John Woo Presents Stranglehold – PS3 – Review

Tequila has
always been the type of cop that shoots first and forgets about the questions
because in Hong Kong the only thing the Chinese Triad understands is bullets and
a lot of them. Shooting his way through the crime syndicate, Tequila got the job
done and lived to tell the tale as seen in action-director John Woo’s classic
Hardboiled. American audiences are probably familiar with John Woo’s work since
Broken Arrow but back in Hong Kong he released a number of memorable actions
movies such as The Killer and A Better Tomorrow starring one of his favorite
actors named Chow Yun Fat. John Woo Presents Stranglehold is a video-game sequel
to Hardboiled that was first released on the Xbox 360 but now PlayStation 3 gets
its chance to bring the further adventures of Inspector Tequila to Sony’s
console.

Picking up
several years after the events seen in Hardboiled, Stranglehold finds Inspector
Tequila Yuen going up against The Dragon Claw – one of Hong Kong’s most
dangerous triad gangs – after word comes in about a fellow officer’s
disappearance. When the missing officer turns up dead, Tequila sets out to lay
some justice only to discover that the gang’s affiliation with an old
acquaintance named James Wong is involved. To make matters worst, Wong asks
Tequila for help after he finds out that Wong’s daughter and granddaughter have
been kidnapped by rival triad members. I won’t give too much away but Tequila
takes it upon himself to not only go on a rescue mission but also take down The
Dragon Claw once and for all.

In true John Woo
fashion, Stranglehold features fancy gunplay and cool signature Woo-styled
acrobatic moves. The fact that Tequila not only looks like actor Chow Yun Fat
but is also voiced by the veteran actor plays a role in making the game feel
like a true sequel to the 1992 action movie. In a sense, the game plays a lot
like the Max Payne games that was clearly influenced by Woo’s films with the
only difference that Stranglehold has some original features and destructible
environments.

Tequila’s style
has always been that of duel-wielding weapons such as pistols and even machine
guns. He can dive forward or backwards while firing his weapons. Like the Max
Payne games, players can slow time down enough that you can dodge bullets. What
is unique to the game is the fact that instead of jumping over objects like
tables, Tequila automatically slides across the surface and thus saving you the
trouble of walking around it. There are various objects he can interact with
such as rails he can slide down and there are even roll carts he can jump on and
ride to safety. Aside from those interactive objects, there are certain
environmental objects you can use in your favor. For example, neon signs can be
shot, thus breaking off and landing on top of an enemy standing below.

Tequila even has
four unique abilities called Tequila Bombs that are mapped to the D-pad. With
each kill, the Tequila Bomb gauge fills up and you can activate any of the
abilities. One is a Health Boost that has the same effect as a health pack while
the Precision Aim ability allows you to use your gun as a sniper weapon (giving
you the opportunity to pull of a precise shot that somewhat accurately displays
the entrance wound on the enemy once you aim and fire). Then there’s Barrage
Attack, an ability that temporarily gives you unlimited bullets and unlimited
health. Finally, there’s Spin Attack that is a John Woo trademark move in most
of him movies where Tequila will spin with his guns blazing and hitting
everything and anyone in sight.

As far as the
game’s level design is concerned, there are a number of excellent moments that
action fans will certainly savor. One level has you fighting your way through a
reception area where a band is playing while in another you’re in the Chicago
museum as you’re going up against enemies next to dinosaur bones. There are boss
battles in the game and they add some variety to the mix and thanks to the good
controls it is a blast moving through each level. The problem is that sometimes
the occasional glitch pops up, making enemies almost phasing right through
Tequila. Corpses sometimes have the tendency to blink out of existence right
before your eyes or – if they die on staircases – simply vanish. There’s also a
multiplayer mode that is reserved only to online play and it doesn’t go beyond
the Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes.

Stranglehold
really doesn’t take advantage of the PS3’s graphical capabilities but it’s not
an ugly game either. The game’s sharp visuals make the exotic backgrounds come
to life beautifully, especially the level that has you taking out drug labs in
an island. Even the character models look decent enough (although there are a
number of clones when it comes to the enemies) with Tequila looking exactly like
Chow Yun Fat. The real visual treat comes from the visual effects and the
destructible environments that have tables ripping apart into splinters and
glass shattering everywhere as your surroundings simply fall apart all around
you. It is great stuff but you can’t help but think that it could have looked
more impressive.

The game’s
soundtrack is wonderfully cinematic and intense and it picks up at all the right
moments in the game. In fact, the soundtrack is quite possibly the best thing
about the sound because the sound effects just don’t have the right sound to
them even if your console is hooked up to a good sound system. This doesn’t mean
the sound effects are bad but they sound a tad muffled in places. The voice
acting can be a bit rough seeing as the voice actors’ sound like authentic
Chinese actors trying to speak English. It’s convincing but it would have been
far more effective if the voice acting was handled in their native tongue. At
least Chow Yun Fat gives a solid performance.

John Woo
Presents Stranglehold for the PlayStation 3 is an action-packed shootout that is
just as stylish and exciting as a good John Woo film and trust me when I say
that you will be playing this one from start to finish. Yes, the game has a few
issues that hold it back but its strength comes with its ability to make you
feel like you’re playing a Woo-styled film with all the elements that make his
action films so much fun to watch. This is a game you will not want to miss if
you liked games like Max Payne.

Gameplay: 8.2
Tequila’s
moves are delightfully stylish but sometimes they aren’t pulled off as smoothly
or glitch-free. The game’s level design is good and there are plenty of moments
that will have you smiling. John Woo fans will love the fact that this is a
playable sequel to “Hardboiled” with familiar characters. There’s even a
multiplayer mode.

Graphics: 8.5

The graphics
are sharp and everything from the character models and backgrounds look great.
Still, you can’t help but think that the game could have looked a lot better
than this … especially on the PS3. The character models look decent enough but
it is the virtual Chow Yun Fat that practically lights up the screen.

Sound: 8.5
The game’s
music is – naturally – cinematic and has a wonderful Asian feel to it. There are
also some decent sound effects that could have been better and the voice acting
is handled well enough but it just would have worked better in the characters’
native language.

Difficulty:
Medium
Enemies will
often try to gang up on you and many of them are actually decent shots. There
are some challenging boss battles and there’s even a level where you go up
against a bad guy manning a chain gun on a helicopter.

Concept: 8.5
Stranglehold
plays in the John Woo universe and even brings Chow Yun Fat to the mix. There is
no shortage of weapons in the game and there are unlockable items you can use to
unlock extra in the game’s multiplayer mode. Speaking of multiplayer, you can
take the action online.

Multiplayer:
7.9
Up to six
players can take each another on online using a number of maps and characters
(including a playable John Woo) and playing through Deathmatch and Team
Deathmatch game modes. Running at a steady framerate, the game moves along at a
steady framerate but the action gets a bit old quickly.

Overall: 8.2
Like a true
action-packed cinematic spectacle, Stranglehold delivers a number of spectacular
moments that will not fail to dazzle hardcore fans of the genre. While it
doesn’t push the third-person shooter category to new heights, John Woo’s
personal touch brings just enough style to a solid shooter PS3 gamers will
certainly relish.