Stranglehold Demo (Xbox 360)

[B-MAn]

Anyone tried it out yet? I'm currently downloading it and now its stuck at 99%

 

[Gargantou]

OMG, DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS WAS OUT!
Thanks for letting us know, gonna DL asasp!

 

[DigiQ8]

downloading now

 

[lePobz]

Just played it ... It's great fun actually, if not a bit monotonous. The 'precise aim' mode is awesome ... you'll see what I mean. Standoffs are fun too

 

[Gargantou]

Just played it to, only thing I'm sad about is the fact that it has English voiceacting, the original chinese actors in Boiling Point(The movie this game is directly descended from) were awsome.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Just played it to, only thing I'm sad about is the fact that it has English voiceacting, the original chinese actors in Boiling Point(The movie this game is directly descended from) were awsome.

The Blu-ray release should have all sort of audio options...

 

[Gargantou]

The Blu-ray release should have all sort of audio options...

Go spread your PS3 propaganda elsewhere please, and to be honest I doubt it.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Go spread your PS3 propaganda elsewhere please, and to be honest I doubt it.

Hey man, I am just kidding around here, mmkay? I was just impressed that the recent Heavenly Sword demo had so many languages to choose from. One can only hope that all versions of this will too. :cheers:

 

[B-MAn]

Overall the demo was EPIC. However theres something about the look of the game I'm not quite feeling, like the lighting is a bit off and the textures (especially on the models) are low res for a unreal 3 engine game.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Hey man, I am just kidding around here, mmkay? I was just impressed that the recent Heavenly Sword demo had so many languages to choose from. One can only hope that all versions of this will too. :cheers:

I only need one, so I fail to see how that's a "bonus"

 

[Bad^Hat]

Gah, my 360 cannot come back from repair fast enough D:

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

.......

MOTHER ****ER I need a fast computer right now.

 

[Stigmata]

I wish I didn't have to go to a LAN center for internet ;(

 

[Qonfused]

/huggles

 

[Stigmata]

Fuck your huggles, give me a job

 

[jimbo118]

MOAR impressions plzkthx

 

[Sui]

Hmm, it's pretty fun. It feels like Max Payne, but with Asian people... on drugs.

The combat feels extremely smooth. Almost too smooth. Like the developers have just slapped on a load of lube. Bullet time is the rule, not the exception- and on hard mode there were only a few moments where my "Tequila Time" gauge was empty. This just dulls down the whole experience. In Max Payne, bullet time certainly wasn't in short supply, but you needed to make sure you used it appropriately or else you could end up with your pants down in a particularly hard shoot out. This made bullet time valuable, and therefore when you jumped out from cover doing a slow motion dive, it felt brilliant. Orgasmic, even. As if your throbbing guns were ejaculating burst after burst of white... erm... white hot bullets. Yeah. Whereas in Stranglehold you're basically always in slow motion, so it doesn't feel as special.

In addition, while the game is certainly next-gen in terms of visuals, it uses gameplay cliche's that I thought had died along with the first Playstation. There are actually flashing health packs on various walls in the middle of a Chinese backstreets, and swathes of enemies will gush forth from numerous conveniently placed doors. Oh, and of course, every third bad guy will have to stand next to an explosive barrel / gas cannister. I know the game is trying to be an unreal Hollywood shooter so it's obviously not going to be realistic, but at the same time it doesn't have to present itself like a 1990s Quake-engine generic shoot-em-up.

However it's still a really fun game. The barrage ability is particularly satisfying - it sends your weapon into a rapid-fire frenzy, and you can unleash about 20 shotgun rounds in the space of about 7 seconds. I'd still prefer Max Payne 3, though.

 

[Warbie]

I'm really enjoying the demo, even more than the mighty Max Payne.

Everything looks suitably next gen and there's more destruction and things blowing up than in anything i've played before. Boxes and fences shatter into pieces, melons explode, huge signs fall off buildings, scaffolding collapses - think the market section in cs_italy multiplied by 100 and for the entire game. Not only is shit blowing up EVERYWHERE, it's all happening at the same time.

When you slow down time you're given a visual cue for some of the larger and more destructive objects that can be affetced - they glint like sun shining on a tiny mirror. An example might be a support for a walkway - shoot it and wood, barrels and other debris fall down killing anything below in a satisfyingly bloody way. There's usually plenty of these around which adds an almost Tony Hawks learning of the levels element to the gameplay - stringing together destruction on a scale yet seen in a video game. You can literally bring down avalanches of pain onto the bad guys, of which there are lots, while simultaneously sliding down banisters and flying through the air. The level of carnage in Max Payne seriously does not even begin to compare. Another nice suprise is decent hit animations - bad guys spin when hit in the shoulder or slowly fall to the ground grasping a hole in their neck. It looks nasty and makes me feel tough (90% of shooters, first and 3rd person, completely fail in this regard)

Another element I particularly like is the aimed shot - time freezes and the cursor gradually zooms right up to the target you're aiming at allowing you to choose where to shoot them and then follow the bullet to its destination. This sounds similar to the sniper in Max Payne but believe me, this is so so so much cooler (shooting people in the balls is awesome). There's also the standoff which I can't be arsed to explain. This is pretty neat and breaks up the action in a welcome way.

While not for everyone, adrenaline junkies are going to love this. It's taken everything I liked about Max Payne and multiplied it, while leaving out the silly slidy walking, completely unconvincing physics and plot I couldn't give a toss about. I'm not saying stranglehold is perfect - the controls could be tighter, the plot/voice acting won't win any awards and the unrelenting carnage may become repetitive - but if the demo is indicative of the whole game then this is a no brainer for me

 

[KagePrototype]

I think the camera could do with being pushed back a bit, it got a bit disorientating for me a couple times. :x Otherwise, it's a decent Max Payne clone.

 

[Combine Hybrid]

ps3 version of stranglehold got pushed back to september

rumor is that they couldn't properly fit the hard boiled movie inside along with the game.

 

[Warbie]

I think Max Payne clone is a little unfair. It does steal a great deal, but the experience is different enough simply by being more grandiose. It's like, well, John Woo'd Max Payne made cool.

There's a few little touches I like - if you miss a bad guy and hit the wall near their head you see them duck down, hands in the air. It looks very cool. When hiding behind a reinforced pillar enemy bullets will blast it to pieces, dust and bits of stone flying everywhere and revealing the bars inside - like in the Matrix Lobby scene. Very exciting stuff. Everything about Stranglehold is extremely visceral and movie like. It's the game for everyone who's ever wanted to recreate the fight scenes from Face Off and, obviously, Hard Boiled

 

[B_MAN]

I'm really enjoying the demo, even more than the mighty Max Payne.

are you ****ing kidding me?!


don't listen to him! this game has nothing on Max Payne!

 

[Warbie]

bah to you

This is Max Payne with explosive cheries on top.

 

[DigiQ8]

great game, but Max Payne > *

 

[Sui]

I'm really enjoying the demo, even more than the mighty Max Payne.

Everything looks suitably next gen and there's more destruction and things blowing up than in anything i've played before. Boxes and fences shatter into pieces, melons explode, huge signs fall off buildings, scaffolding collapses - think the market section in cs_italy multiplied by 100 and for the entire game. Not only is shit blowing up EVERYWHERE, it's all happening at the same time.

When you slow down time you're given a visual cue for some of the larger and more destructive objects that can be affetced - they glint like sun shining on a tiny mirror. An example might be a support for a walkway - shoot it and wood, barrels and other debris fall down killing anything below in a satisfyingly bloody way. There's usually plenty of these around which adds an almost Tony Hawks learning of the levels element to the gameplay - stringing together destruction on a scale yet seen in a video game. You can literally bring down avalanches of pain onto the bad guys, of which there are lots, while simultaneously sliding down banisters and flying through the air.

But this isn't necessarily an impressive thing, and it adds nothing to the gameplay. Copying and pasting a few template neon signs over the entire extent of a linear level is not good game design - on the contrary, it's stale and repetitive. You're not really using the environment to defeat your enemies, because the physics traps are merely "switches" placed by the developers that instantly kill an enemy, and they therefore aren't part of the environment at all.

The visual cues that you mention simply emphasise the contrived nature of the traps. Highlighting the physics-based objects clearly separates them from the static environment, destroying the illusion.

That's not to say that the degree to which the levels are destructible is a bad thing; The fish fountain in particular is an example of how every game prop should be designed, as it breaks apart realistically and satisfyingly.

The level of carnage in Max Payne seriously does not even begin to compare.

Max Payne isn't a carnage simulator. If there were glinting crates suspiciously levitating above every bad guy, it would seriously dent the game's reputation.

Max Another nice suprise is decent hit animations - bad guys spin when hit in the shoulder or slowly fall to the ground grasping a hole in their neck. It looks nasty and makes me feel tough (90% of shooters, first and 3rd person, completely fail in this regard)

I agree that simply making enemies go limp when they've been shot isn't the best way to do death animations, but the Stranglehold deaths are no better. You shoot someone clearly in the head, and they stumble around screaming for ages. It goes beyond unrealistic and becomes just plain stupid. Plus, you end up seeing the same deaths over and over again. I think the best solution would be a compromise between the two - people's legs could go limp when they "die", but their hands could grasp at their wounds, until they hit the floor and become complete rag dolls. Also, even when the enemy is still alive, a limb-shot could make that specific limb dangle, forcing the AI to compensate. It'd be interesting to see how an AI would react if their leg no longer supports their weight - they'd be forced to hobble, or collapse.

Another element I particularly like is the aimed shot - time freezes and the cursor gradually zooms right up to the target you're aiming at allowing you to choose where to shoot them and then follow the bullet to its destination. This sounds similar to the sniper in Max Payne but believe me, this is so so so much cooler (shooting people in the balls is awesome).

I thought it was utterly awful. If you shoot someone in the head (which obviously you're going to do every time, as it gives you so long to aim) the exact same animation plays every time (which involves them grasping at their head and screaming instead of simply falling to the ground, dead). This irritates me to no end. It' certainly not cooler than Max Payne, which was more subtle.

There's also the standoff which I can't be arsed to explain. This is pretty neat and breaks up the action in a welcome way.

This was pretty fun, but you can't help but wonder why they don't all just shoot you at the same time It seems awfully civilised of criminals to allow you to shoot them one by one, even though they surround you. Additionally, if these stand-offs continue throughout the game, I could see them quickly fading from "kinda cool" to "mind-numbingly repetetive".

As for your comments on Max Payne - I'm presuming you're referring to Max Payne 2, which was the first game I ever played that had rag doll physics, so you have to cut it some slack in that respect. It was one of the first next-gen games and yet Stranglehold fails to improve on it on basically any level. I can see how you might prefer Stranglehold's gameplay, because even though the core controls are the same, they play a lot differently (and obviously the stories / atmosphere are worlds apart) - but you can't say that it's actually better.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

I had no idea it was out *downloads now*

EDIT: It sounds good but I think I'll hold off on this one the now, too many other games that take higher priority i.e. bioshock, mario galaxy, halo 3 etc.

 

[Warbie]

But this isn't necessarily an impressive thing, and it adds nothing to the gameplay.

How so?

I've played through the demo around 15 times or so - each time trying different things. There's more variety here than Max Payne offered. It's old school in the sense it encourages learning where objects are, where enemies spawn, how many and when. Can I dive through the air and knock down 4 signs and hit that barrel before hitting the ground? How high can I get the kill combo? A crap load are appearing behind me soon, I want to get to this side of the map and draw them into this section/trap. With Max Payne there was never any more than, 'how can I kill these 3 guys in a cool way'. The traps maybe simple swtiches, but you're surrounded by them and given choice. If the full game is like the demo, encounters will be considerably longer, set in larger 'arenas' and involving far more bad guys - there's simply more options for fights to envolve, spread into different areas and to use the traps and environment in a more dynamic, opportunist way. You may notice that an explosive barrel that had no people around it now has 3, or perhaps you consciously directed the fight in that direction - cue a quick dive along a trolley, shooting the barrel and a few other people along the way. I suspect the traps can can be used in a more clinical way too - I could drop that sign on this guy now, but I know in a few moments two others will spawn near by and run beneath it.

For me, games like this are always about trying different ways to look cool as ****. A sandbox with guns. I'm hoping that once familiar with the game it'll be possible to fly through levels, stringing kills and destruction together in a way John Woo could only have dreamed of in his movies, and then do it again in a different way.

Max Payne isn't a carnage simulator. If there were glinting crates suspiciously levitating above every bad guy, it would seriously dent the game's reputation.

Sure. It would look totally out of place and obvious in the comparatively spartan and tiny levels in Max Payne. Pretty much everythng I described above could not apply to Max Payne.

You shoot someone clearly in the head, and they stumble around screaming for ages. It goes beyond unrealistic and becomes just plain stupid

Over the top cheesey deaths don't bother me, the important part part is that it looks and feels like i've shot the guy and done some damage. You can see each bullet hit home and the affect it has. Let's not forget we're in the realm of the asian action movie too. Over the years i've seen some ridiculous deaths. It's also very cool when time is slowed and you see things flying through the air and bad guys in various stages of death animation.

I thought it was utterly awful. If you shoot someone in the head (which obviously you're going to do every time, as it gives you so long to aim) the exact same animation plays every time (which involves them grasping at their head and screaming instead of simply falling to the ground, dead). This irritates me to no end. It' certainly not cooler than Max Payne, which was more subtle.

Each to their own. The screaming didn't bother me at all (see above) and, infact, the head was the area I choose least often. It's not about killing people in the most efficient way, but in having fun and playing with them. Hits to the neck are cool, but i'll admit alot of bad guys were shot in the balls. A hit to the hand gives a cool animation - it doesn't kill, but stuns, causing the target to wave their hand about in pain for quite a while. You can probably juggle a load of bad guys in this way - stopping them from shooting and, well, thinking of something inventive to do.

Don't quote me on this - had a very late night and haven't really tested - but I think the animation and scream you're describing is the result of a shot to the mouth. I vaguley remeber hits to the forhead killing outright.

This was pretty fun, but you can't help but wonder why they don't all just shoot you at the same time It seems awfully civilised of criminals to allow you to shoot them one by one, even though they surround you. Additionally, if these stand-offs continue throughout the game, I could see them quickly fading from "kinda cool" to "mind-numbingly repetetive".

Quite possibly. You remind me a little of my dad watching action movies, though 'That'll never work, they would have done this, this and this'. I'm of a mind that standoffs will break up the action, slow the pace and help create some troughs to contrast with the action peaks. But yeh, they could get boring.

As for your comments on Max Payne - I'm presuming you're referring to Max Payne 2, which was the first game I ever played that had rag doll physics, so you have to cut it some slack in that respect.

Possibly. I was really quite dissapointed with Max Payne 2 - liking neither the changes to bullet time or the atmosphere/story.

It was one of the first next-gen games and yet Stranglehold fails to improve on it on basically any level.

Not really with you here - at the very least you have to admit that Stranglehold improves on the level of carnage and balls to the wall action. I'd argue that there will be a load more options for creativity, scope for learning the game, and greater replayability. Of course, now i've said that, the rest of the game will turn out to be toilet

I can see how you might prefer Stranglehold's gameplay, because even though the core controls are the same, they play a lot differently (and obviously the stories / atmosphere are worlds apart) - but you can't say that it's actually better.

I wouldn't try to argue that Stranglehold is better than Max Payne (which is obviously going to be superior in certain areas), just that it caters more to my tastes and gives a better 'John Woo' experience.

 

[mastag]

Stranglehold impressed me a great deal. I love the gunplay. However, max payne and max payne 2 are on another level entirely IMHO.

 

[Sui]

Not really with you here - at the very least you have to admit that Stranglehold improves on the level of carnage and balls to the wall action. I'd argue that there will be a load more options for creativity, scope for learning the game, and greater replayability. Of course, now i've said that, the rest of the game will turn out to be toilet

When I said "improve" I meant in the same way that MGS2 is clearly an improvement over MGS. Strangelehold changes things which could be considered better by someone such as yourself, but you can't outright say that "Stranglehold improves upon the formula of Max Payne". At the end of the day they both have their strengths and weaknesses, so to speak.

Anyway, I think we'll have to agree to disagree

 

[Wanted Bob]

I really did like that demo. Some highlights where:

- Finding the golden guns
- Using precision aim (balls and neck are the best)
- Owning that one guy in the first standoff with the propane tank. The tank smokes him in the chest and sends him crashing through the concrete pillar.
- Watching the cinematic at the end of the demo

But the best moment was in the courtyard with the first guy to wield a shotgun. I hid around a corner to avoid the waves of enemies. One guy runs around the corner and doesnt notice me in time. A slow-mo shot to the hip sends in barreling out of control into the nearest fruitstand, knocking fruit, birdcages and other such objects everywhere!

 

[TCfromBN]

The demo was ace. The most fun I've had in a while.


The standoff was particularly awesome.

 

[Dalamari]

I enjoyed the demo a lot, the graphics were a bit weak but the gameplay definitely made up for it

 

[Deleted member 56031]

Played it and it was SO much fun. It's like an action movie, sure there are faults but you don't care because it's so much fun. It pains me that I won't get this for awhile because bioshock obviously comes first.

 

[B_MAN]

i'm in shock.
the number of people excited by this demo is astonishing
am i the only one that was disappointed by it!? wtf

 

[Combine Hybrid]

It was an OK demo. Nothing was amazing.

Give me Max Payne 3 instead.

 

[Warbie]

Ok, this demo has now been propelled into the realms of greatness for displaying the most awesome death i've seen in a video game. Normally I wouldn't devote a post to something like this, but this is seriously one of the coolest moments i've experienced in video gaming.

A guy comes running out a door infront of me and a shotgun blast sends him flying through the air into the path of a collapsing lamp post which reaches head height a split second before impact. At the moment of collision slow motion runs out and the result was the most satisfyingly jarring clothesline imaginable and one of the few times in 20 years that i've shouted '**** yeh'! at the screen. Words don't do it justice - I had to pause the game and think wow.

Heavenly Sword order cancelled, Stranglehold order added