''Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Total Overdose'') is an
open world third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Deadline Games
Deadline Games A/S was a Danish video game developer based in Copenhagen, operating between 1996 and 2009. Its last published game was '' Watchmen: The End Is Nigh'', based on ''Watchmen''.
On 29 May 2009, Deadline Games filed for bankruptcy, ...
and published by
SCi Games
SCi Entertainment Group plc (formerly The Sales Curve Limited and SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Limited) was a British video game publisher based in London. The company was founded in 1988 by Jane Cavanagh and floated on the stock exchange in 1 ...
for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
and
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
. The game received generally mixed reviews, with the combat often being praised while the graphics and storyline were frequently criticized.
Synopsis
Plot
In 1989, Ernesto Cruz, a deep-cover
DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
agent, leads a troop of DEA agents against a militia in a jungle to take some information on Papa Muerte. After the attack, Ernesto is thrown from a plane and killed: his C.O. Colonel Trust believes it's a drug overdose. Ernesto's son Tommy, a high-ranking DEA agent, goes to Mexico and finds Marco, who is his primary contact with Morales Cartel. Tommy destroys a Virgillo gang convoy and their gas station but is seriously wounded by a grenade explosion. With no alternative, Tommy calls his younger brother Ramiro, an imprisoned criminal, to take the job.
Ramiro saves Marco from a group of Virgillos who want to kill him because he was winning too much in the game of poker and Marco refers him to Cesar Morales, a local gang boss who had bragged of knowing Ernesto's murderer. Morales sends Ramiro to steal the Virgillo's prized car, only to blow it up. Afterwards, Ramiro is enlisted the task of recovering three stolen trucks that will be used for Morales's trafficking deal. Ramiro successfully steals the trucks, as well as blowing up the Virgillos' ship. Morales's chauffeur Angel overhears Ramiro talking to Tommy, and finds out his identity. Ramiro then accompanies the trucks through Virgillo country, enabling the trucks to pass through: he hides in one of the trucks and follows them to Morales' meat factory. Ramiro opens the gate for the DEA agents, but Morales, aware of his plan, ambushes them: Ramiro narrowly escapes with the help of Angel, who is revealed to be a Mexican undercover police officer. Ramiro infiltrates a meeting of the Virgillos in which he finds out that Morales was just a puppet with someone pulling the strings.
Ramiro engages and dispatches Morales' henchmen, finally killing Morales, obtaining a letter from Morales' safe. He finds out that the letter was sent to Morales by a man named PM (probably Papa Muerte). The letter said that PM's DEA informant The Eagle had forewarned him of the DEA ambush. PM had supplied Morales' men with weapons and artillery through Elvez Autos. Ramiro infiltrates Elvez Autos and finds a bunch of papers depicting coffins and enough ammunition for a small army: he infiltrates Elvez's Villa through the sea and finds bodies of DEA agent Pierson and the other agents in coffins. Interrogating Elvez, Ramiro learns that Papa Muerte had ordered him to supply Cesar Morales with guns to get rid of the DEA agents; General Montanez was to deliver the payment and had done so. Ramiro kills Elvez and escapes the villa with the police and the military in pursuit.
Ramiro then goes to the jungle to Montanez's military base, extracting information about Papa Muerte and the DEA spy. Ram engages and kills Montanez, escaping the jungle. Trust finds out that Papa Muerte had planned to sneak into the DEA and steal the contraband cocaine which the DEA had seized, leaving a bomb to cover their tracks. Ramiro waits at Angel's apartment for extraction, only to find Papa Muerte's henchmen trying to kill him: meanwhile, Agent Johnson reveals himself as the Eagle and induces Tommy and Trust with a lethal drug overdose, although Tommy is able to patch Ramiro in to hear that Johnson had kidnapped Angel and killed their father. Ramiro returns to the DEA, fighting through Muerte's henchmen to save Tommy and Trust with an antidote while Johnson escapes on an armored train with Angel. Using a locomotive to carry the bomb away, Ramiro pursues and boards Johnson's train. Johnson, separating the coaches from the engine, battles Ramiro until Trust sends air support to destroy a canyon bridge ahead: Ramiro rescues Angel, and they jump over the broken rail on a dirtbike as the train falls into the canyon, dragging a trapped Johnson to his doom.
Gameplay
''Total Overdose'' is a third-person shooter open world action/adventure game. Players assume control of Ramiro, Tommy and Ernesto. The most playable character in the game is Ramiro, while Tommy and Ernesto can be played only in the two beginning missions. The game parodies
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
's ''
Mexico Trilogy
The ''Mexico Trilogy'' (also known as the ''Desperado Trilogy'' on some released DVD products) is a series of American/Mexican contemporary western action films written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The series' plot tells the continuing story ...
''. Throughout the game, players can run and dive and have the ability to use weapons including
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
s,
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s,
handgun
A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...
s and
rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...
s. While outside the missions the player can explore the open world of the game, but some regions will be available only during certain missions. The game features cheap and special cars. The special cars include "Conquistador", Orange Dirtbike, Purple and Flame Pickup,
Tow Truck
A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged ...
, DEA and Military SUVs. Players have the ability to shot dodge, during which the player dives in any direction with a slow motion effect. This move gives players more accuracy in shooting enemies in combat. Loco moves are special attacks which players can pick up by scoring large numbers of points and combo kills. These moves can be used for eliminating heavy and a group of enemies. Players can perform seven different kinds of loco moves: Golden Gun, Tornado, El Toro, El Mariachi, Sombrero of Death, Explosive Piñata and Mad Wrestler/Mysterioso.
Reception
''Total Overdose'' received "mixed or average" reviews, according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
Cancelled sequel
A sequel was originally planned named ''Total Overdose 2: Tequila Gunrise''. It would have featured the entire map of
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, but was cancelled after
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
pulled out of it.
See also
* ''
Chili Con Carnage
''Chili Con Carnage'' is a 2007 action/adventure third-person shooter video game released exclusively for the PlayStation Portable. It was developed by Deadline Games and published by Sci Entertainment in Europe and by Eidos in North America. I ...
''
Notes
References
External links
Official website* {{moby game, id=/total-overdose-a-gunslingers-tale-in-mexico
2005 video games
Deadline Games games
Open-world video games
Organized crime video games
PlayStation 2 games
RenderWare games
Single-player video games
Video games about police officers
Video games about the illegal drug trade
Video games developed in Denmark
Video games set in Mexico
Video games with time manipulation
Windows games
Works about Mexican drug cartels
Xbox games