|
 [Thanks to my good friend AwrySquare for the banner art!] Stranglehold is a third-person shooter developed by Midway Games and released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC in 2007. The game was developed in collaboration with famed movie director John Woo, known for his Hong Kong action films like A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, as well as a number of Hollywood productions such as Hard Target and Face/Off. The game acts as a sequel to Woo’s 1992 film Hard Boiled, his last Hong Kong film before moving to Hollywood. Stranglehold reprises actor Chow Yun-fat as Inspector “Tequila” Yuen, a rough-and-tumble cop tasked with taking down several Triads and mob groups across America and China. The game takes a lot of influence from Woo’s directing style, focused heavily on style and cool gunplay. The player can dive and slide around obstacles, as well slow down time for dramatic kills. The game is loaded with large Mexican stand-offs and features a modified gameplay engine called “Massive D” that allows for almost every object in the game to be destroyed. There are also several special moves that are taken directly from some of Woo’s most iconic scenes. Everything about Stranglehold’s gameplay is meant to evoke a sense of flair and pizazz present in the best of Woo’s action scenes. Plans were to produce a film adaptation of Stranglehold under John Woo’s company Lion Rock Productions, though it was later announced that the film would act as a prequel to Hard Boiled. No further news has been reported since the announcement, and the closure of Midway Games seems to imply that this project is dead, like all enemies of Inspector Tequila.  I’m the loose cannon ChorpSaway, and my partners on this case are TheJayOfSpade, FutureFriend and Taoc. Together, we’ll be running and gunning our way through Stranglehold’s brief but action-packed story mode. While we’re on the case, we’ll discuss connections to Hard Boiled for those who may not be familiar with the film, as well as other John Woo films as we see fit. The game’s grading system is arcane and seemingly finicky, so I will not be getting a perfect score in this game, but my performance will at least be good enough for a passing grade.                   
ChorpSaway fucked around with this message at 18:02 on Oct 14, 2018 |
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 18:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 04:15 |
|
|
Reserved for something later maybe!
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 18:15
|
|
|
 LET'S GET STARTED! It's time to enter the world of John Woo's Hard Boiled and see what kind of trouble ol' Tequila is getting into these days. Cops from the Hong Kong Police Force are being killed in the streets, and Tequila is the only one crazy enough to go out there and follow the clues leading to the culprit. With just his guns and his wits in tow, what will he find in the harsh streets of Hong Kong?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 18:15
|
|
|
Inspector Tequila vs Wei Shen, deathmatch. Who wins?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 22:10
|
|
|
Nobody, Hong Kong's organized crime syndicates looses the most though. Also people really should watch Hard Boiled, this game's mostly its own thing but it's still a drat good action movie.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 23:57
|
|
|
Well this is gonna be a real palate cleanser after Naruto.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:17
|
|
|
This game is basically Vanquish. Does it have a PC port?
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2018 07:42
|
|
|
White Coke posted:This game is basically Vanquish. Does it have a PC port? There is a PC version of the game, but as far as I know there's no way to purchase the game digitally, you'd have to get a disc. And with Midway out of business who knows who might own the rights now and if they'd want to re-release it at this point. RareAcumen posted:Well this is gonna be a real palate cleanser after Naruto. Even I was tired after half a year of Naruto again, so I thought it'd be good to do some shorter projects and step away from the Anime for a bit. It also got me to watch Hard Boiled and Face/Off finally so I think overall this whole thing is a net gain in my life.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2018 19:22
|
|
|
ChorpSaway posted:Even I was tired after half a year of Naruto again, so I thought it'd be good to do some shorter projects and step away from the Anime for a bit. It also got me to watch Hard Boiled and Face/Off finally so I think overall this whole thing is a net gain in my life. Yeah, you say that but we all know you're gonna be LPing that Fist of the North Star game when it comes out. Should all be fine as long as we go for different genres. We've done almost all of the Naruto so now we need a new type of stupid. Like Ghost Trick. Or one of the Dragon Quests. As long as we don't hit Golden Sun we should be fine.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2018 19:49
|
|
|
Bring Jordan back just to make him suffer through the Madoka Magica game.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2018 03:17
|
|
|
Hard Boiled is honestly one of the best action movies ever made, I will fight anyone who says otherwise and yet I had no idea this game even existed and know I know why I've felt like there's a hole in my life for years now
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2018 09:14
|
|
|
UPDATE TIME! Following a lead from last episode, Tequila finds himself at Tai O, a stilt city where many an illicit drug deal goes down. But he's not here to stop the trade, he's here for answers about who's been killing cops! Well... maybe he's also here to bust the Golden Kane's drug trade. Tequila is a multi-task sort of cop. RareAcumen posted:Yeah, you say that but we all know you're gonna be LPing that Fist of the North Star game when it comes out. I think FutureFriend would punch me in the stomach until my head explodes if I tried to take a Yazuka-style game from him. But yeah the next project is already brewing and it's, at least a little bit anime. FractalSandwich posted:Bring Jordan back just to make him suffer through the Madoka Magica game. I have not come here to bury Jordan.
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2018 18:02
|
|
|
Since you mentioned it in the video people should also watch Face/Off because it reads like it was written on a coke binge. Also it occurs to me that it would be a lot of fun to read a version of the script with every instance of the word "face" being replaced by "dick."
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 02:19
|
|
|
This game looks like a lot of dumb fun. It is just so dumb and it's glorious.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 02:46
|
|
|
I feel like in the first episode you guys lived this old pa
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 03:23
|
|
|
Lacedaemonius posted:I feel like in the first episode you guys lived this old pa personally whenever me and the lads at the otaku trash machine make a joke we think about this comic within our shared anime lovers hivemind: 
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 03:49
|
|
|
ChorpSaway posted:I think FutureFriend would punch me in the stomach until my head explodes if I tried to take a Yazuka-style game from him. But yeah the next project is already brewing and it's, at least a little bit anime. Oh cool, I love Viewtiful Joe! Looking forward to it!
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 13:20
|
|
|
UPDATE TIME! Today, Tequila continues his hunt for information in Tai O, taking down Golden Kane goons along the way and sending their drug trade to the bottom of the ocean. However, things aren't as simple as they originally appeared, as Tequila comes face-to-face with some unsettling news, delivered by the last man Tequila ever wanted to see again...
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2018 18:00
|
|
|
English is an official language of Hong Kong, and there's nothing unusual about someone having an English name in addition to their Chinese ones.
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2018 07:00
|
|
|
FractalSandwich posted:English is an official language of Hong Kong, and there's nothing unusual about someone having an English name in addition to their Chinese ones. Oh, interesting! I didn't know that, and it explains a lot about the Wong family and our favorite undercover cop. That said, if I was going to get assassinated at the whim of a big time crime lord, I wish it'd be from someone with a slightly more menacing name than Jimmy. I'd take a Johnny over a Jimmy any day.
|
|
#
?
Sep 4, 2018 18:27
|
|
|
ChorpSaway posted:That said, if I was going to get assassinated at the whim of a big time crime lord, I wish it'd be from someone with a slightly more menacing name than Jimmy. I'd take a Johnny over a Jimmy any day. It took decades to take down the Mafia for exactly this reason, who cares about people getting murdered by guys named Jimmy?
|
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2018 17:05
|
|
|
Hong Kong was a British Colony for 100 years, and yes, I can attest, there is alot of English Names there. As evidenced by John Woo.
|
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2018 17:20
|
|
|
my joke wasnt really about it being weird that a chinese dude has a english name, i watched enough hong kong movies to know thats a normal thing, but rather that the name jimmy sounds less like a threatening crime boss and more like the little stinker kid around the corner who rings your doorbell and runs away.
|
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2018 18:42
|
|
|
FutureFriend posted:my joke wasnt really about it being weird that a chinese dude has a english name, i watched enough hong kong movies to know thats a normal thing, but rather that the name jimmy sounds less like a threatening crime boss and more like the little stinker kid around the corner who rings your doorbell and runs away.
|
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2018 19:25
|
|
|
SUPER UPDATE TIME! Today, Tequila tracks follows the trail of the Golden Kane to the Mega, a restaurant doubling as a triad hideout! As he guns his way to the top floor, we learn more about what the Golden Kane are up to, and how that ties in to the Russian mafia. Will Tequila be able to find the answers he needs to continue his revenge, or will he just find himself staring down the barrel of a gun? Plus, Tequila finds himself in his natural habitat with the local jazz band! WOW, A PODCAST!  YouTube MP3 Download How poignant that during the Let's Play of a game based on a movie, we do a podcast about a movie! FutureFriend, Jay and I meet on the track to discuss an oft-belied but fondly remembered Hollywood anime adaptation: Speed Racer by the Wachowskis! For its 10 year anniversary, we look back and see what it was that made people dislike the movie so much on release, and why it's seeing a resurgence of fans and popularity recently!
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2018 18:12
|
|
|
Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer! Go! Sorry, but thanks to you I finally know why that’s stuck in my head lately.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2018 19:06
|
|
|
Please, for the love of all that is sacred post what happens when you do your spin attack in the middle of the jazz band. I beg you.
|
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2018 06:22
|
|
|
UPDATE TIME! Today, Tequila is on the hunt for his family, and Jerry's here to help a friend! Now that we've made our way to America, it's time to take the fight to the Russian mafia in their luxurious penthouse suite. The security is tight here, but our gunplay is even tighter! It's time to see how a Hong Kong cop handles the Zakarovs!
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2018 18:00
|
|
|
I never managed to take out those early helicopters, didn't know you could. I just shot down the barricades fast as possible and ran on into the next room. Pro tip you didn't pick up on- you can shoot lights and furniture in the laser maze to open pathways and kill enemies with explosions- very helpful to have the lasers help you take out the bad guys. Definitely use Barrage attacks against Vlad- they're very damaging. Glad you found the Heavy Machine Gun- I was going to point it out if you didn't. The next level is my favorite, you probably already know why.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2018 18:40
|
|
|
Could Vladmir be.... INVINCIBLE?!?!?!?!
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2018 21:34
|
|
|
I think my favorite part of that boss fight was when he fell backwards into the helicopter, suddenly caught fire, then exploded.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2018 07:24
|
|
|
Tequila Sunrise and his daughter Bailey. I wish this game was more like Naked Gun so Tequila would just start putting gun things into his guns for the barrage. Like an entire ammo case, a ammo belt, grenades, etc.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2018 18:53
|
|
|
RareAcumen posted:I wish this game was more like Naked Gun so Tequila would just start putting gun things into his guns for the barrage. Like an entire ammo case, a ammo belt, grenades, etc. If the game took more of its tone from the movie, I'd expect Tequila to just pour booze into his gun while lighting a cigarette.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2018 19:23
|
|
|
ChorpSaway posted:If the game took more of its tone from the movie, I'd expect Tequila to just pour booze into his gun while lighting a cigarette. And then he lights the gun on fire too and that makes it stronger.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2018 20:06
|
|
|
UPDATE TIME! Today, it's time to find out who really killed the dinosaurs! Tequila has tracked down the Golden Kane to the newly opened Chicago History Museum, where they're doing a trade with the Russian mafia for Tequila's family! Well things like "public safety" and "art preservation" are the last things on Tequila's mind now, so he's ready to go in guns blazing to save Billie and Teko! Can he make it in time to catch his family, or will they slip through his hands once again?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2018 18:00
|
|
|
Yung looks like a character from the Nutshack. E: *Opening fire in the middle of a museum* MY EXHIBIT IS RUINED Waffleman_ fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Sep 23, 2018 |
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2018 18:36
|
|
|
I'm looking forward to seeing your quidditch doujinshi at Comiket in December.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2018 19:21
|
|
|
The Museum Level is my favorite for a number of reasons. The opening cutscene is one- dissension in the enemy ranks nearly leading to them getting things started, and then Tequila sees Billie for the first time in fifteen years and the expression on his face- he is so visibly upset. Then you got great action and so many interesting set pieces I can't recall seeing in another FPS. The challenge is nice too- so many enemies and so little cover in a lot of places. The health packs are welcome, but more so is that music you hear when all the enemies in an area are dead. The Russians in SWAT gear are probably the Mafiya's equivalent of Spetsnaz, doesn't surprise me the Russian Mob has one. BTW, there is a special Achievement for the Museum- Paleontologist (Bronze) In the Chicago History Museum level, completely destroy the Brachiosaurus or the T-Rex. That is what Paleontologists do in real life, right? Shoot up and destroy dinosaur skeletons?  I have pulled it off, but it takes a lot of deliberate shooting. You have to get every bone and leave just the frame. Some bones are load-bearing and set off chain reactions if shot, that helps. The boss fight isn't that great, but they do get style points for the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit (way to endanger Asia's greatest artistic achievement, Mr. Woo!) and giving the boss a Golden Pistol. Oh, and btw, if he were the Russian equivalent of Tequila, his name would probably be Vodka or Mule.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2018 21:31
|
|
|
How did that guy miss Tequila but hit Billie?
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2018 03:14
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 04:15 |
|
|
Nissin Cup Nudist posted:How did that guy miss Tequila but hit Billie? Jerry can easily betray his friend and former partner, but never kill him. Truly the greatest of hubris. Anyways, there's an update on the next page.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2018 18:03
|
|