|
|
|
|
|
|
::PUBLISHER::
Midway
::DEVELOPER::
Midway
::GENRE::
Action/Adventure
::RELEASE DATE::
12/30/99
::PLAYERS::
1
::LIVE::
None
::COST::
$59.99
::FEATURES::
480P/720P/1080i, In-Game Dolby Digital
Good: Looks Great, Physics are Top Notch, Helps Ease Itchy Trigger Fingers
Bad: Confusing Puzzles, Mind-numbing Repetition, Frustrating Shootouts
|
0 reviews
0/10 average
Submit your own review!
more images >
|
Stranglehold Review Rewind
|
|
We go back and take a look at Stranglehold, videogame sequel to John Woo’s Hardboiled. Check out all the crazy kung-fu gun-wielding action inside.
|
|
|
Tequila time! Happy Hour!? You could almost call it that, “Tequila Time” is an ability that slows down the game and it lets you pull off some truly remarkable shots. “Tequila Time” consumes a bar under your health that slowly recharges but in the roughly 10 seconds of slow motion you can cause an epic amount of damage.
Interacting with the environment is another huge feature within the game. Run up to a table and Tequila will kick the table over, ducking behind it. Run towards a pillar and Tequila will stand behind it and let you shoot around it all while the goons blast your pillar to pieces. Go near a railing on a staircase and Tequila will surf down the railing while slowing down time telling you shoot the goons on the staircase to bits. Just running forward and hitting a button will cause Tequila to dive in the air, perfect for diving at enemies with guns blazing. How about that chandelier? Just run at it, and Tequila will jump and grab it, swinging around while you get to shoot goons from an impromptu trapeze.
Use the destruction to get your way with enemies.
“Tequila Bombs” add a unique arcade feel to the mix. By killing enemies you gain points towards these bombs and the more you kill gains you larger bonus’ and doing it in a dramatic way nets you even more. Just walking up to somebody and pulling the trigger is lame, make it dramatic by jumping down the flight of stairs, slow down time, then let loose with your assault rifle. The first bomb will heal you for a moderate amount of damage. The second bomb, Precision Aim, will slow down time even more so than Tequila time and let you fire off a single powerful shot. The beautiful part of this bomb is that your target will then react in a unique way depending where you shoot them. My personal favorite was shooting goons in the arms and watching them throw their gun away and grab their arm. The third bomb, barrage, makes you invincible for a short period of time, gives you an unlimited clip on your current weapon, and dramatically increases the damage of that weapon. This is absolutely perfect for going on a rampage and destroying everything and anything that moves. The fourth bomb turns Tequila into a whirlwind of destruction in which he kills everything in the room. A nice little cinematic sequence occurs as he spins around with guns blazing and doves flying around him, typical of John Woo.
Racking up combos allows you to build up your Tequila Bombs.
The puzzles in the game are the most frustrating part. Actually, they aren’t really puzzles, more like the designers trying to be crafty by making you shoot specific objects to make paths to progress through and such. A good example of this would be on the second level, there are a series of explosive barrels you must shoot so that certain things fall into place. The only problem is these barrels are hidden behind sheet metal with a small hole that you are supposed to take notice of these barrels and shoot through. After spending five minutes walking through the entire level I finally saw the yellow barrels much to my frustration. Nobody likes having a gun shoved in their face, let alone six. Periodically you will enter what I can best describe as a systematic torture scene during which a few goons will each have the chance to blast at you while you sit there dodging their shots and try to snap off a shot or two to neutralize them. There’s one scene which you will be surrounded by guys with one guy directly behind you. Survive all the other guys and then the camera will turn and you have a guy 3 feet away from you aiming at your head, good luck dodging. Repetition I can deal with, bad level designs can also be dealt with, but scenes in which you are forced to stand still and dodge like an idiot can really make you tear your hair out.
Sometimes you may find yourself a bit confused on where to go next.
Stranglehold features online multiplayer for up to six players. There’s no offline split-screen or any way to bring a friend online so you’re on your own in this one. There are plenty of maps to choose from and you’ll even recognize a few from the single player story mode. You have all the same abilities you had in the campaign.. The fact that you’ll be even lucky enough to actually FIND someone to play with online if one factor, the other, is the balance. The gameplay just isn’t right. You have your average deathmatch for ranked and unranked matches which, at times, can be quite fun if again, you FIND someone to play against and even then, someone now “boosting” for achievements. The servers seem to be filled with errors, and the loading screen for multiplayer is horrendous. It takes awhile and you best prepare yourself if you ever plan to go online. Besides that, Stranglehold is just your average online shooter in this department, nothing special.
| Share this: |
|  | | | |  |
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
7.6
|
|
|
|
|
Sadly my feelings on this game aren’t exactly black and white, just a ton of grey. The engine itself and the process of blowing up an entire level is just so damn awesome that it’s hard to think this is a flawed game until I remember the shootouts. The story itself is about average for a First/Third Person shooter so that’s not really decisive. The game itself only contains maybe 4 hours of gameplay, perhaps 8 if you tried to form some sort of strategy rather than running in guns blazing (much more fun). At the end of the day though I know I won’t pick this game up again as the only thing that kept me plowing through the hundreds of goons and completely frustrating shootouts was the desire to beat the game and unlock the few remaining achievements I could.
|
|
Discuss this in the forums!
|
| No one has posted a comment yet. Be the first one by logging in if need be and submitting your comment to the right. Be aware that we do not tolerate those who post "First" comments. If done enough times, you could be banned from posting comments. |
|
|
|
|
|
