Total Overdose – A Gunsliger’s Tale in Mexico Review (no fat)

by Sci Games / Eidos Interactive Platform: PS2 Genre: TPS	ESRB Rating: Mature Release: 2005-09-27	Total Overdose – A Gunsliger’s Tale in Mexico Features: Rich Storyline Free Style Combat and Stunt System Cutting Edge Sound Track Real time rewind system for perfect killer combos Plenty of violence
	Egamer's Rating: 6 / 10. Reviewed on: 2006-02-26

Game Description

Total Overdose – A Gunsliger’s Tale in Mexico opens with Ernesto Cruz dashing through the jungles of Mexico aboard a DEA plane. He intends to head home but fate has other things in store for him.

Later Ernesto’s twin sons, Ramiro and Tommy go hunting for their father’s killer. The story line plots like any B-class movies in the jungles of Mexico. Total Overdose is fully loaded with bullets and blood fighting the infamous underworld thugs and drug lords of Mexico.

Total Overdose – A Gunsliger’s Tale in Mexico gives a terrific cinematic feel with its graphics and scenes. It not only has excellent control handling and sound but also surprisingly strong acting. However, the story line a little flat and mostly derived from usual Mexican drug lord’s stories, with revenge as a motive behind every chicken killed.

Total Overdose Gameplay

Total Overdose is a stylish combo that moves with the Mexican theme to produce action packed pure entertainment. It is a high octane combination of frantic gunplay and explosives. Although the storyline unabashedly ‘borrows’ from a zillion drug lord movies, the overall experience is amusing and crazy acrobatics make it irresistible fun.

Joined by his brother, Ram Cruz, the hero, brings down the drug cartel of Mexico to their knees and avenges his father’s death (oh wow…that’s original!). The journey expands into eighteen different environments throughout the twenty main missions. The player controls are excellent and responsive, even more so than GTA.

An interesting feature is the ‘rewind’ ability. If you make a mistake you have the option to go back in time to correct it (not what a movie title would promote, but how do you suppose the hero gets everything right all the time?) It sounds a bit funny but just like Jackie Chen, if you mess up in a take, you can ‘rewind’ and get that kick just right in the second take.

Total Overdose The Technicalities

The game carries gratuitous matrix-style moves but the rest is pretty much common. The graphics are okay but nothing spectacular. You won’t be in danger of being blown away at all. With a range of weapons and vehicles, Total Overdose shows off the mixed bag of uzis and clubs. Even the ever-popular ‘car and fuel tanker’ crashes make their way onto the gaming scene…no movie gimmick to be missed.

The audio quality of the game is also superb which counts even the voices of the characters and the music score. This music score definitely gives a boost to the game.

Total Overdose Summing Up

Total Overdose: A Gunslinger’s tale in Mexico is a good entertainer that can keep you engrossed for hours. Although it has a repetitive structure and bland storyline which creates a shallow experience, nevertheless the combat styles and many side missions keep you entertained.

The game’s audio, variety of weapons and moves keeps you interested for a while but the lack of storyline ultimately takes its toll. The repetitiveness of the game kills the buzz that you’ll originally have when you read the title.

Nevertheless eighteen different environments, from the seedy red light district of Los Toros, to the depths of the Mexican desert are definitely worth praise. The free style combat and the stunt system take down the enemy and give a good enthusiasm for the game to go on.

Total Overdose is a blend of too much of blood with plenty of bullets. Although the game keeps the player intrigued but a good storyline would have made the total impact much stronger.

The flashy title, Total Overdose – A Gunsliger’s Tale in Mexico, promises a lot but actually fails to deliver its worth. All the blood and gore can be worth a rental for shooter fan but nothing more.

Total Overdose Cost

Total Overdose currently retails at $34.99.