Stranglehold Review

Chow Yun-Fat makes a killing on the PS3.

Posted by Robert Workman on Tuesday, October 30, 2007

"Inspector Tequila! I thought I told you not to go in there alone!"

"I didn't go in there alone. I brought friends."

One gesture from the near-invincible cop's handguns is all a player needs to get an idea of what John Woo's Stranglehold for the PlayStation 3 is all about. In the game, Tequila (the hero who previously appeared in Woo's classic film Hard-Boiled, included on the Collector's Edition) shoots first and asks quest...all right, so he never asks questions, he just keeps shooting. Tequila sets out to solve a case that involves not only two rival Chinese gangs, but also the Russian mob. Which means no shortage of targets to blast.

Don't expect a strategic experience, ala Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Stranglehold sticks to arcade basics. The game provides an overwhelming amount of fun; it manages to be just as much about style as it is substance, which comes in handy during the more difficult stages.

Players can run into a room and shoot everything in sight, but Stranglehold offers rewards for using style. For instance, objects hanging overhead, like neon signs in the city or rock formations in the mountains, are shootable, causing them to tumble down on unsuspecting bad guys. In addition, a small "Tequila Time" meter shifts the game into "bullet time", turning the screen blood red as the inspector targets his opponents. Sometimes it turns on automatically, mostly when another object such as a banister or a table comes into play. This leads to some of the more lavish kills in the game, rewarding the player with stars that add energy to the Tequila Bombs system in the corner of the screen.

Tequila Bombs come in handy, especially when the stage fills up with maniacal gunrunners. The first stage regains lost health while the second offers Precision Aim, slowing the game down so Tequila can get a lead on his opponent. The camera then follows the bullet all the way to its destination, making said criminal gush in an arterial spray. The third Tequila Bomb is a temporary onslaught, where Tequila runs rampant with a selected weapon. The last stage results in a stylish spin, with every bad guy in sight dying as a result.

Last but not least, we have the "bullet time" segments. In portions of the game, Tequila will find himself surrounded by enemies. In slow motion, he dodges incoming bullets while killing his foes. These stages provide plenty of thrills, especially in later missions when the bad guys fire off six or seven rounds, forcing Tequila to bob and weave like Lennox Lewis.

All of this, along with the occasional mounted gun stage and "protect the innocent" segments combine to form an enthralling experience. It ends roughly eight to ten hours later, but gamers looking for a bigger challenge can play on the hard difficulty setting. Stranglehold also has a multiplayer mode, but it feels rushed. Players can take part in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, using shooting skills in an attempt to hit the Leaderboards. Unfortunately, Tequila Time and Bombs don't really work that well in this mode.

Midway did an outstanding job with the presentation. The visuals capture the gritty look of a John Woo film, right down to the slam of a tequila glass on the counter or the obligatory flying doves. Some of the characters hardly look as realistic as others (particularly the big ogre that guards one of the Chinese drug lords), but that doesn't get in the way of the otherwise excellent environmental details and mostly smooth frame rate. As far as audio goes, Chow Yun Fat and the rest of the cast provide solid voicework, although it would've been nice to have a foreign language track.

Finally, if you spend an extra $10 for the collector's edition, you get a fully restored Blu-Ray edition of the Hard-Boiled movie, letting you overdose on Woo action. It would've been nice to have rewind and fast-forwarding options (to get right to your favorite action scenes), but it's still a great bonus.

John Woo's Stranglehold is a fine throwback to the action games from the good ol' days. It kicks so hard that it just might leave bruises. We suggest you take a few hits.



Final Score: 8/10