Despite receiving only two complaints, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered that a television advert for Midway's Strangehold is not to be broadcast again in its current form due to it "encouraging and condoning violence".
According to the ASA, the television advert showed "a prolonged shoot-out between four men" with a voiceover stating that "Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option. John Woo presents Stranglehold. The next generation of action gaming has arrived". On screen text indicated that the images were "not actual game footage," and prominently displayed an "18" age rating logo at the end of the sequence.
One viewer of the advert complained that the adverts glorified violence and gun crime, saying it was "a dangerous incitement to susceptible people". The second complaint was made by a parent whose three-year-old son had seen the advert and thought it unacceptable for transmission before the 9pm watershed.
A blood-soaked love letter to 1990s Hong Kong action cinema, GYNHO this week takes a look at John Woo's Stranglehold, and goes through the reasons why the game would ultimately fail to be a major draw.
Probably one of the best action shooters out there, it was crazy good in terms of how much crazy action you can do, slowmo dive, ride on carts, hang off chandelier, shoot things to make it fall on people, run on rails
And so much destructible things!
I have this game on the PS3 collector's edition including the movie. Big fan of John Woo's gun fu and Chow Yun Fat. Too bad the PS3 version didn't have trophy support. Was hoping for a sequel, but they cancelled it and Midway went defunct.
I have the same. I remember the release of it getting delayed a few times in the early days of the PS3. It was the first game I was really hyped for. I wouldn't mind revisiting it, havING not played it since release.
I heard of this game and played the hell out of it. Should use a better headline.
Headline is not to be taken literally. The point of the series is to highlight lesser known games in general, or non-franchise games.
The better choice would be "Games you may have never heard of". The games may be lesser known but they are still known.
I remember downloading the demo thinking it would suck but man oh man was i wrong! Bought the game about a week later (had trouble finding it in stores).
There is so much of a story that could be told in a movie that audiences never get the complete tale. Sometimes the creative minds uses video games as a way to continue the story that started in a the movies. This list looks at five games that succeeded in continuing a story that started in a movie.
Not all movie games are bad and some do a great job of continuing an iconic story. In a rare example, The Thing video game did a better job of adding to an iconic work of horror than the crappy prequel that no one wanted.
Problem with Scarface was the game missed the point of the movie. Rather than being a tragedy of man looking for the American Dream, the game felt more like a Vice City knock-off.
I actually enjoyed the first Amazing Spider-man game more than I thought I would.
I know it's not a continuation, but the Bourne game on consoles wasn't that bad. The thing is though, Matt Damon didn't want his model to be used in the game.
Ian Fisher writes: What gamers may not know is that Sleeping Dogs isn’t actually the first game to take us to Hong Kong and show us how brutal gangsters on the other side of the pacific can be. Many years ago the video game industry received a game which not only sought to achieve the same Hong Kong action film vibe but actually had the godfather if not a key legendary figure from that industry lend his services. I’m of course talking about Midway’s ill-fated and slightly entertaining action romp Stranglehold.
Stranglehold was awesome. I have the special edition and I still play it from time to time. John Woo ftw.
Where did you bought it? I download the game yesterday here http://mostaddictinggame.ne... I filled a survey something takes a few minutes but the link is real so its worth the time.
If I like it I'm surely buy this from the developer to support them.
Same here, but I had to go out of my way to import the Special Edition :D Well worth it though :)
"What gamers may not know is that Sleeping Dogs isn’t actually the first game to take us to Hong Kong and show us how brutal gangsters on the other side of the pacific can be."
What a horrible, horrible lead-in to an article. Stranglehold came out less than 5 years before Sleeping Dogs, and it's nowhere near close to the first game to try and do HK.
Is this an indication of a goldfish-like attention span, or a more of an earmark of a young gamer who doesn't think that video game history exists prior to the Xbox?
Very Piss poor article..... I really did enjoy Stranglehold though, got the collector edition as well for the Hardboiled movie, online was pretty cool too, wished more people played still. Actually wish that with alot of games...
John woo should make more videogames... I know someone will be inclined to say he didn't actually make stranglehold so please don't take my statement literally...you know what i meant.
Stranglehold had awful level design for the most part and its a very fun game in some parts but it was just about shooting stuff it lacked variety.
Sleeping Dogs feels like a true hong kong action movie with kung-fu, foot chases, car chases and slow-mo shooting.
Rise to Honor for the PS2 should come to the PS Store i miss that game as well.
the games the one that should be banned.
People who complain about violent games and adverts should be banned from breathing.
2 complaints? How pathetic is that?!
If the ad showed the exact same footage, but it was actually a film instead then there would be no problem. Its only banned because its a video game.
If voilent footage of a game is been adverise in tv.. then voilent movies should too...