Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico

This is one of the few games that really deserve the word underrated and that is a shame. This game is excellent for many different reasons. The soundtrack is one of the best licensed soundtracks ever! With good variety and every song fits perfectly with the game's fun and over-the-top atmosphere that is very action-packed. The graphics have aged but it is still looks good enough to be enjoyed and really give the game a stylish and unique look. The story is interesting and even better written than some games nowadays. It goes for fun, action-packed and stylish which is greatly executed. The gameplay is the best thing about the game, it combines Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto and it works very well. The gameplay is more fun and works better than even the GTAs of those times. Give it a try and you will like it if you like action-packed games with stylish looks and sound.

This game runs flawlessly on modern PCs at 60FPS with only one fan-made patch required for widescreen resolutions. You do not have to spend hours installing GBs worth of mods and patches to get Total Overdose running like the older GTA titles. With that out of the way, I suppose I should regurgitate what the last 5 pages of reviews have stated before. Total Overdose is a pretty cool and underrated gem. It takes the slow-motion shooting mechanics of Max Payne and puts them into a fast, combo-based arcade experience set in a world inspired by Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" trilogy. Whereas Max Payne punished players who didn't Quicksave every 5 steps, this game rewards aggressive players with extra health, ammo pickups, and fun Loco Moves. They give players such abilities as guitar case machine guns, piñata grenades, skeleton sidekicks, and other fun moves to combo with. As you gain points in each mission, you earn better stat upgrades to improve your health, slo-mo meter, and ammo caps. Unfortunately, the fun combat is let down by a weak attempt at a sandbox overworld. The setting is original but the actual city is quite lifeless. The game map (already small, mind you) is split into several tiny sections that are barely interconnected and there's no map radar like in GTA3. The only objective besides the optional side-missions is to collect hidden upgrades and points, and even that task is arduous. To find them all, you'll need to tangle with some of the worst driving controls ever programmed. You'll drive along at a max 30 MPH and go skidding uncontrollably the second an idiot bystander dives onto your hood. Indeed, the hardest missions in the game aren't the shootouts, they're the awful races. It says a lot that the developers added a fast-travel option to go to any mission instantly. All in all, Total Overdose is a fun-if-flawed TPS that had the misfortune of going up against GTA: San Andreas. For $5.99, you can't find many other titles as good as this on GOG.

This game really has much more fleshed out combat and theme than almost any GTA or Saint's row ever. Crisp graphics, intriguing story and brutal soundtrack. What's not to love?

This game knows what it wants to be: a crazy piece of mindless fun. And it delivers perfectly. It's an action-packed third person shooter with spectacular moves, some ridiculous superpowers, and over the top silliness. And then there's music, of course. Calling it just a cherry on top would be a serious understatement. Game features a unique headshotting mechanic. It's not about precision at all, but about timing. You hold the right mouse button, and left click in the brief moment the crosshair turns yellow. Chaining kills grants you superpowers, each more stupid than the other. Summon a bazooka-wielding skeleton? Sure, why not. The main story isn't super long, but as long as it needs to be, and even somewhat competent, which is more than what I'd expect from a game of this kind. You can freeroam to find upgrades to your max health, bullet time and weapon skill which allows to dual-wield more weapon types. These are all very minor upgrades, a completionists thing more than anything else. Sidequests generally revolve around getting a high enough score through combos and chained kills to pass. If you're too boring with your gunplay, you can fail even if you clear all enemies. Unfortunately there are also driving sidequest, and driving in this game is abysmal. There are 3 difficulty levels. Easy is easy, normal is normal, hard is hard. As it's supposed to be. Surprisingly many games fail at giving the player a meaningful choice here. An easy 5/5 from me. Main complaints are driving and the shooting itself may get repetitive after a while, but that's what the highscore milestones are for, to provide a goal.

This game is more of what I wish GTA could be: no time limits, just a kill score to rack up pulling off moves and blowing things up! This is a lot like Max Payne if he was directed by Robert Rodriguez. You have a big hub world environment to explore, cars to jack, missions to play and replay, and challenges that are less about frustration than fun. I dug it a lot, from gathering icons to boost status and bye new 'loco moves' to just enjoying the soundtrack and goofy characters. It's a little rough around the edges but I cannot fault it for this. Frantic gun battles ARE frantic but you can finesse them with practice, if you're tired of running around look for a car, and when the game did put the wrong walk cycles on pedestrians it almost seemed intentional (try not to laugh when you see a burly Mexican mincing along like a runway model). Jumping is imprecise but there's no really imperative jumping puzzles. Even the escort missions gives you EVERY opportunity to keep the guy you need to keep alive safe, having him wait for you if you veer off looking for secrets and fight back if attacked. Overall one of my new favorite sand-box combat games!