Total Overdose
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| Total Overdose

There's nothing like the desire for revenge to get you in the mood for a rampage – and there's an age-old formula for getting your own back. When someone strikes down a family member you: a) get pretty miffed, b) go out hunting the perpetrators, and c) kill anyone else who happens to get in the way. Total Overdose also adds jumping and shooting in slow-motion to the righteous vengeance mix, giving you a clear advantage over your ill-fated enemies.

Using nothing but your grasp of Matrix-style bullet-time and an AK-47, you'll face an onslaught of gun-toting gang members, as you attempt to track down the boss of a gang that killed your father and exact your revenge. Across around 12 levels of overhead action (the exact number depends on your handset), as the hero of Total Overdose, one Tommy Cruz, you'll explore Mexico searching for clues about the man you seek. Scrolling through the scorched landscapes, you'll encounter all manner of gringos and taco-munching gangsters, every one intent on demolishing you like a can of authentic Old El Paso's Tex-Mex chilli sauce.

Total Overdose is visually very slick, with well-designed backgrounds, animations and textures, and each new level benefits from its own characteristics and scenery, providing a real sense of progression. Its rendition of typically south-of-the-border music isn't so successful however – in fact, kissing a cactus would be preferable to listening to such a racket. We're not talking some jolly Tijuana brass band here; this is a very noisy, very short burst of agonising, ear-bursting torment that repeats itself every 15 seconds or so, just in case you'd forgotten the pain.

Total Overdose's main problem, however, is its over-reliance on the slow motion shooting technique. Initially it's good fun, but as it's the only effective way of firing at the enemies without getting nailed yourself, it becomes tiring and even impractical at times. It's like the anticipation upon opening a big, expensive box of chocolates. You eat the first and it's incredible, you try another and it's great, then another which is nice, and then the rest start tasting just like any other chocolate. In other words, what would have been special in small amounts is repeated over and over again, causing the shine to wear off to be replaced by indifference. It wouldn't be such problem if there was a normal way of approaching someone, shooting them in the normal fashion, and – without wanting to sound as if we know too much about this kind of business – moving normally onwards.

That the whole premise of Total Overdose is hung on this slo-mo hook is indicative of a game design that's overly complacent when it comes to the practicality of completing its missions when faced with several enemies at once. Disposing of a screen full of bad guys becomes a chore, a task that's done under sufferance before you can complete the level and move on.

If you're able to forgive the fact that Total Overdose relies on this gimmick at the expense of conventional gameplay, then give it a try. There's certainly plenty to do, it looks great, the missions are otherwise fun, and you can crank up the volume to set off every cat and dog this side of the Channel tunnel. But if you want an ultimately more satisfying gangster-themed adventure/shoot-'em-up, we'd suggest Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2 instead.

Total Overdose

Like a huge Mexican meal, Total Overdose is immediately very appealing, but extended exposure is liable to leave you with indigestion
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