Stranglehold

If you watch a ton of action movies like yours truly, you know who John Woo is.  He’s directed Hollywood movies such as Face/Off and Windtalkers.  But he’s truly famous for directing ultra-violent Hong Kong gangster flicks such as The Killer and Hard Boiled, staring Chow Yun-Fat, whose signature roles usually comprise of him being a dual pistol wielding killing machine.  Stanglehold is being called the “spiritual successor” to Hard Boiled, and reprises the role of rogue Hong Kong Inspector Tequila.  The plot starts off with Tequila investigating the murder of a Hong Kong cop by one of the city’s major gangs.  In his quest to uncover the truth, a somewhat confusing plot unfolds that eventually involves rescuing your former girlfriend and daughter.

Some say that Stanglehold is a rip off of Max Payne, with its use of Bullet Time (coined Tequila Time) slow motion and the ability to literally disintegrate your environment.  However, Stanglehold has some differences in the mechanics.  For one, shot-dodging doesn’t automatically put you into Tequila Time unless you have an enemy in your sights.  Tequila is also a bit more athletic than Mr. Payne, having moves such as going down a zip line, running up or sliding down stair rails, sliding across tables, or even rolling down on a serving cart, all while blasting your foes.  Also added are Tequila Bombs, which are special abilities that you can power up during gameplay.  These include healing, the Barrage (which allows you to unleash a devastating attack), the Precision Aim, or the Spin Attack (which turns you into a whirlwind of destruction).  My favorite is Precision Aim, which allows you to pinpoint your attack on your victim, generating a Matrix-style animation that follows the bullet home.  Be sure to aim at areas that are sure to be lethal, such as the head, neck, or groin.  Also included are Standoffs, which finds Tequila surrounded and facing off against several opponents.  Before it begins, you take a quick scan of the environment.  Then you must simultaneously dodge your opponent’s shots while aiming and shooting them Neo-style.

One issue with the game is it’s short.  I’ve blasted through the entire game in about six hours.  I’ve also had a few camera angle problems where it got me killed.  Visually, though the game is quite nice, especially when it’s blown to a million pieces.  The voice acting is done well, if a bit campy, which one would expect from a Hong Kong gangster movie.  Despite the short time it takes to play through, the over-the-top action more than makes up for this.  If you are looking for a little time to kill, as well as a few bus loads of bad guys, check Stranglehold out.