GamesRadar - Stranglehold

DVDstruction: Bullet Porn (Feature)

Feb 6, 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." ...

Great game deals at Goodwill (News)

Feb 3, 2008

If you're looking for deals on games, you might want to try your local Goodwill. Besides the stuff people scoop out of their attics and basements, many retail stores including Target, Sears and JC Penny often send overstock items to Goodwill as donations. You can get some serious discounts on new games and game gear.

A Gamertell writer found a $10 copy of Stranglehold, as well as a $20 2GB memory card among several deals at her local Goodwill. The article also offers several hints for picking up bargains.

Stranglehold map pack live, pricey (News)

Jan 10, 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)

Jan 7, 2008

Stranglehold Map Pack Available Now (News)

Jan 4, 2008

Midway today sent word that a new downloadable map pack is now available for the Xbox 360 version of Stranglehold. The map pack features 10 additional multiplayer maps ranging from the Kowloon Market to Wong's Estate Grounds to the Rooftops of Chicago, as well as 21 all-new multiplayer character skins and 10 new achievements worth 250 points.

The map pack is now available for download via Xbox Live, and is coming soon to the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network.

Stranglehold DLC Adds New Achievements (News)

Dec 22, 2007

TheGameReviews talks about the ten new achievements added to Stranglehold with the new DLC.

GamerMetrics: Halo 3 Cannibalized Stranglehold, 360 Games Sales (News)

Dec 14, 2007

IGN GamerMetrics analyst Nick Williams recently took a look back at the predictions GamerMetrics made for Xbox 360 titles based on analysis of four primary factors -- awareness, engagement, purchase intent and game quality -- ahead of each title's launch with the aim of predicting the success of upcoming games.

Stranglehold targets 10 new maps (News)

Dec 7, 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)

Dec 4, 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:

¿ The MediaWise Video Game Report Card
¿ The Buying Guide
¿ The ESRB Rating System and Ratings Education Efforts
¿ The Retailer Ratings Education and Enforcement Surveys
¿ 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)

Dec 1, 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.

Midway Announces Increased Revenues, Losses (News)

Nov 1, 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.

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

Sep 27, 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

Final Halo 3 preview and Halo "Zine" (News)

Sep 6, 2007

Issue 10 of 360Zine includes a final preview of Halo 3, and news of a complete magazine dedicated to Halo 3 scheduled for release on 25th Sep.

Stranglehold (Review)

Sep 4, 2007

Sept 4, 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 ...

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

Aug 31, 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.

Stranglehold delayed, thugs thankful (News)

Aug 23, 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.

Unreal Engine 3 delaying games (News)

Aug 20, 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)

Aug 17, 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 ¿ 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)

Aug 16, 2007

Stranglehold - Interns take some tequila time 08-15-07 (Video)

Aug 15, 2007

Stranglehold multiplayer absent at Midway event (News)

Aug 15, 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)

Aug 9, 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. "

Explosive new Stranglehold footage (News)

Aug 9, 2007

Thursday 9 August 2007 If youve ever wondered just how much damage two pistols and a shotgun can do to a Chinese market stall then youd need look no further than the video below. Weve been tearing through the recently released Stranglehold demo shooting everything in sight, neon signs, wobbly looking balconies as even the odd bad guy or two fell subject to our relentless onslaught. Everything, and we mean everything, in the game is destructible. Stand behind a pillar and the enemies will ...

Stranglehold demo now on Xbox Live (News)

Aug 8, 2007

Finally you can experience for yourself the balls-out shooting action of Stranglehold in the Xbox 360 demo, which is now available via Xbox Live. The monstrous 1.28GB demo lets you go berserk with Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) and his dual-wielded guns and blast your way through the massively destructible Hong Kong marketplace level, full of lovely physics-controlled objects that fly everywhere as you leap around like a madman. Have no doubt; you're going to have a bloody good time with ...

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

Aug 3, 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)

Aug 3, 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.

Stranglehold Demo Dated August 8th (News)

Aug 1, 2007

The glorious news above comes from a moderator on the official forums over at Midway. The 8th is a Wednesday, and will provide middle of the week relief for anyone hard at work.

Blazing Stranglehold footage burst (News)

Jul 31, 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. ...

Midway locks in Stranglehold date (News)

Jul 27, 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.

Stranglehold Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace in August (News)

Jul 26, 2007

Midway Games' Stranglehold demo expected August 8 according to Midway.

Stranglehold's multiplayer revealed (News)

Jul 24, 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 ...

PS3 exclusive Stranglehold content (News)

Jul 20, 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."

Stranglehold demo on the way (News)

Jul 19, 2007

According to the official Stranglehold blog on IGN, a demo should be arriving on Xbox Live Marketplace soon. The demo is finished and has been sent off to Microsoft for approval.

Stranglehold demo released end of this month (News)

Jul 12, 2007

Midway just confirmed that there will be a playable demo of John Woo Presents: Stranglehold. The demo will be released sometime at the end of this month on Xbox Live Marketplace. Midway did not mention a demo release for Playstation Network or PC.

The demo will feature one singleplayer mission, of some of the earlier missions in Stranglehold. The full version of Stranglehold will be in stores sometime in August on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

E3 07: Midway puts press in Stranglehold (News)

Jul 12, 2007

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

Midway Announces E3 lineup (News)

Jul 9, 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)

Jul 7, 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)

Jul 3, 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)

Jun 26, 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)

Jun 26, 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 Xbox 360 Games of Summer 2007 (News)

Jun 23, 2007

IGN:

Summer is said to be the worst time for gamers. The "summer drought," however, is a myth. Eyeballing the release calendar for summer (June 21-September 21) shows that there are several dozen games bound for stores in the next few months. And better still, many of these are quality titles. Don't expect to save your pennies this year -- summer is going to be big on Xbox 360. Just take a peek at our list of some of the biggest games on the horizon.

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

Jun 20, 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)

Jun 1, 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)

May 30, 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, ...

Stranglehold (Screenshots)

May 18, 2007

New Stranglehold screens (News)

May 18, 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)

May 18, 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's True to John Woo Short Film Contest (News)

Apr 24, 2007

Midway Games today announced a groundbreaking video submission contest in association with John Woo and his video game production company, Tiger Hill Entertainment, Spike TV and Fox Interactive Media: Stranglehold's True to John Woo Short Film Contest. Hosted exclusively on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/strangleholdgame) this unique contest is scheduled to launch April 30th and encourages contestants to create the most authentic John Woo-style short film. Contest ends June 25, 2007. No purchase necessary.

The grand prize winner will receive $25,000, a trip for two to Midway's Chicago studios to meet developers and tape an interview for Spike TV, the chance to personally premiere the short film on Spike TV, an authentic "Hard Boiled" movie poster autographed by John Woo, an Amp'd mobile phone with six months' service, and a copy of Stranglehold.

A Good Summer for 360 Owners (News)

Apr 17, 2007

May through August are normally not a strong months for game releases. Well, it looks like that won't be the case this year for Xbox 360 owners.

Startinging in May, a number of anticipated games will be hitting shelves. Hit the jump for titles and dates.

Four new games get release dates (News)

Apr 14, 2007

The 13th April 2007 won't be going down as 'the most exciting day in gaming ever', nor is it a close second or third. News seems to have taken a day off, and we are left to clutch at straws at things that could have potential, but upon investigation are just rumours. So here is another one! Blockbuster's database has been updated with four new games, all of which are supposedly coming this year.

Stranglehold Hurtling Towards Alpha (News)

Apr 1, 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)

Feb 20, 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)

Feb 16, 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 ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

Feb 5, 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)

Feb 1, 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.

Stranglehold - hands-on (Preview)

Jan 30, 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)

Jan 26, 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)

Jan 22, 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 ...

Stranglehold Live (News)

Oct 21, 2006

Midway Entertainment today gave IGN an old look at a new game, which funnily enough, isn't all that old, and yet, is new to you.
John Woo's Stranglehold, a wild, gun-heavy action game inspired by Director John Woo's firestorm of Chinese action movies, is captured in this 7:38 direct-feed video. You should see this.

Stranglehold tea party (News)

Oct 16, 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)

Oct 13, 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...."

Stranglehold unloads new trailer (News)

Sep 29, 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 ...

Stranglehold video blast (News)

Sep 5, 2006

Tuesday 5 September 2006 This latest video of the Chow Yun Fat-starring, super-frantic blaster Stranglehold offers us a snatched glimpse of a new batch of levels and a chance to see Inspector Tequila's whirling special moves - like the Tequila bomb we saw in our latest hands-on - in fully flowing motion. Tap that cursor on the movies tab above to get the party started. Packed with balletic, bullet-spitting action, Stranglehold - which is set for a PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 release in 2007 - was ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

Sep 1, 2006

Thursday 31 August 2006 "Chow Yun Fat movies are really famous for their gun ballet - lots of guns, really smooth flowing, dual-pistol action, lots of high body counts, everything in the environment getting destroyed, slow motion... so we try to recreate that in this game." So says Stranglehold senior producer, Alexander Offerman and, after getting a chance to play the John Woo directed action-extravaganza again, it looks like the Midway development team is going to achieve its aims and then ...

Stranglehold tightens its grip (News)

Aug 28, 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)

Aug 25, 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)

Aug 4, 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)

Aug 3, 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, ...

Japanese Gamers Not Doing a 360 (News)

Jul 20, 2006

Microsoft battles nationalism, cultural differences, and Sony in Asia. What must they do to become the leader in this region, and what have they done wrong in the past?

The Xbox 360, the first of the next-gen game consoles and Microsoft's flagship device intended to make them the number one company in gaming is doing very well in the US, but has experienced a lackluster reception in Japan. Since this is an arena that MS must win over if it really wants to overtake the Sony Playstation juggernaut and the mega electronics corporation's stranglehold on the console gaming market, this is certainly the cause of some alarm up there in the Pacific Northwest.

In America the 360 is widely regarded as the Next Big Thing and has captured the hearts (and wallets) of gamers all over the country. Released a full year prior to the announced (finally) dates of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii system; the 360 is essentially without competition. No other console on the market can come close to it in terms of graphics and online capabilities. One would think that in Japan, where games are more a part of the culture than they are anywhere else in the world, the 360 would have been an instant hit. Yet the month of June provided another entry in a long line of abysmal sales figures for Bill Gates' software giant turned games company. Less than 1900 Xbox 360 consoles went home tucked under Japanese arms and the original Xbox sold a whopping total of eight units. Eight. That's four plus four, Dorothy Hamill's favorite number, the square root of 64; sold in a country with a population of 135 million people, most of whom play video games.

Straight-shootin' Stranglehold trailer (News)

May 24, 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)

May 19, 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 ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

May 16, 2006

Tuesday 16 May 2006 We've just had a brief play of the Xbox 360 version of the John Woo-inspired action-shooter Stranglehold - and it certainly isn't lacking on the frenzied gun histrionics front. The area we played through makes up around 8% of the Tea House section, one of the game's eight levels, which also include a mob boss's Chicago penthouse and Hong Kong slums. Our goal was simple: blast through dozens of goons inside the restaurant until an old-school end-of-level boss - replete with ...

E3 06: Stranglehold (Preview)

May 12, 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)

Apr 27, 2006

Thursday 27 April 2006 Stranglehold is fantastic. We'll tell you why in a moment, but first a word to game developers, producers and marketers: slapping a different name on an old concept doesn't make your ideas any fresher. Destroying lots of stuff, for example, isn't new; from old-gen Mercenaries, through to Full Auto, The Outfit and inevitably Gears of War, everyone is at it. And, while we're at it, labelling it, say, massive destructibility, or even 'Massive D' doesn't make it any more ...

Stranglehold (Preview)

Mar 3, 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)

Mar 2, 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 ...

Stranglehold FAQ (FAQ)

Jan 11, 2008

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...

'Stay Dry' Achievment (Unlockable)

Sep 24, 2007

Go to GamesRadar to see the Unlockable ...

Achievements (Unlockable)

Sep 20, 2007

Go to GamesRadar to see the Unlockable ...