Windows

FireFly Studios' Stronghold Crusader

If you like castle building or ran out of things to do with the original Stronghold, then Stronghold: Crusader is a welcome twist to a now established theme. It has all the fun and playability of the original, and will keep you entertained for many, many more hours. It earns 5 GiN Gems for being everything the original was, with just a lot more of it.

Die Mehrspieler-Gefechte auf den Sandkarten sind erstaunlich kurzweilig. Auf den »unausgeglichenen« Karten ringe ich fast mehr mit den Verbündeten um Rohstoffe als mit dem Gegner. Die KI-Burgherren kommen sehr glaubwürdig rüber, und schon nach kurzer Zeit habe ich meine bevorzugten Verbündeten und meine Lieblingsfeinde ausgemacht. Durch die vielen Optionen spielt sich bei Crusader kaum eine Partie wie die andere. Sonne und Schatten Allerdings ist der Schwierigkeitsgrad des Kreuzritterpfades fast zu hoch. Mir gingen auf der Hälfte des Weges langsam die Ideen aus, wie ich mit der Übermacht an Feinden fertig werden soll. Die nur noch zweckmäßige Grafik trübt mir außerdem den Spaß am endlosen Burgenbau-Modus – hier besteht für Stronghold 2 dringender Entrümplungsbedarf.

I could go on about "Stronghold Crusader" day and night over, but I guess I should leave something for you to discover on your own. Finally, I would just point a couple of things out: First, female voices have deliberately been done by male actors, and second, your trebuchets are capable of firing cows which explode and spread disease (a notorious technique that was actually used in those days). Both of these are obvious Pythonesque elements, which severely improves the atmosphere.

Ach, wie schön war's doch daheim. In England gab's noch saftig grüne Wiesen, so weit das Auge reicht, die Fronten waren klar gezogen. Auf der einen Seite Sie als edler Burgherr, auf der anderen Seite die fiesen Belagerer. Stronghold Crusader hebt die alte Rollenverteilung auf. Im zweiten Teil der erfolgreichen Burgbausimulation müssen Sie als Baumeister ebenso Ihr Können beweisen wie in offenen Feldschlachten und schwierigen Belagerungen.

Grafisch is er helaas niet veel verbetering te bespeuren ten opzichte van z'n voorganger maar gelukkig maakt al het andere dat meer dan goed. De Arabische klanken die door mijn speakers schallen, zorgen voor een lekker sfeertje en ook de spreekvaardigheid van je peeps is dik in orde. Verder is de A.I. weer wat opgekrikt en zijn de gebieden een stuk groter dan voorheen. Nice one, Firefly.

If you enjoyed the mighty Stronghold, but want a game with even more substance, then sire, your software is ready. Stronghold is one of those rare games that comes along without any fanfare and ends up being really special even though nobody really expected much from it. However Crusader had a few of us salivating before its release, as the original game was such a promising appetizer.

Last year's Stronghold was a slightly uneven combination of city builder and real-time strategy game, with an emphasis on siege warfare. It had the distinction of being the only castle simulation from a major publisher since Interplay released Quicksilver's Castles II in 1992. Aspiring warlords could forgive Stronghold's shortcomings, since the original game gave them the opportunity to build and raze walls, pillage countrysides, and launch cattle from catapults. Firefly Studios has now polished up its old game nicely and has sent it on a long road trip into the Crusades.

It's a bit too simple to flatly say that Stronghold: Crusader is "better than the original" or "those who enjoyed Stronghold will love the sequel." This standalone mini-sequel to last year's hit is crammed with additional game options, and may actually convert those who didn't like the original due to its limited variety and puzzle-like scenarios. With that said, Crusader should feel very familiar to anyone that played Stronghold. You still play the lord of the manor, constructing imposing castles (or attacking them), throwing enemies off the ramparts, building a functional economy, feeding your people, etc. Only this time, you aren't slugging it out against other European lords. This time, the enemy is much more lethal.

Aside from some minor accessibility issues concerning the interface, and camera control Stronghold Crusader is a very good game. Gamers will find a lot to like about it; I know I did. Most RTS gamers could do a lot worse, and it pains me to think that this great game may get lost in the shuffle this holiday season. As always, though, so much gaming to do, so little time.

Whether you are a Stronghold veteran or a newcomer, Stronghold: Crusader is definitely recommended. It's not a game that will appeal to everybody, as city and economic management is heavy in this game. Think more along the lines of Caesar than Age of Empires and you'll have Stronghold: Crusader, a game which is not entirely new, but manages to breathe some life into the real-time strategy genre.

Stronghold Crusader, like its predecessor will provide gaming pleasure for a long period of time. Not only because of its huge collection of skirmish missions, or its large collection of open play builder maps, or its multiplayer capabilities, but with the inclusion of a full featured game and map editor, Crusader will outlast many other games of its genre.

Crusader blijft een leuke RTS met gevarieerde gameplay, maar is eerder een veredelde add-on dan een nieuw spel.

Stronghold stumbled, blinking, from the development dungeon moments before Civilization III, Empire Earth and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds did the same. In the subsequent stampede, few gamers west of the Rhine noticed its enchanting atmosphere, beautifully executed economics, and colourful combat. Crusader emerges in less hectic times with old strengths and new qualities and will hopefully fare better in this fare lands.

Stronghold: Crusader was ook een beetje een vreemde eend in dit rijtje. En je kunt dat positief zien. Het is weer eens wat anders dan RTS-sen gebaseerd op veel, veel, veel en meer, meer, meer.

Voilà, c'est en définitive un beau lifting que s'offre Stronghold. Une nouvelle ambiance, un nouveau scénario, de nouveaux modes de jeux. Le gameplay ayant déjà fait ses preuves, on ne dira rien sur le sujet. Seule la réalisation à pris un très léger coup de vieux, le jeu a tout de même un an, mais ça reste très correct. Si vous avez aimé l'original, vous aimerez le stand alone, quant aux non-initiés, ils se feront sûrement plaisirs, d'autant plus que, comme tout stand alone, il ne nécessite pas le jeu d'original.

Stronghold Crusader ne décevra ni les fans du premier opus, ni les nouveaux venus qui souhaitent s'adonner aux joies des croisades sans êter obligés de dompter l'énorme machine de guerre qu'est Medieval Total War. On y trouvera de très nombreux scénarios, quatre grosses campagnes et l'éditeur qui va avec pour s'amuser comme en l'an 996. Quel dommage que le moteur graphique n'ait pas été remis au goût de la jeunesse.

Mélange de gestion et de stratégie, Stronghold Crusader a le mérite de s'en sortir admirablement bien dans les deux domaines. Malgré ses quelques défauts, il n'en reste pas moins un jeu agréable à jouer au bout duquel on a très envie d'aller. Si l'on ajoute à ça un mode multiplayer acceptant jusqu'à 8 joueurs, un éditeur de cartes et un tout petit prix (30 euros), il n'y a vraiment plus aucune raison d'hésiter.

A middling sequel to the original Crusaders game. The buggy issues that existed in the first game are not addressed and strategic play is only limited to one faction.