When I was a child, I had this book. I can't remember its author or title, but it was a remarkable illustrated guide to the construction and daily life of a castle. I can't say why (other than the obvious overlap in subject matter), but something about one of the screenshots to one of the stronghold games reminded me of that book and the good feelings I had flipping through it. So, of course, I bought the whole series in a bundle because it was only $7.50.
2014 was a confusing year for me, okay.
Anyway, I've been dreading this series for awhile. Not because I think they're going to be especially bad, but because there are six of them. How the hell am I going to be able to come up with new and interesting things to say after playing six, presumably near-identical games? If I'd had any sense at all, I'd have spread them out, so that it might be less obvious, but even then, six is a lot. I distinctly remember running out of things to say about the Mount & Blade series, and there were only three of them.
That's a meta-concern, though. As far as the games themselves go, they look okay. It really depends on the balance of gameplay factors. If there's a lot of castle-building and only a little bit of rts sieges, I'll probably like them quite a bit. If I'm constantly having to defend my half-built castles from aggressive enemy hordes, I'll probably be pretty miserable.
The plan here is to do what I did with Civilization IV - alternate between a Stronghold game and something else, going back and forth for the next three months until they are all finished. Even writing it out, it sounds like a terrible chore. At least I'll be able to breathe a massive sigh of relief when it's all done.
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