The demo let's gamers play through the first level of Stranglehold, but adds a few extra touches (golden pistols, being one of them). As Inspector Tequila, you enter a Hong Kong marketplace in search of some men who abducted a fellow officer. Over the course of the ten-minute demo, we learn that Tequila does most of his talking with his guns.
The demo is incredibly fun, as it lacks the difficulty of the later levels. With a relatively easy course to follow, players are free to test out what aspects of the environment are interactive. Get close to a fountain in the first arena, pull the Left Trigger, and Tequila slides along the rim poppin' random foes attempting to circle him. Run down a set of stairs later on and you can leap off, onto a rolling cart where you can slide along a courtyard dealing death. Interactive objects usually glow, but occasionally you'll find some interactivity that isn't so obvious. If Tequila is running towards a wall or closed door, hit the trigger and he plants his feet and pushes himself off. As Tequila leaps backwards in an acrobatic arc, you can lay down some serious heat on your foes.
The demo also gives a taste of two Standoff moments. In these mini-games, Tequila must dodge incoming bullets while in slow motion, and target a group of enemies that have him surrounded. It's fairly easy in the demo, but we promise, in later sections of the full game, your skills will be tested.
Through the course of the demo, you'll unlock two of the Inspector's "Tequila Bomb" powers: Heal and Trueshot. Heal is vital, as it acts like a health pack, giving you juice when you're on death's door. Trueshot gives you a long-range pinpoint shot at an enemy. The results are always bloody. Shoot through a hand to disarm an enemy, explode someone's cranium, or tear through their throat. The throat shot is particularly gruesome, as the victim grabs at the spurting wound while futilely attempting to choke out a final word.
Beat the demo once and you unlock Hard mode and the Barrage power. When you use Barrage, you get rapid-fire shots with whatever weapon is in hand. Beat the demo again (even on Normal) to unlock Hard-Boiled difficulty and the final power, which we've affectionately dubbed "When Doves Cry." This final power is a smart bomb that has Tequila spinning around as doves fly about. Every shot is a kill shot. Everyone on screen is dead by the time you regain control of Tequila.
There is still one nagging concern for Stranglehold following the demo. The camera continues to be an issue. It moves too slowly, often lagging behind a player's actions. With no autolock functionality, it's up to you to swing the camera. It just needs to move a bit quicker. Demos are usually a few weeks (and even months) behind the final code, so it's possible that the retail build of Stranglehold will fix its most glaring flaw. Let's cross our fingers, because with a fixed camera, this may just be the coolest action flick you've ever played.
The demo ends with a cut-scene that leads into the second level. In the full game, you'll be thrust into an awesome bar fight against an bazooka-toting boss. But that will have to wait a few more weeks until Stranglehold ships. For now, you'll just have to enjoy the demo and the nearly three-minute long sizzle clip that plays at the end.