Set in the same universe as Total Overdose, Deadline Games' Max Payne-meets-Mexico PS2 shooter, Chili Con Carnage's hero Ramiro Cruz returns as the gun-slinging gringo out to exact revenge on the mob bosses that killed his father. Starting out in the seedy underbelly of Los Toros, Ram must run, gun and grenade his way through seven areas of the city, each divided into smaller sections packed with objectives to complete and sombrero-wearing bad guys to knock off.
The killing spree is turbo-charged from the outset, with wave upon wave of gun-toting gangsters homing in on Ram like flies to rotting meat. Armed only with a pistol, you'd be forgiven for thinking the one-sided battle would be over quickly. Thing is, Ram is a t-shirt-wearing terminator whose bullet-time combos can cut down an entire army of gringos in the blink of an eye. Rather than plugging a moustachioed mercenary with a single shot - that's too easy and too boring - Ram can jump off the ground, pirouette in mid-air and pop caps in the nearest bad guy before landing back on his feet. Not extravagant enough for you? How about running up a wall, back-flipping and taking down half a dozen enemies with head-shots?
In Chili Con Carnage it's not so much the number of kills you make (although carnage is quite literally the name of the game, so the more the merrier), it's more the way in which you do them. The more stylish and outrageous the kill, the more points you earn and the better your bonus multiplyer becomes. Additional points are rewarded for pulling off 'spicy' moves, which can be anything from the Evil Elbow (slugging out a guy using, unsurprisingly, your elbow) to the spectacular Maximo Coolio, a vehicle stunt with multiple takedowns. Oh, and did we mention hats? Steal the headwear of one of your victims, by shooting them and making their hat flies in the air so you can catch it on the way down, and you get additional style points for every kill you make.
Combos are a big part of Chili Con Carnage too and, if you string a handful together, your score goes through the roof. Better still, you get a few seconds leeway to string together bigger combos, so if you're good enough it's actually possible make a combo last an entire level, by plugging one enemy before seamlessly moving onto the next. Naturally, huge combos equal muchos points, which are totalled at the end of each level and unlock extra challenges depending on your score.
Racking up a big combo also enables Ram to carry bigger and better weapons, from pistols and shotguns to dual hand cannons that make mincemeat of the bad guys. Molotov cocktails and grenades can also be picked up and thrown, along with a pi¿ata that attracts the Mexicans and explodes in their faces when they hit it.
Ram has a number of killer Loco moves at his disposal too, which can be used to devastating effect if timed correctly. Appearing as pick-ups scattered around the level, Loco moves turn Ram into even more of a killing machine than he already is. Tornado causes Ram to spin in the air with twin Uzis blazing, wiping out every enemy in the area, kind of like a Mexican smart bomb; El Toro turns our hero into a raging bull who can charge down his enemies; Golden Gun rewards the player with four headshots on the trot; and Rewind, well, rewinds the game by a few seconds, enabling you to resurrect if you're capped or continue a particularly decent combo it's taken a while to notch up.
While executing incredible mid-air kills and spectacular finishing moves may sound complex, it's actually pretty simple, thanks to Chili Con Carnage's intuitive control system. Auto-lock makes targeting enemies a cinch, holding it down longer for a headshot. The slow motion button gives you the time needed to pull off the most stylish kill possible too.
Flash takedowns won't work on the game's many bosses, however. Take Mama Virgillo for example: the bloated old bird hides behind chicken coups, using the chucks inside as feathered (and explosive!) missiles. Ra must destroy the cover she cowers behind by shooting the chickens back at the coups, so they explode in her face. Wipe out all four and she comes at you with a cleaver, hacking away until you pump her full of lead. It's hilarious stuff but tough too, especially in the early build we saw, but we're promised the final game will be properly balanced when it's released next year.
The multiplayer modes, of which there are two, are just as crazy as the main game. Choose Hangman and you and a mate take turns on a single PSP to notch up the biggest combo, the loser awarded a hangman piece that takes them one step closer to ultimate doom. Fiesta, other the hand, is played over Wifi but,rather than a straightforward deathmatch,it plays out more like a game of Super Puzzle Fighter. Again, you're each tasked with executing big combos and the better you perform, the more bad guys you send over onto your opponent's screen. Screw it up and you'll be swamped with gringos, although this can be turned to your advantage as there's more cannon fodder to crank up your score. It's a lot of fun and because all of the games are split into bite-sized chunks, including the single-player campaign, it's perfect for playing on the tube or bus. Now if you don't mind we're off to kill some chickens…