Stronghold HD and AD 2044 are free on GOG for the next two days

Destiny 2 comes to the PC today, so that pretty much wraps things up for the videogame news biz. But I'm sure that there are at least a few of you out there who aren't at this very moment glaring at your monitors wondering why nothing's happening. And so for you, here's news of something of interest that's entirely unrelated: For the next couple of days, GOG is giving away Stronghold HD and AD 2044. 

Stronghold HD is a well-regarded castle-building and management sim set in medieval Europe, with four separate game modes and a 21-mission single-player campaign, plus eight-player LAN and online multiplayer. AD 2044 is... well, it's something else entirely. 

"Male civilization is on the verge of extinction. Genetic engineering has made human reproduction possible without the need for man's involvement. Women have decided to fight their final battle and to shape the world the way they want it," the game description states. "But if that's not enough, women have a new laser weapon which kills only men, and the few remaining men are being turned into 'she clones' in the bionic clinics. And there's more, a rebel feminist has stolen a supply of warheads and intents to start a global nuclear war." 

And you, as "the last remaining normal male," must "avoid these female superpowers [and] reverse their domination." 

You sure don't see that kind of back-of-the-box blurb every day. Rock Paper Shotgun dug up this little collection of gameplay clips, which I can't say really makes it any better. Stronghold is good stuff, though, so let's try  to focus on that. 

GOG's Stronghold HD/AD 2044 giveaway will be available until 5 am PT/8 am ET on October 26. Get it here.

Oh, and read our Destiny 2 review in progress. (It's good.)

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.