Stranglehold
Developer	Midway Chicago Tiger Hill Entertainment
Publisher	Midway Games
Engine	Unreal Engine 3.0
Released	PC: September 18, 2007 September 18, 2007 Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher. ... A game engine is the core software component of a computer video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. ... The Unreal Engine is a widely used game engine for action games. ... A personal computer (PC) is a computer whose price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Xbox 360: September 7, 2007 September 14, 2007 September 20, 2007[1] It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... PlayStation 3: October 29, 2007 November 30, 2007 November 22, 2007[2] The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...
Genre	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer (online)
Ratings	ESRB: M (Mature) OFLC: MA15+ (Mature Accompanied) Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... Third-person shooter (TPS or 3PS) is a genre of 3D computer and video games in which the player character is seen at a distance from a number of different possible perspective angles, as opposed to the first-person model in which the player views everything in the game world... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Online gaming redirects here. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... More than one country has an organization called the Office of Film and Literature Classification. ... BBFC: 18
Platform(s)	Playstation 3, Windows, Xbox 360
Media	DVD DL Blu-Ray

Stranglehold (or John Woo Presents Stranglehold) is a third-person shooter developed by Midway Games (Chicago studio), for Windows, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. It is Midway's first game to use Unreal Engine 3, and was developed in collaboration with John Woo.^[3] The game has been in development at Midway Chicago since 2005 and was released for Xbox 360 on September 5th, 2007, released for PC on September 19th, 2007, and PlayStation 3 on October 29th, 2007. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is the organisation responsible for film classification (see Motion picture rating systems and History of British Film Certificates) within the United Kingdom. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ... “Windows” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... DVD (sometimes called Digital Versatile Disc, or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Blu-ray discs Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by a group of leading consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu_ray Disc Association (BDA), which succeeds the Blu_ray Disc Founders (BDF). ... Third-person shooter (TPS or 3PS) is a genre of 3D computer and video games in which the player character is seen at a distance from a number of different possible perspective angles, as opposed to the first-person model in which the player views everything in the game world... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher. ... “Windows” redirects here. ... The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... The Unreal Engine is a widely used game engine for action games. ... For other uses, see John Woo (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ...

Stranglehold is billed as the spiritual sequel to director John Woo’s 1992 film, Hard Boiled, and stars Chow Yun Fat in a reprisal of his role as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen.^[4] Stranglehold is the first project on which Woo and Chow have collaborated since Hard Boiled.^[5] Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ... Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發, Jau1 Yeun6 Faat3, Pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is among a handful of internationally recognized screen actors that Hong Kong has ever produced, along with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. ... Inspector Tequila Yuen is the fictional character and protagonist of the 1992 action movie Hard Boiled, and the 2007 video game Stranglehold. ...

Plot

In latter-day Hong Kong, a policeman goes missing. The department is dumbfounded by the disappearance until they receive what appears to be a ransom call from an unnamed source. The kidnappers request that a single officer appears at Kowloon market. Tequila volunteers for the assignment, beginning a sequence of battles with rival Triads and the Russian Mafia that extends from the street markets of Hong Kong to the museums of Chicago.^[6]

Influences

Stranglehold attempts to translate the gun ballet aesthetic popularized by director John Woo (in films such as Hard-Boiled and The Killer) to an interactive media format. Although the game has drawn comparisons to the popular Remedy franchise, Max Payne,^[7] a more accurate account of both games’ creative provenances traces the games to Woo’s lengthy, balletic shootouts.^[8] The similar styles are more appropriately attributed to Woo's own artistry, applied into a New Media format. For other uses, see John Woo (disambiguation). ... Hard Boiled (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally: Hot-Handed God of Cops) is a 1992 action film by director John Woo. ... The Killer (Traditional Chinese: 喋血雙雄, Simplified Chinese: 喋血双雄; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping: dip6 hyt3 seong1 hung4; Mandarin Pinyin: ; literally: Bloodshed of Two Heroes) is a 1989 Hong Kong thriller starring Chow Yun-Fat as the hitman Ah Jong, Danny Lee as the cop Li Ying and Sally Yeh as the singer Jennie. ... Interactive media refers to media of Traditional information theory would describe interactive media as those media that establish two-way communication. ... Max Payne is a third-person shooter computer game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 for Windows. ... The word Woo may have a number of meanings: Courtship. ...

Tequila Time

Inspector Tequila’s principle advantage is his speed; during play, jumping in any direction or interacting with any object while aiming at an opponent will slow time, creating a short window during which Tequila can select (and destroy) targets.^[9] This technique—Tequila Time—generates a cinematic effect that mimics Woo’s. Tequila Time is managed through a meter which drains with use and regenerates with time.

Technology

Stranglehold uses a heavily modified version of the Unreal Engine 3.0. Among these modifications is Massive D™, a set of physics technologies that allows players to destroy nearly every object in a given level.^[10] Stranglehold also incorporates a body swapping technique that randomizes parts of enemy character models, producing varied characters rather than repetitious clones. The Unreal Engine is a widely-used game engine developed by Epic Games. ...

Stranglehold incorporates location-based damage. The A.I. responds differently to various hit locations, varying enemy reactions with damage-mapped impact points.^[11] This feature is integrated throughout the game, but especially apparent during the second of three Tequila Bombs: Precision Aim.^[12] Also, while targets take time to recover from flesh wounds, they will eventually revive (even if unable to stand) and continue to fire until passing out from simulated blood loss.^[13]

Collector's Edition

Midway has announced that there will be a Collector's Edition of the game for next-gen console versions of the game.^[14]

Originally it was announced the Playstation 3 Collector's Edition would include the aforementioned Hard Boiled fully remastered in high-definition, however it appears the version of the film is actually just the most recent DVD transfer (the game box even includes a photo of that DVD). The Xbox 360 Collector's Edition will include the same extras, excluding the Hard Boiled movie and the design of the game with featurettes. ^[15] Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ... Generally, high-definition refers to an increase in resolution or clarity such as in: High-definition television (HDTV), television formats that have a higher resolution than their contemporary counterparts High-definition video, which is used in HDTV broadcasting, as well as digital film and computer HD video file formats HDV... Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ...

Reception

Stranglehold has an average review score of 79% at Game Rankings. IGN gave it a rating of 8.1 out of 10 for its cinematic flair and melodrama in the storyline true to the style of John Woo, the enjoyable battles, and also the slick presentation.^[19] Empire online gave it a score of 4 out of 5, also praising its "dynamic action", as well its "bombastic soundtrack" and "slick visuals".^[20] GamerNode gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, calling it the "ultimate guy's game."^[21] GameSpot gave Stranglehold a 7.0 out of 10, stating that although the game is solid in every department, it is criticized for being repetitive, having a short single-player game that lasts for seven hours, and weak multiplayer.^[22] As well as Electronic Gaming Monthly is calling it " Finally, a game whose movie influences are more than skin deep." For other uses, see IGN (disambiguation). ... Empire Online is an online marketing company traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol EOL. The company promotes multiple online casino, poker, and bingo properties. ... GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. ... Game Rankings is a website which keeps track of video game reviews from other sites, and combines them to present an average rating for each game. ...

References to Hard Boiled

• The highest difficulty in the game is Hard Boiled, an obvious reference to the film the game is a sequel to.

• Much like in his movies, John Woo makes a cameo appearance in this game appearing as the bartender in the opening level. He is also the proprietor of the game's Unlock Shop and available as a multiplayer character.

• On the Xbox 360 version of the game, the achievement Hardboiled Killer is unlockable for killing 307 people in the online multiplayer mode. 307 is the body count in the movie Hard Boiled.

Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ...

Music

Music for the game was written and composed by Serj Tankian. Two complete songs are "The Essence of Tequila" and "Chicakong". Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon[1]) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. ...

References

is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... TeamXbox is a gaming media web site dedicated to the Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see IGN (disambiguation). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see IGN (disambiguation). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see IGN (disambiguation). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... 1UP.com is a video-game site owned and operated by Ziff Davis Media, publisher of popular videogame magazines Computer Gaming World (CGW) (now known as Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (or GFW) Magazine), Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), and the now-defunct Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM), GMR... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... 1UP.com is a video-game site owned and operated by Ziff Davis Media, publisher of popular videogame magazines Computer Gaming World (CGW) (now known as Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (or GFW) Magazine), Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), and the now-defunct Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM), GMR... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see IGN (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Empire Online is an online marketing company traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol EOL. The company promotes multiple online casino, poker, and bingo properties. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official website
• Stranglehold trailers at GameTrailers
• Stranglehold 'The Arsenal' Trailer
• Stranglehold 'Attract Mode' Trailer
• Stranglehold at MobyGames
• A list of Xbox 360 Achievements for Stranglehold
• Stranglehold blog by Senior Game Designer, Patrick Curry
• Review of Stranglehold