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Stranglehold for PlayStation 3
Stranglehold for PlayStation 3 is a third-person shooter following Inspector Tequila in a violent struggle against criminals. Chow Yun-Fat provides the character's appearance and voice, and the action connects with John Woo's film Hard Boiled. The campaign takes place in Hong Kong and Chicago. You move through areas full of opponents, firearms and objects damaged during firefights. The story gives you successive assignments; you do not drive freely around an entire city.
Tequila Time slows the action, allowing you to aim more precisely during a jump or another movement. Tables, railings and other parts of the scenery help you approach a fight differently from standing still behind a wall. Objects breaking apart also change how a room looks as you fight through it. You therefore watch not only where enemies stand, but also what you can use between them and yourself.
You play the campaign alone. The emphasis is on shooting while moving and combining actions with the environment, with cinematic presentation and many short confrontations. After a fight, you continue following Tequila to the next location, where the arrangement of enemies and objects determines your approach anew. This standard PS3 release contains the game; the film Hard Boiled belongs only to a separate American Collector's Edition.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 3 games are European editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Stranglehold for PlayStation 3 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Stranglehold
Midway developed Stranglehold in collaboration with John Woo's Tiger Hill Entertainment and released it in 2007 for platforms including PlayStation 3. The game continues the world of Hard Boiled, the 1992 action film in which Chow Yun-Fat played Inspector Tequila. Rather than simply replaying the existing film story, the character received a new adventure. Working with the director and actor provided an important starting point for the presentation and how Tequila moves during combat.
The designers translated Woo's action scenes into controllable shootouts with slowed movements and destructible scenery. This meant the environment could not merely be a backdrop: furniture and other objects had to react visibly during play. Tequila Time gave players time to choose direction and target while the protagonist performed a movement. This combination makes the film connection tangible, because you choose the moment a dive or burst of gunfire becomes part of a scene.
The PS3 version appeared later in 2007 than the first releases on other systems. A separate Collector's Edition containing Hard Boiled on the same Blu-ray was also announced for the American market. This was a feature of that special release, not a general characteristic of every PS3 disc. The standard Stranglehold primarily preserves Tequila's new adventure and the fights for which Midway and Woo developed an interactive version of the Hong Kong action film.
Similar games for PlayStation 3
Max Payne 3 on PlayStation 3 shares third-person shooting and the ability to slow time during a dive. It follows another protagonist in a crime story and uses its own rhythm of cover and movement. Stranglehold makes Tequila's interaction with furniture and destructible scenery a prominent part of its cinematic firefights.
The Bourne Conspiracy on PlayStation 3 also uses a film-inspired hero and fights involving the environment. Bourne alternates firearms with a more extensive fistfighting system and powerful close-range takedowns. Stranglehold emphasises extensive shooting, slowed movements and acrobatic actions through spaces visibly damaged during the confrontation.
James Bond 007: Blood Stone on PlayStation 3 combines third-person action with a familiar film hero, but features a secret agent and playable vehicle pursuits. Its firefights focus more on moving from cover to cover. Stranglehold stays with Tequila's confrontations with criminals and gives far more attention to slow-motion jumps and using the immediate environment.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on PlayStation 3 also offers shootouts in which you constantly see the protagonist. Drake additionally climbs and jumps through ruins during a treasure hunt. Stranglehold focuses almost all its attention on armed confrontations. Space becomes a tool for movement and destruction, rather than also a route for longer climbing and exploration sections.
Wet on PlayStation 3 also uses stylised third-person action, slow-motion shooting and acrobatic movements. Rubi also combines her firearms with a sword and moves through a distinctive cinematic style. Stranglehold builds on John Woo and Inspector Tequila. The destructible environment and Chow Yun-Fat's performance give the action a specific connection to the world of Hard Boiled.
