Stranglehold

Stranglehold is an explosive, undeniable gem.

We've had plenty of hands-on time with Stranglehold recently; the problem is we can't keep our hands off.

The amount of work produced in the GamePro office has slowed to a molasses creep since an early preview build of Stranglehold arrived yesterday. I think it's fair to say there's an excessive amount of testosterone floating around because no other game takes you from nerdy gamer to suave gun-toting badass faster than Stranglehold.

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Tequila Time

You may already know the game has a slo-mo feature similar to Max Payne. What you don't know is there are two different ways it can be activated. By pressing the Right Bumper you can initiate Tequila Time manually, but it won't last forever.

The other way is automatically. As helpful as automated slo-mo sounds, there are a few frustrating caveats to this feature. First, you must be performing some kind of stunt. Whether it be diving, running on railings, or sliding across tables, it doesn't matter. The second caveat is that you must be pointing in the general direction of an enemy. Both requirements must be met before the automatic Tequila Time initiates.

It sounds simple enough, but until you get used to it you'll be popping in and out of Tequila Time like a gopher with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It's jarring and makes it difficult to keep a solid lock on targets. But again, it's only temporary and the learning curve should only take between 15 and 30 minutes.

Scene One, Take Two

There's plenty of mayhem to be had in the levels we got to play: Marketplace and Tai-O. The Slums was supposed to be playable, but due to a build defect the game crashed after Tai-O - Damn!

Set in the back alleys of Hong Kong, the Marketplace is fast paced, but extremely linear. The Marketplace proves to be the first level in the game offering hints on how to fire a peashooter, dive like a stuntman, , and how to make full use the environment. What makes this level so cool is how well the interactive pieces of the environment are put together. They are stringed together like a combo line in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. We were sliding down handrails while shooting down giant neon signs upon enemies and leaping off the handrail onto a push cart to finish the combo with style.

Tai-O is a lengthy level set on the rocky shores of Hong Kong. There are fewer pieces of the environment to interact with than the Marketplace, and the confined nature of the Tai-O's water docks make it bit more difficult to perform stunts. It's still a great level, but the Marketplace captures the true spirit of an action-packed John Woo film.

Weapons

A shotgun, assault rifle, golden pistol, and standard dual-wieldable pistols and SMGs were all available in the two levels we got to play. No weapon becomes obsolete as each gun plays to unique strengths.

The golden pistol is extremely rare, but packs a heavy punch killing most enemies in one shot. Yes, like Goldeneye. The dual-wieldable pistols are weak, but especially stylized for a true John Woo experience. The SMG is the weakest weapon in the game, but it's extremely fast firing rate makes up for its lack in damage. The Shotgun is best used at a medium range on stronger enemies. And the assault rifle is the most versatile. You'll burn through ammo fast, but it's the best weapon for clearing dense rooms.

Each level we played contained one Shootout. A Shootout is exactly as it sounds, but with a tequila twist. The camera zooms in close over Inspector Tequila's shoulders and Tequila Time kicks in. As bullets whiz by, you must move Tequila's upper body to dodge the onslaught. It's a fun way to break up the standard gameplay, and we could easily see this mode as a mini-game with increasing difficulty as you progress.

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