The other big announcement with the game regarded the physics system. With a modified Unreal 3/Havok hybrid and Midway's proprietary Massive D engine, the Stranglehold team has been laboring to create both realistic physics for movement and shooting, but also for the destructibility and interactivity of the environment.
The modified Unreal 3/Havok tweaks will allow not only amazing visual capabilities, but also for the same "never the same stage twice" approach that gamers saw in Psi-Ops, in which obstacles and puzzles could be solved in different ways. Apparently, Stranglehold will also include some environmental puzzles that will utilize different means of solution, although our non-stop action demo didn't exactly show off any of these concepts in action.
With Massive D, the majority of the environment can be chipped away with a barrage of bullets and explosives. It's in-depth enough that even the BlackSite: Area 51 team is using it in their game. Tequila can hide behind quite a few things, a la Gears of War, but even thick pillars will become progressively broken down. He can also use the environment much more in regard to taking out multiple enemies. It's a bit more in-depth than what we've seen with other games on the new game systems, and we're looking forward to seeing more of it in action within Stranglehold.
Our biggest concern at this point is with pacing and the threat of redundancy. While Stranglehold is a rip-roaring, blood, guts, and bullets game, we felt a bit overwhelmed by the end of the demo. The perpetual onslaught on every corner got to be a bit much after fifteen minutes. Of course, on the other hand, the biggest complaints about these types of shoot 'em ups are that they end just as quickly as they start. We asked Eddy about the concerns regarding pacing, and he said that the team is working to construct puzzles and interactivity that will involve shooting, but will give players a breather from smoking everything that moves. Hopefully, we'll get to see it in action soon, as the demo levels have displayed what the game is capable of being, but are very over the top.
While they weren't able to talk about certain things, we managed to find out a little bit more about differences in the PC version. No one has said anything as to whether or not there will be platform-specific content, but we found out that the PC version will offer Windows Live achievements as well as DX 10 support. Eddy also said that while Stranglehold PC will allow for the Xbox 360 controller to be used for gameplay, they're going to optimize the PC version as much as possible to make it keyboard and mouse friendly. After all, Max Payne did start out as a PC title before console owners fell in love with it. Also, all versions have been confirmed for simultaneous release.
John Woo's Stranglehold was the highlight of Midway's Las Vegas media event, and it's not hard to see why. While titles such as Unreal Tournament III and Turbine's The Lord of the Rings MMO took some prominence, the combination of relentless action, Hollywood production values, and accessible gameplay makes this one a massive blockbuster in waiting. Visually, the game uncannily recreates a Chow Yun-Fat action movie that never was while managing to maintain the same intense, twitchy gameplay that has defined the sorts of games that were inspired by John Woo films. While we're still a little worried that the "in your face" shootouts could run out of gas too early, we've also been assured that the final product will have better pacing, which we're waiting to see. Stranglehold has seen a few delays, but suffice it to say, after trying out a new build yesterday, we're willing to wait longer for it to seriously deliver on its potential.
