Possibly the most violent game ever created

by Max Miller

Fun factor: Fun

Worth to: Rent

Madworld’s cartoonish violence will most likely make you laugh rather than cringe, but it’s the game’s execution that ultimately makes it a mature title.

At a glance, MadWorld might seem like a poor fit for the Wii; excessive violence, innuendos and liberal doses of F-bombs don’t really make for the “family-friendly” experience we’ve come to expect from the console. But a few hours in, you’ll find that not only does MadWorld work on the Wii, it works really well. This is the kind of game the Wii was made for.

Professional badasses take Bloodbaths

Varrigan City has been taken over by terrorists, and has been turned into a psychotic game show known as Death Watch. The objective? Kill or be killed. The winner of Death Watch will be rewarded with $100 million, as well as antidote to the poison which has infected the city’s residents. You play as Jack, professional badass and Death Watch contestant with a chainsaw arm and a personal vendetta against the show’s creators. It may sound like typical action-game nonsense, but writer Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy) manages to keep things interesting as politics and characters true motivations come into play.



MadWorld is, at its heart, a beat-‘em-up, though not in the same vein as Double Dragon or Battletoads. Instead of fighting your way through linear levels, MadWorld is more arena-based. To beat levels, you have to earn a certain number of points. You are scored for every kill you make; the more sadistic the death, the better. Lopping a guy in half with a chainsaw, for example, may be a good way to get out of a tight situation but will get you a lower score. You’ll have to get creative with items in the environment; tires, signposts, barrels, spikes, and the like are conveniently placed all around levels, and all can be used for hilariously brutal results.

Every level also has a Bloodbath Challenge, a quick minigame which is probably the easiest way to earn points. Bloodbath Challenges force you to kill enemies in a specific way: hitting them onto a giant dartboard, throwing them into a jet engine without getting sucked in yourself, and many, many more. Without spoiling anything every Bloodbath Challenge is wickedly creative, satisfying and a heck of a lot of fun. Make sure you do well, though; if you don’t get a bunch of points you’ll have to earn them killing generic enemies, which can get VERY repetitious VERY quickly.

Gleefully violent

Once you get the right amount of points, you’ll be able to face off against a boss. Like in No More Heroes, MadWorld’s bosses are crazy and way over-the-top, which makes them all the more fun to take down. You’ll face off against a German officer with propellers for arms, a giant Frankenstein’s monster, and a pair of Jedi-wannabes, to name but a few. The fights take on familiar patterns; each boss has a couple of attacks, which you must figure out how to dodge before delivering a counter-attack. We’ve seen it all before but the boss designs are all so stylish and their deaths so gleefully violent that it’s easy enough to forgive.



It takes a while to get used to MadWorld’s controls, but they’re usually dead-on, though you’ll have to deal with the occasional camera issue. The game never seems to be able to give you a good camera angle to work with, and though you can center it with the C button, it doesn’t always help. It takes a little while to get used to. MadWorld thankfully doesn’t rely too much on motion controls, using them smartly to enhance the experience, instead of just using them whenever it can.

Punches are dealt with the A button and the B button will take out your chainsaw, which you can slice horizontally or vertically. Uppercuts and hooks are also handled with waggle, but the game isn’t always great at recognizing the commands. Too often, a hand tremble will activate the attack when you don’t want it to, and you’ll become open to an attack.

DiMaggio and Proops standout

MadWorld is an incredibly stylized game, using a Sin City-esque black-white-and-red style that looks simply amazing. Though we’ve seen it before in movies and comics, this is the first time it’s ever been used in a video game. The stark contrast between the colors really makes the blood stand out. And oh, is there ever a lot of blood. Enemies positively gush it. MadWorld is possibly the most violent game ever created; though it’s so excessive you’ll probably laugh rather than cringe.



The playful violence is coupled with a wonderful hip-hop soundtrack featuring over twenty different artists, and fits in wonderfully with the games graphical style. The whole experience is brought together by what are probably the best video game announcers, ever. Voiced by John DiMaggio (Futurama’s Bender) and Greg Proops (Whose Line is it Anyway?), the pair’s commentary is rude, crude, and ridiculously funny. MadWorld had me literally ROFLing, something no other game has ever done. Part of it has to do with the pairs’ chemistry. Proops and DiMaggio are absolutely brilliant together, delivering lines authentically, so that it never seems scripted or rehearsed. The commentators also provide subtle gameplay hints if the player is having a hard time, and it’s done so well they don’t stand out amongst the rest of the duo’s material.

Summary

MadWorld has both the style and the substance a great game needs, and it’s something every mature Wii owner should experience. The short campaign and disappointing multiplayer may stop it from achieving must-buy status, but MadWorld makes for the ultimate rental.