Chili Con Carnage (that's Chili With Carnage, for our English speaking friends)
Close your eyes, and try to imagine the situation I'm about to construct. Or don't, because I've found it's terribly difficult to read with your eyes shut.
Carlos Mencia, comedian and scholar of racial sterotypes, is hanging out at a party being thrown by John Riccitiello, president of Eidos Interactive, and his business partner, U2's Bono. Also in attendance at the party are the Wachowski brothers (of Matrix fame).
A strong desire for crab cakes overcomes the five men. Who knows what causes these seemingly random occurrences - is it God? Fate? Or is it a Muse, moving men and ideas on the grand battlefield of destiny. The five find the buffet table, and reach for the crustacean-laced pastries. Their hands touch. Their eyes meet. No words are spoken, as none are needed. They know the consequences of their meeting. They would make - Chili Con Carnage.
Did you imagine it? Great. That's not what happened. As far as I know, Carlos Mencia was not involved with the game. Nor were the Wach. Bros. (the preferred abbreviation). Actually, none of them may have been involved with the creation of CCC. But if you were to play it, you would understand why I believed each parties involvement: Matrix style visuals and gameplay with a splash of Hispanic humor in a game developed by Eidos. It just makes sense, right?
The game is heralded as the "spiritual successor" to the multi-platform release "Total Overdose" which received mediocre reviews and sales. It plays like Max Payne. A lot like Max Payne, actually. If Max were a young Mexican man named Ram, and his game had arcade elements like a combo meter, and special attacks, then the two games would be extraordinarily similar. Bullettime (or the slowing of time for the shooting of bullets,) which was made famous in Max Payne plays a big role in CCC, as do stylish moves such as wall running, headshots, and taking advantage of the obligatory exploding barrel or crate.
The gameplay is actually quite enjoyable. The controls are about as good as PSP controls can possibly be, tight and responsive, although fairly hampered by the required use of the unusable PSP analog stick, which I lovingly refer to as "the nubbin". Aside from that, though, the controls and gameplay are both simple and addictive. You'll find yourself soaring through the air, guitar case-shaped rifle in hand, taking out generic baddies in no time at all.
The graphics and sound are both great as well. The soundtrack is made up of licensed bands, such as the apparently wildly popular Control Machete, which also made a showing in Crackdown. The music picks up in big fights, peaking as your combo meter reaches epic proportions. It's the best use of music in an action game that I can remember since Burnout 3.
The game is - well, funny may not be the right word. I never found myself so much as chuckling at the rather over the top humor the game features. But it is quirky. The first boss fight is against a rather portly woman who commands exploding chickens to attack you, all the while throwing dynamite and a wielding a giant meat cleaver. It's the strangest boss fight I can recall since the "Great and Mighty Poo" of Conker's Bad Fur Day.
I'm just surprised how well the package came together. I've never found myself hunched over a PSP for hours, playing only one game, showing off some insane moments of gameplay to my friends. If you still haven't traded your PSP in for a DS Lite, Chili Con Carnage (which in my opinion wins the Video Game Title of the Year Award) is definitely worth a try.
