Stranglehold hits gold on Xbox 360

Midway's oft-delayed gangster shooter inspired by John Woo's Hard-Boiled emerges September 5 on Microsoft's console; PC, PS3 versions delayed until later in the month.

In July, Midway announced that Inspector "Tequila" Yuen's long, hard road to reach the interactive medium was nearing its conclusion. First unveiled in 2005, John Woo's Stranglehold was initially slated for a holiday 2006 release, but was subsequently bumped to the first quarter of 2007, and then again to August. However, like an unforeseen twist at the end of any action flick worth its weight in bullets, the game apparently had to overcome one last development obstacle to make it to store shelves, and was once again delayed, this time to September 4.

Now it appears John Woo's Stranglehold is in the clear, as Midway today revealed that the gangster shooter has gone gold and will be available September 5--for the Xbox 360, at least. As part of today's announcement, Midway noted that the PC version, originally slated to launch alongside the Xbox 360 version, has been delayed until September 18. Following suit, the PlayStation 3 version of the game has also been pushed back a week from its projected September 17 release date to September 25.

Developed by the same team behind Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, Stranglehold is the continuation of John Woo's cult gangster drama Hard-Boiled. As detailed in GameSpot's previews, Stranglehold features the same style of action seen in Woo's gunplay-heavy film. The cinematic shoot-outs will be further augmented by highly destructible environments and a slow-motion, Max Payne-esque shooting sequence known as Tequila Time.

Stranglehold is rated M for Mature and will retail for $59.99 on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and $49.99 on the PC. An Xbox 360 collector's edition that includes a second disc with a behind-the-scenes documentary on the game, extended cutscenes, and more will be available for $69.95. The PS3 version will also receive a $69.95 collector's edition that will include a Blu-ray copy of Hard-Boiled.

158 Comments

  • xployt268

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 11:57 pm PT

    just as i thought a bad review 7.0 well i expected 6.0 am not pickiin it up demo sucked anyway

  • lamprey263

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 5:56 pm PT

    I'm debating picking up a copy once I get off work

  • JFOOT1

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 11:39 am PT

    I SAW THE XBOX360 VERSION IN CIRCUIT CITY SUNDAY MORNING

  • rico212

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 11:04 am PT

    cool, hopefully it wil hit gold on PS3.

  • gevans1989

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 10:47 am PT

    the demo on XBL was ok, but a little dissapointing, this game could kick ass so bad but its just little things that let it down, like the rediculas amount of bullets it takes to kill fattie and the stunts are to easly performed you just dont feel pride for doing some kikass stunt when all you did was press one button, but shootin guys in the go nads on slow mo shot will make me bye this game....

  • brian5

    Posted Sep 4, 2007 6:38 am PT

    Was in Best Buy out here in So-Cal over the weekend & would'nt you know it there was a copy of Stranglehold in the cage. I picked up a copy and spent all day Sunday playing the hell out of it. Can't tell you about the Multiplayer just yet as the game has yet to hit the masses and no one was playing this online. However the demo we played was the 1st level. I was concerned that the level's may be to short as well. However i'm deep into the 2nd chapter & can say that this is not the case, as act 2 is much deeper than the 1st act. Also, about half way into the 2nd chapter you board a heliocopter and get to blow the bejesus out of these tankers. All in all this is shaping up to be a very well done action game. On a side note there are a ton of cool acheviement's in this one for those who care. So far I'd give in a 8.0 out of 10. -Chic N Stu-

  • bigtimekiller7

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 11:41 pm PT

    this is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cuming to my house and in 2 the xbox!!!!

  • MalachiLiu

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 9:23 pm PT

    cool beans but i wish that the PSN had a demo of Stranglehold like the 360 does =(

  • miguel_69692003

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 7:50 pm PT

    Demo was lame, game will be lame! not ambitous at all.

  • JohnnyBeGoodie

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 6:07 pm PT

    This game is awesome!!!! Totally addicting. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait until the 5th of September to get it. Some stores have already released it.

  • TheRooskie

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 5:42 pm PT

    "Fun the first 2 or 3 times around..." Ummm, how much life can you really suck out of a demo before it gets boring? Not alot.

  • NeedMoreMoney

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 5:23 pm PT

    I'm going to rent it because game too short but crazy game play dudes!

  • pbking13

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 5:04 pm PT

    It was okay maybe when its cheaper.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 3:35 pm PT

    I played the demo and liked it; so to each their own

  • Stockman

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 3:16 pm PT

    Yay? This game sucks big time!

  • XAF1

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 3:05 pm PT

    I'll have to pick this up. I liked the demo. The controls were tighter than the Max Payne and the Dead to Right series on consoles. I was quite amazed at how good the controls were. I need a small break from FPS while waiting on Halo3, TimeShift, Half-Life 2, etc. There aren't that many games like this out there any more it seems. We need more action games that aren't FPSs.

  • GR33DY83

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 1:59 pm PT

    Is anyone even gonna buy this, seems kinda lame haven't tried the demo don't care for it

  • armed360

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 1:58 pm PT

    The demo was fun the first 2 or 3 times around, but after that it got kind of boring. I don't plan on buying it.

  • ska_dude101

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    It's about time.

  • Cirus2

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 11:21 am PT

    I thought the demo was good but ai seemed a bit on the thick side, they would just stand there and go "m8 snipe k, so we can show me dying in slomo for 20th time" and way it basically going from A to B like an obstackle course. Just hope it lives upto the hype but cant see it beating Max Payne 2 that game was so great.

  • Tree06

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 11:19 am PT

    I can't wait to play this at my friend's house or rent it.

  • clone01

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 9:15 am PT

    meh...i went through the demo and found it kind of boring. i'll wait for a review...

  • mashom

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 8:53 am PT

    why late on Ps3 it does not make any sense....

  • red_x2004

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 7:20 am PT

    Sorry to tell you GrimBee but ,Sadly, Max Payne 3 has been canceled, God i loved the Max Payne series and am really going to miss it..........

  • GrimBee

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 3:30 am PT

    Max Payne 3 will tear the butt off of this game, whenever it comes out...

    The trouble with this game is that the animations (on and off things) are scetchy to say the least, and you can't tell what the heck is going on half the time because there is a bunch of stuff in the way of the camera.
    The good thing about Max Payne games was that it was never ALWAYS fast paced - the enemies were clever enough to flank you, hide in good places, never stand out and reload...

    This game seems to offer enemies as cannon fodder. And it will probably be a big issue when coming to review it.

  • EnigmaticBeauty

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 3:01 am PT

    Hmmmm...not really interested, I didn't like the demo.

  • death_burnout

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 2:25 am PT

    well hell yeah i love stranglehold, the destructable envrionments are what make it, and the awesome blend between death animation and then ragdoll (and then onto a table) the only problem is that we have to wait till the 14th to play it over here in the UK (and other plaves in the EU)

  • chicken_123_pie

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 11:29 pm PT

    lol@September 25th for PS3 version.
    HALO3FTW!

  • zouhou

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 10:33 pm PT

    y does it keep getting delayed!!! ps3 still dosent even have a demo man

  • cesarblue

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 8:01 pm PT

    This game is maxpayne on steriods, so I think it might be worth a buy, although I would prefer they give maxpayne some love but hey what can you do. yea ps3 better have a gimmick cause i be dam if i pay 50 dollars for a dvd you guys are suckers, that's like given my big screen rear projection up for a 22in flat screen, forget that this is america we want everything big(lol)

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 7:49 pm PT

    I'm so ready for this game!

  • Vader_300

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 7:45 pm PT

    I think the demo was very impressive, its soooo much fun. I might pick up the collector's ed. when I have more money

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 6:43 pm PT

    Come on PS3 version! I want Hard Boiled!

  • the-very-best

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 5:38 pm PT

    Really? A September release date? How could they ignore Halo 3? That's gonna cost them unfortunately.

  • -SlipSkull-

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    Well, I won't be getting this game this month, since I plan on buying a few other games. If this game gets great reviews, then I might get it sometime in November or December.

  • Chef_Bretz

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    "awww you put the fire out ya little piss pot!" -

  • gagan21

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 2:59 pm PT

    The Stranglehold Demo was good , i am looking forward to it

  • amr_borgee

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    the game rocks I played it its very very impressive but its only 6 hours for me so have fun x360 fan boys and good luck ps3 fan boys but if u have ps3 and x360 take it for x360 cause its more expensive on ps3 and its not one of the best game u can't wait for its really good but not that good

  • kickbug

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    Loved the demo, but haven't tried the full version yet. Just got back from Best Buy and they had it for sale already, so you know I picked it up. Hoping it's worth the price.

  • numbness

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 1:34 pm PT

    loved the demo def buying the game no1 game im looking forward to

  • mark_webster_87

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 10:55 am PT

    Played the 360 demo and it was ok but my mood has shifted from these unrelistic shooters to more tactical FPS games. Might pick it up in 2008 though when the price is lowered a bit or pre-owned.

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 10:43 am PT

    I played the demo on xlive and must say it ain't bad to be honest i dont know about the multiplayer aspect of it looked a little messy from the video shown at the eng of the demo but an enjoyable game that keeps true to the hong kong film scene of that day , just lots of shooting and things blowing up like they were packed full of c4 lol

  • volpexpress

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 9:28 am PT

    this game looks pretty good, i wish it was longer but what r u gonna do.

  • clankac6

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 8:35 am PT

    Paying $22 for a bluray disc does not seem like a deal to me. The Xbox 360 version of the game is $48 in Circuit City's weekly ad. However, if I had a strong enough PC I would be getting that version.

  • nappan

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 8:23 am PT

    I don't know if the game is good or not, but penny arcade did a hilarious comic about it... I WANT there to be a Testikill achievement so badly! =)

  • Unknown_Legend

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 7:45 am PT

    @xployt268

    How do you know this game sucks? Have you played it yet? No you haven't, so find a better use of your time than making comments that make you look stupid, because I'm sure your not.

  • xployt268 posted Sep 2, 2007 6:53 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    xployt268

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 6:53 am PT (hide)

    this game sux bigtime

  • Doolum

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 6:16 am PT

    i'll go for the PS3 collector edition.yeh

  • bigtimekiller7

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 5:31 am PT

    i put this game on pre-order 2 i just wanna play it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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