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Total Carnage

Arcade

Arcade

The war of 1999 left the country of Kookistan in shambles. Naturally, a dictator named General Akhboob took control of the beleagured nation and began creating an army of radioactive mutants. With a virtually impenetrable stronghold, a bunch of hostages, and a legion of mutants under his command,...

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Developer
Midway Manufacturing

Released on
1992

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

The war of 1999 left the country of Kookistan in shambles. Naturally, a dictator named General Akhboob took control of the beleagured nation and began creating an army of radioactive mutants. With a virtually impenetrable stronghold, a bunch of hostages, and a legion of mutants under his command, the evil despot will stop at nothing but world domination. Only two men have the courage and idealistic naivete to take on Akhboob and his forces: Captain Carnage and Major Mayhem, also known as the Doomsday Squad.

As Captain Carnage or Major Mayhem, it is up to you or you and a friend (in simultaneous action) to rescue the hostages while shooting hundreds of mutants bent on your destruction. As you walk and run forward, backward, left, right, and diagonally through 20 battlezones of nonstop action, you’ll always have your machine gun by your side. Additional weapons which you can find along the way include grenade launchers, rocket launchers, plasma machine guns, flame throwers, spray-fire rifles, defensive blades, and an assortment of bombs.

Total Carnage

Overview & History

Released by Midway in 1992, Total Carnage stands as the spiritual successor to Williams' legendary 1990 twin-stick shooter *Smash TV*. Developed by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell, the game cranked the pixelated chaos, gore, and campy sci-fi action to unprecedented heights. Set in the fictional Republic of Middle-Middle East, players assume the roles of elite commandos Captain Carnage and Major Mayhem, tasked with single-handedly dismantling the tyrannical regime of the deranged dictator General Akhboob. Featuring frantic overhead scrolling, massive armies of bizarre enemy mutants, heavily armored vehicles, and an arsenal of screen-clearing explosives, it delivered a relentless arcade adrenaline rush wrapped in a deeply satirical geopolitical wrapper.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay is a relentless test of reflexes, pitting the player against endless waves of foot soldiers, mechanical turrets, bio-engineered monstrosities, and bullet-sponge bosses. Unlike standard run-and-guns, players operate with dual-directional controls—moving the commando in one direction while firing independently in 360 degrees. Spread across massive, obstacle-laden zones, survival demands scavenging currency, dropping time-bomb landmines, and collecting devastating weapon power-ups like flame-throwers, plasma rifles, and homing missiles. Rescue missions also require players to free captured allied POWs scattered throughout the carnage to rack up massive point multipliers and earn vital extra lives. The environment is heavily interactive, allowing players to pilot heavily armed tanks and jeeps to crush enemy hordes beneath their treads, though these vehicles take damage and eventually explode under heavy enemy fire. The game culminates in a multi-stage assault on Akhboob's heavily fortified inner sanctum, requiring precision dodging and optimal resource management to defeat the final mutant-cyborg incarnation of the dictator.