GTA, Mexico-style
What happens if you take the guilty pleasures of Grand Theft Auto and throw them into the drug-fueled and chaos-ridden land of Mexico? Well, you end up with something very like Total Overdose. However, while this one also has its fair share of fun, it lacks the sheer inventiveness and style of the GTA games and ends up being more of a curiosity than anything else. The story starts off with the player's father being lost in the Mexican jungle in 1989, with his disappearance being blamed on a fatal overdoes. However, this explanation doesn't satisfy his sons and they embark on an epic journey into the jungle to uncover the truth. This takes them through the wilderness and brings them into contact with drug lords, gangs and all manner of bizarre and dangerous characters. The game plays out like GTA, with the player able to explore the large world in any way they choose. You can roam around on foot, or jump into one of the myriad vehicles lying around, while ranged and melee combat also crop up with alarming regularity as you come into contact with Mexico's underworld. In its favor, Total Overdose is brimming with atmosphere and it really brings the seedy danger of Mexico to life and which is enhanced by plenty of cool tunes. There are also lots of cool weapons to try out, and the action is generally fast and intense. However, the game is let down by its unevenness, with issues with the difficulty, the availability of ammo and the handling of the vehicles, all of which prevent the game from being as good as it should have been. There remains a good game under it all, but you have to dig deeper than you should have done to find it.
