If you can see it, you can destroy it.

A few years back Midway released a wonderful, yet overlooked title called Psi-Ops. The game had an intriguing story, great game play, and the best use of the Havoc engine at that time. Many hardcore gamers were frothing at the mouth at the next project helmed by those developers, and now in 2007 they get it in the form of the cinematic John Woo Presents: Stranglehold. A virtual sequel of sorts to the film Hard Boiled, you are Chow Yun-Fat reprising his role as inspector Tequila. While Psi-Ops used the Havoc engine quite well, Stranglehold goes one step further allowing you to literally destroy everything in sight. Topped off with a great story line and action packed game play, Stranglehold may not be the unique masterpiece Psi-Ops was, but it delivers the goods in familiar content and broader audience appeal to hopefully make more money.

When shown 2 years ago at E3, this game was a stunning title showing off visual flare nearly unmatched by any title before it. Of course that's the biggest issue with development cycles that take too long, by the time you release you game, other titles have surpassed you and may steal your thunder. While Stranglehold will visually get overlooked by gamers, it still is no slouch considering what is involved. You'll experience a multitude of setting backdrops such as city streets and back alleys, a museum, and even along portside of a fishing dock. The lighting and structure of these areas are the ideal play ground to wreak havoc, and that is what you get to do. Sure the textures, enemy variety, and animations may not be the strongest in video game history, but when you take into account you can destroy anything you see, that adds a whole new spectrum to how great the Unreal 3.0 engine was utilized. Your battlegrounds will literally deform in your path of destruction leaving you with a huge grin on your face as you see what damage has been done by you and your arsenal of weapons. There will of course be the Max Payne comparisons, but you'll get that with any game that uses slowdown techniques in gun play. Topped off by a cinematic presentation that is rich with great acting and storyline, and Stranglehold accomplishes exactly what it intends to do, allow you to control a John Woo movie experience.

None of this would matter if the control scheme was broken. Thankfully there is enough depth to the game play complimented by tight controls that not only will keep gamers playing through to the end, but reliving their favorite levels as well. Innovative features such as running up railings, swinging from zip line and chandeliers, dive and evade oncoming bullets, spring off of walls, shoot from the ground, and even leaping onto tables and moving objects adds a bit of depth and creativity to how you meet each level's objectives. Of course you do have the ability to slow down time and take enemies down in "Tequila time". Besides Tequila time, there is also a Showdown mode that puts you in the thick of action as you are surrounded by a gang of thugs allowing you to pin point body parts and objects while dodging oncoming bullets. Lastly, when things look as if there is no way you can escape alive, a cinematic Spin attack move will allow you to watch Tequila destroy every enemy on screen while pretty little doves go flying by all in dramatic fashion.

The game is only a few hours long, but it is so enjoyable that you will want to relive levels or even the entire game multiple times. Thankfully a multiplayer mode also exists, and while it is as bare as can be with death match and team death match options, the option to join 5 of your friends online and blow crap up makes for a thrilling experience as well.

Stranglehold will not earn any game of the year nods, or even nods for originality. What it does present is a fast paced, destroy everything, white knuckled shooter experience that will satisfy any gamer with bloodlust. Brainless shooters are one thing, but with an interesting storyline and the world of John Woo controllable in the palm of your hands, action fans should flock around this one as it offers much "bang" for the buck.