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8
Very Good
More than Max Payne still gameplay
posted by Gregarious (RICHMOND, VA) Oct 31, 2007
Member since Aug 2007
25 out of 26 gamers (96%) found this review helpful
The game play is similar to Max Payne--you can choose to shoot normally or hold L1 to slow down time and have a chance to knock out a few more guys quickly while diving through the air. There's more to it though. You can run along banisters and rails, slide on carts and wires, and swing from chandeliers. (Game tip: These slow time AND allow you to have less damage). This type of slaughtering gives you "style points" which earn you health; a sniping action (Game tip: Go for the junk. It's hilarious); a barrage, aka invincibility and unlimited ammo for about 5 seconds; and a 360 degree spin move complete with flying doves. Later you get to shoot bad guys from a helicopter with a 50 cal. machine gun.
The graphics are great too. The 2nd level reminds me of Drake Uncharted screens. The difficulty on "regular" is challenging and fun and it's a great game to show off your HD TV and PS3.
It's just too bad that us PS3 guys had to wait so long for this one.
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6
Above Average
Not Worth The Wait
posted by REVJR1 (ROANOKE, VA) Dec 15, 2007
Member since Jul 2007
5 out of 5 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
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6
Above Average
Decent Run and Gunner
posted by JustaGamer (COCOA, FL) Mar 21, 2008
Member since Jul 2007
3 out of 3 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
I've played a lot of games, and the one I would compare this to is Max Payne, with a few differences.
1. I prefer the Max Payne story more, Stranglehold is a sequel to the movie Hard Boiled. I never saw Hard Boiled so the story of stranglehold didn't interest me, I skipped almost every cut scene which I almost never do.
2. Not every dive will trigger slow-mo
3. You Never have to reload.
4. You have specials like tequila bomb which triggers a quick cut scene every time you use it of tequila spinning around shooting and then most of your enemies are dead.
5. There is a wall cover system.
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6
Above Average
Problem with audio
posted by Jrod76 (PUNTA GORDA, FL) Jun 25, 2010
Member since Mar 2008
1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
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5
Fair
Too boring and repetitive
posted by slicknick (Brooklyn, NY) Jun 23, 2010
Member since Oct 2009
1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
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6
Above Average
Okay Game But...........
posted by toks64 (LOS ANGELES, CA) Sep 6, 2009
Member since Jun 2005
1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
sounds, like the sound is cracking like your speakers are busted.
I beat the game and hurried up and sent it back.
really disappointed in this game because horrible audio.
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6
Above Average
Richly detailed + Lackluster gameplay = Eh!
posted by Geist13 (VACAVILLE, CA) Mar 13, 2008
Member since Jan 2008
3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful
Unfortunately, Stranglehold does not compare to the action guru's film work. Instead the video game is a repetitive, inconsistant yawn-fest. A clone of so many titles this game knocks off or is it the other way around? Remove John Woo and Stranglehold could easily be another True Crime sequel.
Stranglehold starts out interesting enough, with breathtaking graphics and some innovative ideas, but fails to deliver the goods. One cop against what seems like an infinite number of stupid A.I. controlled enemies who all look the exact same, and often pop up when your back is turned. After a couple hours of gameplay that ranged anywhere from "wake me up" boring to "what the..." frustrating, I gave up and sent it back to Gamefly.
John Woo should face facts, and go back to doing what he does best: action films. Leave video game making to the professionals. He tried, so I will give him credit. Skip this game, unless you want a "no brains, no frill" tiresome ride into bloody mayhem".
Pros:
+ Beautiful, realistically detailed graphics.
+ Fully destructive and interactive levels.
+ A few different gameplay modes.
+ Some stylized movements; sliding across tables, carts, etc.
+ Decent "for what it is" voice-overs. Even Chow Yun Fat's voice at times did not even sound like him. Alas, the voice-over could have been worse.
+ Doves! Any John Woo fan knows what I mean.
Cons:
- Tiresome and repetitive gameplay.
- Luckluster, dull storyline. YAWN!
- Robotic, or stiff player movement.
- Horrible controls, "what no jump button?"
- Consistantly plagued by bad camera work.
- Player often gets stuck against objects.
- Enemy A.I. is horrible, most of the time they just stand there or get in the way.
- Seems like there is an endless amount of enemies.
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5
Fair
Not really good but not bad either
posted by mistadj (APO, AE) Jan 16, 2008
Member since Oct 2007
3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful
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7
Good
A "To the point type game"
posted by Qballer33 (FAIRPORT, NY) Nov 19, 2007
Member since Jan 2007
3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful
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10
Perfect
love the game
posted by dcj2045 (ALEXANDRIA, VA) Mar 3, 2008
Member since Jan 2007
2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful
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10
Perfect
Sranglehold
posted by only1bo (DETROIT, MI) Dec 12, 2007
Member since Dec 2007
2 out of 4 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
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1
Horrible
This is a terrible game
posted by Vsonic (EAST STROUDSBURG, PA) Apr 30, 2011
Member since Jan 2010
1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
That's the perfect way to start this review, because nothing can sum up my disappointment with Stranglehold more than just that. A sigh.
This game blows. Granted, it came out in '07 and I rented it in 2011. Still, I can't imagine it being good when it came out, thanks to it's gameplay, which is a complete mess. Just a bunch of ideas - some kinda work, most don't - all thrown together to make sure that NOTHING WORKS. Interacting with the environment? Great idea. But having Tequila do it AUTOMATICALLY? HORRIBLE. He just keeps sliding across tables you don't want to, and when you DO want to, he tends to get hung up on things. The point is, it's hard to focus on where enemies are shooting you from when your character is spazzing around all the tables and stuff in the environment at random, with no input from the player. The bullet time mechanic is also pretty bad, occurring automatically during some maneuvers and manually at other times so overall it just happens whenever (and runs out at inopportune times CONSTANTLY). The aiming in general is pretty "squirrelly" too - this is one of the worst third person shooters I've ever played. Before OR after Gears of War. Stranglehold is wretched.
Seriously. If you're thinking of renting this; STOP. Go rent WET instead. It has far more style, a much more solid design and engine, great music, a great bullet time mechanic, is more polished, and is just loads of fun. All of those great things are features that Stranglehold lacks. What a complete disappointment. Ugh.
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5
Fair
Fast paced arcade style game
posted by Biggn82 (SPRING HILL, KS) Apr 23, 2008
Member since Nov 2005
1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
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4
Weak
What the?
posted by luaplizard (MELBOURNE, FL) Mar 31, 2008
Member since Mar 2008
1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
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5
Fair
What I expected
posted by who10tj (UPPER MARLBORO, MD) Mar 7, 2008
Member since Feb 2008
1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
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7
Good
A new Max Payne
posted by deadatbrth (WERNERSVILLE, PA) Nov 7, 2007
Member since Oct 2007
1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful
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1
Horrible
this game
posted by dawhoking (CORAL SPRINGS, FL) Nov 7, 2007
Member since Oct 2007
1 out of 22 gamers (5%) found this review helpful
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10
Perfect
Stranglehold
posted by Winnie123 (BELLEVILLE, MI) Mar 30, 2013
Member since Nov 2012
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7
Good
This was a good game!
posted by Legend5000 (MEMPHIS, TN) Jun 21, 2012
Member since Feb 2012
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8
Very Good
Rent It, Don't Buy It
posted by Gurnett (BUFFALO, NY) Mar 13, 2012
Member since Dec 2010
First off, let's note the game's biggest flaw: It's only about 4 or 5 hours long. Because of this, I certainly wouldn't recommend buying it. However, the 4/5 hours that you get out of this game are a lot of fun.
The game is a rip-off of Max Payne. This would bother me if not for two things: 1). Max Payne was awesome, 2). Max Payne was highly influenced by John Woo, whose name is on the game.
The 4 or 5 hours are a lot of fun, with the main character, (the poorly named) Inspector Tequila, having numerous abilities to choose from, including slow-motion "bullet time", a spinning auto-attack that kills everyone in site, and a cool zoom effect when using guns that result in a one-shot kill. Inspector Tequila can also shoot glowing spots on the surrounding environment blow up platforms and take out enemies in mass.
One positive of such a short game is that the gameplay never has a chance to be repetitive or boring.
It is what it is; it's a short game, with middling graphics. However, the action is fun, and the game will keep your attention for all 4 or 5 hours.
Check it out!
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4
Weak
Dated
posted by giger4life (CLEBURNE, TX) Nov 3, 2011
Member since Jul 2007
I skipped through every cutscene the story was so bad. I don't know if it was just my disc but the music cut out so much that I completely turned it off. So there I was, silently and mindlessly jumping and shooting from one level to the next. The best thing about it was the game's length. It was only a few hours. If it had been mere minutes longer I would have prematurely thrown in the proverbial town. I did like the destructive environments and special abilities but that is a far cry from saying that I enjoyed the game overall. This game is not worth the disc it was put on.
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7
Good
Do they run out of bullets in Hong Kong?
posted by Solrina (CANDLER, NC) Aug 5, 2010
Member since Jul 2010
Inspector Tequila (of Hard Boiled fame) is still working the beat and doing things his own way when a fellow officer is murdered. Tequila wastes no time is rushing to action. What follows is a typical Woo type plot, full of twists and turns and lots of drama that is difficult to actually care about.
The plot gives Tequila reason enough to get to work guns blazing. And oh boy are there guns. The great fun in this game is without a doubt the crazy stuff you get to do while shooting everything in site. Played in 3rd person you have the ability to pull of stunts you'd only see in these movies. Slow-Mo diving, sliding down stair rails, running up walls, dodging bullets, and more...all while slaughtering half of Hong Kong. The game succeeds in making you feel like an unstoppable, unkillable force of nature.
The more of these cool moves you pull of fills up a gauge that allows you to pull of super moves, although to be honest generally only used the one that allows you to do a perfect shot on someone. For good or for bad, they found a way to make killing insanely fun here.
There is still reasons I couldn't grade this higher. It's just too darn short. You can blow through this game fast, and it's never that hard to boot. The settings are unique, but the graphics nothing special, the voicework average, and as stated the story is mediocre.
Just because a game isn't a classic, though, doesn't mean it's not worth a look and a quick weekend rent. This one is lots of fun, and as long as you are not looking for anything groundbreaking, you will indeed have a blast...to the face...with a shotgun. It's that kind of ride.
7 / 10
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8
Very Good
now this is a blowem up killem game
posted by MANINBLACK (PETERSBURG, WV) Jan 9, 2010
Member since Nov 2008
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7
Good
My review
posted by Phantommkr (OCOEE, FL) Oct 21, 2009
Member since Jan 2009
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7
Good
Pretty Good
posted by fjchisman (PACIFIC GROVE, CA) Oct 17, 2009
Member since Jul 2009
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