Stronghold 3

 PC
User Score
3.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 372
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 372
  3. Negative: 276 out of 372
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  1. UnionOfFate
    Oct 27, 2011
    10
    stronghold 3 is very good. I havent had any problems and I think the game is very very fun. the grapics look very good, the gameplay is fun and immersive and the sound / music is great. all these negative reviews are probably call of duty kids.
  2. Alpha-
    Oct 27, 2011
    2
    As the first time I've played a game in this series, I was very much looking forward to trying a game that was heavily hyped.

    I can see why people love the premise and style of the game however it severely lacks polish and, if I were to guess, I'd suggest it shipped a couple of months before it was ready. The tutorial, something very important to a new player, was superficial at    As the first time I've played a game in this series, I was very much looking forward to trying a game that was heavily hyped.

    I can see why people love the premise and style of the game however it severely lacks polish and, if I were to guess, I'd suggest it shipped a couple of months before it was ready.

    The tutorial, something very important to a new player, was superficial at best. It gives no indication on how to play except on how to place a couple of the basic buildings. Very poor.

    The game has several inconvenient bugs, has a very claustrophobic map size which I expect will inhibit grand building later in the game, only ships with a few multiplayer maps and is missing some fairly obvious gameplay modes.

    If you have any doubt it was rushed, ask anyone who pre-ordered and found out that the game did not even have English-language (both spoken and menus) complete and needed to wait 24 hours for this to be patched in.

    Perhaps much of this will be resolved by patches after release however this does not excuse shipping a half-complete product. I don't expect to pay to beta test a product.

    It's left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm somewhat frustrated that I cannot return the game via Steam.    … Expand
  3. SitoCH
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    The game is unfinished and having to pay 50$ for it is a joke.
    The problems are so many that are impossibile to list in a single review: missing features (skirmish, AI, ...), unbalanced gameplay (walls that offer no protection, broken food consumption, ...) and many bugs that every QA should notice them and stop the release (wolves that climb ladders!, bad graphics and so on).
    If you    The game is unfinished and having to pay 50$ for it is a joke.
    The problems are so many that are impossibile to list in a single review: missing features (skirmish, AI, ...), unbalanced gameplay (walls that offer no protection, broken food consumption, ...) and many bugs that every QA should notice them and stop the release (wolves that climb ladders!, bad graphics and so on).
    If you really want it and you ignore all the negative reviews wait at least for 4-5 patches and a price drop to 20$...    … Expand
  4. mangolight
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    oh man i feel like a cheated girlâ
  5. Soulgraph
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    Needs a few patches, & Firefly had the first one out before the game was out 2 days in US. Overall Id say they've done a good job in listening to their fans feedback during the games production. Most of us were asking for a revival of the original Stronhold/Crusader formula, & this was indeed done but perhaps even to a fault. The game is damn-near a 3 dimentional current gen version ofNeeds a few patches, & Firefly had the first one out before the game was out 2 days in US. Overall Id say they've done a good job in listening to their fans feedback during the games production. Most of us were asking for a revival of the original Stronhold/Crusader formula, & this was indeed done but perhaps even to a fault. The game is damn-near a 3 dimentional current gen version of sh1, personally I am loving it! I've always wanted to play the 1st game again but for the 1st time again well... this is that. The difficulty is hard with no alt settings & I think this is a problem for some, for me though it seems like playing the first all over again. Hearing even some of the original music in game put a smile on my face. The start to this series was one I approched with little expectations & after Stronghold 2 etc I wasnt gonna hold my breath, thankfully I was pleasantly surprized. As with every other release now the game launched with some people experiencing bugs & then of course, out come the knives & pitchforks. Everyone rushes to the forums & meta to vent their rage for being "duped" into buying an incomplete game, cry foul, boycott, warn everyone else not to buy, then do it all over again next time.… Expand
  6. danhaylan
    Oct 26, 2011
    8
    Enjoying it so far. Just finished the second mission in the economy campaign and it was challenging and really enjoyable. By the end of it I was enjoying the layout of my town and got the hang of how to build it up. Have had no big issues with performance, a couple of crashes while loading but really no problem. Graphics are simple but effective. When your stronghold gets going it doesEnjoying it so far. Just finished the second mission in the economy campaign and it was challenging and really enjoyable. By the end of it I was enjoying the layout of my town and got the hang of how to build it up. Have had no big issues with performance, a couple of crashes while loading but really no problem. Graphics are simple but effective. When your stronghold gets going it does look like there is a lot going on, which I like. The graphics look better the larger your cities get. it all could go pear shaped I guess... but so far so good.… Expand
  7. nosepicker
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    ran the program took one look at the 1996 graphics and said what a absolute waste of 50 dollars......
    please dont waste the time or effort to even install this game what an absolute mess
  8. Slater
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    I loved Stronghold 1 and Crusader - not so big on 2 and Legends, but this... this is by far the worst RTS I have ever played in my life. NOTHING works as it should, nothing is thought through. It's like they've taken all the worst parts from previous Stronghold games and none of the good, and then added a million bugs.

    Graphics are broken and ugly. 1920x1080 isn't an option, but if I pick    I loved Stronghold 1 and Crusader - not so big on 2 and Legends, but this... this is by far the worst RTS I have ever played in my life. NOTHING works as it should, nothing is thought through. It's like they've taken all the worst parts from previous Stronghold games and none of the good, and then added a million bugs.

    Graphics are broken and ugly. 1920x1080 isn't an option, but if I pick 1600x900 it stretches the image for some reason, so I have to play in a 16:10 resolution on my 16:9 monitor with black borders, just to be able to see an unstretched image. Game speed is ridiculously slow. Walls don't protect units behind them, animals can climb ladders, no audio cues when your men are being attacked. No explanation of what anything does and no tooltips for most buttons. Economic system is atrocious and resource management is hell with no HUD indication of resources. Fighting is atrocious and no fun at all. Etc.

    This game is horrible in every way, completely unfinished and certain areas, like the cutscenes, clearly showcase how little this game has cost to make, in terms of both money and labour. Releasing a game in this state at full price (or at any price, really) is no different from picking someone's pocket, and Firefly are nothing more than petty thieves.    … Expand
  9. slamma
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    This game is garbage. The developers knew what they were doing when they released this trash. Shame on them. False COOP gameplay advertising on Steam during preorder was criminal. I'm disgusted at Firefly and what they did to this franchise. Whenever I see high marks from user reviews for this game, it's clear they work for the company...gross.
  10. Demented
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    Horrible game. First off: No skirmish mode means this game was born dead. Second, there are huge problems with selection. Third, even if you manage to select something fighting with it is even harder.
    This game is in pain from the moment you install it. Put it out of it's misery and uninstall it.

    This game makes SH2 look good, gameplay wise. Worst trainwreck of the year.
  11. feda1
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs.
  12. Jugador
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    This game could have been good... but they must not have done any real testing. The graphics arn't bad and the music is good. But the gameplay is just trrrible (as Charles Barkley would say) Managing your troops is a nightmare, the cursors don't properly target, units get stuck in all kinds of weird places, and they always move about half an inch north of where you click. There is notThis game could have been good... but they must not have done any real testing. The graphics arn't bad and the music is good. But the gameplay is just trrrible (as Charles Barkley would say) Managing your troops is a nightmare, the cursors don't properly target, units get stuck in all kinds of weird places, and they always move about half an inch north of where you click. There is not nearly enough content for a $50 game. No skirmish mode hurts it big time too. I remember there being a co-op feature promised as well.. what happened to that? What bothers me most though, is the bugs. I've bought expensive games with little content before, makes me unhappy but not mad. It makes me mad that they sold me a game they didn't test. I develop software as a contractor for a living, and if the software I wrote was this buggy, nobody would hire me... I don't want to pay $50 to be FireFlys beta tester.… Expand
  13. Viscis
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    Yet another game based on the success of a previous incarnation ruined. The game looks and feels dated, provides limited playability for a strategy game (no skirmish?!). If your feeling bored enough you could spend a few hours building a castle in the free build mode, only to do nothing with it.
  14. Arumen
    Oct 26, 2011
    3
    I am a hardcore Stronghold Fan. I have played every one of them, one, two and crusader.

    My recommendation? If you want to know what Stronghold 3 is, take all of the objects from Stronghold 2, and put them in an exact copy of Stronghold 1, then make the game terribly buggy, unresponsive and just all around sh*tty. First, the game does a have a few things going for it. Castle construction    I am a hardcore Stronghold Fan. I have played every one of them, one, two and crusader.

    My recommendation? If you want to know what Stronghold 3 is, take all of the objects from Stronghold 2, and put them in an exact copy of Stronghold 1, then make the game terribly buggy, unresponsive and just all around sh*tty. First, the game does a have a few things going for it. Castle construction certainly has a few more options (a few) and you do get 72 directions in which you can place buildings, which allows you to pretty much make your city look the way you want and fit buildings into tight spaces. Secondly I really like the story telling method of black and white scenes with the Wolf's voice over it.

    Lastly, the fact that the Jackal is in this game, from the Crusader games, is a highlight.

    Now for the bad... Oh the bad...

    Perhaps the most important thing for any game to have is good control. Control, control control. This game has terrible unit control. Playing the first military mission, where I had a mere 7 units I could barely command all of them. Clicking on enemies is downright stupid because half the time your men will sit and have a tea before realizing the enemy has a sword through his chest. Also on the first mission I experienced the Firefly version of Fog of War. It is basically an invisible cloud that makes a path look totally clear until you walk towards it. Not like normal FoW, where it is darker so you can TELL that something might be hidden, but literally just hiding units from view. Stronghold has never done this before, why now?? I managed to pass the first mission though, and thought, well now I am on to building so I am sure that was just me flubbing around in the beginning. Second mission starts up and I need to gather goods and locate missing soldiers. Once again I assume the game has the invisible fog of war because I can't see any soldiers on the map. I place my stockpile and my granary and start building farms. Then I realize I need wood. I go to the industry panel and...

    "Wth is that?"

    The logging camp is easily the biggest building in the game. I actually played free-play and tried to find a bigger building. No dice. It also seems to produce less than the 1 person huts from before and cost 6.6 times as much. Well it looked kind of cool so I placed it and tried to keep working. Then I was attacked by wolves.

    Many Stronghold fans are familiar with wolves. Many are also familiar with the popularity meter, a unique feature of Stronghold. With the arrival of wolves my popularity dropped to negative 15. This made no sense to me since I was used to the 100 point popularity system that the other games had and now this new system has screwed me over. The wolves killed my loggers, which lowered my population, which made my farmers leave, which drained my food to 0 which gave me less popularity. I immediately rage quit.


    I did try out creative mode too. Castle building is total crap, trust me, I don't need to go into the finer details. Let me just say housing now costs somewhere between 20-60 wood but you don't get to choose, it is decided by how close you are to your keep. Why? Because the game says so.

    This game is a severe disappointment. DO NOT BUY. DO NOT RENT.    … Expand
  15. merakal
    Oct 26, 2011
    5
    Such a disappointment, so much potential wasted :( Weak graphics, full of bugs, boring campaign, tiny maps and a generally very unfinished feel to it. Basic mechanics are of course very similar to stronghold 1 and 2 and that's about the only thing done right.
  16. Tyrant_T100
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    After playing this for a good few hours I can point out that most of the other reviewers are trolls, the game is fine and I have yet to run into either a bug or a bad gameplay decision, the graphics are nice but the character models could be better, the music is excellent and the gameplay is fine, for those wanting Stronghold 1 go and play Stronghold 1.
  17. Ludvink
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    This game looks and feel like a student project. A nice feeling of retro seeing as they are still using the same uninspired HUDelements as the first RTS games did, nothing in this release feels fresh, maybe some people likes this retro feeling, felt a bit like starting up Heroes 2 again. But its nothing for a new game that demands a full price for purchase. Im deeply disappointed
  18. DocMcJansen
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    Sadly imho all the negative review here are true! missing coop / skirmish mode..pathfinding is horrible! wall building is horrible! and the game is definetly unfinished...
  19. michalo998
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    wow why does this have so many negative reviews??? this game is sweet! for example some guy gave it "0" for "no skirmish mode". wtf? this game doesnt need skirmish mode, you can easily find an online game which is just the same. graphics are really good, dont know what everyone is crapping on about. i havent got any glitches so far. this is a huge step up from stronghold 2 and stronghold 1wow why does this have so many negative reviews??? this game is sweet! for example some guy gave it "0" for "no skirmish mode". wtf? this game doesnt need skirmish mode, you can easily find an online game which is just the same. graphics are really good, dont know what everyone is crapping on about. i havent got any glitches so far. this is a huge step up from stronghold 2 and stronghold 1 fans will enjoy this one. stronghold 3 is sweet, and really really fun.… Expand
  20. KrankTank
    Oct 26, 2011
    9
    It is very similar to older titles with some neat new and exciting features. They haven't improved on the path finding but that is ok. I highly recommend this for Stronghold fans. But my God!! This one is HARD! I have experienced no graphical errors (run on high settings).
  21. Slider
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    OMG so many bugs needs lots of patching, dang and I just got crushed by how bad RAGE was then I start this unfinished "steamer" thinking to myself I was in for a long and wonderful night of building my castle and crushing my enemies not worth $50. UGH I'm just going to wait for the patches and hope they finish the game and maybe i'll come back and raise the score but a 2 is the best I canOMG so many bugs needs lots of patching, dang and I just got crushed by how bad RAGE was then I start this unfinished "steamer" thinking to myself I was in for a long and wonderful night of building my castle and crushing my enemies not worth $50. UGH I'm just going to wait for the patches and hope they finish the game and maybe i'll come back and raise the score but a 2 is the best I can give for now.… Expand
  22. BrutalBoss
    Oct 26, 2011
    9
    Downloaded the game through steam a few hours after it was released. Didn't have a problem at all. The graphics look pretty nice, and the game runs smoothly and I dont have an extreme gaming PC. The game mechanics are awesome, I havent played the previous strongholds but I think I will pick them up because this style of gameplay is great. Maybe its to hard for some people, but it isnt toDownloaded the game through steam a few hours after it was released. Didn't have a problem at all. The graphics look pretty nice, and the game runs smoothly and I dont have an extreme gaming PC. The game mechanics are awesome, I havent played the previous strongholds but I think I will pick them up because this style of gameplay is great. Maybe its to hard for some people, but it isnt to complicated. The campaign is pretty good, I have reached the 7th mission and the first level isnt great but right after that from level 2 onwards the game really picks up. I tried multiplayer and it works fine contrary to what other people have said. There are plenty of matches in the browser and the games run fine. I really cant find many flaws, this is actaully a pretty damn good strategy castle game.… Expand
  23. PC_Tester
    Oct 26, 2011
    3
    The skirmish for me isnt a huge problem, however things like selecting troops to attack, weighting of various building types, the terrible mini map, small map sizes, poor widescreen/multi screen support (the list goes on) are just unacceptable for a full price release.

    A very dissapointing release and Firefly should be ashamed of themselves.
  24. goshnya
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    What the reviews say is sad but true -- this game is buggy, and just plain unpolished. It doesn't have the fun of the first one, nor the skirmish mode of the second one. It's also unbalanced -- for example, a single wolf can kill several soldiers. So it's hard to recommend it at this time, maybe in the future when it's heavily patched.
  25. NoseBagUK
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    It's going to take a lot of work to get this game into a state that it is playable. Wolves can climb ladders, troops don't respond to mouse clicks, walls don't offer any protection to your troops, it's a complete mess.

    All this said I don't think that its terminal, it can be fixed, with extensive patching, I think. What is particularly worrying however is the response from Firefly which    It's going to take a lot of work to get this game into a state that it is playable. Wolves can climb ladders, troops don't respond to mouse clicks, walls don't offer any protection to your troops, it's a complete mess.

    All this said I don't think that its terminal, it can be fixed, with extensive patching, I think. What is particularly worrying however is the response from Firefly which appears to be, keep mouth shut and lock the forum posts of people who complain, in anyway. Doesn't sound like a dev team who are likely to fix the game with a patch?

    Second time I've been caught out pre-ordering a game in the space of a month, note to self...... "no reviews = bad game"    … Expand
  26. Serjo
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    this is the worst piece of **** game that i've ever seen in my entire life! i just don't understand why firefly does this to its fans

    and @ all the firefly-members here: would you PLEASE stop creating accounts here just to give this game a (undeserved) 10 and to tell people how great it is? you know very well that this game is CRAP! it's just ridiculous what you're doing, nobody will buy    this is the worst piece of **** game that i've ever seen in my entire life! i just don't understand why firefly does this to its fans

    and @ all the firefly-members here: would you PLEASE stop creating accounts here just to give this game a (undeserved) 10 and to tell people how great it is? you know very well that this game is CRAP! it's just ridiculous what you're doing, nobody will buy this game just because you're writing fake reviews here -_-    … Expand
  27. Exkodius
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    What honest company would release THIS to their costumers
    for 50£ on steam? None would. All the bugs and lack of content are obvious to say the least. This is not even at beta stage, this game is in an alpha stage. I am dead serious, this is no mindless rant.
    First Stronghold 2 and now 3, even much worse? You would think they learn... You would think I learn... Also let's    What honest company would release THIS to their costumers
    for 50£ on steam? None would. All the bugs and lack of content are obvious to say the least. This is not even at beta stage, this game is in an alpha stage. I am dead serious, this is no mindless rant.

    First Stronghold 2 and now 3, even much worse? You would think they learn... You would think I learn...

    Also let's get really serious here. My brother and i bought Stronghold 3 to play together in multiplayer coop mode. Since it clearly said it would be included. IT IS NOT. The game only has one mode, death match. And no ai player options. This is clearly FRAUD.

    I want a refund for boath my brother and i. And mabye after two years when the game is actully done i can pick it up from a bargain bin for 2£.    … Expand
  28. Ricker1990
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    What the hell is with the negetive reviews? Have they only seen the crappy trailer and not played the actaul game? I have not experianced 1 bug yet! on Win 7 64 bit! The graphics are good, and multiplayer is great! Easy to find a game! And there was a patch released a few ours ago. There is plenty of game modes, including economic and military campaign. This game is actually very good, itsWhat the hell is with the negetive reviews? Have they only seen the crappy trailer and not played the actaul game? I have not experianced 1 bug yet! on Win 7 64 bit! The graphics are good, and multiplayer is great! Easy to find a game! And there was a patch released a few ours ago. There is plenty of game modes, including economic and military campaign. This game is actually very good, its just the trailer is crappy and this seems to be full of trolls that havent played the game.

    And btw it supports 1920x1080 these people must just have bad computers.    … Expand
  29. thierry1983
    Oct 25, 2011
    9
    great game need sum patches only. the only ting i mis is multilayer .love the way you can look in a house and the sounds in dis game make me relax . many troll dis game. i dowt get it its pretty good
  30. empleXity
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    There is absolutally nothing wrong with this game. Shame on all the people giving it a horrible rating. Multiplayer worked perfectly right after I finished downloading off steam, the graphics are great, some people most not understand the slightly complicated gameplay. The campaign is interesting and placing your castle in the real life world map is definatly a unique aspect. And by theThere is absolutally nothing wrong with this game. Shame on all the people giving it a horrible rating. Multiplayer worked perfectly right after I finished downloading off steam, the graphics are great, some people most not understand the slightly complicated gameplay. The campaign is interesting and placing your castle in the real life world map is definatly a unique aspect. And by the way, the multiplayer is also very fun. As soon as I opened a 2v2 lobby it was full within 30 seconds. This game is great, beleive me.… Expand
  31. Bedlam
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I literally created this metacritic account to warn people away from Stronghold 3. This game is full of bugs and I want my money back! I reloaded a saved game, it wouldn't recognize I had stuff in my stockpile. I reloaded again. My wall was glitched up so that it wasn't connected. The multiplayer is not working and no skirmish mode... which leaves this game devoid of life. What the heckI literally created this metacritic account to warn people away from Stronghold 3. This game is full of bugs and I want my money back! I reloaded a saved game, it wouldn't recognize I had stuff in my stockpile. I reloaded again. My wall was glitched up so that it wasn't connected. The multiplayer is not working and no skirmish mode... which leaves this game devoid of life. What the heck are they thinking to release a game in such a shoddy state, it should be illegal. If I had any member of firefly studios in the room with me right now I swear I would throttle them with no remorse.… Expand
  32. STRONGHOLD
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Lord Solor is a tool. This game does not deserve a Ten. This game is clearly a unfinished product. If you check out firefly official forum, you can see the various gameplay issues that Firefly ignored. Wolf can climb ladders! Wolf can kill your armored lord! Any units can attack walls.
    There is no strong walls option. What is the point of building walls if they don't block enemy    Lord Solor is a tool. This game does not deserve a Ten. This game is clearly a unfinished product. If you check out firefly official forum, you can see the various gameplay issues that Firefly ignored. Wolf can climb ladders! Wolf can kill your armored lord! Any units can attack walls.
    There is no strong walls option. What is the point of building walls if they don't block enemy units?
    Building walls and staircases are like pulling your wisdom tooth by yourself.

    If you want to save money, don't buy this game. Buy Stronghold 1 or 2. Stronghold 3 is a epic fail game.    … Expand
  33. Dan341
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Don't do it.
    I am a rare partial-blind gamer, Unfamiliar with this series. bought this on steam pre-order, and I concur with the rest of the abysmal reviews. Played this for about an hour before turning it off in frustration. The most striking elements are near non-existent KB controls (important to some folks), lackluster storyline (the opening anyway), small / poorly designed maps,    Don't do it.
    I am a rare partial-blind gamer, Unfamiliar with this series. bought this on steam pre-order, and I concur with the rest of the abysmal reviews. Played this for about an hour before turning it off in frustration. The most striking elements are near non-existent KB controls (important to some folks), lackluster storyline (the opening anyway), small / poorly designed maps, and its just TOO similar to SH 1. All the typical ailments of a low-budget game. No skirmish mode. The Settlers series is similar to this and those beat this with a stick. These type of games fail to keep my interest. I was expecting something like Sim-Medieval Kingdom, but its like Castle-Craft gone bad.    … Expand
  34. scribblesvurt
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Worst Game Ever. 10 years since the original and this is the best they can manage? Buggy, crappy graphics and disappointing game play. PS, A sketch for a cut scene is as lazy as it gets. I demand a refund. SAVE YOUR MONEY DO NOT BUY.
  35. nitrambor3
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    I was incredibly disappointed with this game. Even without the multiplayer and AI issues, simple game play is awkward. Resolution is surprisingly bad. Wooden walls won't connect, and leave gaps that can't be closed. There is no good way to see why or what's wrong. When you delete walls, little visual slivers are left which can't be deleted, but can be selected and keep other functions fromI was incredibly disappointed with this game. Even without the multiplayer and AI issues, simple game play is awkward. Resolution is surprisingly bad. Wooden walls won't connect, and leave gaps that can't be closed. There is no good way to see why or what's wrong. When you delete walls, little visual slivers are left which can't be deleted, but can be selected and keep other functions from working correctly. Placing any sort of property gives little indication of why it can't be placed, it would be nice to see a highlight or flash of the offending piece of ground/property. Installation took me two hours, due to numerous download/delay/crash/uninstall/reinstall errors. They were all solvable on Steam support site, but seriously? Two hours. There is not as much notice in popularity, granary, etc. changes. I got caught a few times. When you play some of the economics campaigns you don't have limited time but if you take longer than 100 days you get no points. Seriously? This is only with 5 hours of play on Economics. I haven't even started the combat stuff yet. And seriously, who wants to play in the rain? If you ask me, the new 'look' is hard to see, way too granular and really takes away from the game. I liked a lot of the complexity of the SH2, and am sad to see it gone, at least in economics mode. The small map screen is way too big for the overall screen, it would be nice to be able to minimize/resize it to smaller for those of us without 46" monitors. Overall, I'm just really disappointed that I waited this long, paid this up front, lived through the ridiculous delays and then got this. I guess if you want to make cool looking physics trailers and blow dudes off a wall, this is awesome, but if you want a castle-building good time, go back and play SH1.… Expand
  36. demandquality
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    It was advertised as having coop. There is no coop. Therefore, they are dirty, dirty, liars. It's full of bugs and quality of life issues. Avoid this game!

    And to the apologists claiming we should take it easy on them because all new games are buggy...no thanks. The gaming industry consistently rakes consumers over the coals on everything from release dates, missing features and    It was advertised as having coop. There is no coop. Therefore, they are dirty, dirty, liars. It's full of bugs and quality of life issues. Avoid this game!

    And to the apologists claiming we should take it easy on them because all new games are buggy...no thanks. The gaming industry consistently rakes consumers over the coals on everything from release dates, missing features and buggy/broken gameplay. I say this is unacceptable. Name one other product you would pay full price for that was missing parts or broke down 30 seconds after you used it. Why should developers get a free pass? Their mistreatment of us will continue so long as we (the consumer) allow it. Stand up for yourselves. Speak with your wallets. And stop giving money to designers who are half-assing it.

    Demand quality.    … Expand
  37. aliptay
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Oops, I gave this a 10 accidentally.

    My bad, please forgive me.

    I probably wouldn't have been disappointed had I paid $10 for it.

    Still not at 150 characters.

    Are we there yet?

    Nope not quite.

    Check out my review below.

    I have to be pretty close now.

    Is this really worth adding a new score?

    Any day now...
  38. DrJest
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Don't like this at all. I'm sorry I pre-ordered through Steam. Now I can't get my money back. Just uninstalled and I'm pretty bummed out about this.
  39. CityBuilder
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    My only saving grace was that i purchased this (with a trade in ) at greenmangaming for only $18.96, had I purchased at full $50.00 price I'd be right ticked off at the quality that the game was released in, giving it a score of 1 is being generous, it is lack luster at best, is missing many features that were in the SH games before it (i.e. skirmish, kingmaker, etc) and is just not worthMy only saving grace was that i purchased this (with a trade in ) at greenmangaming for only $18.96, had I purchased at full $50.00 price I'd be right ticked off at the quality that the game was released in, giving it a score of 1 is being generous, it is lack luster at best, is missing many features that were in the SH games before it (i.e. skirmish, kingmaker, etc) and is just not worth the money.

    It honestly feels with the lack of content (i.e. maps) that Firefly is depending on their customers to put out the content for it, with the editor, even as such they will not be able to add skirmishes to the game.

    I'd have to say at this point that you hold off on your purchase until FF (if they do so) puts out an amazing patch as in it's current state it's barely worth $18.96 let alone $49.99 that steam sells it for currently.

    Also take a look at the screenshots and videos of it on places like youtube to see if these 'old school' graphics are something you want to play with in the year our Lord 2011. It might as well be the year that StrongHold 2 came out with regards to these 'retro' graphics. Personally, I find it attrocious that FireFly would put out a game in 2011 with these graphics, they are just terrible. It makes it quite difficult to get into playing the game with graphics this outdated and poor.

    Stronghold 3 feels to me to be a very unpolished and incomplete game, especially for the price they are asking for it. Stay away from it for now until a huge patch comes out, or it's in the $5.00 economy bin.    … Expand
  40. Rhutos
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Don't buy this unfinished, buggy game actual...
    There is no skirmish mode, no ai support for MP - not even a working MP.
    Your peasants eat 3x food as normal - and your maps are tiny - so you will build food buildins only - no space for a castle. You cannot build wall on wall and your walls become broken by food units... This is just a part of negative things on the current Stronghold 3    Don't buy this unfinished, buggy game actual...
    There is no skirmish mode, no ai support for MP - not even a working MP.
    Your peasants eat 3x food as normal - and your maps are tiny - so you will build food buildins only - no space for a castle.
    You cannot build wall on wall and your walls become broken by food units...
    This is just a part of negative things on the current Stronghold 3 release. But the badest things are response like this:

    "Stronghold 3 was designed as a throwback to the original Stronghold. Itâ    … Expand
  41. Hypedupturtle
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    Buggy, over-simplistic and but a shadow of it's former incarnates. There is so much to hate in this game, and forums everywhere are overflowing with it all. All in all, avoid.
  42. VulpusInculta
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    To those who may be reading this: You may be inclined to think that this game can't possibly be as bad as the user reviews say. But this is quite possibly the worst game from the past 7 years, stay away from this title even if you find it in the budget bin. That the developers had the audacity to charge full price is so bizarre it simply HAS to be a joke.
  43. Eightysevens
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    This game is awful. The tutorial is far too brief. The gameplay is sluggish and antiquated. The controls feel unfinished. The graphics are very poor and glitchy. After 20 minutes of play I feel totally robbed of the premium price that I pre-paid for this game. Shameful.
  44. neekz0r
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    Despite what others are saying, this game runs pretty smoothly on my system. Despite that, it's pretty boring. I'm a newcomer to the stronghold series, and I was rather looking forward to this game. Sadly, I was left disappointed. No skirmish is kind of silly, and the campaign is rather droll. The game over-all is VERY simple -- to the point that strategy is really not needed. I don'tDespite what others are saying, this game runs pretty smoothly on my system. Despite that, it's pretty boring. I'm a newcomer to the stronghold series, and I was rather looking forward to this game. Sadly, I was left disappointed. No skirmish is kind of silly, and the campaign is rather droll. The game over-all is VERY simple -- to the point that strategy is really not needed. I don't typically play multi-player, so I can't vouch for any of that, but single player is snooze city.… Expand
  45. jollysteve
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    My biggest gripe with this game is that it bears a full price tag and there is no demo. That is really a problem, because you can't get refunds on Steam and the game is utter crap. It runs well, but looks bad on GTX470 and is missing a lot of features. Feels like a beta version. They just wanted to cash in on the Stronghold name.
  46. elypsa
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Is it a new game ? Is it a beta test? I am really confused brothers.. Don´t buy this game! ............................................................
  47. PastryGator
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    I can't even describe how disappointed I am in this game. My two biggest gripes are the popularity system change and no skirmish mode. WHY on earth they changed the popularity system that was simple and WORKED to something that needs to be continually micromanaged I'll never know. Heaven forbid you don't devote a third or more of your population to food, lest you run out of it, peopleI can't even describe how disappointed I am in this game. My two biggest gripes are the popularity system change and no skirmish mode. WHY on earth they changed the popularity system that was simple and WORKED to something that needs to be continually micromanaged I'll never know. Heaven forbid you don't devote a third or more of your population to food, lest you run out of it, people leave from the negative happiness hit for no food, and you have no farmers to fix the problem. It's a constant juggling act of negative and positive happiness with a score of peasants coming and going at a time because as SOON as you get into negative happiness at all, peasants start leaving immediately, unlike the old popularity system where you could support a negative rating for awhile if your popularity was beefed up to 100. Oh yeah, did I mention no skirmishes? In THAT regard, they have gone back to stronghold 1. If you are a stronghold fan like I am, unless this game gets a heavy overhaul, AVOID it.… Expand
  48. TheGeneral
    Oct 25, 2011
    4
    Incredibly disappointed! The game is not finished, should not have been release in my opinion. Multi player does not work at all at the moment! Huge bugs in game! This game needs a patch to even be playable. Anyone rating the game 10 works for production coz game don't work!!!
  49. LordSolor
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    Every Troll here cannot wait to tell you how bad this game is, having spent all of 10 minutes playing it on their out-dated computers. It seems everyone would like to be the first to post a poorly written diatribe about how "buggy" or "disappointing" Stronghold 3 is. Don't believe the anti-hype! The game probably needs a patch or two to be perfect, but I can only marvel at the beautyEvery Troll here cannot wait to tell you how bad this game is, having spent all of 10 minutes playing it on their out-dated computers. It seems everyone would like to be the first to post a poorly written diatribe about how "buggy" or "disappointing" Stronghold 3 is. Don't believe the anti-hype! The game probably needs a patch or two to be perfect, but I can only marvel at the beauty and complexity of the gameplay. I'm running a machine with Win 7 and 12 GB of RAM with an ATI Radeon HD 5700 card and the game runs beautifully. Unlike some games on the market today which are little more than click-through-movies, Stronghold 3 is VERY challenging! It has taken me several tries to complete each mission and I cannot wait to start playing with the map editor and making my own multiplayer maps and missions! If you're the type who is prone to uncontrollable fits of "nerd-rage", you may want to spare your poor abused keyboard some banging and just wait a week or two until the patches to fix a few lingering issues come out.… Expand
  50. Johnman
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Beyond unpolished, unfinished. Not only the combat system is buggy and full of oversights, it is faulted by design. No care has been put at all in this game. The economics mechanics are not the best of the series, but at least are better than Stronghold 2's.

    Only the music and the sound effects are acceptable. Voice acting is OK. Graphics are all right if you don't care too much, but unit    Beyond unpolished, unfinished. Not only the combat system is buggy and full of oversights, it is faulted by design. No care has been put at all in this game. The economics mechanics are not the best of the series, but at least are better than Stronghold 2's.

    Only the music and the sound effects are acceptable. Voice acting is OK. Graphics are all right if you don't care too much, but unit animations are sub-par.

    Some reviews say it needs "a few patches". But it needs to be redone.    … Expand
  51. TeeferTiger
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I was really looking forward to this game. Preordered it. SO disappointed. Laggy (even on my very high spec nearly new laptop), still lags when graphics set lower and lights turned off. Crashes out.... oh I can't even begin to list all the problems.

    I wish I'd never wasted my money :(
  52. Heavymetal4life
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    Such a shame......... Game was talked about such potential an its now Day 2 of release an I have returned the game for my money back. Bug ridden launch of yet another PC title. It feels they release these games for the pure need of sales to get their budget up since they peeked it an had run out of funds, so they sell a unfinished unpolished game to gain revenue so they can fix the issuesSuch a shame......... Game was talked about such potential an its now Day 2 of release an I have returned the game for my money back. Bug ridden launch of yet another PC title. It feels they release these games for the pure need of sales to get their budget up since they peeked it an had run out of funds, so they sell a unfinished unpolished game to gain revenue so they can fix the issues an implement the rest of the games ideas with the new found source of money they receive from sales. Very poor business ethics from the PC industry the past 2-4 years. It is getting really annoying....It is like they want me to just buy a Console an never look back with the type of lack of respect they show us consumer PC gamers. Game tries to show you the light at the end of the tunnel but merely fails horribly. No skirmish in a RTS game is a complete ruin of the style of game it is, where is the replay ability without skirmish???? No Kingmaker makes even LESS replay ability..... What do they expect us to do buy a game for 50 dollars to play a 10 hour campaign if that an then just notch the game off on are list of what to do next? This title is a slap in the face to PC gamers of the genre this title supports, They talk in their Dev videos how they did so much not to fail like supposedly Stronghold 2 did, Well it had its issues at launch I will be honest, but after some patches an time I rather play that game then this supposed "new" an "better" version. They were so negative towards SH2 that they even made the story take off from the original SH1, that right there tells you they do no have confidence in their ability to make games. I warn anyone who buys this game within its first month of launch, for it will take some time fixing the mass of Bugs this game is experiencing at the moment. Wait a few if months for it to hit the bargain bin or hit the sales rack on steam or at Retailers such as Gamestop store or their Online download system "aka" Impulse that for some reason they now changed it to the name of their stores, which on a side note I thought was stupid... I liked Impulse as the name more then the Current. An stay Clear from Origin unless you just HAVE to have a EA game or you will die. (rumors say it has a spyware in the software to take your information an sell it to other companies for marketing purposes, be careful)
    Well I hope this post helps people save some money. I give this game a 3 out of 10 because they attempted to do something at least, even if it was a massive launch PC title failure again. Maybe a few months down the road it will be playable an enjoyable like SH2 became when its issues were fixed an corrected. The only Thing good going for this game is the introduction of a Physics engine making the the destruction of Castle walls an Town buildings look more realistic an the peoples "AI" bodies having a "rag" doll effect to their lifeless corpses. I sure hope some other big titles coming out that I am waiting for do not do this as well, Such as Skyrim from Besthesda.... Especially after how horrible RAGE was an still is after multiply patches to try an fix it, yet still have not. Wish the PC industry would get their **** together... I am really considering going back to Xbox or Playstation, I know they go through their issues now an then but at least with a console I did not spend $2,000.00 plus dollars to make a top end gaming machine just to get crappy game after crappy game released    … Expand
  53. Sp4rkR4t
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    This game is nowhere near finished, graphics are atrocious and the game doesn't even support 1080p, almost no info throughout the game as to what each building does or how much or whatever it is producing, no display info telling you how much stock you have in a given item other than having to constantly re-check the stockpile. It is a complete mess and such a shame as the gaming landscapeThis game is nowhere near finished, graphics are atrocious and the game doesn't even support 1080p, almost no info throughout the game as to what each building does or how much or whatever it is producing, no display info telling you how much stock you have in a given item other than having to constantly re-check the stockpile. It is a complete mess and such a shame as the gaming landscape could have done with a new game of this type.… Expand
  54. Kevinovski
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    A nasty surprise for Stronghold fans. This game is very buggy and has an unfinished feel to it. Let me rephrase that: This game has been released in a state it shouldn't be. It's like a fetus gets pulled out of a womb months before its time. This should have never been released in this state.
    Furthermore, there is a lack of skirmish mode, which means you have to deal with the current    A nasty surprise for Stronghold fans. This game is very buggy and has an unfinished feel to it. Let me rephrase that: This game has been released in a state it shouldn't be. It's like a fetus gets pulled out of a womb months before its time. This should have never been released in this state.
    Furthermore, there is a lack of skirmish mode, which means you have to deal with the current campaigns as they are. They are impossibly difficult, not as much to say the game is challenging, but you have the feeling you're not fighting the virtual enemies, rather the bugs you come across. There is no bonus for standing on walls, and your men at arms get stuck when they can't hit their enemies. What is that all about?
    A lot of people say they don't like the graphics, but I think they're the only pro to this game as far as I'm concerned. I think this game is salvageable with a lot of patching, but for now I'd suggest you all wait till it's in the bargain bin.    … Expand
  55. BoromirKane
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I first came to the stronghold series with stronghold 2. I thought, despite the shoddy graphics that it was a great idea and alot of fun. I even enjoyed stronghold legends. I played though the campaign once on each then moved to offline skirmishes or kingmaker which is the mode I always play with RTS's. So think of my surprise when loading up stronghold 3 for the first time and couldntI first came to the stronghold series with stronghold 2. I thought, despite the shoddy graphics that it was a great idea and alot of fun. I even enjoyed stronghold legends. I played though the campaign once on each then moved to offline skirmishes or kingmaker which is the mode I always play with RTS's. So think of my surprise when loading up stronghold 3 for the first time and couldnt find the skirmish/kingmaker option! I hav essentially bought a game full price of which I cannot play. I paid £30.00 for a shoddy little campaign on tiny maps, with poor framerate. What was firefly doing for all these years? Has anyone even tested this game before release? and where the hell is skirmish?! Rule number 1 about making a RTS game. INCLUDE SKIRMISH!!!

    Whats wrong with this game? - No Skirmish/Kingmaker
    - No AI
    - Tiny Maps
    - Crappy Framerate even on high end pc's
    - Camera is restricted in free build? whats the point in doing that?
    - Tiny selection of maps (2!)
    - No cinematic cutscenes just black and white drawings with a crappy voice over.
    - Unresponsive units (hard to select and when they are selected they dont always do as you say)
    - Cant see the sky (no different views like sh2)

    Stronghold was my second favourite series of games (behind total war). I can-not express my disapointment enough. Please save yourself the horror and dont buy it.    … Expand
  56. Korkenzieher
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    I guess the glorious days of the Stronghold Franchise are over. Stronghold 3 has HUGE bugs, currently no speed regulation, graphics looks like came out of 2002 - to shortcut this - for my taste... a Nr1 lame game. Stronghold 3 earned a place in my personal FAIL BUY's list.
  57. sholdlegend
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    The most anticipated flop of our generation. Crashes left right and centre, poor AI and poorly designed non-immersive maps are only a few things that cast out Stronghold 3 from it's predecessors.
  58. ptoner87
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    No skirmish mode. No kingmaker.
    No AI (i.e. computer opponents to play against in any mode, save for what's scripted in the campaign).
    Multiplayer is broken. You literally cannot play multiplayer. Even if you could, there are four very small maps from which to choose. Limited free build mode comprising two maps, both of which are very tiny. To give you some reference, if you took thirty    No skirmish mode. No kingmaker.
    No AI (i.e. computer opponents to play against in any mode, save for what's scripted in the campaign).
    Multiplayer is broken. You literally cannot play multiplayer. Even if you could, there are four very small maps from which to choose.
    Limited free build mode comprising two maps, both of which are very tiny. To give you some reference, if you took thirty wheat farms and lined them up, the first and last would be at the edges of the map.

    I won't comment as to how I like the graphics, because to an extent it is personal preference, but I will tell you there are numerous graphical errors, and castle walls use low resolution, blotchy textures.

    I do enjoy the audio. Music is nice. It's not enough to overcome the game's other faults by a longshot, however.

    The game is very buggy. Some people cannot start the game. Others it crashes for, and still others for some odd reason can only play the game in a foreign language (really). For those of us lucky not to experience these major issues, there still is a whole slew of pesky annoyances and gameplay imbalances with which to contend, to the extent that we're wondering if 7sixty and Firefly Studios accidentally released an early beta version instead of the completed game.

    There are some remedies to Stronghold 2's mechanics that are positive, such as not having to deal with sanitation or criminals, and a better camera UI.
    Your building choices are also more refined, which does mean less indeed, but I think it's for the better. For instance, there's only a church, and no chapel or cathedral. The church has a support structure, the chandler, a producer of candles, which the church requires to perform services.
    The honour system is interesting, I think, but there's no sense in going into it here.
    Housing is nifty in that it changes size and capacity based on distance from the keep.
    Weather and day and night cycles are kind of glitched, but in theory they are pretty cool.

    The game is in major need of some serious patches.
    Even with patches, you'd very likely never see a skirmish mode, as AI is something that takes a very long time to develop, and typically requires coding in the early stages of development.
    There may be a technical reason the maps are as small as they are. If this is true, it's extremely disappointing.

    The short answer is stay away from Stronghold 3.
    Maybe reconsider if it goes on sale for ten bucks, but only after extensive patching.    … Expand
  59. BlaBlaBlaNighT
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    The only reason for me creating an account here: To warn you all not to buy this ... "game". Its pathetic lol, no skirmish, **** graphics and overall an unfinished feeling. This is far from playable, and even further away from being a good game. Sad to see the money go down the drain.. again.. Don't make the mistake of buying this game. This is not worth the 5 bucks when it ends up in theThe only reason for me creating an account here: To warn you all not to buy this ... "game". Its pathetic lol, no skirmish, **** graphics and overall an unfinished feeling. This is far from playable, and even further away from being a good game. Sad to see the money go down the drain.. again.. Don't make the mistake of buying this game. This is not worth the 5 bucks when it ends up in the discount bin even!… Expand
  60. Bones313
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Remember when stronghold 2 came out? It's more buggy then that ever was.. Graphic errors, no skirmish mode, terrible campaign and lots more to list.. Don't buy this until it's on a 5$ sale or 3 years from now when they fix all the glitches.. Why can't they just remake stronghold 1 or crusader to how we all want it to be..
  61. Argoss
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Just three words: NO SKIRMISH MODE.......................................................................................................................................
  62. Canisrah
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    I've come online to get this review in early in the hope that I can save other Stronghold fans from making the same mistake I did. This game is an unfinished, buggy mess and I wish I could get my money back. Pre-ordering games just doesn't pay nowadays as developers seem determined to release their unfinished, unpolished, half-implemented rubbish on the paying public. They've had to makeI've come online to get this review in early in the hope that I can save other Stronghold fans from making the same mistake I did. This game is an unfinished, buggy mess and I wish I could get my money back. Pre-ordering games just doesn't pay nowadays as developers seem determined to release their unfinished, unpolished, half-implemented rubbish on the paying public. They've had to make this game on a shoestring budget, and it shows from the beginning with the bugs and the use of black and white drawings in place of cinematics. Mission design is poor, the maps are tiny, the animations are rudimentary and the graphics engine is glitchy.

    The game simply isn't worth playing in it's current state, and it's merely a throwback to Stronghold 2 and not the original and best Stronghold 1. You have to be worried when a castle building game doesn't give your troops any defensive bonus at all for being behind walls - none whatsoever. Many aspects of the gameplay are quite simply broken, and there is no skirmish mode, just a horrible lackluster campaign. The dreadful reviews will start pouring in soon - hold off on that purchase, wait till you find it in the bargain bin, which won't be very long. A sad waste of time and money.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 14 out of 29
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    40
    Failure of the year – first two games don't deserve such a disappointing sequel as Stronghold 3 did. Few pros cannot hide a pile of bugs and bad design decisions. [Dec 2011]
  2. PC Games (Russia)
    Dec 24, 2011
    80
    A traditional strategy with many elements which are too old. Fans of the series may like it still. [January 2012, p.72]
  3. Absolute Games
    Dec 16, 2011
    30
    Stronghold 3 is boring beyond redemption. The blurb on the retail box should have been written along the lines of "We've run out of ideas, our artists forgot how to draw, and our programmers can't produce stable code anymore, but hey, a long, long time ago we made one really great game!"
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