Empire Earth vs Stronghold Crusader 2
Empire Earth
Empire Earth lets you take the reins of a newborn civilization and nurture it so it'd grow into a formidable empire that can eventually dominate the globe. But of course, your rise to power will not go unchallenged, so expect the need to flex your military muscles from time to time or employ some diplomatic action to ensure the expansion of your empire. As you go through various eras until the final, hypothetical "nano era", you'll need to invest in upgrading your technology both for your normal citizens and for your military just so your empire can keep up with the times and have both military might and economic strength growing in tandem. Multiplayer is also available but only through LAN.Empire Earth may not have been as popular as Age of Empires, but it is still a pretty renowned real-time strategy game back in the day. If you love the genre, you'll definitely enjoy playing this game.
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.