Developer: Midway and John Woo
Publisher: Midway
Genre: Action / Adventure


This game was unveiled at the 2006 E3 convention. This game introduces Chinese celebrities into the gaming business. Stranglehold is a third person action/adventure game. The story follows a stereotypical good cop trying to save his family, but don’t let that discourage you from trying the game.

In Stranglehold, you are put in the shoes of Inspector Tequila, who must fight to save his family from the evil organized crime bosses. This game has a destructible environment so that you can destroy and blow up pretty much anything you want. People are expecting this game to be a Max Payne rip-off, but John Woo has taken the concept one step farther. When I asked Editor-In-Chief Alchemist what he thought of the game from E3, he said, “Max Payne is a Pussy.”

Stranglehold brings back together two of the greatest action duos in China. Chow Yun-Fat returns to reprise his role from the classic action movie Hard Boiled. The game is directed by none other than John Woo, who changed the movie industry with his over the top action approach. With these two involved, you would expect this game to be a fast paced with plenty of enemies to kill.

This game has a destructible environment, so when you’re shooting your guns you are hitting something. This game is also going to have a slow-motion system that people are referring to as “Tequila time." It would be a safe guess that it is similar to bullet time. Tequila will have a more varied and acrobatic selection of moves than Max Payne. Every object is interactive, allowing for exciting moves. So while you’re fighting, hitting an action key will let your slide down a rail, dive across a table, or swing from a lantern.

Of course, a bloody action game is not complete without multi-player. Midway has stated there will at least be an online deathmatch version. Other modes of play are being considered, but at the time of this writing, have not been finalized.

Expect this game to be out in the winter. The game will be on most major systems: XBOX 360, PC, and the PS3. Midway is hoping that John Woo’s skills as a director will translate into the gaming world. This is John Woo’s first game, so I wish good luck to him and hope he progresses farther into the gaming industry. Remember John Woo has you in a Stranglehold.

View the Stranglehold Preview Movie