The plot details are still a little sparse, but we know that Stranglehold will open up a new chapter for Inspector Tequila, the hardened cop from John Woo's action film classic. Somehow, there's a murdered cop in Hong Kong and a pair of women abducted in Chicago, and Tequila's out to rescue them and give some criminals a game of bullet dodgeball. In our past coverage, we've described everything from the gunplay and action to the 360¿ Spin Attack, complete with flying doves. The previous demo level showed off a Chinese restaurant similar to the one in the notorious shoot-out at the beginning of Hard Boiled. The new demo takes place in Chicago's Museum of Natural History.
In speaking with Executive Producer Brian Eddy about the game, we discovered that the game is nearing the halfway point, with most of the framework in regard to physics completed. Levels are still being designed, and the team is still working very closely with John Woo to ensure that the game stays true to the spirit of the films. Considering that now-classic shooters such as Max Payne borrowed so much from Woo's movies, it's appropriate that the Stranglehold team is working hard to top that experience with something from the man himself.
Yesterday's big announcement involved new special abilities that had been under wraps, now re-dubbed as Tequila Bombs. Besides Tequila's Spin Attack, two new abilities, both mapped to the D-pad, were introduced. Barrage, mapped to the right button, will allow Tequila to unload burst-fire attacks on enemies, so shotgun fire will nail four guys at once instead of one.
The ability that seemed to be the most popular with every person at each demo, however, was Precision Aim. By hitting up on the D-pad, Tequila goes into slow motion and fires a one-shot kill. A "bullet cam" follows the projectile all the way into its intended target. If it hits an enemy, a pre-rendered animation will start. We saw a few of them at work, including bullets hitting throats, cheeks, eyes, vital organs, and family jewels. While certain shots, such as a bullet aimed between the eyes, inaccurately started animations with throat grasps, we've been assured that there will be over 40 different quick cuts for different areas of the body.
Players will earn the resources to use Tequila Bombs by performing stylish attacks. If Tequila takes out four guys while diving onto a service cart, or he slides across a table and shoots, the HUD indicator in the lower left corner will indicate when he has earned enough style points to perform a Tequila Bomb, or use them to heal when there are no health packs around. Spin Attack is vintage Woo shootout, with Tequila firing off his gun in all directions at any armed sap unlucky enough to be in the way. It's vintage Woo down to the trademark doves flying around.
