Total Carnage (1994). Play online

Summary

Total Carnage arrived on the Game Boy thanks to Malibu Games, bringing the frantic twin‑stick chaos of the arcade onto a handheld for the first time. Even though the original arcade boasted large scrolling stages, bombs, and an odd bug that swapped good and bad ending text, the portable version managed to capture the same hyper‑violent feel, complete with Ed Boon’s unmistakable voice as the mad General Akhboob. The project was steered by designer Mark Turmell—later famed for NBA Jam—and a crew that included Shawn Liptak, Eugene Jarvis, and artist John Tobias, all of whom had a hand in shaping early 90s arcade action. Although the port received mixed reviews, fans could later revisit the game in compilations like Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and Midway Arcade Origins, keeping its notorious reputation alive for new generations.

Storyline

Total Carnage throws you into the fictional country of Kookistan in 1999, where the Doomsday Squad is on a desperate mission. You control Captain Carnage (Player 1) and Major Mayhem (Player 2), two Rambo‑style operatives tasked with toppling dictator General Akhboob and his army of mutants.

The game plays like a multidirectional shooter in the vein of Smash TV, spanning three distinct stages. Each stage ends with a boss fight that must be cleared before you can move on, culminating in an assault on Akhboob’s “Baby Milk Factory” base.

Beyond blasting enemies, the primary objective is to rescue POWs held by the regime’s forces. The setting draws heavily from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, even referencing the Abu Ghraib Infant Formula Plant, and General Akhboob is a thinly veiled nod to Saddam Hussein.