Is anyone even playing Stranglehold online? I've seen it going cheap recently but the short single-player mode put me off, if there's a solid, online community, I might just pony up the cash.

Too bad its on the failbox

So people actually play the MP for this game? I mean I beat SP but I heard MP wasnt all that hot plus lag kinda screwed things so never tried it out myself.

I played the Stranglehold demo and it seemed boring and repetetive. If there are people who would pay another 25% for more of the same, more power to them, but I didn't even RENT this game - so yeah, $15 seems a bit steep.

Are the extra 250 GS all multiplayer?

@rjmajor323: What the hell? What was the point of that. He said it's coming to the PS3 soon. Trolls these days...

Halo 3 releases 3 maps for 800 points and people complain. This game gives you 10 maps for 1200 and people still complain.

@Witzbold: Hey Witz do we have to mail in ban requests or can we just ask you when we see you?

Nobody plays this game online. Seems like a waste of money.

@rjmajor323: Indeed, you're right, it's coming to the PS3.

Sounds like a decent amount of content but the price is just a bit steep. Been tempted to pick up the game in the sales.

@Dimipapa: Shows ya how much Bungie values thier fanbase with those prices staring you in the face now dont it - 10 maps for 1200 points is a great deal - Heroic Map Pack notsomuch

I enjoyed the demo, and play it quite a bit.

But major lol, I'm not getting the game till it's @ $20 or lower.

@Dimipapa: It's because we were raised in a generation where the Konami Code, not a credit card number, unlocked new content. It... it takes some getting used to.

Seems like a great value for the price w/ ten maps and some new characters and achievements.... but the question remains: Who's playing Stranglehold multiplayer?

@NotAZombie: Just for now send ban requests to

tips@kotaku.com

Subject: Ban Request

Then put in a link to the commentor in questions profile.

Where the most recient offences took place, which post.

A link to your own profile.

suggestion- make a good game before making massive dlc content to support it.

trust me, this plan actually works.

One thing that I was sad about the game was the fact the best level was the first level. The rest dont seem to take advantage of the scenery as much as the first level did. D:

Still a fun game to shut off the brain for a bit and play though.

Nothing beats bullet cam crotch shots!

@gameware: Yeah, the problem is that a few weeks after it came out literally a half dozen new, better games with online were out on both PSN and XBL. If this game had been pushed back to this month (like it should have been IMO) it might have a shot of getting more players, but we all know Midway was so broke they couldn't wait.

Its actually a nice game, I really hope it does well enough to get a quality sequel that fixes its more glaring gameplay weaknesses and moves from AA to AAA on the quality scale.

But yeah, I just spend $10 on Omega Five, so no rush unless I just start seeing everybody on my friends list playing it or something ;)

When this was initially announced I saw a comments here where people said that nobody plays this game online. If that is the case then why buy map packs?

comment delay is great. :)

For a new chapter or two, maybe. But it is rather difficult to spend 1,200 points on only MP contents for a game with no MP activities.

Wow. Someone hit this DLC with the price gun too hard! It costs more than the retail game.

@Dimipapa: Well, the difference is that Halo 3 is actually a good game.

According to XBox360Achievements.org, there's a Testikill achievement for precision-shooting a MP opponent in the crotch.

I'll pay good money for that achievement. (Wonder what Gabe and Tycho have to say about it.)

@LoopyChew:
Did they get the idea from Penny-Arcade comic from Sept. 2007? Just wondering. Here is the link:
[www.penny-arcade.com]

FIFTEEN DOLLARS!?!?!?!?! SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS!!

Oh noes. I don't have the game. Now i have to spend the points on Metal Slug 3 and Rez HD when it's out. Damn it all!

so much for gaming in the 90's with it's robust expansion/mega map packs for cheap. thank you microsoft with all your "initiatives" for truly leading the charge into the nickle and dime era. call me troll but it's people like queasy games or kenta cho and others who will inspire the ushering in of a gaming renaissance. one day the big steaming pile will wash away. "but piracy of games..." ahhh shut up

@ArcaneJMS:

The demo is not a good representation of the game. It's a really boring level compared to the inside levels, and there's very little destructible scenery. I personally think it's an incredible game, especially when played on Hard. Then again, I'm teh gay for CYF and John Woo movies. I still think it's an outstanding title. I bought one for a friend for Christmas.

For the Halo/Stranglehold comparisons (ironically Halo is what killed Stranglehold's multiplayer, they came out like a week apart) I don't think it's exactly fair. 800 points for 3 maps IS too much, IMO.

However, 1200 is still too much for 10 maps (with online only achievements) that are essentially single player levels with spawn points, for a game with an almost zero playerbase online.

It just seems that the pack, priced at 800 max, might've had a chance to revitalize the playerbase. At 1200, nobody's going to buy it, and the few that do will only make it hard for people to find games that don't. At least that's how I see it. It "fragments the playerbase" (that's for you, L). Those achievements are gonna be hard to get if you can't find anybody to play with.

I hope they rethink this but I doubt they will.

I enjoy how everyone blames MS for Midway charging so much. Since when does Sony or MS set the prices for any content released by EA? If you think that Microsoft is somehow secretly responsible for all these companies charging so much then you have bigger issues. Microsoft only supplies developers with the means and largest online gaming userbase for which to conduct their microtransactions. They are no more responsible for the millions of car accidents every year than Ford.

@Hiero Glyph:

I enjoy how everyone absolves M$ of any responsibility for the prices of DLC when they wouldn't allow Epic to give away Gears maps for free.

I thought the demo was 10x better than the full game. Or at least 10x better that the second level of the full game as I stopped after the rubbish chopper section and never came back. I'm amazed they have bothered to release quite so much new content for a game that NOBODY (on my FL at least) is playing.

I tried playing multiplayer with this when it came out, but it took me a good 45 minutes to get one match going.. then the other person dropped. It was a pain. Since then I've never played multi again with that title.

Stranglehold blows, which makes me sad because Hardboiled is one of my favorite HK action flicks.

@Billkwando: Unless I am mistaken they did release two maps for free for Gears of War. Oh, you mean the additional maps! Too bad that Epic signed a contract with MS that allows them to retain the exclusive rights for Gears of War. Without it, Epic could likely do anything they want. It's not like they were $10 forever, only for a limited period of time. $10 isn't much for me to support a game I have played for hundreds of hours.

@StupidDufus:

That's how SH MP usually is. Can hardly get a match going, then when you finally do, it's against a scrubby player. Trust me, you're not missing much if you never pick up the MP again.

Regarding the price, I'd like to know what Midway was smoking when they priced the map pack. You've got more people playing 4+yr old Counter Strike (Xbox) over this. And surely there are better bargains for your hard-earned 1200 points over Xbla.

People need to remember, this stuff is optional...

Yoicks. In Canada that's almost $19.00!!

@Hiero Glyph:

Ok, so even when it's Microsoft's fault, it's still not their fault? I mean, if it's only the greedy publishers causing all the problems... shouldn't M$, in all their benevolence, give it away for free? Of course not, because they're a greedy publisher too.

So since that example was explained away w/ semantics, how about this one?

[www.joystiq.com]

@Leathersoup: I thought in canada the current exchange rate was almost equal to the dollar?

If you made the mistake of buying Stranglehold in the first place (I'm afraid I did) and didn't find it to be utter tosh & flog it immediately, then there is every reason that you'd be daft enough to waste $15 more on this. I wouldn't suffer through a Stranglehold Deathmatch if you paid me.

On the subject of the pricing overall... Put it this way, if Infinity Ward put out 10 new maps for CoD4 for this price then I wouldn't think twice about buying them (with or without extra achievements).

Sounds similar to the Ace Combat dilemma I had recently where the game only cost me £35 English pounds yet to buy all the extra planes as DLC comes to an additional £26 to which is nothing short of daylight robbery and as such I have decided the they can shove it where the sun don't shine.

For the record, I do blame Midway for this pricing on this map pack, as they're practically panhndling for cash at this point.

I have to give them props for the best achievement I've yet seen: "Testikill", which involves getting killing someone with a precision-aim crotch shot in any online mode.

Obviously inspired by [www.penny-arcade.com]

@Billkwando: Microsoft paid Epic to make Gears of War. They also paid to have the title remain exclusive for the 360 and Vista. So Epic gladly pocketed the check. Let's estimate this check in the millions of dollars.

Now Epic cries about how Microsoft won't let them release additional content because they were A) paid by MS to make the game; and B) make money every time the game is sold. So Microsoft, who is trying to make money to pay for their expenses, is the bad person in this case as the content is A) hosted on their network; and B) their property.

I really do not see where Epic has any say in this case as they were paid for their work and still make royalties on top of that. So sure they want to release the game content for free, it costs them nothing! Microsoft has to host the content and support it.

If Epic really wanted the content to be free they would have paid Microsoft a portion of their profit in order to host the maps and make them free for everyone. I guess it was not that important to Epic after all.

@Witzbold: Microsoft hasn't gotten the memo that for the last, I dunno, about 4 months or so the CAD has been at parity or at times has been worth up to 10% more than the USD and continues to charge way more for points in Canada than it does in the States.

Which is, you know, bullshit!.

You can see a chart with MS point prices per region at [en.wikipedia.org]

@Witzbold: That's true but I'm pretty sure the exchange rate of MS Points - Canadian Dollar hasn't moved much...

@Hiero Glyph:

Way to harp on the foregone conclusion and ignore the link.

@seiryuu:

Good Lord... I always knew that we in the UK were being shafted, but a 40% mark-up??? Not only that, but the RRP of our games is basically $100. It always makes me laugh when Americans complain about paying $60 for a new game. I consider myself fortunate if I find a brand new title at that price on eBay.

As an aside, our 'gas' is now $9.45 a gallon!! When I lived in the US (Pittsburgh), I remember the furore when petrol went over the $2 mark. It was $1.60 when I got there, $2.25 when I left. And don't get me started on the price of the consoles themselves.

No offense (and I mean that), but I don't think Americans have any idea just how good they have it.

@Billkwando: The link did not add anything to do with Epic or the topic of Midway's current price for new content. In all cases, including the one mentioned in your article the point is that the company providing the content does not have the means to distribute the content without Microsoft's help. This is the issue that is causing you grief and as such, MS has every right to charge for access to their own network (both as a user and for hosting content).

I do not agree with the process entirely and feel that if companies such as Epic wish to create direct links for content that MS should allow some type of access either on their network or via a portal of some type. This problem will continue as additional Portal, UT3, TF2, etc maps are released and unable to be played due to Xbox Live not allowing for unregulated content.

The issue remains that as long as this content is on the MS servers, they have a right to maintain them and keep third-party content restricted until it can be properly tested and distributed. Hopefully soon there will be an Epic server on Xbox Live where they can distribute their own content free of charge. Of course they will have to maintain their server and pay for all expenses on their own.

@seiryuu: O wts. D: are you serious? D: