GamesRadar - Stranglehold

Developer: The Bosses Mandated Stranglehold's Unnecessary Multiplayer Mode (News)

4 Nov 2009

Kotaku writes: "Why do some games have multiplayer? Because the executives demand it, even if the developers don't want it. As explained in a recent account of goings on at Midway."

European PS Store updates for 20th March (News)

20 Mar 2008

Let the bone crunching begin!

PAIN has finally arrived as expected on the European PS Store. We're really pleased to see it has made it's way over here and can't wait to start tossing mimes (no, that's not a euphemism for anything else, before you ask).

So what else came our way today in what Sony are saying will be "the end of poor EU updates"?

Midway Prepping Casual Portal, U.S. PC Market 'Softening' (News)

7 Mar 2008

In its call with investors following Q4 results, Midway CEO David Zucker said getting the PS3 version of its standardized internal engine up to par adversely impacted its financial results, and revealed that it was preparing an online casual game portal for the near future.

Zucker said the publisher had a "challenging year" as it underwent its transition to next-gen consoles. While he said the million-selling action title Stranglehold was "affirmation" that Midway's "standardized tech tool set is on the right track," it hasn't come without a price.

DVDstruction: Bullet Porn (Feature)

6 Feb 2008

Damn, was this a tough category to comb through. Both High-Def formats have an insatiable thirst for loud noises, taking to things that go BOOM like a politician to babies. There are a lot of deceptive titles out there, like Shooter and Shoot 'Em Up, purporting to be the ultimate purveyor of balls-out ballistics. Don't you believe it. To paraphrase Shakespeare, those titles "be bullshitin' on Front Street." ...

Rumored PLAYSTATION Store New Content (US) for 1/24/08 (News)

22 Jan 2008

New PSN Content. From the same source that brought you the predictions last week (the N4G story reached 1050°), here are the constantly updated list of rumors - several confirmed - for the new PSN content delivered weekly. All rumors have cited sources and media related to the game.

This week:
- The Club [demo]
- Guitar Hero III DLC
- PixelJunk Monsters [game & demo]
- PSone Classics
- Rock Band DLC
- Strangehold DLC

Note: Again, I know this is a forum post, but it's a collection from many different sources. The information is timely and updated immediately.

Rumored PLAYSTATION Store New Content (US) for 1/17/08 (News)

16 Jan 2008

A constantly updated list of rumors (some confirmed) for the new PSN content delivered weekly. Thread cites sources and media related to the game.

Note: I know this is a forum post, but it's a collection from many different sources. The information is timely and updated immediately. Poster's threads linked to before from N4G - when it broke news that All PS1 Games are playable via Remote Play (in that case, thread was linked to).

Stranglehold map pack live, pricey (News)

10 Jan 2008

Kotaku reports:Well the Stranglehold map pack announced last month is out on Xbox Live, with the PlayStation 3 version sure to follow shortly thereafter. As promised, it contains 10 new multiplayer maps, 21 new characters, and 10 new achievements for an additional 250 points to your gamerscore. All this for 1200 Microsoft points - $15 in real money - and I am currently trying to figure out if it's worth it. It pretty much works out to $1.50 a map, which doesn't sound like too much, but in one big chunk that costs a quarter of the game's retail price? I'm going to be struggling with this for days before I finally cave and put the money down. If I know I am going to buy it anyway, why wait you ask? It's all about the journey my friend. Thanks to Billkwando for the heads up!

Stranglehold - Expansion pack 01-07-08 (Video)

7 Jan 2008

The spiritual successor to the Hong Kong smash Hard Boiled, Stranglehold aims to blow you away with ridiculous action, amazing physics, and John Woo's matchless style.

Amazon's '10 Days, 10 Deals' starts with PS3 (News)

8 Dec 2007

Amazon will be offering a video game deal of some kind for the next 10 days starting today. The offer is a Playstation 3, Blu-Ray remote, and the collectors edition of Stranglehold, for $399. Noteworthy is Lair only being $34.99 today as well.

Stranglehold targets 10 new maps (News)

7 Dec 2007

Dec 7, 2007 A Stranglehold multiplayer content update is set to release for PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the John Woo shoot-everything-up soon. Included in the update will be 10 brand new multiplayer maps and 21 new multiplayer skins, in addition to 10 new Achievements for Xbox 360 ...

Leaked: NIMF's Annual Video Game Report Card (News)

4 Dec 2007

Kotaku's Brian Crecente has a leaked copy of the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual Media Wise Video Game Report Card, set to be officially released tomorrow. This year's report card is broken into five parts:

Â¿ The MediaWise Video Game Report Card
Â¿ The Buying Guide
Â¿ The ESRB Rating System and Ratings Education Efforts
Â¿ The Retailer Ratings Education and Enforcement Surveys
Â¿ Annual MediaWise-Harris Interactive Poll of Kids and Parents

Kotaku gives a quick summary for each part.

Delayed Stranglehold Arrives on PS3 in Europe at Last (News)

1 Dec 2007

Stranglehold was released on Xbox 360 back in September to mostly positive reviews. Now PlayStation 3 owners can finally see whether the John Woo-Chow Yun Fat game was worth the wait. Midway confirmed on Friday that Stranglehold for the PS3 is now available throughout Europe. There's also a demo up on the PlayStation Store for those who aren't quite sold on it yet.

The game hosts a reunion for John Woo and Chow Yun Fat, who reprise their roles from hot-blooded action flick Hard Boiled. In Stranglehold, Inspector Tequila is back on the case, bringing justice to underground groups in Hong Kong.

Stranglehold ships over a million worldwide (News)

2 Nov 2007

A top ten selling game in the UK for five weeks following launch.
Midway has today announced that its John Woo action title Stranglehold has shipped over a million units worldwide, with the European launch of the PlayStation 3 version to follow later this month.

The game remained in the UK Video Game Top Ten for a five-week period following its launch and was a Top Ten title in North America for the month of September according to data from the NPD Group.

Midway Announces Increased Revenues, Losses (News)

1 Nov 2007

Major publisher Midway Games has announced that, for the three-month period ending September 30, 2007, its sales totaled $36.7 million, up from $27.4 million last year. At the same time, however, the company reported losses of $33.5 million, increased from $22.5 million in 2006.

As for highlights, the company said that Xbox 360 and PC title Stranglehold has exceeded 1 million units shipped worldwide across all platforms, and the company anticipates shipping Stranglehold for the PS3 in Europe in the latter part of November.

Midway also highlighted its recent demo of Unreal Tournament 3 in conjunction with developer Epic Games, since a demo of Unreal Tournament 3 for the PC was recently released, and has remained one of the top 2 most downloaded games on FilePlanet.com since it was released on October 12th. However, the PS3 version of the title is still due in 2008, as confirmed earlier last month.

Stranglehold (Review)

30 Oct 2007

Oct 30, 2007 Heres cool: slow motion diving through the air, pistol in each hand, taking out all 15 baddies in the room. Theres no denying this. Now do it sliding down a banister, riding belly-first on a trolley, or gliding along the back of a museum dinosaur. No one can call into question the inherent coolness of John Woos gun-toting action style - although perhaps they might want to ponder on the overall quality of his later films (cough-Broken Arrow-cough). Stranglehold is a sequel of ...

Midway Encountering Unreal Engine Issues on PS3 (News)

2 Oct 2007

Not long after Midway announced Unreal Tournament 3 would be moving out of the 2007 release timeframe on the PlayStation 3, Midway CEO David Zucker held a conference call to address how this would affect their financial situation through the rest of the year.

Zucker was very specific about the company's roadblocks on the PS3 platform, citing "technical issues with the Unreal Engine 3.0" with finishing work on the PS3 versions of Stranglehold and Area 51: Blacksite. Consequently, Area 51: Blacksite will be arriving three weeks after the Xbox 360 and PC versions drop at the end of October, while Stranglehold remains an unspecified fourth quarter release.

Midway says the technical issues on the PS3 have been ironed out, however, and following the release of Unreal Tournament 3 in early 2008, they expect the PS3 versions to arrive date and date with Xbox 360 and PC SKUs going forward.

EDGE slams Lair and Two Worlds; praises Halo 3 and PGR4 (News)

27 Sep 2007

The newest edition of the British games magazine EDGE has just hit stores and first readers already posted all the review scores on the internet. This months edition contains reviews of some big titles like Halo 3, PGR4, Metroid Prime 3, Lair, SKATE, Stranglehold, SEGA Rally and Eternal Sonata.

Like many other reviews, Lair did not score so well with a 3/10. Two Worlds didn't do much better either with just a 4/10. Phoenix Wright and Jam Sessions on the Nintendo DS did not impress either with both just a 6/10. Metroid Prime 3 also quite disappointed according to EDGE with just a 7/10. Stranglehold, SKATE, Sega Rally, and Eternal Sonata all were rewarded with 7/10 scores.

Halo 3 and Project Gotham Racing 4 were this months' best titles with Halo 3 getting the top score of 10/10. PGR4 did very well to with 9/10. Check out all this months' scores below.

Halo 3 (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 10
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii, Nintendo): 7
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 9
Sega Rally (PS3/Xbox 360, Sega): 7
Lair (PS3, Sony): 3
Stranglehold (Xbox 360, Midway): 7
Skate (Xbox 360, EA): 8
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2, Atlus): 7
Singstar (PS3, Sony): 8
Two Worlds (Xbox 360, SouthPeak Interactive): 4
Grimgrimoire (PS2, Koei): 7
Jam Sessions (NDS, Ubisoft): 6
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP, Square Enix): 9
Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 7
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations (NDS, Capcom): 6
Sonic Rush Adventure (NDS, Sega): 5

Rumour: Stranglehold PS3 Pushed Back Even Further (News)

24 Sep 2007

According to EBGames (and other retailers), Midway has once again delayed the PS3 edition of their third-person action game Stranglehold, which is already out on both PC and X360 platforms.

So, once again, PS3 users have to wait a little while longer.

The PS3 port of Stranglehold was previously planned to come out this week, but is now hitting stores on Oct. 29.

UT3 preview and Jeff Day interview for PS3 (News)

20 Sep 2007

Latest issue of P3Zine has a 6 page preview/interview with emphasis on how the user-built maps work on the PS3. Also has Stranglehold, Warhawk, Fracture and Fallout 3.

PS3 Stranglehold demo out on PS Store (News)

11 Sep 2007

Sept 11, 2007 All things being well in the world of the PlayStation Store, you should now be able to download a demo of the PS3 version of Midway's Woo-'em-up Stranglehold. In Stranglehold, in case you didn't know, you step into the shoes of Chow Yun-Fat as Inspector Tequila and shoot shit up while doing lots of slow-mo diving. And shooting. And diving. And shooting. Midway says the demo "will allow players to get a taste of the intense, non-stop action, cinematic gunplay and massively ...

No Stranglehold demo for EU (News)

9 Sep 2007

European PS3 owners will have to settle for the new MotorStorm downloadable content on PSN this week as Midway still hasn't confirmed when the Stranglehold demo will be released here.

The Coyote Revent VIP Pass pack will cost GBP 3.99 / EUR 5.80. It includes the new reversed and revamped version of the Coyote track plus two new vehicles and the Eliminator online mode.

There's also a spattering of new trailers you might want to look at, like GT5 Prologue, Lair, and Heavenly Sword - but you can find most of those over on Eurogamer TV already.

Stranglehold demo on PSN today (News)

6 Sep 2007

Sept 6, 2007 PS3 owners will be able to blast their way through one level of Stranglehold in a demo hitting the PSN later today. Just like the Xbox 360 demo which went live a month ago, you'll take control of Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) and his duel-wield guns and go on a killing spree in the massively destructible Hong Kong marketplace ...

Confirmed :Stranglehold Demo for PSN (News)

5 Sep 2007

A Midway Games Community Moderator has just confirmed a Stranglehold demo which is set to hit PlayStation Network this week among the regularly scheduled PSN updates Thursday.

Stranglehold is gold on Xbox 360; worldwide release dates confirmed (News)

31 Aug 2007

Midway just sent out a press release in which the publisher states that the Xbox 360 version of John Woo Presents: Stranglehold is now officially gold. This means development on the game is completely finished, and the only thing left now is printing the game. Midway also revealed the final release dates for all platforms for both the US and Europe.

The Xbox 360 version of Stanglehold is released first, on September 5 in America, followed by Europe on September 14. Next is the PC versions which will hit retail on September 18 in the US followed by Europe on September 21. Last, but certainly not least, is the Playstation 3 version, which will be released on September 25 in the US and 'sometime' in October in Europe.

Midway has high hopes for John Woo's Stranglehold, which is also considered as the sequel to John Woo's Hard Boiled movie. Stranglehold will be available in both a normal and a Special Edition version for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. The Xbox 360's Special Edition features a second DVD with lots of extras such as 'Behind the Scenes' material. The Playstation 3's Special Edition will come with the Blu-Ray version of John Woo's Hard Boiled movie.

OPM Scores Warhawk(9), Heavenly Sword(7), SingStar(9), Stranglehold(8) & More (News)

30 Aug 2007

NeoGAF member pswii60 posts:
"Got my latest Official Playstation Magazine UK.
PS3 Reviews:

Lair - 6
Heavenly Sword - 7
Stuntman Ignition - 7
..."

Stranglehold delayed, thugs thankful (News)

23 Aug 2007

You know, with a badass like inspector Tequila on the case, imagine that the Hon Kong thugs are thanking their lucky stars that Stranglehold has been delayed. Xbox 360 gamers, on the other hand, probably not so pleased. Before you collectively turn your local game shop into a pile of debris that John Woo would be proud of, you should know that the game has only been delayed by just over one week.

EU PSN Update LIVE - Includes Folklore Demo plus much much more.... (News)

22 Aug 2007

The EU Playstation Network Store has been updated with lots of goodies hot off the Leipzip convention. The update includes:

UT3 Gamers' Day Trailer
Stranglehold Gamers' Day Trailer
**Folklore Exclusive Demo** For a LIMITED time
Warhawk Trailers (Multiplayer/Air/Ground/Trailer)
PSN Trailer from Leipzip
Playstation Eye Trailer from Leipzip
MGS4 Gameplay Demo from Leipzip
Heavenly Sword Nariko Trailer
Snakeball Trailer

Unreal Engine 3 delaying games (News)

20 Aug 2007

Digital Extremes, long-time partner of Epic and developer of Unreal Championship and Dark Sector, has added to the crossfire aimed at Unreal Engine 3. In an interview with Australian site Gameplayer, Dark Sector director Steve Sinclair claims that the company opted out of using Epic's ever-popular engine so that it could hit its desired release date. "A lot of promises were made about the Unreal Engine 3, particularly on PS3," he said. "But as we see now, the time frames haven't been met and ...

Stranglehold set to bring FUN back to the shooter? (News)

17 Aug 2007

While its August 28 release date may see it somewhat eclipsed amid BioShock fallout fever and the fact that Metroid Prime 3 is set to arrive that week too, Midway's Max Payne/Dead to Rights action hybrid looks to bring one singular facet of worth to the gaming table: destructive fun.

Many of us complain that first and third-person shooters simply don't provide enough full-on physical destruction Â¿ especially when subjecting the in-game environments to high explosives and massively powerful weaponry. EA's woefully underrated Black went some way to delivering a game world open to destruction and player influence, but Stranglehold takes the idea to a whole new level.

Click the source for more...

Stranglehold - Action packed gameplay 08-16-07 (Video)

16 Aug 2007

The spiritual successor to the Hong Kong smash Hard Boiled, Stranglehold aims to blow you away with ridiculous action, amazing physics, and John Woo's matchless style.

Stranglehold multiplayer absent at Midway event (News)

15 Aug 2007

Aug 15, 2007 Uhh, let's see what we can remember. GamesRadar showed up at the Mezzanine on Thursday night doe-eyed and eager to partake in the world premiere of Stranglehold's multiplayer mode. Can diving gunmen butt heads? Could we make bullets collide in mid-air? If four players activate the slow-mo, Tequila Time mode, simultaneously, would it spawn an alternate reality where the game never existed? The answer is... we don't know. For whatever reason, multiplayer was a depressing no show. ...

Stranglehold's PS3 delay ONLY for Euro version. US version still on track for September 17. (News)

9 Aug 2007

From GAF

"This is for the Euro version BTW. I received that press release also. As of last night, Midway North America informed us that:

Quote:
The full version of Stranglehold is currently expected to ship on August 27th for the Xbox 360 and PC, and September 17th for the PlayStation 3. PC and PlayStation 3 demos coming soon. "

"To be thorough, I just contacted Midway U.S. and got the following response:

Quote:
I can confirm that Stranglehold is shipping on 8/27 for X360 and PC and 9/17 for PS3 here in the U.S. If you have any questions, please let me know. "

PS3 Stranglehold To Be Region Free. Hard Boilded US Only (News)

3 Aug 2007

The moderator of official Stranglehold forums has announced the following:
"Midway has decided to make both the standard version and the North American Collector's Edition (with Hard Boiled on Blu-ray) of Stranglehold region free. Please be clear that the Collector's Edition with the movie is only available in North America, so if you live elsewhere, you'll have to buy it as an import. "

Midway investing $30 million in Stranglehold - Most expensive next-generation game (News)

3 Aug 2007

Midway's European MD Martin Spiess has told GamesIndustry.biz the publisher is investing USD 30 million in upcoming action game Stranglehold.

Spiess claims the new IP could be the most expensive next-generation game in development, but is confident that come the September release the massive investment will pay off, with retail and consumers already very positive about the title.

Blazing Stranglehold footage burst (News)

31 Jul 2007

Bam! Drrrrtttt! Ka-pow! Ah, how we love these sounds of destruction. Stranglehold knows this, and - as you can see in this new weaponry-based trailer - the game is an almost non-stop aural orgy of explosive noise, combined with the loss of an alarming amount of ammunition. Brilliantly, though, Stranglehold's fatalities aren't limited to bullet-points. The crumbling scenery that surrounds you can be blasted into shrapnel, used to crush enemies or simply be exploderized with a well placed shot. ...

Stranglehold on PS3 to be region locked (News)

31 Jul 2007

A moderator on the official Midway forums has confirmed that Stranglehold will not be region free for the PS3. This is understandable for the collector's edition, as it also includes a copy of the film Hardboiled on the disc. There are licensing issues that are far more strict and complicated when it comes to movies, rather than games. Which is why Blu-Ray discs aren't region free either.

Stranglehold - Weapons 07-31-07 (Video)

31 Jul 2007

The spiritual successor to the Hong Kong smash Hard Boiled, Stranglehold aims to blow you away with ridiculous action, amazing physics, and John Woo's matchless style.

Stranglehold delayed on PS3 (News)

31 Jul 2007

Stranglehold will miss its original release date on PS3, and instead arrive three weeks later on September 17.

The Xbox 360 and PC editions will still be released on August 27.

Midway locks in Stranglehold date (News)

27 Jul 2007

Two years and three Electronic Entertainment Expos ago, Midway announced Stranglehold, a pseudo-sequel to the 1992 action film Hard-Boiled made in cooperation with the film's director John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat. Previously set to be on shelves by "fall or holiday" of 2006, Midway pushed the title back to the first quarter of 2007. Having missed that release window, Midway said it would have the game out by August.

The long wait appears to be nearing an end, as a Midway representative today nailed down exact release dates for GameSpot. The Xbox 360 and PC editions of Stranglehold will apparently keep to Midway's most recently stated timeframe, arriving August 27. However, the PlayStation 3 version of the game is now set for September 17.

Sony Gamer's Day - revealed! (Feature)

26 Jul 2007

Originally posted on May 22, 2007 Months before the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony Computer Entertainment of America flew a small army of journalists down to its headquarters in San Diego for its Gamer's Day, a pre-E3 sneak peek at games set to arrive on its PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms. Featuring dozens of games from Sony and third-party publishers, several of which were unveiled and/or made playable for the first time, the event was a staggering look at a swarm ...

Stranglehold's multiplayer revealed (News)

24 Jul 2007

In Stranglehold, you play an unstoppable hero - the kind of big screen icon who can walk alone into a room full of bad guys and not only defeat them all without suffering a scratch, but make the whole affair look ridiculously easy. But what happens when eight action heroes walk into a room? During a recent demo of the John Woo-inspired shoot 'em up, we quizzed our handler about Stranglehold's multiplayer. He confirmed that up to eight players can blast away at each other - and the map's ...

1080p Hard Boiled with Stranglehold (News)

21 Jul 2007

As was confirmed some time ago, the PS3 will be receiving a Collector's Edition version of action shooter Stranglehold this Fall.

Packaged with the standard game, we'll also get behind the scenes footage and the full Hard Boiled movie, directed by John Woo.

However, confusion ensued when trailers released on PlayStation Store were worryingly low res.

Midway has cleared up any fears by confirming that Hard Boiled will be remastered to 1080p for the PS3 version of Stranglehold.

The Xbox 360 will also be getting a special package, but it will only contain the behind-the-scenes footage.

PS3 exclusive Stranglehold content (News)

20 Jul 2007

Ben Kuchera of ArsTechnica writes:

"We saw a lot of great games at E3 last week, but one of our favorites was Stranglehold, an action title that had some great ideas about how to be more like a movie while at the same time not giving up the interactivity of a good game. We knew for a while that Midway was going to take advantage of the extended space provided by Blu-ray on the PS3 and include the movie prequel to game, Hard Boiled, on the special edition disc. But will the movie take advantage of the format? News from Evil Avatar gives us the good word:

Short and sweet. There was some confusion, but I just got confirmation that the Special Edition of Stranglehold on the Playstation 3 will indeed include a Remastered Hi-Def version of Hard Boiled. There was some confusion on whether the movie would be in standard definition or not."

E3 07: Midway puts press in Stranglehold (News)

12 Jul 2007

Midway talks Unreal Tournament III PS3/PC exclusivity, BlackSite: Area 51 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat also on display.

Midway Announces E3 lineup (News)

9 Jul 2007

Midway Games Inc., a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, today announced its product portfolio to be shown at the E3 Business & Media Summit, July 11-13 in Los Angeles.

Continue to view list.

Stranglehold PS3/PC Versions Delayed (News)

7 Jul 2007

According to GameStop.com the 360 version comes out on August 6th. The PS3/PC versions come out on August 20th. Previously all versions were slated for an August 6th release.

Stranglehold - good as it looks? (News)

3 Jul 2007

Everyone knows John Woo and Chow Yun Fat make great action movies together. And, based on Stranglehold's recent blitz of teasers, trailers and carefully choreographed gameplay movies, we know they make good promotional material together, too. But can the actual game - the one you'll play in early August - live up to the cinematic expectations set by the marketing? Check out GamesRadar's custom gameplay footage of two Stranglehold levels and judge for yourself. The first video, showing the ...

Stranglehold Gets Swag-tastic (News)

26 Jun 2007

What's in the box, you ask? Hit the jump to find out!

Midway Announces All-Star Voice Over Talent for Stranglehold Videogame (News)

26 Jun 2007

Midway announces all-star voice over talent for the upcoming Stranglehold game for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Blood Diamond) along with Randall Duk Kim (Memoirs of a Geisha, Enter the Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded) join Chow Yun-Fat for the game.

The PS3 Games Of Summer 2007 (News)

23 Jun 2007

PS3 owners weren't as overcome with software as they thought they'd be this past spring, but the summer is a totally different story. With a number of high-profile and potentially excellent videogames headed our way over the next few months, the awaited "must own" PlayStation 3 era may finally be upon us. Highlighted below are most of the season's biggest titles, so be sure to look for them at your local retailer between the dual-21sts of June and September.

Stranglehold 360 collector's edition less collectable than PS3 (News)

20 Jun 2007

Midway may have aready announced an "exclusive" PS3 Collector's Edition for Stranglehold, but Xbox 360 is still getting its own special edition of the game. So how does releasing a collector's edition for 360 make the PS3 exclusive? Well, missing from the Xbox 360's bonus disc "jam-packed with extras" is the 1992 John Woo film Hard Boiled. This is going to be released on the same Blu-Ray disc as the PS3 game if you buy that version.

Xbox 360's slightly undercooked (not hard boiled) features list is after the break.

Stranglehold Release Date Confirmed (News)

1 Jun 2007

The latest release schedule from Australian distributor Red Ant includes release dates for Stranglehold and Two Worlds.

"He's called Tequila. He's a tough cop."

John Woo to deliver Stranglehold film? (News)

30 May 2007

A movie adaptation of John Woo's Stranglehold is very likely in the cards, if comments from Woo's production partner Terrence Chang are anything to go by. "We would definitely bring Stranglehold to the big screen," Chang told Reuters in a report focusing on John Woo's collaboration with Warren Spector on Ninja Gold, a videogame which is also being adapted for the silver screen. Chang explained that John Woo and crew want to take a "very selective" approach when it comes to producing games, ...

New Stranglehold screens (News)

18 May 2007

Fresh from Sony's American Gamers' Day come new Stranglehold screens, sadly showing a level that we've already seen but from different ...

Stranglehold gets Hard Boiled (News)

18 May 2007

Midway has given details of a $70 collector's edition of its upcoming PS3 title Stranglehold that includes the Hard Boiled movie. John Woo's Stranglehold will also feature a full-length remastered high-def version of the 1992 film Hard Boiled, the Hong Kong action film directed by ...

Stranglehold (Screenshots)

18 May 2007

John Woo's Hard Boiled on Blu-ray (via PS3) (News)

16 May 2007

For the past few years, acclaimed director John Woo has been working on 'Stranglehold', a game which follows the Inspector Tequila and the highly choreographed gun fights that he seems to always be caught up in. The game is a continuation of the story of the insanely popular John Woo movie 'Hard Boiled', and those who pick up the collectors edition version of the game will the get the movie newly remastered in high definition on Blu-ray.

A few months ago, Midway, the company which is producing the game, polled users on its website if they would like Hard Boiled included with the purchase of the game. Users overwhelmingly responded that they would, and Midway has responded with $70 Collectors Edition of the game ($10 more than a regular PS3 game).

No word if this would be the only way to get the movie in high definition, but it will be a nice bonus for those who buy the game.

Stranglehold Hurtling Towards Alpha (News)

1 Apr 2007

The last week or so has been a bit of a blur in the Stranglehall. We're all super busy getting ready for alpha. Alpha is a mythical time in a game's life where everything is done, it's just not done all the way quite yet. You can play the entire game from front to back, and it's especially satisfying to take down a boss, bask in the glory of your victory, and then arrive at the next level full of baddies and stuff ready to get blown up.

-Patrick Curry
Senior Game Designer

Stranglehold's Creative Director speaks (Feature)

20 Feb 2007

What was it like working with John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat? Offerman: Chow Yun-Fat is doing the voiceover for his character (Detective Tequila) and hes mostly in Hong Kong, so we sent an audio guy out there to work with him. They had someone to help him with his pronunciation, a voice coach, because English is only his second language. We took scans of his face and body and, even though it wasnt contractually required, we asked him whether itd be OK to take shots of him with different facial ...

Blast action hero (Feature)

16 Feb 2007

Were behind a pillar. Sorry - Hollywood action hero Chow Yun-Fat is behind a pillar, face grim, eyes narrowed and hands gripping dual Beretta pistols. As moonlight bathes the museum, gloomily illuminating the looming dinosaur skeleton above, we hear the muffle of incoming footsteps. Hopelessly outnumbered, desperately low on health, we swing into the open and - in a few violent stabs of PS3s Sixaxis pad - erupt into a spiraling slow-motion weave of bullets and trace-lines, spinning and firing ...

New PSM video podcast (News)

8 Feb 2007

Originally posted on February 8, 2007 When the savvy and good-looking fellows behind PSM put together a video podcast for your viewing enjoyment, it's a happy day for you. The PSM editors have traveled far and wide to bring you interviews with the developers of some of the hottest games around. Hear about the blazing gunplay and beautifully destructible environments of John Woo's Stranglehold, and watch it in action. Thrill to the sights and sounds of the invasion of Earth in Blacksite: Area ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

5 Feb 2007

John Woo may have made some recent big-screen stinkers (Windtalkers and Paycheck anyone?), but Stranglehold looks like a spectacular return to form - even roping in Chow Yun Fat to reprise his role as Inspector Tequila from cult movie Hard Boiled. Theres little to the game other than blasting enemies in the most inventive ways you can think of, and it just so happens that you get to look amazingly cool while doing so. We can live with ...

Stranglehold features, PC screens, and some packshots (News)

1 Feb 2007

We have here some packshots, screens and more info about the multi-platform, third person game from Midway Games, Strangleholdfor the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

2007 Heaven - PS3 Day one (Feature)

31 Jan 2007

Yeah, we know: you dropped unholy coin on a new PS3, but you can only play so much Resistance before you start lusting over your buddy's 360 or Wii. Be patient, grasshopper - 2007 will make your purchase worthwile. Here's proof: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Kojima Productions - PS3 - ETA 2007 The latest chapter in the series is a dizzying mess of questions and expectations. The OctoCam camouflage suit - enabling players to blend in with the colour and texture of the background - ...

Stranglehold - hands-on (Preview)

30 Jan 2007

Videogame makers have been ripping off John Woo for years. A longtime master of Hong Kong action films, the accomplished director's distinct style has been imitated in dozens of games. And Midway is helping Woo "take it back" with Stranglehold. The spiritual successor to the 1992 film Hard Boiled (directed by Woo and starring Chow Yun-Fat), Stranglehold is an attempt to faithfully recreate Woo's style in an interactive medium. The brief portions of the game we were able to play left us ...

Tequila gets out of the kitchen (News)

26 Jan 2007

Saturday 27 January 2007 We've seen plenty of Inspector Tequila leaping about, both barrels blazing in Stranglehold's made-for-a-shootout Hong Kong restaurant and kitchen level, but now we've managed to prise some new shots from publisher Midway's grip that give us a glimpse of the John Woo directed game's museum location. Move your mouse in dramatic slo-mo style to the images tab above (release some white doves while you're at it for the full effect) to see the entire priceless collection and ...

Stranglehold trailer blazer (News)

22 Jan 2007

The 40-cigarettes-a-day voiceover man says about Stranglehold: "One hard boiled cop is caught between upholding the law and doing what's right..." and, as this spanking new trailer for the game shows, that means blasting seven bells of sweet and sour out of anything within a 30 foot radius of Inspector Tequila. Kung-fu slap the Movies tab, launch the video player and select the film enititled "Stranglehold - trailer 01-22-07" to revel in the ballet of ...

Is History Repeating Itself? (News)

11 Nov 2006

The winning formula? Convincing parallels between the PS2 and PS3.

No console maker has ever dominated three consecutive platform generations. Atari squandered its head start in the 80s, Nintendo lost its near monopolistic stranglehold in the 90s, and now it's Sony's turn to pass the baton. Or is it? The PS3 may have seen its share of negative press lately, but Sony seems to be lining up a perfect repeat success of the PS2. The outlook for PS3 is actually not all that different as it was for the PS2 when it was first introduced in 2000. Don't believe us? Check out these examples of history repeating itself.

Stranglehold tea party (News)

16 Oct 2006

Monday 16 October 2006 Arriving fashionably late from August's Leipzig Game Convention, there's a whole seven minutes of Stranglehold gameplay waiting for you in the movies tab above - demonstrating a run-and-gun-through of the Tea House level. While the developer commentary is a little dry - we ask you, how can a man sound so unenthused when he's just slow-mo shot some poor thug in the family jewels? - the action speaks for itself, with the restaurant left looking like a war zone by the time ...

Sonic Boom: Has Sega Lost its Sonic Touch? (News)

13 Oct 2006

From Gamedaily.com: "This week, NYC is hosting Digital Life, a mini CES/E3 that showcases upcoming products. It's mostly tech, cameras and what not, but there is a smattering of colorful events, the most notable being Sonic the Hedgehog's 15th birthday celebration, hosted by Party of Five and Mean Girls alum Lacey Chabert. There will be cake, the birthday song, and most likely some guy (or gal) dressed in a life size Sonic costume. It's just unfortunate that it's one of the most unexciting sounding birthdays that I have ever been invited to. If only Sega gave me a reason to celebrate.

Have you ever wondered what's been going on with the Sonic franchise? Back in the day, and I'm talking the early to mid nineties, a new Sonic game was always associated with quality. Press clamored for the latest releases, and most of these gems (Sonic, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD especially) met with rave reviews. Meanwhile, Sega was on a tear. It had used the blue hedgehog to apply a monster nerve hold on Nintendo, thus causing it to relinquish its stranglehold on the videogame industry. And Sonic creator Yuji Naka was likened to Mario's proud papa Shigeru Miyamoto. With these weapons, Sega was poised to capture the hearts of millions for years to come.

Then the company lost its market share and everything went to hell...."

Gamestop's PS3 Software Release List (News)

10 Oct 2006

A list printed today from Gamestop that lists all the games they have in their database and their release dates.

Stranglehold unloads new trailer (News)

29 Sep 2006

Our latest trailer spot for Stranglehold focuses on shooting up the environments as much as the baddies, with all the game's levels waiting to explode in a shower of sparks and plaster dust when riddled with bullets. As we'd expected from the developer of the physics-crazy Psi-Ops, it's not all for effect. Instead of applying force to objects with telekinetic power, Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat) can do it the old-fashioned way with both barrels of a shotgun, toppling scenery on to ...

[PS3] The Ultimate PS3 Games List - 160 Titles! (News)

25 Sep 2006

German game site www.gameguide.nl posted today the ultimate list of 160 game tittles in production for the ps3.
Within the 160 tittles ,95 of them will be ps3 exclusive .

(TBA = To Be Announced )

List of ps3 games in development:

2K Games/Take-Two/Rockstar
- College Hoops 2K7 ~Visual Concepts, TBA~
- The Darkness ~Starbreeze, 2007~
- Grand Theft Auto 4 ~Rockstar North, Q4 2007~
- NHL 2K7 ~Visual Concepts, TBA~
- NBA 2K7 ~Visual Concepts, TBA~
- Red Dead Revolver 2 ~Rockstar North, TBA~

Activision
- Call of Duty 3 ~Infinity Ward, Launch~
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance ~Raven, Launch~
- Spider-Man 3 ~Treyarch, Q2 2007~
- Tony Hawk's Project 8 ~Neversoft, Launch~

Atari
- Alone in the Dark 5 ~Eden Studios, TBA~

Atlus
- Shin Megami Tensei 4 ~Atlus R&D1, TBA~

Beuna Vista
- Turok ~Propaganda, TBA~

Capcom
- Devil May Cry 4 ~Capcom Studio 1, Q4 2007~
- Monster Hunter 3 ~Capcom Studio 1, 2008~
- Resident Evil 5 ~Capcom Studio 4, Q4 2007~
~
- Untitled ~Action~ ~TBD, TBA~

Codemasters
- DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road ~In-house, 2007~

D3 Publisher
- Dark Sector ~Digital Extremes, TBA~

Eidos
- Untitled ~Action~ ~TBD, TBA~

Electronic Arts
- Army of Two ~EA Montreal, TBA~
- Battlefield: Bad Company ~DICE, 2007~
- Def Jam 3 ~EA Chicago, 2007~
- Fight Night Round 3 ~EA Chicago, Q4 2006~
- Half Life 2: Complete Pack ~Valve/EA, Q1 2007~
- Lord of the Rings: The White Council ~EA Redwood Shores, Q4 2007~
- Madden NFL 07 ~Tiburon, Q4 2006~
- Medal of Honor: Airborne ~EALA, 2007~
- NBA Live 07 ~EA Canada, Q4 2006~
- NBA Street Vol. 4 ~EA Canada, 2007~
- Need for Speed: Carbon ~EA Black Box, Q4 2006~
- Skate ~EA Black Box, 2007~
- Tiger Woo...

Stranglehold tightens its grip (News)

28 Aug 2006

If there was a way to deliver the latest trailer for next-gen and PC shooter Stranglehold to you by somersaulting over a table in slow motion through a flock of doves, we would, but thankfully you need only click the Movies tab above. Showing off new areas - including a natural history museum (with scaleable dinosaur skeleton!), a Chinese food market stocked with fruit just waiting to erupt in gunfire and a rapidly disintegrating casino floor - it's not hard to see how this game carries John ...

Stranglehold Q&A - Inspector Tequila Returns (News)

25 Aug 2006

Project lead Brian Eddy offers his thoughts on the late-term development of the madcap John Woo-inspired shooter.

Stranglehold delayed until 2007 (News)

4 Aug 2006

Midway has today announced that Stranglehold will now launch in 2007. The game was due to arrive at the launch of the PS3 as-well as the Xbox 360 and PC.

Three shots to the head (News)

3 Aug 2006

Ever since our tantalizing encounter with Stranglehold at E3, we've been hounding publisher Midway for more details on John Woo's shooter. Midway finally responded with three new screens that you can view by clicking that Images tab above. The best estimate for when we can expect this game to hit stores is still Spring 2007, so it'll be awhile before we actually get to touch it, ...

Stranglehold: Interactive Cinema (News)

26 Jul 2006

Midway reveals how artists turn a classic action flick into a next-generation blockbuster. New screens included.

The folks behind Stranglehold intend on blurring the line between Hollywood and the games industry. They pretty much made that clear right from the start. And what better way to begin than propose a videogame sequel to Hard Boiled, one of the coolest action flicks in the history of movies? Since the initial announcement, the gaming press has blasted through select, unfinished levels of Stranglehold. To say the game looks good, well, would be a major understatement.

One of the most impressive aspects of the game, the thing that really binds it to its celluloid predecessor, is strictly visual. If a videogame wants to deliver the feel and atmosphere of a seminal action film, then it had better look the part. Midway knows this all too well and enlisted a posse of hardcore artists to give Stranglehold its visceral edge. To get a better picture, IGN spoke with the game's Art Director, Jason Kaehler, who had a lot to say concerning the upcoming action opus.

Sony: We don't need no GTA (News)

21 Jun 2006

There's no denying the Grand Theft Auto series' astonishing stranglehold on the general gaming population. In fact, such is the popularity of GTA, many have attributed a significant part of the PS2's success to Sony's exclusivity deal with Rockstar. Now, in the face of a simultaneous Xbox 360 and PS3 release for GTA4, SCEA's co-chief operating officer Jack Tretton has denied that the loss of exclusivity will be detrimental to Sony's next-gen success.

Speaking to TheStreet.com, Tretton argued, "There's no question that having the Grand Theft Auto franchise helped us a lot and helped us sell some units, but I don't think the battle would be any different with or without Grand Theft Auto." In fact, Tretton went on to confidentally state that, thanks to Sony's "formidable" first-party offerings, the lack of GTA4 exclusivity is unlikely to effect the company at all: "No, I don't think it hurts us. No, I really don't."

Stranglehold Targets Launch (News)

16 Jun 2006

Though it had already been implied at E3 and mentioned briefly in Midway's quarterly financial report, John Woo's Stranglehold had not yet been "officially" confirmed as a game that was expected to hit stores in conjunction with the PlayStation 3's appearance on November 17. Now it is.

Stranglehold Confirmed for Launch (News)

9 Jun 2006

Playfrance reports that Midway has confirmed that Stranglehold will be amongst the PlayStation 3 launch titles on November 17 in Europe.

Tekken 6 to use tilt controller? (News)

30 May 2006

Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada has revealed that the next instalment in the Tekken series may make use of the PS3's new motion-sensing controller. Harada told Japanese publication IT Media that you might use it to shake yourself free when locked in a stranglehold manoeuvre, for example - although he stopped short of definitively confirming that such a feature will appear in Tekken 6.

Straight-shootin' Stranglehold trailer (News)

24 May 2006

We came away from E3 more impressed with John Woo Presents Stranglehold than we expected to be. This fresh trailer (just click the Movies tab above) should give you a pretty good indication as to why we were so giddy. An interactive sequel to John Woo's classic action film Hard Boiled, Stranglehold picks up the story of Inspector Tequila; Chow-Yun Fat reprises his role as the twin-pistol firing, banister-running, chandelier-swinging cop declaring war on the criminal underworld. Woo's moves ...

New Stranglehold trailer (News)

19 May 2006

• Stranglehold (WMV, 17.4MB) Friday 19 May 2006 As his cinematic style has influenced so many action games from Max Payne to Hitman, it seems only right that movie director John Woo should take the lead in taking action games into the next generation with the Midway-developed game for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, Stranglehold. The third-person blaster is based on the world and characters that first appeared in Woo's Hard Boiled which saw Chow Yun-Fat star as all-action cop Inspector ...

E3 06: Stranglehold (Preview)

12 May 2006

We got to play a short level in John Woo Presents Stranglehold and we can't remember another game that made it so easy to feel like an action hero. While plenty of other games have complex controls and twin-gun, slow-mo shooter action, but film director John Woo literally invented the trick - and to slide across a table while firing two pistols non-stop in his game, all you need to do is bump into it and glide. Swinging from lanterns and running up staircase railings requires little more ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

3 Mar 2006

“I've been trying to develop a sequel to Hard Boiled, but didn't know how,” said action movie helmer John Woo in a video interview shown at Midway's Pulse media event in late February. Looks like he found one: John Woo Presents Stranglehold, is an upcoming action/adventure game that reunites Woo with his frequent star Chow Yun-Fat in a return to the world of Inspector Tequila. Better to call it a “spiritual sequel,” though; the game won't pick up where the film left ...

Stranglehold screens grab our attention (News)

2 Mar 2006

We've been hit by a salvo of eye-burstingly good images from Stranglehold, Midway's John Woo-inspired bullet festival for PS3, PC and Xbox 360. The game stars a digital version of Hong Kong cinema hero Chow Yun-Fat, and features the sort of high-action gun battles that he's famous for - complete with twin pistols, restaurant shootouts and dodging acrobatics. As a bonus, we've also got some footage of the game in full flow - just click the movie tab on the right to treat your eyes to the ...

Hard Boiled Difficulty (Unlockable)

15 Feb 2008

Go to GamesRadar to see the Unlockable ...

Stranglehold FAQ (FAQ)

11 Jan 2008

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...