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Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

Firefly Studios · released Oct 20, 2013

SimulationStrategyPC

The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions.

89
VGC Score
Stablehigh confidence
87%
At launch
97%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
96%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)0
All-time Steam reviews97%931000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)96%9125
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 92.1, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 21,088 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 71 reviews sampled · 61 total reviews in window · weighted 53.5 up / 2.2 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →

Patch history

  1. UCP Community Patch
    Jul 30, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  2. Free Warlords Update
    Apr 13, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  3. Dev Update 2019
    Jan 3, 2020