Review: Stranglehold game

Based on Hard Boiled, a 1992 John Woo film, Stranglehold is a full-on action adventure.

You take control of unconventional, sharp-shooting Inspector ‘Tequila’ Yuen - a 3D version of actor Chow Yun Fat, who also played the lead role in the film.

The game has the tag line: ‘Honour is his code, vengeance is his mission, bloodshed is his only option.’ Perhaps not a plea that would stand up in court, but it’s a pretty good indication of what to expect from Stranglehold.

There is a storyline involving the kidnapped daughter of The Dragon Claw Triad gang, but the game doesn’t depend on you having a good background as to exactly what is going on. Basically, if something moves, you shoot it as many times, and as innovatively, as you like.

The game’s big draw is Inspector Tequila’s rather handy ability to create Tequila Time - a slow-motion effect similar to that seen in the Matrix trilogy. You can only activate it for small periods of time but, thanks to so much of the environment being interactive, Tequila Time really lets you get creative in how you dispose of your enemies.

You can, for example, slide down a banister in slow motion, while shooting an electronic billboard down from above to literally crush those who want you dead. Other items such as bins, car windscreens and even watermelons will explode as you spray your bullets towards the bad guys.

Stranglehold’s best feature is that it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it. Tequila Time is relatively simple to control, and you can end up with some pretty impressive and improvised shooting scenes. The endless gun battles can become tiring, and you will occasionally end up just spraying bullets randomly, but we enjoyed playing it nevertheless.