Software:Stronghold 2

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Stronghold 2
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Developer(s)Firefly Studios
Publisher(s)2K
Designer(s)Simon Bradbury
Programmer(s)Andrew Prime
Will Wilson
Warrick Buchanan
Andrew McNab
Bob Kang
Artist(s)Darren White
Robert Thornley
Jorge Cameo
Jason Juta
Writer(s)Simon Bradbury
Casimir C. Windsor
Composer(s)Robert L. Euvino
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: April 19, 2005[1]
  • EU: April 22, 2005
  • WW: October 5, 2017 (Steam)
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Stronghold 2 is a real time strategy computer game released in April 2005 in which the player develops a stronghold in the Middle Ages. It is the sequel to Stronghold, released in 2001, also by Firefly Studios.

The game engine was enhanced over the original Stronghold to provide full 3-dimensional graphics. Other changes include new military and peace campaigns and the addition of crime and punishment, allowing players to torture unruly peasants. A number of new characters were also introduced.

On October 5, 2017, Stronghold 2 was re-released digitally on Steam as Stronghold 2: Steam Edition. It is available as a standalone title or as a free upgrade for owners of the Stronghold Collection on Steam. The re-release includes the following new features and improvements: Steam multiplayer, 16:9 Widescreen resolution support, visual enhancements to the in-game textures, 6 new maps, the ability to share and download custom maps through the Steam Workshop, Achievements, and digital versions of the official art book and soundtrack.[2]

Gameplay

In the game, players take on the role of a lord who rules over a medieval castle. With their available resources, players place buildings or features, including many different kinds of food production, industry, civil, or military buildings and defences. Available peasants automatically choose jobs whenever a building requires one, so player micromanagement is minimal; players mostly set up the various buildings in an efficient way while providing safety for their peasants. Military units are directly controlled individually or in groups, sometimes quite large with sieges or battles involving many hundreds on each side. One addition to the original Stronghold is the inclusion of estates that players can "buy" with their accumulated honor (gained by popularity, holding feasts, dances, jousting, etc.). Estates are semi-independent villages (without castle fortifications) that produce their own goods that owners can send via cart to their castle or allies.

The inclusion of fully 3D-rendered graphics allowed Stronghold 2 to include tower interiors as battlegrounds for units, and the ability to go observe castle inhabitants very closely, which is useful for the new features of waste and rat management. As in the original Stronghold, players can choose from several different play modes: Kingmaker, Siege, War Campaign, Peace Campaign, Freeplay, Custom scenario, and Multiplayer

From May 2014, the original version's multiplayer is no longer supported due to GameSpy shutting down their online servers however the 2017 re-release on Steam has full multiplayer support via Steam's online servers.[3]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic63/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comC[5]
CGMStarStar[6]
CGWStarStar[7]
Eurogamer7/10[8]
Game Informer6.75/10[9]
GameSpot5.9/10[10]
GameSpyStarStarHalf star[11]
GameZone8/10[12]
IGN6.7/10[13]
PC Gamer (US)84%[14]
The Sydney Morning HeraldStarStarStarHalf star[15]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4]

According to Edge, Stronghold 2 sold at least 100,000 units in the U.S., but was beaten by its predecessor's 220,000 sales in the region. Total US sales of Stronghold games released during the 2000s reached 590,000 units by August 2006.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Stronghold 2 Goes Gold!" (in en). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/press-release/stronghold-2-goes-gold. 
  2. ↑ (in en) 7 New Things About Stronghold 2: Steam Edition, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og1UyhdVNo0, retrieved 2023-08-24 
  3. ↑ "GameSpy online services shutting down May 31" (in en). 2014-04-03. https://www.shacknews.com/article/83880/gamespy-online-services-shutting-down-may-31. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Stronghold 2 for PC Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/stronghold-2/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  5. ↑ 1UP staff (June 6, 2005). "Stronghold 2". Ziff Davis. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3141239&did=1. 
  6. ↑ "Stronghold 2". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (177): 68. August 2005. 
  7. ↑ Neigher, Eric (September 2005). "Stronghold 2". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (254): 64–65. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_254.pdf. Retrieved July 24, 2018. 
  8. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (May 3, 2005). "Stronghold 2 [date mislabeled as "June 7, 2005""]. Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/r-stronghold2-pc. 
  9. ↑ "Stronghold 2". Game Informer (GameStop) (146): 135. June 2005. 
  10. ↑ Beers, Craig (April 28, 2005). "Stronghold 2 Review". Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stronghold-2-review/1900-6123188/. 
  11. ↑ Abner, William (May 3, 2005). "GameSpy: Stronghold 2". IGN Entertainment. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/stronghold-2/609923p1.html. 
  12. ↑ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (May 4, 2005). "Stronghold 2 - PC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/stronghold_2_pc_review/. 
  13. ↑ Adams, Dan (April 30, 2005). "Stronghold 2". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/01/stronghold-2. 
  14. ↑ "Stronghold 2". PC Gamer (Future US) 12 (7): 64. July 2005. 
  15. ↑ Wilcox, Mike (June 4, 2005). "Burning rubber". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/burning-rubber-20050604-gdlfzy.html. 
  16. ↑ Edge staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge (Future plc). http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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