At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
Matt Bailey	Xbox 360	Midway	Midway	1-6 (System Link, Xbox Live)	Here
Requirements				Also on...	Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Xbox Live Gold subscription for online play, 3MB HDD/Memory Unit space				PS3, PC	Click here to buy John Woo presents Stranglehold.

John Woo presents Stranglehold review

There's a likelihood you've heard of John Woo. He's the man who directed the likes of Broken Arrow, Face/Off, and Mission Impossible 2 for the mainstream Hollywood audiences, though true film buffs will be aware of his Hong Kong works, including A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and most particularly Hard Boiled. The last one is notable because John Woo presents Stranglehold is the spiritual sequel to that film, with Chow Yun Fat reprising his role as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen.

So, as you might expect with Woo on board, the game is very action heavy. As has become increasingly popular on the 360, it has taken the action into the third-person, though with a thoroughly character-driven narrative this makes sense. If you're familiar with Hard Boiled then you'll know that Tequila isn't an ordinary cop; in fact, 'cop' simply means he's paid by the Hong Kong police and we consider him one of the good guys, because with his large quantity of killing en-masse, more so than any villain, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. At least he has a well-intentioned aim of saving his family. The storyline ties you up between two rival gang leaders fighting for control of the Chinese city, with plenty of shooting all round.

It's not only the interesting narrative that comes direct from the Woo films; most importantly the action is delivered in a style that the director has perfected in a number of movies - Hard Boiled included. As mentioned above, there are swarms of enemies ready to be taken out, though the AI is good at hiding and attacking from behind cover, so they aren't mere cannon fodder. In order to counter this challenge you are given a range of tools which build up as you progress through the early sections. Firstly, there's the slow-motion action. It can be triggered whenever you like with the right bumper, but it also cuts in when performing certain moves with the left trigger. With a flat bit of land in front of you it'll perform the regular diving jump to the direction you're pointing the left stick, but when there are other highlighted objects - such as railings - you'll run across these, and in either situation slow-mo will kick in for you when enemies are in view. This is just the start however, with 4 abilities also to be acquired, starting from the ability to regenerate health, then zoomed head-shot-aspiring function, to a concentrated burst of fire for a short time, and finally a spin attack which takes out all foes in view. But these features are not merely about making it easier to take on foes who vastly outnumber you; for that extra touch of Woo, all kills are given a style rating. Well, more particularly, all groups of kills, as multiple attacks in a short burst push up the rating together. This 5 star rating will contribute to a gauge that determines whether the special moves are available, and also your ranking at the end of a level.

The game features seven levels which vary considerably in length. The penultimate level in particular was rather short, but earlier levels provided more of a challenge. Overall, however, the game feels short - maybe it's the fact that it has taken a film-like approach that wouldn't lend itself to an epic, but you can't help but feel just a bit more action could have been squeezed out of the formula. Replay value does exist thanks to the Achievements, and a range of unlockables, which also provides the usual cameo role for John Woo, taking on the role of the guy running the unlock shop (he also appears as a bartender in the game itself). On top of this the game supports multiplayer for up to six players over System Link or Xbox Live. The options are somewhat limited, with just ranked or unranked games available where you can partake in just deathmatch or team deathmatch. Even the options are limited, with a few maps to choose from, the ability to set the time and kill limits, and that's pretty much it. That said, you'll be lucky to even play - with most online gamers on Live occupied with the likes of Halo 3, Gears of War and Call of Duty 4, it can be hard to find opponents in this seemingly tacked-on mode.

On the visual front, Stranglehold adopts what is fast becoming a standard for first and third person shooters (and other genres, hope Epic) - Unreal Engine 3. This, in combination with the Havok physics system which has always made Half-Life 2 impressively realistic, provide plenty of treats for the eyes. Admittedly, despite sharing the same engine, Stranglehold doesn't look as impressive as the likes of Gears and BioShock, possibly due to the urban Hong Kong visual style, but is still looking good nonetheless. The physics and a range of visual effects are put to good use by the level of on-screen violence, from the bodies flying through the air, to the explosions caused by your gunfire. It's all Woo in action again, and certainly adds to the game's cinematic flair.

Ratings

Graphics	It may be Unreal Engine 3 powered, but it's not looking nearly as beautiful as the likes of BioShock. Animations could have been better, but the destruction you can wreak upon the environments in impressive.	8/10
Gameplay	Enjoyable, but ultimately repetitive. It's gameplay that's full of movie-like artistic flair, but you always find yourself simply shooting or diving everywhere.	8/10
Value	With the short lifespan, this can be hard to justify as a purchase at full price. However, it's certainly worth picking up if you can find it cheaper.	6/10
Lifespan	The main game isn't particularly long, and the online multiplayer isn't enjoyable. But, there are a range of unlockables that at least give the game some replay value.	6/10
Audio	The voice-overs are better than expected, but arguably shouldn't be in English like a true Hong Kong flick. There are also good sound effects and short musical scores which add to the atmosphere, but there's nothing particularly special.	7/10
Overall	Stranglehold is an enjoyable game, that truly offers a movie-like experience, without holding you back too much. It may be ultimately linear, but it captures the feel of an action movie well, and would be more justifiable if it wasn't so short.	7/10

Click here to buy John Woo presents Stranglehold from Amazon.co.uk.

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