Stronghold 2

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Stronghold 2
Developer(s)	Firefly Studios
Publisher(s)	2K Games
Engine	Unknown
Release date(s)	April, 2005 (NA)
Genre(s)	Historic Real-Time Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Media	CD, DVD
Input	Keyboard, Mouse

Stronghold 2 is a third-person strategy game which involves one developing an empire in the medieval ages. The game is somewhat similar to the Age of Empires series, but is unlike in a number of specific ways. It is the sequel to the game Stronghold, released in 2001 by Firefly Studios.

The sequel to the 2001 and 2002 version of Stronghold was released in April 2005. The game engine was enhanced to provide full 3-dimensional graphics. Other changes include new military and peace campaigns and the addition of crime and punishment which allows players to torture unruly peasants. This is the first complete overhaul of the franchise since the first Stronghold appeared on shelves in 2001. It also includes many new characters.

Upon its release, many players were outraged by the game's frequent crashes, lag (even while playing offline on a computer with exceptional hardware), and overall buggyness. Firefly studios paid much attention to the playing community's complaints, and promised fixes in later patches. Soon after, patch 1.1 was released which fixed some issues. However, it was not until patch 1.2 was released that a majority of complaints have stopped.

On 28th of October, 2005, a third patch (1.3.1) was released, further fixing bugs and adding similar components to that of Stronghold and Stronghold: Crusader, one of which is the memorable "Conquest Trail"

Critically, the game has received generally par reviews, whether from the bugs present in the initial release or the gameplay.