Age of Empires II (Retired) vs Stronghold: Crusader
Age of Empires II (Retired) is a strategy game from Skybox Labs (2013) while Stronghold: Crusader is a strategy simulation game from Firefly Studios (2002).
Quick answer: Age of Empires II (Retired) rates higher, 8.1 to 7.6 on the GamingPickz Score, and Stronghold: Crusader is the cheaper at $11.99.
What each one is
Age of Empires II (Retired) is filed under Strategy. In contrast, Stronghold: Crusader under Strategy and Simulation.
Age of Empires II has been re-imagined in high definition. With the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, this product will not be updated further.
Gird your loins and sharpen your steel! Besiege 20 unique enemy lords and battle friends online, in this expanded remaster of the classic 'castle sim'. Relive history with new units, opponents, visuals, audio, campaigns, skirmish trails, co-op and larger maps.
Story, characters and reception
No Wikipedia detail on file.
Characters
The game contains several different characters that all appear as AI-controlled lords in the Skirmish mode, available to be selected as allies or enemies. One unique aspect of the game is that the characters have individual binks (small short videos) by which they communicate with the player, asking for goods or help if allied with them or, if they are the players' enemy, taunting them when attacking or expressing worry when under siege. These videos… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Stronghold: Crusader The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . Sales As Stronghold was a commercial success in the German market, local commentators suggested before Crusader s release that it would become a hit as well. The game opened as September's fifth-best-selling full-price computer game, according to Media Control . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Age of Empires II (Retired) | Stronghold: Crusader | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.1/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 102,820) | Very Positive (92%, 11,593) |
| Critic aggregate | 68/100 | 78/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $11.99 |
| Install size | — | 7 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2013 | 2002 |
| Developer | Skybox Labs | Firefly Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Age of Empires II (Retired) vs Stronghold: Crusader, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Age of Empires II (Retired)Strategy gameStronghold: CrusaderStrategy simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Age of Empires II (Retired)Strategy, RTS, MedievalStronghold: CrusaderNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Age of Empires II (Retired) ✓Score 8.1 · 96% on Steam · 68 criticStronghold: CrusaderScore 7.6 · 92% on Steam · 78 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Age of Empires II (Retired)102,820 reviews · 3 add-onsStronghold: Crusader11,593 reviews · 4 add-ons · 7 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Age of Empires II (Retired)$19.99Stronghold: Crusader ✓$11.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Age of Empires II (Retired) ✓VerifiedStronghold: CrusaderPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Age of Empires II (Retired) takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueAge of Empires II (Retired) and Stronghold: Crusader on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Age of Empires II (Retired) (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Stronghold: Crusader ($11.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Age of Empires II (Retired) (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Age of Empires II (Retired) (102,820 reviews)
Where they differ
StrategyRTSMedievalMultiplayerClassicHistorical
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Age of Empires II (Retired) is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Stronghold: Crusader is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Age of Empires II (Retired) | Stronghold: Crusader | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Direct X 9.0c Capable GPU | Graphics Card with 2GB |
| Minimum CPU | 1.2GHZ CPU | Intel® Core™ i3-6100 |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | 7 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Age of Empires II (Retired) · Stronghold: Crusader.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Age of Empires II (Retired) and 6 for Stronghold: Crusader. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Age of Empires II (Retired) and Stronghold: Crusader in scope?
Age of Empires II (Retired) has drawn 102,820 Steam reviews and ships 3 add-ons. Stronghold: Crusader has drawn 11,593 Steam reviews, ships 4 add-ons and installs in 7 GB.
Is Age of Empires II (Retired) or Stronghold: Crusader better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Age of Empires II (Retired) rates higher (8.1 to 7.6). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Age of Empires II (Retired) or Stronghold: Crusader?
Stronghold: Crusader is cheaper right now at $11.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Age of Empires II (Retired) or Stronghold: Crusader?
Age of Empires II (Retired) rates higher, 8.1 to 7.6 on the GamingPickz Score, and Stronghold: Crusader is the cheaper at $11.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.