Stranglehold is an average, but enjoyable shooter. Fun environment interaction, cool mechanics for shooting dudes, Chow Yun Fat with a horrific English accent. The only downside is that the default field of view is so narrow that it made me motionsick by the end of the second level, to the point where I couldn't play any longer. The camera gets so up close and personal that it almost feels like a first person shooter. Be wary of that if you do buy it.
Pro Pinball is a series of pinball simulations, and this game is the 3rd. Big Race USA has you bouncing and whacking that ball into every little nook and cranny to travel across the country and take place in the biggest race in the world. Big Race starts off on a high note - it looks fabulous, even for it's age. It's not widescreen, but the pre-rendered table and obstacles lend a great resolution to the game. Much better than a non-pre-rendered 3D table. The sounds are fabulous as well, with plenty of "voiceovers" and special effects, not one corner of the game is left untapped and unsounded. The game packs in a lot, a LOT of content. There's so many different "events", like Open the Trunk, the Speedway challenges, the Off Road challenges, the Video mode, delivering passengers, the unique city challenges, and the overarching goal to reach the Big Race (and finish first). The game has a "money" system where you can buy supplies like car upgrades and even a few extra balls from the game's shop - you can spend as much of the game trying to become a millionaire and upgrade the game as playing the challenges. Realism is definitely incredibly high by comparison to other pinball games I've played - the ball moves very realistically, gliding from bumper to target to bumper with a heavenly mist. Tilting and launching works the way you expect it to as well; it really does feel like an actual pinball table. Bonus points for a great looking "dot matrix" display, with high-quality animations and even a bonus minigame played exclusively in that display. The game's longetivity is definitely worth the money - the classic "my score is bigger than yours" always hangs overhead, but the giant map of the U.S. with different locations to visit, with randomized goals for each location, along with the several different routes you can take to the Big Race definitely adds to the replay value. The top-of-the-line feature that puts Big Race and all the other Pro Pinball games ahead of the curve, even today, is the extensive amount of options that are available for change, everything from the amount of balls you get all the way up to how particular lights flash. This opens up the pinball simulation genre to beginners and experts alike, and this is a game over 10 years old! To sum up, Pro Pinball: Big Race USA is one of the best pinball games to ever grace a PC, with it's astounding bore-the-test-of-time graphics, it's amazing amount of content and customizability, and it's pledge to realism make it a game to recommend to anybody who knows how a pinball machine works. And for $5.99, it's a steal.
