Total Overdose: A Gunslingers Tale in Mexico
The game’s plot is not unlike cheesy drug war related storylines of decades past. Ramiro Cruz is an all around bad guy who has been sprung from jail and enlisted by his twin brother (a DEA agent like their father) to do some under cover work. The tale of revenge and violence is cliché in every meaning of the word, and just about as mindless. Let’s face it though, you didn’t come here for the story, you came here for the gunplay. Well, mi amigo, you came to the right place.
Gameplay:
Hopefully your PS2 controller is in working order, well more to the point, your R1 button. That’s the trigger, that’s your life, and by the time you are done with Total Overdose your fingerprint will be forever etched into that handy little shoulder button. The action is constant, intense, and gratuitously violent, so if you’re dying to pop a cap in someone for no reason at all, then this is the game for you.
There are many elements that have been pulled together to make this game, so comparisons to others are unavoidable. My initial impression of the gunplay was that it was vaguely reminiscent of the Max Payne series with a lot of bullet time jump shooting, weapons to use, and fast shooting action. The combat is a little linear because you are basically dropped off in a location and told to kill everyone, but the flow of battle changes depending on the situation. For instance, as you kill one group of enemies, another will come through a door that was previously closed, or even arrive in a rusted out pickup truck.
The similarities to Max Payne aren’t what make the gun blazing enjoyable though. The game has an upbeat attitude thanks to the music and graphics, plus there is a fine variety of off the wall special moves you can perform once you collect their icon. In the thick of battle there’s nothing like turning into a rampaging bull, whipping out the Golden Gun, or even using dual guitar cases to become El Mariachi. All of this doesn’t mean the gameplay is fresh, it just means that the game is mindless fun.
There is a kill count that accumulates for a certain amount of time, so the more you slaughter, the better your score will be. With a better score on a mission you will gain some of those cool power moves, new abilities, or even some Rewind icons. The rewind feature is extremely similar to The Prince of Persia. There’s no rhyme or reason for this little bit to be included, but it certainly comes in handy if you make a mistake and find yourself on the losing side of a battle. Even if you die, you can still press down on the D-Pad and reverse time to a point that you might be able to get out of the scrape in one piece.
To add to the insanity, when you’re not in a mission you can freely explore the city and surrounding areas in a style not too unlike GTA. You have the ability to steal any car, though Cruz just pushes the driver over and swears (or insults) them, instead of ripping them out of the vehicle. Once you get rolling you can run over pedestrians, jump off of ramps or even leap out of the car and send it careening towards a target. I really got a kick out of opening the door and jumping out at the last second, and watching the car catapult into burrito stands and gasoline tankers.
Also while you are in the city you can just goof off, or use the radar to locate missions. Sometimes these will require you to drive into other parts of town, and while they are not all necessary, many of them do advance the plot. As the new gringo on the block you have to make yourself known to as many people as possible, so it’s important to take on as many as possible. Just like GTA though, it’s nice to know that you don’t have a time limit and can just drive around killing people all day if you wanted to.
Total Overdose is definitely all about style, and there is a lot of it. Leaping from a moving car then diving into bullet time while simultaneously pulling off headshots is extremely satisfying. The focus here is definitely on the gunplay, and while it can get a little repetitive after a while, it stays thrilling for a long time. To have a real blast I suggest you pick up the flaming skull icons if you find them since that initiates a Day of the Dead mode. The sky turns red and guys in skeleton suits come at you from all sides so you can see how many you can take down within the time limit. Hey, I never said the game was to be taken seriously.
The control could have been a little more responsive, and the target feature could have benefited from a little more fine tuning. Vehicles essentially all drive the same, with a few exceptions, so there’s really not a lot of variety or reward for snagging a slick looking ride. The game is a lot of fun though, with nonstop action and a great sense of humor, so if you’re looking for something to pass the time, this may be what you need.
Graphics:
Graphically, Total Overdose is more style over substance. The visual personality of the game matches the concept perfectly, with wild animations, flamboyant gunfights, and some particularly slick designs. The only problem is that there are some very simplistic textures, loads of clipping, and other occasional glitches. It’s not a downright beautiful game, but it’s not inherently ugly either. Once the action picks up though you really won’t care about the flaws, since everything about the game has a “go kill, have fun” attitude.
Audio:
The voice acting is overdone, the music is a totally mixed bag of Mexican crap rap and Mariachi tunes, and the sound effects don’t have much impact, but I got a kick out of it. There is something great about getting swore at in Spanish while you’re having a gunfight to a Mexican hat dance type song blaring in the background. Again, just like the graphics, the audio department is more style over quality, but oddly enough it works. Voiceovers become a tad repetitive though, but thankfully the dialogue is kept to a minimum.
Conclusion:
The gameplay borrows elements from other successful games, the graphics and sound are more style over substance, but I couldn’t help having a great time while playing this game. Sometimes you don’t need to play a game that is entirely original to have a good time, and sometimes you just want to blow stuff up. If you’re looking for a game that is full of mindless killing with a fun atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with Total Overdose: A Gunslinger’s Tale in Mexico. Recommended