Product Description

• Hyper-Stylized Action: Stranglehold allows gamers to play a John Woodirected action blockbuster movie. Dual-wielding, stunt-laden gunplay combined with massive destructible environments ensures that Stranglehold will be a true tour-de-force. The environmental interactivity and two-fisted gunplay all come online, bringing the experience to a whole new level.
• Amazing Gunplay & Stunts: Gamers will experience smooth flowing gameplay, such as running up railings, swinging on chandeliers and leaping onto moving objects, all without interrupting intense gun battles.
• Blockbuster Hollywood Talent: Featuring the cinematic flare of acclaimed action director John Woo, Stranglehold will also benefit from Woo's direction on storyline, camera placement and cutscenes. Starring international action-star Chow Yun-Fat as Inspector Tequila, the game's cast is also comprised of other A-list Hollywood talent.
• Ground-Breaking Technology: Massive D, the innovative physics engine, will provide gamers with an unprecedented level of interactivity. With two huge areas to explore (Chicago and Hong Kong), the interactions will be infinite with each level offering massive amounts of destructibility.
  innovative Tequila Time Mechanics: Stranglehold's inventive combat camera and Tequila Time slow-motion system allow players to simultaneously aim and shoot at the current target while driving, providing for robust gunplay combat between vehicles.
• Unreal 3.0 & Havok: Using a highly modified version of the Unreal 3.0 engine integrated with the Havok physics system, Stranglehold will breathe new life into game environments and characters with stunning graphics, and feature an ever-changing battleground depending on how players approach different scenarios.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2361 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Midway Games Ltd
• Released on: 2007-09-14
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Platform: Xbox 360

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Companies are always going on about the synergy between movies and video games, but all this really ever seems to mean is lots of dreadful movie tie-ins where all the money has been spent on celebrity voiceovers. Stranglehold is different though, in that it’s essentially a sequel to 1992’s classic movie Hard Boiled, made purely for video games. This time Inspector "Tequila" Yuen is unleashing his unorthodox policing methods on Russian crime bosses in both Hong Kong and Chicago. It stars the likeness of original lead Chow Yun Fat and has been developed with hands-on help from director John Woo – who it turns out does seem to know a thing or two about video games.

Of course video games have been ripping off John Woo for years, particularly his trademark slow motion shots of two-handed pistol action. As a result this initially seems dangerously similar to Max Payne et al., but the graphical power of the next generation consoles and PC ensures that this is a far more dynamic and interactive affair. Not only can you make use of a bullet time effect (call "Tequila time" here) to slow down time around you but almost all of the scenery can be used too, from sliding down banisters guns firing to scooting across the room on top of a waiter’s trolley. The damage done as you go is truly impressive, with tiles shattering off the walls, chandeliers impaling bad guys as they fall and electric wires and water mains unhinging themselves everywhere. Making a mess has never been so much fun.
HARRISON DENT

Customer Reviews

Arguably too short but, amazing fun while it lasts.
Stranglehold is an all action shoot 'em up which is great fun while it lasts. A lot of complaints have been made that it's too short. I agree to a certain extent but because the game play is virtually the same throughout I don't think it could have been stretched much further.

The action is some of the most exciting ever seen on a games console and the way the scenery is destroyed adds to the immersion. Usually the damage to scenery in other shooters is minimal. In Stranglehold the damage is remarkable. Almost everything can be shot. During a gunfight, tables are knocked over, bottles smashed, concrete form pillars is smashed off and in one level even fish tanks can be shot spilling the contents all over the floor. At the end of a gunfight when you get your breath back and look at the room you are in the level of destruction is amazing.

Because the action is so fast and exciting its one of the few games you can let your mate have a go on and not get bored watching someone else play it.

Forty quid is definitely a lot to ask for a game that is this short, this easy and has very little replay value. However, now the price is half that it's definitely worth a purchase. Fans of big budget action films will love this.

Great fun but lacks depth
The game looks good and plays well from the outset. The action is frenetic and the level of damage you can do to the environment is impressive. Unfortunately, the gameplay in the first level is the same as all the others. There's no sense of development. Even the new modes you acquire have more to do with style that substance. Perhaps I was expecting too much but the whole thing feels shallow.

Great game, poisoned by the storyline.
This Game is fantastic for first time players. Great visuals, a Max Payne like presence all around when you utilize some of the fantastic mouth watering special attacks.

You play as well renowned actor Chow Yun Fat, and the game is intended to be a sequel to the hit movie: "Hard Boiled". The game achieves this to some extent, as i can see the definate similarities from film to game, however the joy ends when one focuses on the storyline.

The storyline suffers with its lack of depth, and its somewhat incoherent and frustrating jumps between places. The game on a whole is a joy to play, but the average gamer may feel asif the fun has ended a little too early.

Another thing which brings the game off its pedestal is the Frustrating difficulty level, you could find yourself dead within seconds in some areas, or you might not die at all, it all depends on how you play the game, i decided to use the special attacks less throughout the game.

The "barrage" attack can dispense bosses on even the hardest difficulty level which can be frustrating for the die hard shoot-em-up fan, because in my opinion the bosses fall short of the challenge intended. One of the special attacks i enjoyed to utilize frequently was the "Precision Aim", where the character fires a bullet with pinpoint accuracy from a helpful zoom screen, the enemy which is struck with the bullet then reacts accordingly with where they were struck.

Overall i would recommend this game to people who are looking for action over depth, Stranglehold in its entirety is a diamond in the rough, which has been let down by badly structured storylines and a disappointing ending.