Stranglehold

Stranglehold is fun. It's fun in a "God hand" way. [Oct 2007, p.81]

After finishing up the single-player campaign for the second time I came away very happy and found that I wish there was more to play. Finding yourself smiling more than once while finding a new way to kill an enemy or blow up that dinosaur skeleton is a normal occurrence for this game. The gameplay is simply superb and it looks really good while doing it.

High-engergy action with some brilliant moments and touches. Shame it's so short. [Nov 2007, p.62]

Stranglehold accomplishes what it sets out to do: be a cinematic, flashy action experience that mirrors one of Woo's films. It does this with excellent, accessible controls, playful, simple features that dodge gimmicks, fun environments that crumble during combat and polished presentation to make the package work.

While Stranglehold doesn't revolutionize action games, or even any one part of action games, it's a solid game with an authentic cinematic style, great use of Chow Yun-Fat, excellent action, and destructible environments.

The action-centric gameplay is as intense, over the top and engaging as any Woo work should be, and combined with the visuals of the Unreal 3 engine, the title is essentially what a next-gen Max Payne needed to be.

Put aside such quibbles however and you're left with a fantastic action game that brings you as close to being the lead in a fully formed John Woo film as you're ever going to get, for his fans that alone will be enough, for the rest of you still left undecided go and watch 'Hard Boiled' with an Xbox controller in your hand and imagine how great it would be if it was interactive.

The game is short, but it almost seems like a good thing, as too much more of it would have been too much. Again, the game is great fun (even given some frustrating camera issues that make it difficult to pinpoint an enemy causing Tequila damage), but it’s best in small doses.

The ultimate guy and gun-enthusiast game. If you like shooting things, blowing things up, revenge, or cool action scenes, this is the perfect game for you.

Despite the game's undoubted scope for replayability, it is decidedly low on play time. But in the cold light of day, we're not too bothered with all that - because Stranglehold offers something so raw and so hyper-energetic that the next game you play after it will feel positively tired and lethargic in comparison. Woo hoo.

Plays like a John Woo movie. Although ”tequila time” is nothing new, it is still a great effect. Gameplay is solid and everything runs smoothly. Action tends to get a bit repetitive towards the end, however. [Oct 2007]

Stranglehold will capture the hearts of anyone looking for an action game, period. It might even capture the hearts of anyone looking for a game. While there are problems with the game, you will quickly forget what those are as you continuously mow down your enemies with various execution techniques.

In a nutshell, it's safe to say that with Stranglehold, you will be getting exactly what you paid for: over-the-top arcade action with a Hong Kong twist and trademark Woo choreography.

The action-centric gameplay is as intense, over the top, and engaging as any John Woo work should be, and combined with the visuals of the Unreal 3 engine the game is essentially a next-gen Max Payne.

Overall, Stranglehold is a fun shooter to play, and an exciting indicator of the things to come if the borders between Hollywood and gaming continue to blur.

This is the true sequel to "Hard Boiled," which means Stranglehold is more about style than substance. So, not surprisingly, the story is melodramatic and forgettable and the adrenaline-pumping action is the star of the show.

Stranglehold might stumble occasionally under its own ambitious weight, and might not quite deliver on all its promises and potential, but it's still a unique and absorbing 8-hour tour through a legendary action director's potent unfilmable dreams.

The gunplay works great and the presentation definitely carries Woo's signature style. It's the quintessential action game experience, even with its weak multiplayer option.

The game is short, explosive and downright slick and it's everything we hoped it was going to be.

Short and sweet, a throwback to the old days when you can pick up a game, play it and engage in some brainless, mindless fun. As a videogame, it has its flaws but as an example of big, dumb fun, you won't find any game that does it better. [Oct 2007, p.74]

Sure, the action can get repetitive in places and many of the moves seen here have been done before many times, but the cinematic feel is pure Woo and that’s definitely worth a look.

Simply put, it's exceptionally good at what it sets out to achieve, which is to distil the best bits of John Woo's cinematic vision and turn it into a crazed video game approximation that anyone can play - in that sense, you can't really fault it.

The biggest complement that I can pay to Stranglehold is that when I'd finished it, I wanted to jump straight back in and play through again.

In a seemingly overcrowded genre it is nice to finally play something that feels great and delivers simple satisfaction from the outset.

Everything that made Woo’s films remotely interesting make absolute sense in a videogame universe. If you’re still clinging to the notion that the silliness of Woo films couldn’t possibly be appreciated, not even in videogame form, loosen up. It’s not that bad. Actually, it’s pretty good.

But as far as action games go, Stranglehold is about as flashy as they come, with enough slick gunplay to keep fans of the genre glued to their seats and having fun, even if they skip multiplayer altogether.

Stranglehold successfully merges the third person action game with John Woo's cinematic flair, with great, if short-lived results.

Even though it isn't a direct adaptation of a film, Stranglehold is probably the best example of a movie-based game to date.

John Woo Presents Stranglehold may not exactly be what players were expecting, but it comes packed with a truly next generation look and presentation that makes it difficult to not enjoy, even if it is only for brief periods.

Stranglehold is a solid single player experience that deserves at least a second run in one of the higher difficulties, even if it does repeat itself a little too frequently.

Overall, Stranglehold offers bang for your buck akin to purchasing one large firework instead of a handful of smaller ones. Except that the large firework turns out to be only slightly larger than a mediocre one.

What this game is about is mayhem, destruction and style, all of which it has in bag loads. It doesn’t have the most original gameplay, nor is it the most sophisticated game of this type, but it is essentially an officially licensed John Woo game, doing what a lot of wannabe John Woo games have been doing for a few years now.

While I had a lot of fun with Stranglehold, this is one of those games you can easily get your money’s worth in a rental.

Like a blockbuster action movie, there are definitely moments when Stranglehold drags (the second level was tedious), but there’s no doubt that your heart will be pumping by the time you make your way through the later levels.

Stranglehold is trying to hijack a two-hour action movie and stretch it out into a seven-hour game. The concepts are great, the controls work, and there are plenty of cool things to do, over and over again as a bad ass cop. But keeping that sort of intensity is a challenge all its own, and throwing endless waves of enemies at the player isn’t the way to do it.

If you're short on cash and waiting for the big blockbuster games this Holiday Season, you may want to skip over this game. Stranglehold probably best serves as a rental unless you're really into action games.

But Stranglehold is choked by some mediocre level design, unreliable controls, and a point of view so tight on the creepy virtual Chow Yun-Fat that it feels almost claustrophobic. [Nov 2007, p.104]

Stranglehold is a fun time for action gamers but the major problem is it's over way too quickly and there aren't many compelling reasons to come back to it. I liked it but I wish there were more to it.

Taken as a whole, Stranglehold is a well-made, but short and shallow gaming experience that ends up being best suited for a rental and not worth its asking price for anyone expecting a game with a lot of depth to it.

While the story and writing are reasonably solid, they're not nearly riveting enough to outweigh the too-simple, occasionally glitchy nature of the fundamental game.

It’s hard not to like Stranglehold, as anyone who has played and liked the Max Payne games will certainly thoroughly enjoy the action experience extravaganza that is Stranglehold.

With its hackneyed story, stylish action and Hong Kong setting, Stranglehold is most reminiscent of the 2003 martial arts game "Rise to Honor," which is exactly the kind of game this new entry turns out to be: pleasant and forgettable.

Brainless shooters are one thing, but with an interesting storyline and the world of John Woo controllable in the palm of your hands, action fans should flock around this one as it offers much “bang” for the buck.

Barely worthy of Woo, but well worth players' time.

Going over this title as a whole, Stranglehold surely delivers in what it promises to bring; non-stop popcorn action. While some may see its length as inexcusable, I must give it credit for being a fun romp for the short time you’ll play it. I strongly suggest going the route I did by renting it and returning it when you beat it a few days later.

Stranglehold is not a disaster. If you desire nothing more than to kill criminals on a massive scale, turn nightclubs into a war zone, and look cool doing it – this is your game.

The game does get a little repetitive, though the increase in difficulty in later levels will keep you on your toes. Multiplayer is pretty much a joke that was better left untold. It's hollow, void of much point and has all the signs of something that was added at the last minute so the box could say “Multiplayer”.

It's a short ride, but an amusing one while it lasts.

It's not the most sophisticated of offerings. There's not much here other than the destruction -- the levels are repetitive, and most encounters play out similarly. Little differentiates the game's weapons, and the plot is threadbare.

In my opinion, this game is best as a rental. This may be the most stressful game I have ever had the chance to play.

The chemistry of control, animation, AI and environmental damage systems is absolutely spot on, both in finding Hard Boiled’s groove and providing coherent, rhythmic and unpredictable action. [Nov 2007, p.91]

If you like destruction, shooting people and a game with a brain the size of a pea then there is no doubt that Stranglehold is the game for you. It’s not smart or clever, but despite the flaws it still managed to entertain us right to it’s conclusion.

So yeah, Stranglehold does a great job of aspiring to the qualities of Woo's movies, but unfortunately, it just doesn't aspire to be a truly great game. [Nov 2007, p.86]

There are those who would call a game such as this "shallow", and with good reason: most games like this are. However, most games that subscribe to this concept don't allow you the freedom of movement or tactics that Stranglehold does. [Nov 2007, p.56]

In the end, Stranglehold is a good solid action game that struggles from being too repetitive and lacking a lot of what you need to have a long lasting action experience.

Apart from its brevity, it's damn good fun. [Issue#25, p.98]

Mindless fun and little else. [Nov 2007, p.106]