John Woo's Stranglehold

M

McIcy

Mushi-shi
John Woo's Stranglehold


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Plot

In latter-day Hong Kong, a policeman goes missing. The department is dumbfounded by the disappearance until they receive what appears to be a ransom call from an unnamed source. The kidnappers request that a single officer appears at Kowloon market. Tequila volunteers for the assignment, beginning a sequence of battles with rival Triads and the Russian Mafia that extends from the street markets of Hong Kong to the museums of Chicago.

Bullet Time - or as they call it in the game Tequila Time is something we have all seen before (Max Payne) is something that can either be used automatically or you can choose to manually activate, for the first level have it on auto so you can get used to it, after that switch it to manual or else it gets really boring to keep using it.

Bullet Time Upgrades - As well as standard bullet time you have special extras you can charge up, like Ballistic mode, which upgrades weapons destructive power and turns up there fire rate ideal when you have the pump action shot gun. Also theres sniper mode that allows precision single shots, brilliant for characters a long way away. FInally bullet time can be sacrificed to replenish health which is very handy as medi-packs are rare on some later levels.

Stunt Bonuses - Look out for these, slide down banisters or run up them whilst opening fire, use carts or anything with wheels to slide along whilst in bullet time to pick off anyone you want. Basically any surface has something special you can do to it in order to up your kill rating or allow you to dodge bullets.

Weapons - Pretty basic weapons as this is supposed to be a film version of a game, so you have handguns (twins and single), machine guns, SMG's, shotguns and so on. Best bit is that any small weapon can be dual equipped making the SMG's the best for all out carnage.

Star Rating - build up the kills (better known as star ratings) and you get special bonuses, these special kills can be achieved by shooting signs onto victims, causing landslides in the mountains or sliding down banisters whilst taking out multiple opponents

Online Mode - I have yet to try this but will be giving it a run later tonight

My Opinion - I love this game, ok so it feels like a Max payne rip off but the action is non-stop the ability to use anything on screen as a way to dodge bullets is a nice touch and the cinematics between scenes really make it feel like a movie.

Easily worth 8/10
 
played the demo and didn't like it too much, but I did like the aiming power up, shooting them in the hand they drop the gun and in the crotch....you can imagine.
And I really hate the stand off things, thats just stupid, if you see it you will know what I mean
 
Roadie said:
played the demo and didn't like it too much, but I did like the aiming power up, shooting them in the hand they drop the gun and in the crotch....you can imagine.
And I really hate the stand off things, thats just stupid, if you see it you will know what I mean
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yeah the standoffs are a nice touch and do break up the game but I agree they can be really annoying its best to concentrate on dodging the bullets matrix style and then taking them all out when the game returns to normal rather than attempting to dodge and target at the same time.

A nice bit I found yesterday day is one level where you have to be the gunner on a helicopter, very cool level for shooting ground targets and the Tequila time works brilliantly on such a fast level.
 
I suggest you rent this game at best. As the developers have claimed themselves, this is an interactive film in many ways. Your first experience through this game will be very enjoyable, as with films you'll want to see it until the credits roll. However unlike cult films that get watched over and over, Stranglehold probably won't keep you amused after the second replay.

Thus why I suggest you rent this, give it a play through once or twice and return it once you're done. The gameplay mechanic much like Max Payne, is far too basic for my liking. It looks and feels cool, but when you get down to it after a few hours it's depressingly obvious I'm just diving over and over and over while firing my guns until everyone around me isn't moving any more. It's a good game though, and I'd give it a 7/10 at best.
 
I'd have to disagree, you miss so much going through the game the first time that you need to play it a second time to unlock everything you missed, especially when you are trying to find the extras and the paper cranes.

But yeah try the demo or rent the game is always a good way to see if you like the game, oh and also rent Hard Boiled and watch it before playing as this is a movie sequel.
 
McIcy said:
I'd have to disagree, you miss so much going through the game the first time that you need to play it a second time to unlock everything you missed, especially when you are trying to find the extras and the paper cranes.

But yeah try the demo or rent the game is always a good way to see if you like the game, oh and also rent Hard Boiled and watch it before playing as this is a movie sequel.
Click to expand...

I'm not one for collecting items in a game for the mere satisfaction of collecting them. As I said in my initial post, once you've played this game twice it begins to get very repetitive. This won't apply to all gamers of course, as we each have our own level of patience for such things but from my experience this is one of those games best played through once and left alone while you still have a sweet taste in your mouth. :]
 
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