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If you’re looking for a PlayStation game that could now be considered vintage and offers adventure third-person shooter action, it might be time to don your best sombrero and head to Mexico in the open-world classic Total Overdose: A Gunslinger’s Tale in Mexico.
Some gaming critics have very accurately described Total Overdose as a blend of the best bits of Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto, with a little hint of Once Upon a Time in Mexico to provide the typically Mexican colour and flavour. Developed by Deadline Games and Square Enix, Total Overdose was released in September 2005. The game is set in the late 1980s heat in the thick of the Mexican jungle. Throughout the storyline, players will get to control three of the game’s characters, namely Ramiro, Tommy and Ernesto. The latter two are only controllable in the opening two missions, with Ramiro becoming the main protagonist as the story evolves.
There’s no two ways about it, Total Overdose is an all-out gun-fest. If you’re looking for a no-frills shoot-em-up action game, then this certainly ticks all the right boxes, with the ability to use everything from handguns and rifles to shotguns and devastating rocket launchers. The game’s combat and gunplay elements are certainly what draws comparisons with Max Payne. In control of Ramiro, you can pull off some pretty sweet slow-motion moves to pop a bunch of caps in the bad guys and equally avoid bullets sent in retaliation. The slow-motion style shootings and ludicrous jumps and summersault moves are infinitely addictive and a big reason behind this game’s success.
To quickly summarise the plot, Ramiro Cruz has been released from jail, but his life has just been one big mess. Ramiro’s twin brother is at the other end of the spectrum and is high up working for the DEA. Unfortunately, his twin is seriously hurt in an undercover operation, having been a whisker away from getting a way into a network of Mexican drug lords. Ramiro is subsequently chosen to replace his injured twin and out those dodgy dealers. Dozens of underground drug deals, encounters with bent DEA agents and a revenge mission later and you’ve probably let off enough gun rounds to last a lifetime!
One word of warning – if you’re anticipating the AI characters in your missions to give you a stiff test of your shoot-em-up skills, don’t get your hopes up. The developers haven’t quite got the bad guys on point as you’ll sometimes witness them shooting at nothing or running around aimlessly in circles. Nevertheless, Total Overdose is an excellent depiction of Mexican street life, with the developers creating their GTA-style vision of Mexico that’s open-ended and gives you plenty to explore.
If Total Overdose has given you a taste for Mexican-themed gaming, look no further than the Call of Suarez series of games. This first-person shooter controls alternating protagonists, Ray McCall and Billy. The game is based on the Texas/Mexican border, with a definite Wild West theme. The third in the series of four games, The Cartel, was set in LA and Mexico also, with the DEA also heavily involved in the Call of Juarez plots just like Total Overdose. There’s plenty of different types of gaming dedicated to Mexico that you can find online, too. Those iGaming and video slots fanatics will be pleased to hear that there are online slots games such as Zuma Slots, which can also transport you into verdant and steamy Aztec jungle environments. Designed by Blueprint Gaming – and available online and on smartphone or tablet devices powered by Android and iOS – the graphics such as the Zuma logos and detailed masks create the same sense of mystery that you might feel when exploring Mexico on Total Overdose.
Source: OfficialXboxMagazine via Twitter
In summary, Total Overdose is certainly a classic third-person shooter that can be classed as adrenaline-inducing, much like the other Mexican-themed games we’ve just discussed. Tear your way through Mexican landscape with guns ablazing and bodies falling by the wayside. It’s not a plotline that was ever going to win any awards but it’s one that offers light-hearted entertainment by the bucketload.
