Sid Meier's Civilization V vs Stronghold Crusader 2
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Sid Meier's Civilization V may just be every Civilization games before it, but it does it so well that many fans have touted this game as possibly the best Civilization game ever. The gameplay has been greatly improved mainly because the game has a lot more new game modes, a better variety of leaders, fun scenarios and a wide range of units that are balanced surprisingly well. The AI in this game is still as badly-predictable as before though, but its multiplayer aspect is as epic as ever, especially if you can find a group of players who knows how to play the game well enough to play with you. Aside from the breathtaking graphics and musical scores, there are plenty of mods you can use or you can easily make some of your own too.Sid Meier's Civilization V provides you with all the best features from its previous games while adding in some fun improvements of its own. It may not be perfect, but it's possibly the best Civ game so far.
Stronghold Crusader 2
Stronghold Crusader 2 returns to the desert of the Middle East right in the middle of the war of religions known as the Crusades after a long hiatus. Similar to the previous game, you'll get to play as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter as you lead your respective armies to annihilate the other in the game's fast-paced gameplay. Being a series known for its brilliant castle simulations, you can also build huge castles in the desert to house your population and to recruit massive armies to fuel your battles.There are more than 25 unique unit types, each with their own special abilities; other game modes aside from the main story-based campaigns as well as a multiplayer aspect that can house up to 8 players.
That said, the game has a lot of bugs and as such, your gaming experience will definitely be impacted. Many features that fans of the series have loved were somehow taken out of this sequel too and that had angered and disappointed a lot of the game's fans. All in all though, if you enjoy Crusades-themed games, you might want to get the first game in this spin-off series.