Stranglehold Review (PS3)

"Inspector Tequila! I thought I told you not to go in there alone!"

"I didn't go in there alone. I brought friends."

One gesture from the near-invincible cop's handguns is all a player needs to get an idea of what John Woo's Stranglehold for the PlayStation 3 is all about. In the game, Tequila (the hero who previously appeared in Woo's classic film Hard-Boiled, included on the Collector's Edition) shoots first and asks quest...all right, so he never asks questions, he just keeps shooting. Tequila sets out to solve a case that involves not only two rival Chinese gangs, but also the Russian mob. Which means no shortage of targets to blast.

Don't expect a strategic experience, ala Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Stranglehold sticks to arcade basics. The game provides an overwhelming amount of fun; it manages to be just as much about style as it is substance, which comes in handy during the more difficult stages.

Players can run into a room and shoot everything in sight, but Stranglehold offers rewards for using style. For instance, objects hanging overhead, like neon signs in the city or rock formations in the mountains, are shootable, causing them to tumble down on unsuspecting bad guys. In addition, a small "Tequila Time" meter shifts the game into "bullet time", turning the screen blood red as the inspector targets his opponents. Sometimes it turns on automatically, mostly when another object such as a banister or a table comes into play. This leads to some of the more lavish kills in the game, rewarding the player with stars that add energy to the Tequila Bombs system in the corner of the screen.

Tequila Bombs come in handy, especially when the stage fills up with maniacal gunrunners. The first stage regains lost health while the second offers Precision Aim, slowing the game down so Tequila can get a lead on his opponent. The camera then follows the bullet all the way to its destination, making said criminal gush in an arterial spray. The third Tequila Bomb is a temporary onslaught, where Tequila runs rampant with a selected weapon. The last stage results in a stylish spin, with every bad guy in sight dying as a result.

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