John Woo’s Stranglehold Review

John Woo’s explosive, stylish, bullet-ridden films are the kind that toe that delicate balance of panache and absurdity in such a way that it wouldn’t be amiss to suggest they’d be perfect for videogame translation. Larger than life characters, over the top storylines and an infinite supply of ammunition (until there’s a stand-off, of course) seem like the obvious choice for the gaming canvas. Right?

Well, almost. John Woo’s Stranglehold has all the right ingredients in the mix, but the balance and adjustments needed to make it a top-notch action experience are either not present, or haven’t been refined enough to keep the gameplay from being repetitious.

It was seven years ago when Max Payne first hit store shelves. Incorporating bullet-time and balletic firefights, it certainly took its cues from John Woo’s films itself, with film noir, pulp noir, and a pinch of pulp fiction thrown in for good measure. Although both Stranglehold and Max Payne share the same creative provenance, Stranglehold doesn’t quite balance the gun-ballet aesthetic with the confines of its videogame environment. Max Payne gave its players large, open space in which to experiment with the minutiae of bullet time – allowing for Payne’s athletic launching whilst still giving space to breathe. Stranglehold’s environments – as beautifully detailed and articulate as most of them are – don’t offer the legroom afforded by open design to truly encompass the central gameplay conceit (that of diving around like a nutter and shooting anything that moves). This is not to say that the levels are designed badly; indeed, the Kowloon slums flow quite nicely, and the penthouse offers almost old-school sections during in which you must navigate deadly lasers. It’s just that diving around doesn’t feel as graceful as it probably should in cluttered, hemmed in environments. Diving left and right in ‘Tequila Time’ feels more like a means to an end rather than an elegant and artistically orchestrated combat solution. Add to this a tacked on cover and fire system and things aren’t looking rosy for Woo’s foray into the videogame spectrum.

But, just as Detective Tequila is hardly the kind of man to go into a firefight without a small arsenal of weaponry, Stranglehold has enough ammunition to keep the experience of playing it enjoyable. What it does do right it does rather well. Tequila’s special attacks are drip-fed over the first few stages, and each one of them is a joy when put to use. Precision Aim allows you to snipe enemies from afar, following the path of the bullet as it goes. The AI responds differently to various hit locations and it’s likely you’ll still be having fun with crotch shots by the end of the game. Barrage turns Tequila into an unstoppable superhuman that will rain death and destruction down upon anything in its path, and Spin Attack acts as a ‘kill everything on screen’ attack; the camera panning around Tequila as he stylishly swirls in a hail of bullets, doves inexplicably flying past as he does so. Incorporating these into your play will make all the different between death and success, so it’s fortunate Midway Chicago made them a lot of fun to use.

Stranglehold uses a heavily modified version of the Unreal Engine 3.0, which includes a set of physics technologies that allows players to destroy nearly every object in a given level. Watching the environments fall apart in dramatic detonations of particles is wonderful, and it’s arguably where Stranglehold shines most bright. Running up staircase banisters or sliding along on a food trolley as melons splatter, wood splinters and concrete smashes is the kind of cinematic gaming only this generation has the potential to offer. Running up the spine of a dinosaur skeleton whilst it falls apart under your feet is completely absurd, but completely brilliant too. It’s certainly arguable that the particle effects and fully destructible environments surpass even that of those found in F.E.A.R.. If only the screen didn’t turn a hazy red upon activating Tequila Time – which to an extent counteracts the beautiful displays of obliteration and chaos.

The central problem evident throughout Stranglehold is that it fails to distinguish itself in any meaningful way – instead settling for nothing more than an easy ride on the coattails of the films it’s based on. Max Payne was an incredibly distinctive game. The story – told through graphic novel cut scenes – was at once dark, sinister, atmospheric and humorous. Payne himself stood out as a troubled cop with both internal and external conflicts – his demeanour seeping into every facet of the story. Stranglehold, although touting itself as a John Woo ‘experience’, still comes off as a pretty standard shooter. It is cool to put yourself in the shoes of Detective Tequila (as ridiculous and petulant as he is) but it’s not enough to set it apart from superior games that have come before. The issues with gunplay aren’t enough to prevent any opportunity of enjoyment for the short five or so hours of gameplay, but coupled with broad characters and a take-it-or-leave-it story and you’re left with a game that’s only just above average.

6/10

As an afterthought, it goes to show that even the most likely movie candidates for videogame translation aren’t as ripe for the jump as expected. Stranglehold’s still fun enough, it just fails to distinguish itself in the same way Max Payne does. It’s entirely possible that Max Payne, with its strong narrative, intense characters and heavy atmosphere will do better as a videogame to movie translation than Stranglehold has done vice versa.