Stranglehold Review

By Kristan Reed Published 14 September, 2007

Gripping.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Stranglehold was never going to be a run of the mill shoot 'em up - this is extreme gun porn, with two hundred money shots before the first level is through.

With no pretensions to be anything other than a high-fiving celebration of John Woo's brand of explosive gunplay and balletic action, it hits the mark over and over and over again. From the first chapter to the crazy multiple climax of the seventh, this is a game determined to have you gurning joyously at the batshit craziness of it all. It might well be one of the most simple and hilariously repetitive games ever, but you can't help admire how Woo's demented cinematic vision has been so effortlessly translated into one of the rawest action videogames ever made. How we managed to avoid using the word intense in that paragraph, we'll never know. Whoops.

In this videogaming sequel to Woo's seminal 1991 movie Hard Boiled, you take on the role of the seemingly invincible Inspector Tequila, a renegade cop played by Chow Yun Fat who's not afraid to do things his own way. And when we say 'his own way', we don't just mean that he's a bit chippy to his boss and doesn't follow orders. What we actually mean is that he'll slaughter 1500 henchmen on the way to the otherwise noble goal of trying to save family members.

Max Woot

'Stranglehold' Screenshot 1

Who's clearing up the mess, Inspector? Hmm?

But who needs a chin-stroking plot and rich, nuanced dialogue when you can kill a roomful of enemies in the most spectacular style possible? If you're not already familiar with Woo's directorial style, you might instantly assume the balletic, time-slowing combat owes a substantial debt to Remedy's two Max Payne titles. To a degree, you'd be bang on the money - after all, the Finnish developer based the entire principle of 'bullet time' on Woo's techniques in the first place (one of the game modes was even called 'Hard Boiled'). Effectively, both borrows just as heavily in their own way, and given that it's almost four year since the last Max Payne title, a next generation reworking was long overdue.

In a visual sense, at least, Stranglehold really seeks to impress. Based on the celebrated Unreal 3 engine tech, and Havok physics, the game's a real next gen showcase in many ways. The character detail and animation is, in general, excellent (though sometimes the lighting can make Tequila look like a zombie), and the environments are consistently incredible. Running through the rainy gloom on Chapter 6 has to be among the most impressive environments ever created in a videogame, portraying the ambience of oppressive urban decay in manner more befitting Silent Hill, as opposed to a balls-out run and gun. The destructibility, too, adds a great deal to the sense of undiluted chaos that fills every scene with beautiful chaos. Throw in top-notch physics for free, and you end up with a spectacle that can't fail to impress the most jaded gamer.

'Stranglehold' Screenshot 2

Sometimes I think you just like creating chaos.

To play, though, Stranglehold feels very familiar - but in a way that helps get you into it, rather than feeling generic. It keeps things simple from the off, using the well-worn third person action adventure template of the left stick for movement, the right stick for camera control, a single fire button, and the ever-useful ability to slow down time in a variety of ways (known as 'Tequila Time' here, but Bullet Time to everyone else). Although a quick tap of RB slows down time at your command (and recharges when you're not using it), by far the most effective way to use Tequila Time is to dive in a given direction by pointing the left stick and pulling the left trigger. This not only serves to slow down time whileyou're diving, but makes it much easier to evade the hot lead that'll doubtlessly be fizzing through the air. Equally importantly, every scene unfolds in an extremely cool fashion, though it does all get a bit comical at times when you're diving relentlessly this way and that. Sometimes a bit of stealthy duck and cover might have been more appropriate, y'know...

For mash get Hulk Smash

As well as making the game extremely easy to get to grips with, Midway has gone that extra mile to ensure that pretty much smash everything up. And while the 'Massive Destructibility' is mostly there to add an extra touch of incendiary drama to the chaos, some of it's highlighted with a glint of white light to encourage you to send groups of enemies to their doom in the most spectacular fashion possible. For example, anyone stupid enough to stand under a neon sign will find themselves closely acquainted with it were you to shoot it, while all manner of other physics-driven moments of destruction gives the game an extra layer of strategy to the mindless diving run-and-gun antics. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

The environments, too, offer plenty of scope for hilariously over-the-top fun - at least to begin with. If anything glints at you, the chances are you can utilise it as a means of pulling off some kind of improbable stunt if you dive towards it. Trolleys, walls, tables, bannisters and chandeliers happily provide Tequila with some comical opportunity to take down bad guys in a stylish, if improbable manner. And as with the regular dives, the game automagically slows down time, taking the wise assumption that you're going to want to savour every last second of the glorious stunt-ridden action.

Layered on top of all this is the game's combat reward system. Based loosely around the premise of building up style combos, if you can chain kills together in a smug manner, you gain an ever-increasing number of stars until you either run out of things to kill, or fail to chain the moves quick enough. The more stylish you are, the more stars you're awarded, and doing so builds up your Tequila Move ring quicker than usual. Devised to match the orientation of the dpad, you initially gain the ability to administer a bit of emergency health by nudging left on the dpad when required - handy if there are no health packs in the vicinity.

Say hello to my Improbable Super Powers!

'Stranglehold' Screenshot 3

You could have just asked them nicely, Inspector.

Within the first few levels you'll accumulate another three combat-specific specials; the first being Precision Aim, which effectively turns any weapon into a sniper rifle for a few seconds and allows you to take out enemies from distance with pin point accuracy. Not only is this highly effective, but also gives Midway yet another opportunity to follow the trajectory of the bullet right to its destination in a gloriously grisly display of slow-motion death and gore. Later, you gain access to the Barrage attack, which is effectively a chance to run around in (you guessed it) slow motion in the knowledge that you're not only invulnerable to enemy attack, but have unlimited ammo for the duration of the move. And finally, the Spin Attack takes out everyone within the vicinity in super stylish slo-mo - and scares some doves into the bargain. Yes.

But as slick as the game undoubtedly is in terms of visuals and playability, it does blow its wad rather early on for my liking. It's as if Midway worked on the assumption that most people don't bother completing games (and let's face it, they don't) and wanted to ensure that everyone gets to see all the cool stuff as soon as possible. Within the first few levels you've unlocked all the abilities, leaving the game to hold your interest through the storyline and differing environments alone. There are no attempts at varying the pace, the style of the gameplay, or even the scenarios. Basic plan? Kill everyone. And when they're dead? Kill their friends. And so on, until you meet the big bad scary end of level boss who, to be honest, aren't all that scary if you've saved up a Barrage attack and are handy with the Precision Aim. Given the team's previous project was the hugely underrated Psi-Ops, it's somewhat disappointing that it seems to have discarded how important it is to keep giving the player new toys to play with throughout the game, not just for the first few hours.

'Stranglehold' Screenshot 4

Yeah, you'd better run. The curator's not happy with this.

Once you're done with the six to eight hour main campaign, what's left? Well, not a huge amount to be frank. There's the Hard Boiled uber-difficult mode to go for if you fancy mining the game for some more achievement points, and an Unlock Shop where you can buy the usual concept art frippery, extra multiplayer characters (including Woo himself), but the incentive to replay the game is somewhat limited. There is an online Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch mode for up to six players, set across the seven small maps based on the areas used in single player, but without the Tequila Time ability, and limited destruction you're left with a rather uninspiring mode that has none of the effortless charm of single player. Seeing people diving around like buffoons in real-time doesn't quite cut it, really.

If you're prepared to do without online, then Stranglehold has an awful lot going for it. It might well be the most direct, straightforward action game you've played in years, but in a way I'd see that as job done by Midway - it never seeks to overcomplicate, the combat and controls are refined, the learning curve is well balanced, the visuals fantastic, and in many ways there's an almost old school purity about it. Simply put, it's exceptionally good at what it sets out to achieve, which is to distil the best bits of John Woo's cinematic vision and turn it into a crazed video game approximation that anyone can play - in that sense, you can't really fault it. Some might baulk at the lack of depth, and the sense of mindless repetition, in which case steer clear. The rest of you can put your brain on standby, and enjoy the most ridiculous display of videogaming carnage ever.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (123) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • dean_c #1 4 years ago

    excellent score

    looking forward to this anyone know if game are doing a trade in offer as with MOH Bioshock?

  • Santino #2 4 years ago

    after playing the full game i expected a 6 or 7.

  • SeesThroughAll #3 4 years ago

    Ok, here goes:

    Is this score regardless of platform?

  • woodnotes #4 4 years ago

    Good score - it's been getting 8/10 across the board. The demo felt somewhat generic to me, but the video at the end showed promise.

    Now, where's the SPM review?

  • Chaote-Imagicka #5 4 years ago

    So, not Space Giraffe then?

  • woodnotes #6 4 years ago

    @SeesThroughAll: PS3 version is not out yet, so review is for the 360 version.

  • Ikari2001 #7 4 years ago

    simple mindless action fun? might be worth a rent then :D

  • HairyArse #8 4 years ago

    Someone's been listening to the Super Furry's album Hey Venus!

  • Les #9 4 years ago

    "It might well be the most direct, straightforward action game you've played in years, but in a way I'd see that as job done by Midway - it never seeks to overcomplicate, the combat and controls are refined, the learning curve is well balanced, the visuals fantastic, and in many ways there's an almost old school purity about it."

    Did it improve a lot over the demo?! Can't remember having played something worse in a long time. It’s wave after wave of three guys coming at you interrupted by silly mini-games of dodging bullets that totally ruin any flow that might have been there. And the UE3 corridoring doesn’t help much either.

    It looks shit too. It suffers from what PC games are often suffering from: graphics are way too clean and soulless. And they have a terrible purplish gleam to them (night sections at least). To make it even worse, sound effects were bad as well.

    It’s an all-around poor shooter and fans of this 'mindless' stuff are better served by the likes of Geometry Wars or Super Stardust.
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 13:42

  • evild_edd #10 4 years ago

    "Wow, having played the demo I was expecting a 3/10."

    O.o... really?

    I must say this isn't a "must buy now" release for me, but 3/10!?!?!? Seems a solid 7 or 8 out of 10 for me (which seems to be the general consensus). I will, however, wait till next year to pick it up on the cheap.

    It'll be interesting to see how this does in the charts.....

  • Darren #11 4 years ago

    Oooooo, nice review, nice score... I'm hoping my copy of the game is waiting for me at home! :)

  • TripSkyway #12 4 years ago

    Interesting review. I enjoyed the demo, so might pick this up.

  • Rodriguez #13 4 years ago

    The game is pretty good fun, and is damn hard at times too, even on normal difficulty [I'd dread trying Hard Boiled difficulty on some levels!]. It's nice to have a bit of a challenge from time to time though e.g. this game and Ninja Gaiden!

  • afghan_jones #14 4 years ago

    The demo felt like a 7/10.

    One of those 7/10 games that you love dearly and enjoy immensely even though deep down you are aware of its many flaws.

  • SeesThroughAll #15 4 years ago

    Max Payne did this better 6 years ago.

    Hmmm, time to go fishin in the bargain bin then.

  • jonsaan #16 4 years ago

    8? 8??????

    Blimey, playing the demo, this seemed like a 4 to me.

  • Carpathian #17 4 years ago

    I have to agree with Les, but I think that puts us in the minority!

  • kali_mist #18 4 years ago

    Ill wait and see. Especially after the 8/10 for MOH.

  • Darren #19 4 years ago

    NatAttack - "Max Payne did this better 6 years ago."

    I don't recall Max Payne doing destructible environments on the scale of Stranglehold nor do I remember it throwing as many enemies at me or allowing me to run up railings killing bad guys by having signs fall on their heads. Max Payne was good six years ago but this game makes it look dated and dull in my opinion.

  • UncleLou #20 4 years ago

    Lots of mixed opinions. A few which sound relevant, and many rather irrelevant of people who clearly expected a different kind of game (less here than in the demo threads).

    Where's the PC demo, bastards? This won't be bought without a demo.

  • Tenaflyviper #21 4 years ago

    MID AIR SLOW MO GONAD SHOOT ACTION!

    I liked the demo, will get it at some point, defo not on my immediate list though

    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 13:51

  • krudster #22 4 years ago

    To be clear: a lot of people are going to hate this game, just like a lot of people hate blockbuster action movies. It's brainless stuff, but huge fun if you take it for what it is: a tidy update to Max Payne.

  • chudders #23 4 years ago

    @Darren: Saying it's dated is stating the obvious really.

    It's like saying Wolfenstein 3D looks dated compared to Bioshock.

    Max Payne was an excellent game back in its time, one of my favourites in fact. And although I've not sampled Stranglehold, the similarities are playne to see (see what I did there?).

    EDIT: taken out name calling, uncalled for. Apologies.



    Edited by 2 at 14/09/07 @ 14:00

  • ZuluHero #24 4 years ago

    great! better than a giraffe in space! (:p) I loved the demo of this so after reading this i will be running to get a copy straight away!

  • UncleLou #25 4 years ago

    How about reading properly before calling someone else a tool?

  • andromeda #26 4 years ago

    Hhm i found the demo strangely average..i guess if you just like shooting the crap out of everything then this might work for you

    ill steer clear

  • Les #27 4 years ago

    "To be clear: a lot of people are going to hate this game, just like a lot of people hate blockbuster action movies. It's brainless stuff, but huge fun if you take it for what it is: a tidy update to Max Payne."

    Yet again proof that review scores are pointless.

  • dr_swin #28 4 years ago

    ouch

  • Les #29 4 years ago

    "(though sometimes the lighting can make Tequila look like a zombie)"

    Make that always in the demo... I've seen few games with poorer lighting. But if you love shiny, this might be for you... Ah well, to each his own.

  • barnard666 #30 4 years ago

    no doubt this will be cheap soon enough, I will grab it after xmas for £20....once halo / sega rally / army of two / half life / did I say sega rally? / mario / ratchet / and some others are done with....errrrr.... I must say things are scoring quite well on EG at the moment, MOH, was that really worth an 8?

  • UncleLou #31 4 years ago

    Yet again proof that review scores are pointless.

    Not at all. They are only pointless if you only look at the score - something everyone can avoid for themselves.

    I'll never understand the "get rid of scores" campaigners. If you don't like them, ignore them. That way, everyone is happy.
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 14:04

  • Rum #32 4 years ago

    They so should of added a points based game once you completed the main quest. It would of been great to choose a level and rack up points by doing stylish things and multipliers for stringing kills together.

  • kingmob #33 4 years ago

    Traded in MOH: Airborne (bloody awful) at Blockbusters to get this for a tenner. they're giving a free copy of Hard Boiled on DVD with it too!

  • Caimbeul #34 4 years ago

    Maybe 8/10 for PC given better controls ala: Max Payne...too awkward with a joypad!

    To all going on about Space Girrafe. Have you considered that all the EG staff may be sitting around having a good old laugh and seeing how long they can drag it out given how eager you all are? Maybe there is money riding on it?

  • kangarootoo #35 4 years ago

    "a tidy update to Max Payne"

    Based purely on the demo, I found untidy to be a more approrpiate word. As has been mentioned this adds more stuff such as destructible scenery, signs on heads, origami swans et al (whether lots of enemies at once is inherently a good thing is an issue for debate)... but I found the core mechanics in the demo to be rather unpolished (untidy) compared to Max Payne.

    I did enjoy the demo, despite what I see as rough edges. My only real doubt here is whether the full game would keep my interest right through. The level design I saw in the demo was poor, the way it just chucked waves of enemies at you was rather simplistic in a kind of "that seems to work, lets do it four times in a row and then move on" sort of way (reminded me of Pop:SoT, though not as terribly bloody awful). Running up railings was a one trick pony for me personally.

    So overall my biggest concern is that I might get bored before the end. I think the overall experience will be enjoyable, but for how long? A rental is the next step for me on this one I think.

  • miiiguel #36 4 years ago

    You can't ignore the scores if they are there.

  • krudster #37 4 years ago

    Further clarification....

    Yes, it is the sort of game you might get bored easily of. Repetition is rife, so my advice is not to cane it in a day or two, but maybe restrict it to one level at a time over a few weeks. It doesn't lend itself to being played in one concerted burst, to me.

  • onyxbox #38 4 years ago

    the demo was shit IMO, played it to the end and thought the 'moves' looked silly.

  • pjmaybe #39 4 years ago

    Oh well, at least this evening won't be a total write-off now this has turned up.

    /chucks Heavenly Sword back on shelf.

    Peej

  • UncleLou #40 4 years ago

    You can't ignore the scores if they are there.

    Of course you can.

  • Wolfman #41 4 years ago

    Sounds like one of those games that you come home from a hard day at work and mong infront of the TV blowing stuff up with guns for an hour or so rather than one of those games you play for cerebral intrigue.
    -wolfman
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 14:18

  • mcwildcard #42 4 years ago

    I didn't like the 360 demo, but loved the PS3 demo.
    No idea why, I think maybe I just prefer the PS3 pad for it?
    My decision to buy was made when I wall jumped onto a rail, which I then slid down, finally diving onto a trolley, all the while mowing down evil minons with my dual pistols.
    Felt like an old skool Woo film, but I was in control.
    For me this game delivers, but I can see how many wouldn't feel the same.

  • absolutezero #43 4 years ago

    The second Level is fantastic, blowing the shit out of entire shacks and boats and setting C4 all over the place.

    I thought it was going to be the same old Max Payne run into a room, dive a bit and shoot people. They made a real effort to try and add in alot more for you to do.

    I went in a bit skeptical but after about a couple of hours play im sold on the entire thing, its just really well made.

  • thepiedpiper #44 4 years ago

    so is this an 8/10 like king kong? or is it worth getting?

  • The-Bodybuilder #45 4 years ago

    Why are people saying, "based on the demo, this game is crap".

    The reviewer has played the full game, you haven't. Come back and tel us how bad it is when you've played it all.

  • Les #46 4 years ago

    "I'll never understand the "get rid of scores" campaigners. If you don't like them, ignore them. That way, everyone is happy."

    It's to protect the stupid people...

  • krudster #47 4 years ago

    It's a mass market action game. Don't expect your world and its boundaries to be changed, that's all.

  • Les #48 4 years ago

    "Come back and tel us how bad it is when you've played it all."

    You do understand the concept of demo's and reviews, don't you?!

  • Killerbee #49 4 years ago

    No one's commented on the 6-8 hours thing... sounds a bit on the short side to me, particularly given that Heavenly Sword got pulled up on the same issue.

    Short is ok if it's ICO short (i.e. a concentrated burst of absolute quality), but I get the impression the only saving grace of this being a mere 6-8 hours in length is that it'd get pretty boring pretty quickly if it was any longer. Thoughts?

  • welshben23 #50 4 years ago

    If 1 more person interrupts a comments thread about a review, saying "where's the space giraffe review?" I swear I will shove my hand into my monitor, down the fibre-optic cables and around their throat!!

  • The-Bodybuilder #51 4 years ago

    >"You do understand the concept of demo's and reviews, don't you?! "

    Yes. Do you? Do others?

    Because if they do, then they wouldn't be rating the entire game based on a demo.

  • Altrezia #52 4 years ago

    is it better than the demo then, because that sucked.

  • Les #53 4 years ago

    "mong infront of the TV blowing stuff up with guns for an hour or so rather than one of those games you play for cerebral intrigue."

    But unfortunately your guns sound like pea-shooters. Seriously, during the entire play-through of the demo, my sub-woofer never kicked in.

  • Les #54 4 years ago

    "Because if they do, then they wouldn't be rating the entire game based on a demo."

    That's why I state that my opinion is based solely on the demo. But I don't want to have to buy every game only to find out 95% of them I don't like. That's what demo's and reviews are for: to allow you to buy informedly.

  • dog2_99 #55 4 years ago

    strange how people differ as i really like the demo and bought the game on the strength of it!

  • absolutezero #56 4 years ago

    Really Stranglehold is only as repetitive as every other game ever made.

    Maybe its just me but theres enough luls in the combat, enough diversions from the shooting and enough thought put into both combat and environmental damage that its not really repetitive at all if your not playing it like an idiot.

    Sure if your just using dives and thats it to take out everyone that could be a bit dull after awhile, but I was diving using all the Tequila Bombs in unison, trying out melee attacks, using cover and blowing up parts of the areas to my advantage. Thats more than in most other games.

  • sickpuppysoftware #57 4 years ago

    "To all going on about Space Girrafe. Have you considered that all the EG staff may be sitting around having a good old laugh and seeing how long they can drag it out given how eager you all are? Maybe there is money riding on it?"

    I'm sure they are. Have you considered that some of us are having a laugh about dragging it up in every comments thread.

    It's win - win until the review actually comes out. That's when it'll probably turn nasty.

  • thepiedpiper #58 4 years ago

    so what is space giraffe?

  • UncleLou #59 4 years ago

    "I'll never understand the "get rid of scores" campaigners. If you don't like them, ignore them. That way, everyone is happy."

    It's to protect the stupid people...

    I think it's more a case of trying to keep your inner peace as it is easier to silently disagree with a written review than it is with a black on white score. ;p

    Anyway, scores are also essential if you want to get a quick overview what's good and what isn't on any platform. New to the DS? Sort the games by score (or head to a meta-site), and go on from there, reading individual reviews.

  • Carrybagma #60 4 years ago

    Space Giraffe?

    Is that the new games by Jeff Minter???

  • SwedBear #61 4 years ago

    Got this yesterday (together with MoH:Airborne and Paper Mario) and must say I enjoyed it enough to keep playing and trying hard to beat the second level (got stuck when you have to C4 the boats, gonna try agian today). It really is mindless fun and a nice diversion. You know you don't have to think to much in the game although as soneone said, you cana ctually do a lot more in the game that just run around and shot. Using Tequila time to your advantage, bouncing off walls to make stylish kills, using the scenery as cover - there is more than just run&gun.

    Not for everyone though. 8 for me at least.

  • dudefella #62 4 years ago

    Nothing at all like Max Payne (2). The 'story' is just an excuse to shoot wave after wave of bad guys that come out of nowhere, before moving on to the next room and doing the same. Max Payne (especially 2) actually had fantastic gameplay that didn't see you fighting waves of respawning bad guys until the game decides 'okay, enough, move on please' and an amazing story to boot. Mindless and very repetetive, the thrill wore off before the demo ended, which I blame entirely on the piss-poor pacing. There shouldn't be 'waves' of bad guys, it's silly.

  • Pulsar_t #63 4 years ago

    Hardboiled is ACE. This is a must-buy if you happen to like it too!

  • Agent_Llama #64 4 years ago

    Will try the demo but not convinced about this, especially since the same reviewer gave Bioshock a 10...

  • The-Bodybuilder #65 4 years ago

    >"Max Payne (especially 2) actually had fantastic gameplay that didn't see you fighting waves of respawning bad guys until the game decides 'okay, enough, move on please' and an amazing story to boot."

    We must've been playing different games then.
    Although one of my fav action titles of the last gen, what else did you do other thna shooting waves of enemies (other than the stupid lucid dreams bit)?

    As for the story, please someone remind me of ther story. Can't really remember. All I remember is something about Vahlalla and some other stuff.

  • Les #66 4 years ago

    "Some people really do think EG is just some kind of half-arsed youth club, it would appear :)"

    Yeah, your point being?!

  • DefdumBlindkid #67 4 years ago

    demo made me motion-sick...

  • Darren #68 4 years ago

    @Chudders - Exactly, Max Payne was a great game back in "the day" but clearly Stranglehold takes things much further thanks to the current gen hardware it's running on. I think the way you can destory practically everything in the environment (within reason) makes it incredibly immersive, you won't find yourself taking cover behind cardboard boxes in this game!!! ;)

    I don't see how anyone can claim that a six year old game, and a pretty basic one at that, is better than Stranglehold myself. Stranglehold is Max Payne taken to the... erm... max! LOL

  • Cylinder #69 4 years ago

    Found it on PC for £17.95:

    [link url=http://www.blahdvd .com/Blah/Games_Product.aspx/--Stranglehold-PC--?productid=G AMES-MIN85163-GM
    ]http://ww w.blahdvd.com/Blah/Games_Produc...[/link]

    Anyone found it cheaper elsewhere?

    EDIT: Borked link
    Edited by 3 at 14/09/07 @ 15:41

  • SomaticSense #70 4 years ago

    ">"You do understand the concept of demo's and reviews, don't you?! "

    Yes. Do you? Do others?

    Because if they do, then they wouldn't be rating the entire game based on a demo.     "

    Obviously not.

    "Hey! This demo is utter shit. But I'm going to buy it anyway!"

    Clearly you don't understand the concept of demos.

  • SomaticSense #71 4 years ago

    Cylinder - I think you maybe should've noted that is the PC version you linked to. I went on there thinking it was the 360 version.

    If anyone finds the 360 one for that price though, let me know, as I could never justify paying nigh on £40 for this game. At £20 I'd be getting it straight away!

  • The-Bodybuilder #72 4 years ago

    >""Hey! This demo is utter shit. But I'm going to buy it anyway!"

    It's strange for someone with "sense" in thier name, showing a complete lack of it.

    My point is that people should not review a game based on the score. Where did I go wrong?
    Or maybe we should all review games based on demo (if that were the case, I would give bioshock a 6).

    Slow down, think a little, and don't be so hasty to try and be "cynical and cool" on a gaming forum.

  • Caimbeul #73 4 years ago

    "Found it for £17.95:

    [link url=http://ww w.blahdvd.com/Blah/Games_Produc...
    ]http://ww w.blahdvd.com/Blah/Games_Produc...[/link]

    Anyone found it cheaper elsewhere? "

    Cool - worth picking up for that money even if its short!

  • Cylinder #74 4 years ago

    Sorry about that SomaticSense, have edited previous post.

  • JaysonG #75 4 years ago

    "And finally, the Spin Attack takes out everyone within the vicinity in super stylish slo-mo - and scares some doves into the bargain. Yes."

    Oh Yes.

  • SomaticSense #76 4 years ago

    He didn't review the game though did he?

    Maybe I was misinterpreting, but the gist I got from your post was effectively "you shouldn't have an opinion on the game's quality until you've played the full game". When as a matter of fact demos are their purely to try to sell the game. That's the point of them.

    If people don't like the demo, then they are hardly going to buy the full versions are they? So all they'll be able to do is comment on the game's quality based on the demo, which is exactly what that guy did. He even said "Based on the demo.....". So I don't really get where anyone here is outright saying the full game is actually crap just from playing the demo.

  • absolutezero #77 4 years ago

    I think the problem is that people treat demos as being exactly the same as the finished title. I use demos to give me an indication of the play mechanics and the feel of the game, I never compare the quality of a demo to the finished product because they will never be the same.

    Take the RPG demos on Live I would never have bought Blue Dragon based on the demo, actually based on demos alone I would'nt have bought any game because no demo has really made me go wow. Finished games have.

    I just fail to see the point in going into a Review of the the finished full version of the game and going "This game is shit I have played the demo and it was shit its shit".

    Why not discuss the demo specifically in the forum? Or wait till you've bought the full game and then return to comment? Bah who am I trying to kid, everyone on the net thinks they know everything and are always correct so whats the point in trying.

  • spongebob #78 4 years ago

    So many 8's ...

  • enzima #79 4 years ago

    @ afghan_jones

    You've put it better than i could. I really enjoyed this game's "over the top attitude",
    but its limits are pretty clear: gameplay is fun but repetetive, graphics almost reaching the awesomeness but quite not, superpowers are very cool but quickly become boring. i guess 8 is a right score : almost great, but not the real deal.

  • krudster #80 4 years ago

    There are a *lot* of great games around at the moment, that's why :)

  • spongebob #81 4 years ago

    krudster,
    Too many if you ask me. My wallet can't stand it :) Please give them worse reviews just for the sake of people with limited budgets ;)

  • Les #82 4 years ago

    "I just fail to see the point in going into a Review of the the finished full version of the game and going "This game is shit I have played the demo and it was shit its shit"."

    That's why I for one asked if the finished game had improved upon the demo. Because I thought that was complete and utter shit. It was so bad. After Midway's ridiculous claims that this would be the game of the year, maybe my expectations were too high, but even then, it was so incredibly bad. There just wasn't anything possitive about it. IMO of course.

    A demo is always but an approximation of the final game, I agree, but with demos as shit as the Stranglehold one it's very hard to imagine that the finished game would turn out to be something I like.

  • krudster #83 4 years ago

    In my experience, demos are a total and utter waste of time in that it's usually a) in an unfinished, unoptimised state, b) from a really early point in the game when it's too easy and gives no impression of the depth.
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 16:03

  • absolutezero #84 4 years ago

    Ill also add in that Stranglehold is far better than Max Payne in alot of areas. Max Payne was a corridor based shooter where you could hit slow-mo walk into a room head-shot someone and walk back out again to wait for it to refill and the enemies would never leave the room. Stranglehold is arena based with guys regularly coming from all directions, not "from out of nowhere" but from side rooms and doors, you can stand and watch them coming, so your nearly always under fire from different directions meaning you need to take advantage of whatever you have, escaping a bunch of goons by swinging across balconies, sliding down banisters to land on a trolley and then rolling across a room, firing all the time. Theres no where really to run and hide because the enemies just shoot through and blow everything up, its hectic and chaotic and a blast to play.

  • SomaticSense #85 4 years ago

    "In my experience, demos are a total and utter waste of time."

    In a lot of cases, yes. But if it wasn't for the Eternal Sonata demo I would've missed out on what looks to be the game I was hoping Blue Dragon would be. Plus I wouldn't have got Crackdown at all if it wasn't for the demo.

  • krudster #86 4 years ago

    It becomes a bit tiresome hearing "but the demo was crap" after every. single. review.

    Yes, demos are crap. Haven't people sussed this out yet?

    Can't comment on Eternal Sonata, but I guess in rare cases people get it right...

  • afghan_jones #87 4 years ago

    From playing the demo my only issue was the sepia tones in the slo mo bits. When the screen gets so busy with exploding signs and fruit it can be hard to pick out the baddies when everything goes the same colour. removing the sepia would be so so much better.

    Also, they should have mapped a slo mo 180 degree spin to the Y button so you could twirl round and pop one between the eyes of that guy who just burst through a door behind you.

  • Xerx3s #88 4 years ago

    Seemed like a solid 7/10. But nothing like the 'most ultimate game EVA!' that midway claims it to be.

  • SomaticSense #89 4 years ago

    But then I suppose you are in the luxurious (at times....) position of being able to road test the full games without having to pay full whack for em. Lucky bugger ;)

    But I agree, no one should be commenting on the true quality of the full game purely from the demo. It'd be like Top Gear saying a car is crap to drive just by sitting in the passenger seat.
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 16:14

  • IINickyII #90 4 years ago

    Game is still shit, 8 or no 8

  • Zob #91 4 years ago

    Yes, the demo was quite average at best. I loved Max Payne but this looked a bit crumbly and the framerate was a little stuttery on 360. Each character looked like they had terrible syphillis.

  • afghan_jones #92 4 years ago

    No comment on the cutscenes?

    I thought the ones in the demo were really well put together with lots of interesting shots and angles that you wouldnt usually expect to see in videogame cutscenes. For once you could really feel that a real movie director had been involved in their creation.

  • chudders #93 4 years ago

    @ Darren,

    Well that was sort of my point - in its day Max Payne (and 2 more specifically) would probably have opted for all the technowizardry that Stranglehold has if the technology was readily available at the time. Now saying that MP2 looks 'dated and dull' in comparison is a pretty obvious statement to make!

    However, just because Stranglehold can support more enemies on screen, has more capable physics and has explosive er... explosions doesn't necessarily equate to a superior gaming experience. Judging by the review and comments here (and I stress I've not played this) it seems that if you strip all the glitz and glitter off stranglehold it is in fact as basic a game as Max Payne 2, if not more. Max Payne was an excellent character, if nothing else.

    My thrupenny bits.

  • mash the x button #94 4 years ago

    Sounds kind of repetetive. Run round shoot everything, rinse out rewind reload.

  • Darren #95 4 years ago

    Well personally I find 99.9% of the demos I play 100% indicative of the quality of the final game... it was certainly true of the Forza 2, MotoGP '07 and BioShock demos to name but a few.

    Basically if I don't like a demo then I know I won't like the game (and vice versa). There's only a few cases I can think of where the demo was a poor reflection of the final game and that's the first Forza demo from the Xbox and, more recently, the early Test Drive Unlimited demo on the 360. Oh and the MoH: Airborne one was a bit deceptive too, giving me the impression the full game was every bit as good when I didn't think it was.

    The point is though that if you play a demo that you consider is rubbish, it isn't going to make you want to buy the game, is it? So if a game is actually good and the demo wasn't then the developers only have themselves to blame if no-one buys their game, e.g. Fatal Inertia!!!

  • Stoatboy #96 4 years ago

    I thought the demo for Stranglehold worked perfectly well. The game really wasn't my cup of tea for precisely the reasons that the review suggested it mightn't be. After the first couple of minutes I was pretty sure I'd seen most of what the game would have to offer gameplay-wise and felt that I'd find it far too repetitive.

    I'm guessing anyone who loved the demo will also love the game.

    I'm fine with the 8 out of 10, but the game's just not for me.

  • urban #97 4 years ago

    HOW CAN YOU! this has 3/10 smeared all over its flaccid cock

  • Les #98 4 years ago

    "For once you could really feel that a real movie director had been involved in their creation."

    Bit like Heavenly Sword then... ;) Those games are frighteningly similar: 'great' graphics, simple and repetitive gameplay, good, cinematic story, very short, no online (to speak of), aimed at the masses...

    "In my experience, demos are a total and utter waste of time in that it's usually a) in an unfinished, unoptimised state, b) from a really early point in the game when it's too easy and gives no impression of the depth."

    And still you'll point your loyal readership to each and every update of Live or PSN... Maybe create a separate "this is a waste of time but we'll bring you the news anyway"-section for those topics...
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 16:53

  • smelly #99 4 years ago

    I thought the demo was a bit pish to be honest.

    The camera is more geared towards showing you a "pretty" view as opposed to one which is useful. So you end up running into furniture you cant see while trying to avoid the bad guys.

  • kangarootoo #100 4 years ago

    @Les

    "And still you'll point your loyal readership to each and every update of Live or PSN"

    Thats because its news you numpty! Reporting news is part of what EG does. Or are you suggesting they should only report good news?

    "New demo out this week, but its a bit poo, so we won't tell anyone".

    Yay for the free press, eh?

    @smelly
    I thought the camera was a bit off too. Another example of a "Max Payne did this better, so whats your excuse?" issue that makes me a little harder on this than I othgerwise would be.

  • deaner #101 4 years ago

    Anyone would think it wasn't cross-platfrom!

  • Feanor #102 4 years ago

    EG's score inflation is a little worrying. 8/10 for a very short shooter with repetitive gameplay and with nothing interesting in its multiplayer?
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 17:55

  • miiiguel #103 4 years ago

    I don't dig demos, but not because they "suck", it's rather because I like the "wow, this is completly new and absolutely amazing!" felling, so I tend to rely maybe too much on reviews, as sometimes (few, though) I get the "wow, this is completly new and stinky bad" feeling.

  • Katsumoto #104 4 years ago

    damn those casual gamers!! I hate how they want to have fun and all that. I think the only games that should be allowed are Eve: Online and 2nd Manassas.

  • IINickyII #105 4 years ago

    Kristian Reed gave Spliner cell double agent 9/10, he hands out good scores more than you've had hot dinners.

    Just take away 2 points from all his reviews and you'll get to the real score.
    Edited by 2 at 14/09/07 @ 19:02

  • DanWhitehead #106 4 years ago

    I actually think Stranglehold plays more like a pastiche of a John Woo movie. His best work - Hard Boiled, The Killer, Bullet In The Head - works because the action is choreographed down to the last second and edited with the grace of an orchestral composition. The game has the slow motion diving and two-fisted gunplay - the obvious motifs - but has none of the rhythm or pacing of classic Hong Kong action scenes. It's just a relentless parade of bangbangbang, with Chow Yun Fat diving and sliding all over the place, all the time, like a muppet.

  • AOFanboi #107 4 years ago

    <em>For once you could really feel that a real movie director had been involved in their creation.</em>

    Yeah the involvement of the Warchowski brothers really made Enter the Matrix a piece of art.

    Sorry, I misspelled CRAP there.

  • The-Bodybuilder #108 4 years ago

    >"He didn't review the game though did he? "

    Mistake number 1, you said "he".

    My post was a general post, and not aimed at anyone, especially Les (thus the reason why I said "people" and not "Les";).

    You jumped to the conclusion.

    >"So all they'll be able to do is comment on the game's quality based on the demo."

    I'm sure you're now aware how wrong this is (based on kruds posts).

    Demoes can be deceptive. I once thought lost planet would be a great game, based on the demo.
    Edited by 1 at 14/09/07 @ 21:47

  • smelly #109 4 years ago

    "The camera? It's what you aim with, its entirely under your control..."

    Thats the problem!!! It's too high up during gun battles so you can see where the fuck you're aiming.. so you end up running into lowdown tables, etc - getting stuck and getting twatted.

    Max pane overcame this by not having low floor objects and having the camera lower down.

    It's a cosmetic choice.. Doing it the stranglehold way looks prettier/more cinematic - but means it plays like wank. Doing it the max payne way not so great cinematically but plays 100 times better.

    That said, most gamers nowadays seem to be obsessed with graphics over gameplay.. So i'm suprised they didnt oomph the graphcs up even more and make the game run at 15 fps while they were at it...

  • figaro7 #110 4 years ago

    Hmm strange one, i thought this would get an 8 before even reading the review. While im unable to download the demo, ive been reading some forums, it seems the reviewers enjoy the game more than the people actually buying it. Can i just say one thing, slow motion bullshit should die a horrible death, in movies it works, im games im not so sure.

  • coach_mcguirk #111 4 years ago

    "They so should of added a points based game once you completed the main quest. It would of been great to choose a level and rack up points by doing stylish things and multipliers for stringing kills together."

    Is it just me, or would almost every game be improved with the addition of something like this. Online leaderboards with friends filtering a must as well.

  • muters #112 4 years ago

    I wasn't that impressed after my first playthrough, but having done the first couple of levels again this evening on Hard and had a fart about online, I'm enjoying it a lot more. I think the problem was that the game can get awfully chaotic at times, with enemies spawning behind you from doorways you didn't even know were there, which on my first play through made it difficult to get a feel for all the level design and I pretty much just ended up going in and out of manual Tequila Time. Once the levels become familiar, you feel a lot more confident showboating and it's far more satisfying that way.

    The second level is a bit of a highlight for me, with all the exploding drug huts and conveniently placed boulders of doom. Most of the later ones seem to follow the formula of corridor-arena-corridor-arena too often, which can grate. Online's a bit hit and miss too, you seem to be able to absorb so much damage and whizz about so quickly that it's difficult to keep your aim on anyone, turning it into a race for the rocket launcher/spin tequila bomb/full tequila time bar. But it's fun if you're playing with a laidback lobby's worth.

  • Ryze #113 4 years ago

    Krudster,

    You get to play as many games as you could ever want for free, I expect - so of course demos will be a waste of time for you.

    Personally, I believe that if there's an issue of quality, then devs should really begin only releasing trailers and gameplay footage, until the game goes gold.

    Then the playable demo should come along and give the player a true impression of the game's 1st level - with the option to pay for the 2nd &/ pay for a multiplayer component to be unlocked / downloaded.

    The industry really needs to wake up and grow up a little.

    Otherwise - 18-29 demographic game money goes on drink / drugs / cars / holidays instead...

  • Ryze #114 4 years ago

    Games are what? £20 - £50 these days, and it seems more when you're juggling the above expenses with a looming mortgage, investments, (student) debts, pensions, the opposite sex, etc...

    It was actually easier to buy tons of games when I was 13-17, as the money I got could all go on games or games mags, without me thinking twice!

  • Darren #115 4 years ago

    This game is awesomely cool, lots of guns and loud explosions, brilliant stuff. It's a bit linear, it's shallow, totally unoriginal, the animation sometimes looks a bit odd, there's occasional slowdown and there are numerous texture/shadow glitches but it doesn't stop it being tremendous fun to play, a real blast (literally). The graphics bar odd lighting on faces are superb in terms of destructability and detail - the second level is absolutely stunning visually - and it all feels very cinematic. Not the best game in the world admittedly and sometimes the physiscs are inconsistent, for example, I was able to take out the level one boss who was using a rocket launcher by lying on the floor and shooting at his head... from behind a metal trolley which never moved nor took damage!!! LOL

  • indian23 #116 4 years ago

    THIS GAME IS FUCKING HARD CORE

  • patchbox360 #117 4 years ago

    i think its bucks for review points these days

  • 3william56 #118 4 years ago

    PS3 demo is up on the US Store, BTW. And PixelJunk racers :)
    /waits on download.

  • Santino #119 4 years ago

    FEAR is the most 'Woo' style game i have played.

  • Caimbeul #120 4 years ago

    "I'm sure they are. Have you considered that some of us are having a laugh about dragging it up in every comments thread."

    Indeed i have monseure, that is somewhat obvious ;-)

  • Vice.Destroyer #121 4 years ago

    Another contentious thread, with completely differing viewpoints about a decent game. I personally love this game, for many different reasons. Number one, being able to shoot a fella in the nuts, in slo-mo, with my fo-fo is just the height of videogame entertainment.

    It may not be a step forward in regards to the genre, but it knows how to entertain me. Demo and retail game.

  • smelly #122 4 years ago

    >i think its bucks for review points these days

    Well if you READ his WORDS rather than just look at the number at the end - you can see why he personally enjoyed it and thought it was worth an 8.

    Just because i didnt enjoy the demo, and so wont buy it - doesnt mean he didnt enjoy the game - and therefor doesnt mean his review is "wrong".

  • Caimbeul #123 4 years ago

    PC demo played this morning - much better than 360 version. although has anyone else noticed that you cant change ANY graphical options? what crap! Had the same with the quake wars demo recently. stuck in 640x480 or some crap and that doesnt tend to look good ever let alone on a 1680x1050 monitor.

  • YourMessageHere #124 4 years ago

    I was more narked that the PC demo doesn't let you redefine controls, although the lack of any graphics options is very odd. Considering which, the fact it ran OK on my aging PC was pretty surprising.

    Quake Wars demo had graphics options. However, it also had very confusing menu systems that I swear were designed to hide most of the options, and even on very high-spec machines, when you cranked the graphics up, it still looked no better than a BF2 mod that gives one side pew pew lazorz but forgot to make gameplay fun.

    I digress. Stranglehold ought to be fun but for me, it's so busy being a game and flaunting gameplay mechanics that it's not remotely like a Woo film, and no way in hell would I pay any money for something so lacking in atmosphere and immersion. It's not that it's repetitive, it's that the repetition isn't fun, whereas other games make repetition almost endlessly amusing. Plus, it's ugly as fuck on my machine, and the script and story is laughable, even compared to the, er, thin plotting in Woo's best action films from his HK days. That's based on the demo, by the way; I'm sure it's virtually a crime to evaluate what the game is like based on the thing put out there by the game developers in order for people to evaluate what the game is like, but there you go, I'm just a rebel.

  • Les #125 4 years ago

    "Thats because its news you numpty! Reporting news is part of what EG does. Or are you suggesting they should only report good news?"

    Didn't say they shouldn't report it, did I?! But they might give it a more modest spot on the site.

  • krudster #126 4 years ago

    "A more modest spot"?

    It's a chronological list! Should we backdate the news (of a demo we haven't tried) in case it's not very good? Jebus.