People seem to think this is a horrible game, but I'm having lots of fun with it, and I honestly think it gets absurdly overlooked.

The gameplay is fluid, the voice acting is pretty decent, the whacky parts are really funny, I never had any issues with the mechanics, there's loads of variety in the different missions, and mastering each and every one of them offers a whole lot of replay value. The graphics look really nice, even on older machines, like mine; sure, they're nothing to write home about, but they do their job, and portray a very moody faux-Mexico. The city feels alive, full of people going on their daily duties, each neighborhood has a distinct feel that gives the game some variety, and pretty much every part of town has back alleys, buildings, parks, streets and rooftops to explore at your own leisure.

I guess people tend to dismiss this game because they think it's some sort of "poor-man's GTA", but I wish they'd only give it a chance... I mean, I'm not a GTA fan by any chance, and yet I'm loving this one, so it definitely does something right.

I can't quite recall how and why I bought it, but I'm just glad I did. I highly recommend getting it. It's just uncompromising fun, I don't think it tries to be more than that, and that's alright, by me, sometimes we need games that are just that, with no pretension of being the next life-changing experience.

I got this game in a sale last year at some point and I had fun playing it. I can completely understand the comparison to GTA, and why some would call it a poor man's GTA, but the game isn't designed to be as big as GTA with a heavy focus on just doing the story missions.

I can see the similarities to GTA and why people would draw comparisons, and since GTA is a beast of a franchise, Total Overdose will always be regarded as a knock-off, but, like I said, I don't like GTA games and, yet, I had/am having a blast with this one. Granted, I never played the "new generation" GTAs (starting with IV), though I did play all the previous ones, and with that in mind I can say, from experience, the combat mechanics and car stunts in Total Overdose are miles ahead from the GTA titles I played. I don't know about IV and V, as I never played those, but, then again, both those games were released way after Total Overdose, so there's not much point in comparing them.

Personally, I think Total Overdose is much different than the GTA games I played. That's not to say it's better or worse, just a different kind of thing, for people looking for a somewhat different experience, albeit with certain similarities. In many ways, the fluid combat and gameplay mechanics worked more as a precursor to WET, than anything GTA-related -- but people tend to overlook WET, as well, so, there you have it, I guess.

Just because a game has some kind of sandbox-y open world, has you driving around in a multitude of vehicles while doing missions it doesn't mean it's trying to be a GTA. I think Total Overdose suffers from the same unfortunate fate as Nox, which gets mistaken for a Diablo-clone, when it's obvious it is much more than that. Total Overdose has many of the elements that make a GTA game, just like Nox has many of the ones that make a Diablo game, but both their essences are somewhere else, and I think both these games brought something to the table that makes them unique and definitely stands them apart from the games people tend to think they're rip-offs of. In the case of Total Overdose, maybe it is the focus on story, maybe it is how the story develops and engages the player, maybe it is the over-the-top factor, I don't know, but it clearly has something that GTA games don't -- if nothing else, at least I think we can agree that the combat is awesome and very acrobatic, with a sleek cinematic presentation, unlike any of the GTA games I played.

Sorry if this sounded like a rant, or something like that, I'm not trying to be rude towards you, I just enjoy discussing the games I like and I honestly think we should have more threads like these, instead of just the ones asking for technical help.

Happy gaming!! :)

[EDIT] changed the WET link from the Wikipedia page to a trailer on YouTube, as I think it showcases better what I'm talking about. :P

I, too, have only played the earlier GTA games (all of them up to and including San Andreas), so my GTA experience is the same as yours. Indeed, there are aspects of Total Overdose that aren't present in the GTA games, what with the hanging out of car doors whilst 'aiming' the vehicle at a target, then jumping out and watching it go crashing and exploding whatever/whoever you aimed it at. And of course all the various combat moves and combos. I definitely had fun playing it.

The GTA worlds (GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas) were larger, though, and felt more real. They also had lengthier storylines and did take longer to play through. Another similar style of game I really enjoyed was Saints Row 3.

Can't really comment on the Nox-Diablo case, though, as I've only played Nox (which I also quite enjoyed too).

Also, don't worry, your post didn't sound like a rant and I certainly didn't think you were being rude.

There are some threads here on the GOG forums about game discussion, and some users post their own reviews too, but most are technical support because of the nature of the site and the historical focus on older games which can cause issues with newer machines.

Anyway, going to get an hour or so of actual gaming in now before I get some sleep. :)


Oh, and thanks for YouTube link to WET. Not a game I'd heard of but yes, it does look like the Total Overdose combat may have been an influence. Was it just a console game?

Unfortunately, yes. I got to play it on the PS3.

I played Overdose back on PS2 and it was great. I didn't even remember it was open-world, it's not the main feature of the game unlike GTA.

To me it's more like Max Payne combined with Desperado and Tony Hawk's Pro Skateboarder :D Really fun game. They should get the guys who made Just Cause 2 to create a sequel.

I remember hearing and reading about this game 9 years ago from an old gaming podcast and some gaming magazines. Never got the game, but the podcast really liked it and the magazines also did. Now I bought it and am trying it for the first time.

I was a dev on Total Overdose. It was my first game. The rights are owned by Square Enix these days so the Just Cause guys could do it.

But I doubt it will ever happen. It sold fine in Europe but failed horribly in the US, so a sequel will probably never happen.

Note that the subtitle "A gunslingers tale in Mexico", is never found inside the game. It was something added to the box the last minute to the US distribution. And it really isn't about a gunslinger, so it is horrible subtitle.

Hey that's pretty cool! I got it on PS2 in Australia so ours was just called Total Overdose, I remember showing it to my friend's little brothers and they loved it. I never realized it was made in Denmark until now either.

Glad you liked it. It was my baby back then. I have never crunched so hard in my life as on that project. We built an entire engine from scratch for that game. It seems so long ago now... The engine was then later reused for Chili Con Carnage and for Watchmen - The End is Nigh.

I just wanted to say that I love this game too. It's one of those games that I tried the demo but couldn't find it in stores, so thanks to GOG I finally got to own it.

So great job on the game!

As long as I ignore the open world and jump directly to the missions over the menu (it's like the devs knew how bad the driving was) this game is fun!

Ignore the open world, ignore the racing missions, and you are fine. The action levels are the good part of this game. Thank god the menu let's me jump from one to the next.

Hello sir. Do u still got game files? or anything else? I have a plan to remake this game. Im trying to remake ramiro cruz. İ extracted textures with ninjaripper but cant extract models, sounds etc. If u know anything else about i would be happy about it. Peace! : discord.com/invite/d97hNFd8ae