Stranglehold Xbox 360 TV ad banned for violence

Chow Yun-Fat in StrangleholdThe Advertising Standards Authority pulled a television ad for a video game. This time it was Stranglehold, the John Woo action shooter.

A mother of a 3-year-old boy (statistically a future overweight, video game addicted pre-teen) was shocked that the 30 second ad glorified violence and gun-crime. I guess gun-crime is what the parents are calling it these days. She and one other person complained to the ASA and they pulled the ad.

This is a violent game with non-stop shooting and simulated killing through elaborate gunfights. It's not a game that should be marketed to kids.

The ad itself is a little over-the-top, especially for the milksops people are trying to raise these days. Sesame Street is now deemed too politically incorrect and doesn't model proper behavior for kids. Early episodes of the legendary PBS kid's show on DVD come with a parental warning label.

Stranglehold failed to gain a stranglehold

I have to admit to only having played through the demo of this game. I loved the concept, the official sequel to John Woo's Hard Boiled being turned into a game staring the voice (and CGI likeness) of none other than Chow Yun-Fat himself. As a video gaming fan of 90s Hong Kong cinema I couldn't resist downloading the demo from Xbox Live and giving it a try.

But there are just too many games, movies and other vices and just too little time. I'm afraid the demo is all I can afford to spend in Hong Kong with Fat. Apparently there are at least a couple of people out there who couldn't even afford to spend 30 seconds.

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