strangkehold video

[citizen X]

u need to down load this video..( or atlest i had to)..

Many of us have seen any of the number of John Woo films that have been released, such as Hard-Boiled, which features stylish cinematography and over-the-top martial arts action. Staring Chow Yun Fat as inspector Tequila, Hard-Boiled was a perfect example of director Woo’s talents. Together with Midway, John Woo is working closely with the developer to bring the action packed video game sequel of the film to the Xbox 360. The game is called Stranglehold and like John’s film, it will star Chow Yun Fat who will once again assume the role of Tequila as he fights his way through anything that stands in his way. During E3 we went behind closed doors to get a hands-on look at Midway’s ambitious title that promises to capture all the action and flair of John Woo’s films.


The first thing that comes to our minds when thinking about any Woo film are the amazing gun fights that showcase acrobatic martial arts, along with raw firepower. Stranglehold is being designed to focus on just that, along with an involved storyline that will draw players deep into the gameplay. In other words, expect a ton of exaggerated bullet time sequences and a body count that will keep the county coroner working around the clock. At first glance, the game may appear to be somewhat complicated with all the stylized action sequences taking place. However, Midway has designed the gameplay controls in a way that couldn’t be any simpler to manage. Stranglehold is meant to give players a fluid environment upon which the game’s action unfolds without stopping to focus on complicated button combos. Instead, the game’s engine will take care of most of the work while players are able to devote their attention to keeping an eye out for opportunities to put the environment to good use.

Every confrontation is dramatic.


The thumbsticks will move Tequila, as well as control the camera, while the right trigger is used to fire whatever weapon or weapons currently armed. The left trigger is essentially the action button that will engage Tequila with his surroundings depending on the situation at hand. For example, while moving him in any direction with the thumbstick, pulling the left trigger will cause Tequila to leap in that direction. If there happens to be an enemy character within his crosshairs, the game will engage a slow motion sequence that allows Tequila to pull off a sweet looking bullet time dive while firing his weapon at the target. The cool thing is that Strangehold actually keeps track how stylish you complete each level. There is a meter that will build up and players rack up a number of really cool looking sequences. Once this meter fills up, an extremely cinematic sequence called a Tequila Bomb will be carried out.

During this signature John Woo event, inspector Tequila will drop to the ground while spinning around in a circular motion. In doing so, he will fire his weapon at any enemies within range while the camera rotates around him. This presents players with a really nice looking cinematic that pretty much results in the death of everyone close enough to get blasted by Tequilla’s special move. The best thing about the Tequila Bomb sequence is that is unique to each situation in that it is not some sort of pre-rendered animation that will be the same thing everytime. Instead, each environment is taken into account so that the sequence will make use of the current surroundings as the move unfolds. If Tequila is using a shotgun and he blasts a guy standing in front of a table, he will more than likely go flying over the table in slow motion as players watch the devastating gun blast.

Another interesting feature of the gameplay is that you won’t need to worry about jumping over objects or even opening doors, being that the game’s engine is designed to take care of those things automatically. All players will need to do is move Tequila from place to place, wherever they want to go. If there happens to be a table in the way, Tequila will simply slide over the table and continue along his path, without any need for input. This might seem to take away some of the decision making, but the game is more about pulling off highly stylized cinematic shots than worrying about having to leap over objects and opening doorways. There are also a number of indicators that will light up as Tequila moves around the surroundings. This acts as a signal to execute a special event. For instance, as we began to walk up a winding staircase inside a restaurant, the banister lit up. By pressing the left trigger, Tequila hopped on top of the banister and ran the whole way up it. As we neared the top a couple of enemies came running around the corner. Just as Tequila reached the top of the stairway, we pressed the left trigger again to dive off of the railing. As the game went into slow mo, we fired away with our dual pistols, wasting the pair of unsuspecting enemies silly enough to cross Tequila’s path. Once we stood up, we noticed a chandelier hanging nearby. After quickly pressing the left trigger, we jumped back onto the banister, then pressed the trigger again and made a daring leap for the chandelier. Tequila was then able to swing back and forth, while shooting away at any enemies below. This sequence was a very cool shot to check out and it left us with a devious smile on our face after it was done.


While a lot of the gameplay does in fact take place in slow mo, you don’t simply play through entirely in bullet time. There is a gauge that will keep track of how much bullet time can be utilized. This gauge will deplete during slow motion sequences, but it will quickly regenerate once an action scene is completed. You will have the opportunity to increase the length of this meter, allowing Tequila even more time to carry out some Hollywood style scenes that are worthy of John Woo’s seal of approval.

Diving out from behind the bar.


Graphically, Stranglehold is extremely detailed and we would expect nothing short of impressive from a game that is focusing so heavily on cinematics. Most impressive are the environments that present players with fully destructible surroundings that will reflect the damage being done as the game unfolds. The demo we played took place in a nice sized restaurant made up of the kitchen area, and a two story dining area. In the kitchen we were able to shoot away at the floor and wall tiles, as well as cabinets, plate racks and even a bag of rice that upon being shot burst open as the rice poured out. During our demo time, we racked up plenty of destruction. There were a lot of broken tables, shattered glass and dead bodies lying around once it was all said and done. After the level was completed, a cool flyby was presented that allowed us to take a detailed look at how devastating the action really was. Interestingly, the game’s engine managed to keep tack of every bullet that was fired, giving a realistic reflection of how each bullet interacted with the environment.


The Outlook

Needless to say, we had a blast checking out Stranglehold’s single-player demo in more ways than one. Midway is not yet ready to discuss the game’s multiplayer mode since they are most likely still working on the way to balance the use of Tequila’s bullet time abilities. We’ve been told that the game will in fact feature a list of multiplayer modes that will enable players to make use of the inspector’s special physical abilities. Midway still has plenty of time to work things out, as Stranglehold is being scheduled for release something toward the end of the year. With an impressive gameplay presentation and loads of over-the-top action cinematics, John Woo’s Stranglehold looks to be an exciting addition to the Xbox 360 lineup that should give action fans more than a few reasons to turn a curious eye in its direction.

[Gameman54]

The game is a really good game. I saw it and it looked great. I didn't read the preview but I forgot what the Chinese dude's name is. Anyway, I might get it.