Chili Con Carnage

Comedy may thrive in TV and film, but a sense of humour is often in short supply in the self-serious gaming world. Not in Chili Con Carnage, though, even if the guffaws here are pretty goofy. This follow-up to Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico, begins as you bring your father a box of kittens for his birthday; all of a sudden a farm combine, driven by members of an evil drug cartel, bursts through the wall. Before you know it you’re attending dad’s funeral, weeping over the multiple coffins needed to bury his various bits, and setting off on an Inigo Montoya-type quest for patriarchal vengeance. The gameplay is similarly over-the-top silly, with a bevy of Mexican stereotypes to battle, including masked lucha wrestlers, moustachioed bandits and a big Mama who tosses cleavers and exploding chickens. The slow-mo feature also makes this kill-a-thon feels wonderfully cinematic, especially with the PSP’s widescreen, the rap en espanol soundtrack and a combo points system that will keep you leapin’ and shootin’ for as long as possible. Sombreros off to this game.