Thanks to the game spearheaded by John Woo, Midway Games moved up the ranks to take 35% of Europe's market share after Stranglehold (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC) reached target sales numbers earlier than expected. Stranglehold remains on the top ten of UK's best selling Xbox 360 titles, and gives Midway a bright future for 2008. "Our goal was to get to 35 per cent in 2008. We've gotten there this year," said Midway CEO David Zucker after crediting Stranglehold as one of the major factors.

More details and Tequila at the full article!

For those of us who unfortunately could not get into the Crysis elusive beta registration, here's a little something to remind ourselves just what we're going to miss: three gameplay videos of Crytek's glorious-looking FPS in multiplayer action. That's right - it's the part of the game where we'll be able to face off against people from all over the world, in an epic gun battle that not only looks ridiculously awesome, but silky-smooth as well.

We won't spoil you as to what you'll be able to see in these videos - they really need to be seen to be believed - but suffice to say, if there ever was a game to match up against the current FPS giants in this generation, Crysis is it. And a little hint for the more eagle-eyed of us - look for water effects, as well as a brief moment that would certainly make even John Woo go 'wow'.

Enough talk from us! Enjoy the videos!

The other videos after the jump!

Chart Track UK has announced the games topping their all-format charts ending for the week ending September 29. Much like the warm welcome it enjoyed in North America, Bungie Studios' Halo 3 finds an equally receptive gaming audience in the UK as it takes the top post.

Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3, PC, Xbox 360) - which topped the charts in our last report -  appears to have parachuted all the way down to 12. FIFA 08 (PS3, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360) currently holds the second place, followed by MySims, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, and Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights.     

1. Halo 3 (Microsoft)
2. FIFA 08 (Electronic Arts)
3. MYSims (Electronic Arts)
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Electronic Arts)
5. Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (THQ)
6. Sega Rally (Sega)
7. Super Paper Mario (Nintendo)
8. Transformer: The Game (Activision)
9. SKATE (Electronic Arts)
10. Stuntman: Ignition (THQ)
11. Forza Motorsport 2 (Microsoft)
12. Medal of Honor: Airborne (Electronic Arts)
13. Quake Wars: Enemy Territory (Activision)
14. John Woo Presents Stranglehold (Midway)
15. New Super Mario Brothers (Nintendo)
16. Resistance: Fall of Man (Sony Computer Entertainment)
17. Colin McRae: DiRT (Codemasters)
18. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (Electronic Arts)
19. BioShock (Take Two)
20. MotorStorm (Sony Computer Entertainment)

Those of you without a new generation console sitting at home but still have a hankering to play John Woo's action-packed video game Stranglehold will need a pretty "l33t" system to run the actual game on your PC. If truth be told though, the minimum specs required to play the game aren't really that heavy, but your hard disk will definitely be hurting during the installation process since it'll need a whopping 50GB of free space.

If you plan on installing the game to an alternate drive or partition, make sure that your primary drive has at least 20GB free to install it without a hitch. After the installation is done however, you can safely chuck aside all the setup files and just sit back and play the game in all of its Hong Kong action-styled glory.

The things hardcore fans do for the sake of bullets, blood and a host of doves in between. We've listed the minimum and recommended system requirements to run John Woo's Stranglehold asides from the staggering hard disk overhead needed. Check it out and make sure you're ready to take on the Chinese Triad in this adrenalin pumping shooter.

Minimum system requirements to play the game:

• Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista
• Intel Pentium 4 1.5GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500
• 256 MB RAM
• DirectX 9.0b compatible graphics card with 64 MB VRAM (see below for complete list)
• DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card
• DirectX 9.0c (included)
• Broadband Internet connection required for online play

Recommended system requirements to play the game:

• Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista
• Dual Core Processor
• 2.0 GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or higher, ATI X1300 or higher
• DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
• DirectX 9.0c (included)
• Broadband Internet connection required for online play

Want a quick behind the scenes look at the upcoming Midway Games video game, Stranglehold? We've got a video featuring John Woo and Chow Yun Fat as they lend their voices (and faces) to characters in the game plus a release trailer for the video game.

The devs talk about how it was working with the director and the actor (some of them actually look a bit starstruck). The video also covers the unlockables that are available in the game. The second video for today is actually the release promotion video for Stranglehold for the Xbox 360 - the release of which actually happens in a couple of days.

Anyway, Stranglehold is bound to reach you and your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC eventually, so be patient. In the meantime, check out the videos.



The Xbox 360 release trailer comes after the jump!

Buy: [Stranglehold (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (PS3)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (Windows XP)]

  

Hot off the big BioShock launch last week, more great games are coming to stores this week. Particularly eye-catching is that wham-banger Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. There's also a new Naruto game coming out on the PSP, and Stranglehold will smash in to the PC and Xbox 360 scenes.

Fighting games, racing titles and sports sims, as well as casual puzzle games are also in the mix. There's something for everyone, so dig in:

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The latest sequel to one of the most decorated game franchises of all time is due out tomorrow exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Samus is back and this time, the Wii Nunchuk is her toy of choice. Old moves and new weapons converge to create a new mind-blowing experience for the genre.

• Wii- August 27, 2007
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Nintendo

Blue Dragon. The Xbox 360 is getting one of the year's most anticipated RPG offerings. Behind this title are luminaries Hironobu Sakaguchi for the game's design, Akira Toriyama for the character design and Nobuo Uematsu for the musical score. Play as a boy named Shu who sets out on an epic journey with friends that will enchant you for hours on end.

• Xbox 360- August 28
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Microsoft

More hot titles for all the platforms after the jump!

*Originally posted at 7:17AM on August 26, 2007

One can't help but ask why are there doves in just about every John Woo film ever made. There may never be an answer to that question, but you'll definitely see that and much more in this four-part Stranglehold video exclusive by Game Head.

Seeing one of the biggest action stars in Hong Kong cinema, as well as the action director-god of film working together again after 10 years just sends chills down any action movie buff's spine. The video gets into the nitty gritty details of the game and how it stands out compared to other modern shooters today. It even has an interview with Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat) himself, who seems to have enjoyed his experience in helping bring life into the game.

We don't want to give too much away, but anyone who's into John Woo or Chow Yun-Fat will definitely enjoy these videos. Tiger Hill Entertainment and Midway Games' Stranglehold is definitely on any Woo fan's shopping list when it comes out this September for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC. Our only other wish for this bloodfest of a game is that it'll someday come out in the big screen as well - definitely a dream come true.

Check out the entire video right after the jump!

Stranglehold loses its kung fu grip on its initial release date on August 27 for the Xbox 360 and the PC. It will instead be released a little less than two weeks later on September 5. If you're still aching to shoot your guns though, the demo is still up and available on Xbox Live Marketplace. 

John Woo's third person shooter starring Asian action star Chow Yun Fat still has a stranglehold on its PlayStation 3 release date on September 17.

Once Stranglehold does hit the marketplace, you should keep an eye out for John Woo himself because he makes some cameo appearances in the game as a bartender and a shop owner. You'll also get to play him in multiplayer mode.

Buy: [Stranglehold (PS3)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (PC)]

Doves flying, guns blazing, and rushing headlong into the fray with bullets zipping by is definitely Inspector Tequila's style. We've got new Stranglehold eye candy for you that show just how cool Tequila is: screenshots from the Leipzig Games Convention 2007 (GC), art, and pack shots for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Collector's Editions.

Midway Games' Stranglehold (PC, Xbox 360, and PS3) certainly shows just how John Woo puts the action in action movies. In this upcoming third person shooter, Chow Yun Fat reprises his role as Inspector Tequila who gets thrust into bloody trouble once again. In the screenshots, we see gun battles in what looks like a museum, city slums, and a wet and grimy back alley. The art on the other hand showcase the good inspector with his ever-present double Berettas.

Anyway, check out the screenshots. Stranglehold may be here sooner than you think.

Stranglehold art and pack shots right after the jump!

Buy: [Stranglehold (PS3)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (PC)]

They say breaking things can actually relieve people of stress or anger, but some people simply don't get the chance to shoot their expensive HDTV with a shotgun. Fortunately, the guys behind Stranglehold (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) knew about the desire to destroy everything around, so they included Massive D to the game.

John Woo's name can't be avoided when talking about this blockbuster title, but that's a very good thing. The devs obviously did their homework just to put the feel of John Woo's films in the game, and most of us have seen it in action or even played it. It's no secret now that every single step Inspector Tequila takes is a step toward some gun-slinging madness.

In this video, the folks from Midway tell us just what's hot with Stranglehold and Massive D.

Buy: [Stranglehold (PS3)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (Xbox 360)]

Buy: [Stranglehold (PC)]