E3 06: Stronghold Legends Preshow Report

Castles are great, but werewolf launchers are even better. At least, that's what FireFly Studios is hoping for with Stronghold Legends, the game takes the castle-building series to the middle ages. Stronghold Legends is part of 2K Games' E3 2006 lineup, which means we have a few new details about how this game will improve upon its predecessors.

Stronghold Legends features 24 different missions divided among three campaigns. You can play as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Count Vlad Dracul, and Dietrich von Hildebrand. Legends also focuses much more on combat than the previous games in the series. There's an all-new skirmish mode that provides for quick battles that should provide a change of pace from the more-methodical campaign mode.

In addition to the new campaigns, there are more than twice as many weapons than there were in Stronghold 2. The weapons are skewed toward the fantasy themes that surround the respective legends. There are magic weapons, dragon harpoons, and what sounds like it could be one of the greatest weapons ever invented: the werewolf launcher. You can also bolster your defensive and offensive capabilities using one of 31 different units in the game.

Of course, an integral part of Stronghold Legends is building castles. There are three different types of castles to build and three types of terrain to choose from. Legends also includes a map editor that lets you create your own map. If you get tired of building maps and crushing armies as Vlad the Impaler or the other heroes, you can take on up to three other players in multiplayer battles.

Graphically the game does look slightly dated. The castles, environments, and surroundings are all in 3D and follow the usual fantasy theme with bright red dragons, towering stone ramparts, and lots of trees of identical height. But despite the underwhelming visuals, the graphics look to be clear and sharp enough to provide an unobstructed view of the action on the map.

For further details about the appearance of the game, take a look at our recently posted screenshots on the gamespace. Stronghold Legends is currently scheduled to ship this summer, so check back soon as we bring you more updates and a full review.