Gamespot is still uncapable to make a decent review for games that aren't for idiots! Sorry GS pals, but that's the true
What this game does well, is exactly what any strategy-game-lover would like to see:
1) It requires that you are able to manage and build a complete settlement with economic balance good enough to support yor war effort
2) Allows you to build great and very well customized defenses, not all defences will be good anyway, in any situacion, you depend on terrain and available resources, wich actually it is a PLUS from my point of view, because that means that every map is different, now THAT'S STRATEGY ACTUALLY!
3) The concept of conquering or adquiring additional estates allows you impulse your economy, so you focus your capital more and more on militar stuff as the game goes on and other resources can come from your vassal-estates, making it probably the best Middle Age economy simulator around, and we conquerors, like this Don't we?
4) Once you have that, you build a decent army with more or less realistic units and go for it, both defend and attack
It is important to mention that it is no that buggy and even if it happens it is possible to fix it by just rebuilding, and also the interface can be a little bit confusing so it might look buggy about some stuff while actually it is not. After a while, if you come to learn the concept of the game and how to play it, you are going to love it. The point is, it took me like 10 hours of skirmish/campaign to understand what developers were thinking about when they made this game.
If you are a strategy game lover, this one is a must.
Now, the to the downside; the game is good enough to be a 10 for me, but for improving:
1) The estates should be managed just as your capital, you don't get all the info you need, also you can't build fortresses and so, it would be a good thing that if even you can't build all the military structures, you wouldn't be so limited
2) Tutorials and campaign aren't good enough to explain you what the game is about, thereby, so many people don't understand it, honestly you have to have Faith in this game and play it a lot before you learn to enjoy it, something that most ppl won't do.
3) I didn't like siege weapons, they are too active and eventually you have to mass them just like any other unit. Managing a bunch of catapult reminds me Age of Empires, Warcraft or any other games around, this game, Stronhold 2 is far more elegant in economy and units and deserved a much better for siege machines and tactics, so making the engage part of the game far more realistic.
At the end, it is an instant classic that mix well the original elements of games like Sim City since you have to establish a decent economy in order to make a decent war. Add the fact that you build and customize your castle so nice, that this is a game you shouldn't miss at all. It will take a while to understand it, but REAL RTSG players WE LIKE LONG GAMES and ANALYSYS... DON'T WE?
So, once I finish Strong Hold Legends (StrongHold 2 Expansion) I will be getting Stronghold 3 and I'm almost sure I won't regret it.