Acclaimed action director John Woo presents Stranglehold, a stunning 3rd-person action adventure videogame and "spiritual sequel" to Woo's action masterpiece "Hard Boiled."

Stranglehold redefines the action gaming experience with its acrobatic gunplay, thrilling cinematography, frenetic combat and incredible Massive Destructibility (Massive D).

Chow Yun-Fat reprises his signature role as Inspector Tequila, pitting gamers as a take no-prisoners cop waging a personal war with Hong Kong crime lords.

Tequila's loyalties to the force are tested when his ex-wife is kidnapped by the Russian mob in Chicago. Tequila struggles to balance his duty to uphold the law with doing what it takes to save his family. [Midway]

Massive D, eh? Turning pristine environments into battle-scarred war zones… sure sounds like a whole lot of fun to GamerSquad. Let’s see how the critics appraised Midway’s latest offering.

Check below for a cross section of review feedback and some seriously Massive D gameplay clips…

81% - IGN - "This is the true sequel to "Hard Boiled," which means Stranglehold is more about style than substance. So, not surprisingly, the story is melodramatic and forgettable and the adrenaline-pumping action is the star of the show."

80% - GamePro - "Stranglehold might stumble occasionally under its own ambitious weight, and might not quite deliver on all its promises and potential, but it's still a unique and absorbing 8-hour tour through a legendary action director's potent unfilmable dreams."

73% - Game Informer - "Stranglehold is not a disaster. If you desire nothing more than to kill criminals on a massive scale, turn nightclubs into a war zone, and look cool doing it – this is your game."

70% - GameSpot - "It's a short ride, but an amusing one while it lasts."

70% - Yahoo! Games - "Would Hard-Boiled be as good if it were stretched out into a eight-hour movie rather than a hundred minutes? Stranglehold is best played in similarly short bursts. Although it's a creditable adaptation of John Woo's cinematic style, [sic] it's a shallow experience among its video game peers."

Verdict: Lend