Hong Kong, Hong Kong… A city with a difficult fate. Captured in 1860 by Great Britain and returned to the shadow of his native China only in 1984, and then only on paper. Officially, this happened 13 years later. The years of British rule passed for a long time, but were not in vain for him – the city grew and became an economic center. But what is most important for us today is that it has become a cultural center and, in particular, the center of the Chinese film industry. It was thanks to the Hong Kong film studio that the world first saw on wide screens Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan And Chow Yun-Fat. And also such a famous director as John Woo. And in the context of this review, we will be interested in his work.
Life is like a movie
John Woo went through a very difficult path to the title of, dare I say it, a cult director.
Difficult childhood in a poor area, beatings by Chinese triads, 1967 riots (police shooting of demonstrators). He survived these life disasters with honor and persistently pursued his calling. A whole 12 years passed between his first film and his first successful film and I’m sure many are glad that he didn’t give up. Pillars of popular culture such as The Matrix and Max Payne were created under the influence of his films. And if we’re talking about the gaming industry, let’s get to the point.
So, it was 1992, John Woo successfully stormed the heights of the director’s profession and presented his new film to the public – "Hard Boiled". It collects a large box office, rave reviews from American critics and slightly more restrained reviews from Hong Kong critics, achieves success at film festivals and, in fact, becomes the end point of the author’s Hong Kong creativity – he is invited to Hollywood. In general, a simple plot of revenge, undercover work and the fight against arms trafficking unfolds into a sometimes mesmerizing spectacle, which is worth three minutes of beautiful action filmed in one take. “So what then?? – you ask. -Where the hell is the game??»
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And the game, in fact, is from the year 2007, which many people now want to return. And the originality of the approach is striking from the very beginning. This is not a game based on a successful film that was remembered 15 years later, it is essentially its sequel. Perhaps this is the first precedent in the industry when a game became a sequel to a film (correct me in the comments if I’m wrong). The question that immediately arises is whether the game will be able to offer players a fresh gaming experience, considering the two games in the Max Payne series, which are the spiritual heirs of John Woo’s approach to spectacle? It turned out that it may well, although it does not encroach on the title of a masterpiece, especially if the director himself has a hand in this game.
The game was called “Stranglehold” and was developed by Midway Games, the same company that in the bearded eighties published the game “Pac-man” in America, making some adjustments that only benefited the game, and in the nineties, which gave the world the bloody, and still alive, Mortal Kombat series. Alas, they didn’t succeed in the field of more modern gaming and the company went bankrupt in 2009.
But let’s get closer to 2007, the year of graffiti, burning video cards, alternative music and the dominance of all kinds of subcultures.
Stranglehold was an ordinary third-person shooter with a pinch of interesting mechanics that still needed some finishing with a file.
But if the game is, first of all, a sequel to Hard Boiled, then let’s delve into the plot at least a little. It’s not that it’s brilliant and has a lot of plot twists and philosophical implications, but at the same time it doesn’t follow the precepts of John Carmack, and exists in a fairly expanded form.
The game takes place 18 years after the events of the film. Inspector Yuen, nicknamed "Tequila", is still the same Chow Yun-Fat, still drinks tequila and still solves any problem alone.
Police story
This time he is investigating the kidnapping of a police officer, which turns into his involvement in a gang war and a battle for his family (which was not mentioned in the film). In general, this is all you need to know about the plot, because it’s interesting to follow it, and spoiling plots is a thankless task. Something else worth mentioning is that to understand what is happening, it is not necessary to join the film (although this is welcome). All events are self-sufficient and not strongly intertwined with the film.
If we talk about graphics and level design, then everything is controversial. In some places the locations look lively and interesting, and sometimes they turn into a gray or green mess behind which you can hardly see the enemy. The graphics themselves aren’t too hard on the eyes, but for 2007 they already look a little weak.
As for the author’s style of John Woo, it is carried out with great care. In addition to slowing down time and using two Beretta 92 pistols, the game features Mexican draws and white doves, all of which together have long been the hallmark of his films.
But in terms of gameplay, everything is slightly better. In addition to the standard ones, since the days of extreme pain, jumping from walls and slowing down time, interaction with objects and, as a result, partial destructibility has been added to the game. If you destroy everything that is possible at a level, then the pogrom looks really impressive. This feature copes well with its assigned role – to diversify the gameplay and convey the spirit of crazy cinematic shootouts.
Interaction with objects is not limited to simple destruction. The game allows you to run along beams, jump on chandeliers and ride on carts (five years before the more epic but at the same time one-off ride in Max Payne 3).