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> Results: Chili Con Carnage
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The ESRB Says
Drug Reference: GamerDad noticed that the core of game was revenge against a drug lord Strong Language: The is a constant verbal onslaught such as the 'f-bomb' in nearly every cutscene. Violence: Pretty much the entirety of the game is about gunning down as many enemies as fast as possible. When I first heard the title Chile Con Carnage I thought it sounded like a Mexican-themed mindless shooter. Given how much I love Infected, I thought this was worth a try. The game is a loose sequel to the PC & console game Total Overdose that received a lukewarm reception, yet on the PSP it really works. There are some issues, but the mission structure, goals and unlockable content come together to provide some compelling gameplay and straight out fun. You play as Ramiro Cruz, who sees his father brutally killed (along with the box of kittens he was bringing as a birthday present) by a harvester just as he was about to uncover a huge drug ring. Tragic, but played as absolute camp, this sets up the entire game - Ram travels from place to place searching out the real source of his father's death, meeting up with minor villains, minions, zombies, female bodybuilders and more on his quest for vengeance. The third person camera can be very problematic for the PSP, but in this game it works very well. The controls make everything easy, managing to balance auto-aim with the need to have some shooter skills. The load times get a bit long at times - but the most annoying is that it takes about twenty seconds to 'wake up' from sleep mode. Those are minor complaints which don't seriously detract from the fun - and there is plenty of fun. Apart from the main story mode, you unlock a series of challenges as you progress. These - as well as any level - can be replayed in any order to get a better score and more rewards. There are also some multiplayer modes, including one addictive mode where you take turns on the same PSP trying to outscore the other player, with the person who fails to outdo the other getting a part of a hangman character until the full figure is built. This is a game that doesn't try for depth and doesn't take itself seriously - it is all about rampaging fun for adult gamers, and it certainly delivers that in copious heaps.  
What exactly did you EXPECT with a game called Chili Con Carnage?!? A cooking game where the meat is a little raw and messy?!?! What you get is a rampaging festival of violence from one end of the game to the other - this is a game aimed at an adult audience looking for a mindless diversion. You are scored for how many kills you get, how quickly you 'chain' them together, and how stylishly you make your kills - in other words, you get a ton of extra points is you to a wall-jump, bullet-dodge, barrel-exploding headshot. There are also chickens roaming freely pretty much everywhere in the game, and you can get extra points for shooting them into the air and continuing to keep them afloat by shooting them for an extended period.
The game is also pretty single-minded in its depiction of good and evil, something that might bother people of Mexican origin. The basic story is of the quest for revenge of 'El Gringo Loco', as Ram is known, against the massive Mexican drug cartel, which includes elements from just about every corner of society. There is nothing realistic about the situations, not any attempt at social or political commentary, nor any innocents killed as part of the game - everything happens in drug production or storage facilities or the strongholds of one of the bosses. However, there have been some concerns raised online about the negative depiction of Mexicans in the game (Ram's ally is a drunk who flies a helicopter but stays away from all battles), so factor that into your decision. The game isn't for kids. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Chili Con Carnage |
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