH2 would be great. It started well, but very quickly the dreaded lag came in and now its just a pain to play. The enjoyment isnt worth the pain of the lag. I have wasted my money on a lemon.
  13. JoeE.
    Jun 18, 2005
    3
    This game has soooo much it could be/do. However they released it way to early and its just a waste. Would be an awesome game if they would fix the bugs =/
  14. Mr.Dude
    Aug 5, 2007
    4
    This game started out well, I enjoy playing the game itself, the game isn't horrible graphically ( though a bit dated by todays standards) runs very well and has only one issue. Unfortunately for this game, the issue is large enough for me to dwindle it's potential to a 4. The lack of AI players makes the possibility of reaming computers with your buddies makes the game fall This game started out well, I enjoy playing the game itself, the game isn't horrible graphically ( though a bit dated by todays standards) runs very well and has only one issue. Unfortunately for this game, the issue is large enough for me to dwindle it's potential to a 4. The lack of AI players makes the possibility of reaming computers with your buddies makes the game fall flat. I like strategy games, and own most of them, but single player doesn't make up the joy that I miss from being able to squash the AI personally. Oh well, good game, needs multiplayer to be fixed.… Expand
  15. Baub
    Dec 15, 2011
    7
    I honestly think Stronghold 2 was a pretty good game. The main issues i had with the game is that the combat SUCKED, siege equipment is very over powered, and theres no option to put in npcs in multiplayer. Despite that the things i really liked about this was the micromanaging and the castle sim part of it. I loved watching all my peasants working around the castle doing all sorts ofI honestly think Stronghold 2 was a pretty good game. The main issues i had with the game is that the combat SUCKED, siege equipment is very over powered, and theres no option to put in npcs in multiplayer. Despite that the things i really liked about this was the micromanaging and the castle sim part of it. I loved watching all my peasants working around the castle doing all sorts of various jobs, having my servants cook a feast for my lord, and all that stuff.. i really liked it. Despite this, it still needed a lot of fixing up but still has its ups.… Expand
  16. MattEldstrom
    Jun 2, 2005
    2
    they really need to work on the concept of finishing the game completely before releasing it to the public. ive waited for weeks for the last patch and thier still not close to fixing all the nagging bugs. a simply sloppily made game. not worth the money to buy new.
  17. JimS.
    Jun 2, 2005
    2
    Patched twice but no problems sovled. The game is unplayable as it crashes constantly. Too bad, it looked ike it coud have been a good game.
  18. PitoC.
    Jul 6, 2005
    4
    Love the SH games, but this is a disappointment. Running on an AMD 3000+ XP, with 1 gig ram and a 9800 Pro... I can run sims like IL2 and Silent Hunter 3, Doom3, Half Life 2, Rome: TW, etc, etc but this game has serious problems with framerates. 32 peasants, a few archers, not even a completed castle, and it slows to a crawl. Shameful.
  19. BenW.
    Aug 3, 2005
    0
    I own it, but haven't had a real chance to play. It ALWAYS crashes after 5-30 minutes. The game has so much potential and someone should be getting fired.
  20. Bob
    Aug 4, 2005
    0
    Could have been my most faviourate game ever but instead it is so craptacular due to lag that i had to give it away.
  21. VInceC.
    Aug 4, 2005
    0
    This game was anticipated by me and friends for a while. I was surprised to see it on the shelf at the store last week, so I bought it. Biggest purchasing mistake I have made in recent memory! The game is super laggy, even on a dual AMD MP 2800+ w/ 2GB PC4000 RAM, RADEON 9800 Pro and a 0/1 320GB RAID array! You cannot throw any more raw computing power at a peice of software (unless you This game was anticipated by me and friends for a while. I was surprised to see it on the shelf at the store last week, so I bought it. Biggest purchasing mistake I have made in recent memory! The game is super laggy, even on a dual AMD MP 2800+ w/ 2GB PC4000 RAM, RADEON 9800 Pro and a 0/1 320GB RAID array! You cannot throw any more raw computing power at a peice of software (unless you work at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and have access to their super computers)! I wrote an email to customer support about the lack of an option to add AI players in a multiplaer game, and they wrote back: "AI was disabled due to a fault found, it will be restored in a future patch for the game, but at this time it is not possible to add AI." - Take2 tech 'support' What a shame, this used to be one of my favorite games! I knew I should have downloaded this gme instaed of buying it. Take2, you suck!!!!! PS - How could anyone rate this game above a 5? The people who rated it a 10 must have a financial interext in this crappy game right?… Expand
  22. RobertB
    May 9, 2006
    1
    I've played a lot of RTS in my time, and this one takes the cake as the worst. I've played free text based games that had more depth, and entertainment value than this. The publishers need to be put on the rack. Firefly...well, they need the humiliation mask. For shame.
  23. JohnJ.
    Jan 5, 2007
    1
    I loved Stronghold and Crusader. Two of the best games I've ever played. They rock! So, being a lover of the these two, I decided to give SH2 a go. Frankly, I was very excited to play it. The screenshots looked awesome and the information on the game was quite appealing, especially all the extras they added to buildings, Lord control, feasts, crime and punishment, and much more, I loved Stronghold and Crusader. Two of the best games I've ever played. They rock! So, being a lover of the these two, I decided to give SH2 a go. Frankly, I was very excited to play it. The screenshots looked awesome and the information on the game was quite appealing, especially all the extras they added to buildings, Lord control, feasts, crime and punishment, and much more, however, shortly after installing the game, I was VERY disappointed. The graphics are horrible, loading times are slower than the molasses in January, and even if you are running a top of the line system, the game lags really bad. The game is also quite buggy even with the latest patches. It runs worse than Morrowind, and that's bad enough. The developers should be ashamed of themselves for releasing such dribble. It just goes to show you that sometimes, sequels are not as good as the originals. I still have the game, but am taking it back tomorrow for a refund. I reinstalled Stronghold and Crusader, and will stick with those. I heard Legends is just as bad. What a shame... All in all, I give SH2 a two thumbs waaaaay down. Save your money. Bah! Crypts… Expand
  24. Macstout
    Apr 29, 2005
    2
    What a deception ! This last opus is currently the same game as Strohghold I with 3D added. Unfortunately, graphics are very poor, back 4 years ago and the game is bugged. AI is prehistoric and after playing few hours, you still don't have fun.... Stronghold and Stronghold crusader were really good game but this new one is terrible. I'm just upset about myself having bought the What a deception ! This last opus is currently the same game as Strohghold I with 3D added. Unfortunately, graphics are very poor, back 4 years ago and the game is bugged. AI is prehistoric and after playing few hours, you still don't have fun.... Stronghold and Stronghold crusader were really good game but this new one is terrible. I'm just upset about myself having bought the game without looking at the evaluations on internet....save your money buy something else !… Expand
  25. TomM.
    May 18, 2005
    3
    The first Stronghold rocked and Crusader was excellent as well. So what happened? Were the guys who programmed and coded this game drunk? The lag is so bad it makes the game NOT fun to play. I installed it, played until I experienced a few dozen bugs, uninstalled it and threw it in my junk CD drawer in my file cabnet. My machine runs Doom 3, Rome Total War, Far Cry and other graphics The first Stronghold rocked and Crusader was excellent as well. So what happened? Were the guys who programmed and coded this game drunk? The lag is so bad it makes the game NOT fun to play. I installed it, played until I experienced a few dozen bugs, uninstalled it and threw it in my junk CD drawer in my file cabnet. My machine runs Doom 3, Rome Total War, Far Cry and other graphics intensive games smooth as silk. But not this game...hmmm.… Expand
  26. DavidC.
    Jul 10, 2005
    4
    Stronghold 2 is the worst example of a prematurely released game since Vampire Masquerade. What was a funny, charming and challenging series pays a tragic price for the obligatory transition to a 3d engine. An even greater sin are the many softball reviews that hide the simple truth that this game is unfinished, unplayable and falls far short of being a competitive RTS with any replay Stronghold 2 is the worst example of a prematurely released game since Vampire Masquerade. What was a funny, charming and challenging series pays a tragic price for the obligatory transition to a 3d engine. An even greater sin are the many softball reviews that hide the simple truth that this game is unfinished, unplayable and falls far short of being a competitive RTS with any replay value. Shame, shame.… Expand
  27. RaldyG.
    Jul 18, 2005
    2
    This game is good, except the frame rates and lag issues are horrible, ive waited for a long time for this game to come out, im really disappointed.
  28. EdvinM.
    Jul 25, 2005
    4
    Yes, the game itself is wonderful, worth to die for. But the bugs and the crashes, shame on SH2 team. Two patches created, still no results seen. Actually you cant blame the team, its the publishers who rushed the team too hard. The random crashes during MultiPlayer, sometimes transfers me to the main menu, sometimes closes the game and shows me the error report send message on Yes, the game itself is wonderful, worth to die for. But the bugs and the crashes, shame on SH2 team. Two patches created, still no results seen. Actually you cant blame the team, its the publishers who rushed the team too hard. The random crashes during MultiPlayer, sometimes transfers me to the main menu, sometimes closes the game and shows me the error report send message on StrongHold2.exe. Sometimes when I start a mission, it says "Defeat" at the start of the game! I mean the graphics, are lovable, the game itself is great! I would rate it 11, but sadly no. Ill give it a sad 4. The most amazing thing I have ever seen in a game is, that SinglePlayer lags even more than MultiPlayer.Someone should sue the games creators, as we didn't get the quality as promised, not our money worth.… Expand
  29. ChrisL.
    May 27, 2006
    1
    This game is horrible. the lag blows, and way to expensive for such a badly planned game like this one. don't waste ur time and money.
  30. JT
    Sep 25, 2006
    1
    What a tease. Such a disappointment. Insane lag and frequent crashes. I give it a one.
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Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 33
  3. Negative: 4 out of 33
  1. Yahoo!
    80
    The new perspective works excellently and the added buildings and units are welcome. It's a shame some of the old problems, like the unconvincing AI, are still around, but the intricate economy and unusual siege play make it stand out.
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  2. Next Level Gaming
    70
    Even with the painfully long load screens and the lags in the game play I still enjoy this game.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    59
    A poor story, weak artificial intelligence, and plenty of bugs mar what otherwise could have been a simple yet fun castle-building game.
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