The biggest ace up Tequila’s sleeve is Tequila Time (yes, Max Payne fans, it’s just like Bullet Time). As you kill enemies the game will rate the creativity with which you dispatch them and reward you by filling your Tequila Time meter. This power can then be used to slow down time although you’ll still be able to aim and fire your weapons in real-time. It’s a great way to take out several enemies at once before they can even react to your presence. Tequila Time is automatically engaged when you dive while your aiming reticule is near an enemy or you can press a button to turn it on at any time. Your Tequila Time meter is also used to power your special abilities which include the useful talent of self-healing. Another lets you aim your weapon as if it had a sniper scope and another makes you invulnerable for a short period of time.

The last special attack is really a type of mini game that is triggered automatically at various points in the game. When you find yourself in a Mexican standoff, time once again slows down and you are automatically turned to face each enemy in turn. You’ll have control over your aim, but you can also dodge enemy bullets as they come at you much like in The Matrix. The Mexican standoffs are more there for visual appeal than anything else, and the first couple of times it will seem cool but it will begin to grow stale after that.

With all that Tequila has going for him you can imagine that he is a pretty effective killing machine despite the number of enemies he has to face. When you first start playing the game you’ll love the feeling that you’re in a John Woo movie. The action has a great visual appeal to it although it does require a healthy suspension of disbelief – especially when it comes to the bosses who take literally hundreds of bullets to take down. Before too long though the luster will begin to wear off when you begin to notice that there are only a small number of types of interactive objects in the game and you’ll see them over and over again. It doesn’t help matters much that the enemy AI is pretty simple and although they have a numbers advantage they insist on wasting it by running out into the open all of the time. Add in a frustrating game camera and you’ve got a recipe for tedium. Stranglehold is a short game, but at the same time the repetitive nature of the action makes the levels feel long. Even slow-mo kills and highly destructible environments can get a little boring when each skirmish feels pretty much exactly like the last.

If you’re interested in checking out a game that plays differently from most of the action shooters out there, then Stranglehold is worth a look. However, don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting a bit tired of the whole thing before you reach the end despite the game’s short length.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 74%. It will put a stranglehold on you for a little while, but it’s really a sleeper hold.

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