<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Midway	O
Studios	O
–	O
Chicago	O
and	O
Tiger	O
Hill	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
2007	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
Midway	O
's	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
is	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
John	O
Woo	O
's	O
1992	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
action	O
film	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
and	O
stars	O
Chow	O
Yun-fat	O
in	O
a	O
reprisal	O
of	O
his	O
role	O
as	O
hard-boiled	O
cop	O
Inspector	O
"	O
Tequila	O
"	O
Yuen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
project	O
on	O
which	O
Woo	O
and	O
Chow	O
have	O
collaborated	O
since	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
to	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
,	O
entitled	O
Gun	O
Runner	O
,	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
works	O
prior	O
to	O
Midway	O
's	O
financial	O
demise	O
but	O
was	O
ultimately	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
attempts	O
to	O
translate	O
the	O
gun	O
ballet	O
aesthetic	O
popularized	O
by	O
director	O
John	O
Woo	O
,	O
used	O
in	O
films	O
such	O
as	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
and	O
The	O
Killer	O
,	O
to	O
an	O
interactive	O
media	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
drawn	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Remedy	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
Max	B-Application
Payne	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
Woo	O
,	O
a	O
more	O
accurate	O
account	O
of	O
both	O
games	O
 '	O
creative	O
provenances	O
traces	O
the	O
games	O
to	O
Woo	O
's	O
lengthy	O
,	O
balletic	O
shootouts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
and	O
Tiger	O
Hill	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
2004	O
's	O
Psi-Ops	B-Device
:	I-Device
The	I-Device
Mindgate	I-Device
Conspiracy	I-Device
,	O
Midway	O
was	O
looking	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
existing	O
brand	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Woo	O
himself	O
had	O
co-founded	O
Tiger	O
Hill	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
May	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
through	O
his	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Midway	O
,	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
was	O
to	O
be	O
his	O
studio	O
's	O
first	O
video	O
game	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
Midway	O
's	O
first	O
step	O
into	O
developing	O
for	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
;	O
the	O
company	O
wanted	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Playstation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
for	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
,	O
led	O
by	O
game	O
director	O
Brian	O
Eddy	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
same	O
one	O
that	O
worked	O
on	O
Psi-Ops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
bring	O
this	O
vision	O
to	O
life	O
for	O
next-generation	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	O
studio	O
licensed	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
was	O
still	O
actively	O
in	O
development	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
missing	O
features	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
prototype	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
's	O
gameplay	O
,	O
Midway	O
used	O
their	O
existing	O
engine	O
from	O
Psi-Ops	B-Device
to	O
make	O
a	O
prototype	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
level	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
mechanics	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
gameplay	O
had	O
been	O
prototyped	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
began	O
porting	O
their	O
work	O
over	O
to	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
,	O
modifying	O
its	O
source	O
code	O
to	O
build	O
in	O
the	O
missing	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Eddy	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
first	O
started	O
customizing	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
in	O
early	O
2005	O
,	O
adding	O
the	O
Havok	B-General_Concept
physics	I-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
and	O
other	O
tools	O
throughout	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stranglehold	B-Application
also	O
incorporated	O
a	O
body	O
swapping	O
technique	O
that	O
randomized	O
parts	O
of	O
enemy	O
character	O
models	O
,	O
producing	O
varied	O
characters	O
rather	O
than	O
repetitious	O
clones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-game	O
levels	O
were	O
first	O
sketched	O
out	O
and	O
iterated	O
on	O
using	O
Unreal	B-Application
Tournament	I-Application
2004	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
Midway	O
's	O
February	O
2006	O
partnership	O
with	O
in-game	O
advertising	O
agency	O
Double	O
Fusion	O
,	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
contains	O
dynamic	O
in-game	O
advertising	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
posters	O
and	O
billboards	O
for	O
real	O
world	O
products	O
appearing	O
during	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
trailer	O
for	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
was	O
present	O
as	O
an	O
extra	O
feature	O
in	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Armageddon	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
winner	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
True	O
to	O
Woo	O
"	O
contest	O
received	O
,	O
the	O
chance	O
to	O
meet	O
the	O
developers	O
at	O
Midway	O
Chicago	O
,	O
their	O
film	O
's	O
premiere	O
on	O
Spike	O
TV	O
,	O
an	O
Amp	O
'd	O
Mobile	O
phone	O
plan	O
,	O
a	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
poster	O
autographed	O
by	O
Woo	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
European	O
marketing	O
director	O
Martin	O
Spiess	O
,	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
cost	O
around	O
to	O
produce	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
Collector	O
's	O
Edition	O
includes	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
fully	O
remastered	O
in	O
high-definition	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
Blu-ray	O
with	O
all	O
the	O
additional	O
game	O
extras	O
and	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
Collector	O
's	O
Edition	O
includes	O
the	O
same	O
extras	O
and	O
featurettes	O
but	O
on	O
a	O
separate	O
disc	O
without	O
Hard	O
Boiled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
editions	O
were	O
both	O
packed	O
in	O
a	O
tin	O
case	O
with	O
a	O
holographic	O
cover	O
motif	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
Midway	O
released	O
a	O
downloadable	O
map	O
pack	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
video	O
game	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
also	O
included	O
10	O
new	O
achievements	O
worth	O
250	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
film	O
would	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
plot	O
of	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
initial	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
big-screen	O
version	O
of	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
no	O
further	O
news	O
on	O
its	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
on	O
all	O
platforms	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
stated	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
game	O
whose	O
movie	O
influences	O
are	O
more	O
than	O
skin	O
deep.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
where	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
ported	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Success	O
on	O
May	O
22	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
on	O
September	O
11	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Famitsu	O
gave	O
the	O
former	O
console	O
version	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
29	O
out	O
of	O
40	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eduardo	O
Zacarias	O
of	O
GameZone	O
gave	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
eight	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Sure	O
,	O
the	O
action	O
can	O
get	O
repetitive	O
in	O
places	O
and	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
moves	O
seen	O
here	O
have	O
been	O
done	O
before	O
many	O
times	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
cinematic	O
feel	O
is	O
pure	O
Woo	O
and	O
that	O
's	O
definitely	O
worth	O
a	O
look.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nick	O
Valentino	O
later	O
gave	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
8.2	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Like	O
a	O
true	O
action-packed	O
cinematic	O
spectacle	O
,	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
delivers	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
spectacular	O
moments	O
that	O
will	O
not	O
fail	O
to	O
dazzle	O
hardcore	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
genre.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
gave	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
four	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Stranglehold	B-Application
might	O
stumble	O
occasionally	O
under	O
its	O
own	O
ambitious	O
weight	O
,	O
and	O
might	O
not	O
quite	O
deliver	O
on	O
all	O
its	O
promises	O
and	O
potential	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
's	O
still	O
a	O
unique	O
and	O
absorbing	O
8-hour	O
tour	O
through	O
a	O
legendary	O
action	O
director	O
's	O
potent	O
unfilmable	O
dreams.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
gave	O
the	O
same	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
seven	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
chemistry	O
of	O
control	O
,	O
animation	O
,	O
AI	O
and	O
environmental	O
damage	O
systems	O
is	O
absolutely	O
spot	O
on	O
,	O
both	O
in	O
finding	O
Hard	O
Boileds	O
groove	O
and	O
providing	O
coherent	O
,	O
rhythmic	O
and	O
unpredictable	O
action.	O
"	O
</s>
