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REVIEWS: NINTENDO

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Reviews Index

MadWorld

8.0

Format Nintendo Wii

Developer Sega

Publisher Sega

Genre Action

10-Mar-2009 Bloody brilliant?

17 Comments

Sex, gore and bad language are the key ingredients in Platinum Games's bloody bruiser, Madworld. Which is exactly the sort of stuff over-fit and over-brain trained Nintendo fans have been gagging for.

Impaling men on a giant, spiked women's breasts as commentators announce, "if no means yes, then yes surely means anal!" is just another day in the angry life of Jack (just Jack). Jack's been thrust into a violent game show in the captured city of Varrigan, which is being held hostage by mental terrorists.

The set-up's a bit like Running Man: Varrigan's captors have released a deadly virus into the city and only those who receive the cure will outlive the 24-hours it takes to put you on the ground.


	Madworld 1:05 Can it get much madder? DEBUG - skip to curtain

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There is a of course, a catch; the twisted terrorists will only award the antidote to individuals who kill, and the last man standing has been promised a $100m cash prize. Thus, with the introduction of television cameras and camp, armoured-up 'contestants', the world's most extreme and deadly episode of Gladiators begins.

The coupling of "motherf***ing" chainsaws with mum-friendly Wii Remotes is definitely an odd one, but the two ends of the spectrum bizarrely end up complementing each other.

The distinctive black and white pallet offers some of the most visually pleasing scenes Nintendo's console can afford, while convincing motion controls provide a bloody brutal combat system.

Dealing death with a chainsaw in one hand and a 7ft street sign in the other is - funnily enough - all about being creative. The game show set-up unsurprisingly lays a lot of emphasis on point scoring, which means that boring dispatches of enemies isn't going to get you far.

MadWorld's level structure challenges you to reach a specific, astronomical score before rewarding you with a brutal and hilarious set piece (more on those later).

Reaching the numbers on the board requires experimentation and style. Picking up tyres with the A button, smashing them on the heads on foes with a Remote gesture and then lobbing them into spinning jet fan is a winning move.

Scraps are kept fresh with the introduction of different weapons such as twin blades or spiked staffs, while God of War-calibre finishing moves - perhaps the most bloody and hilarious we've seen - provide even more entertainment.

Quickly putting a bin on a chump's head, setting him on fire and then impaling him on the side of a spiked bus (called the "Wang Bang Bus") becomes your ultimate end goal.

Where motion controls are shown to be massively inaccurate in most Wii action games, MadWorld does an incredible job of making your moves feel credible.

Holding B to slice cronies with your chainsaw, swinging a ninja by the legs and teeing off a zombie's head with a golf club; it all works and feels like it should. MadWorld would undoubtedly be a less satisfying, fuelled experience on any other console.

But ultimately the inventive sandbox combat sequences are just the support act to MadWorld's real main attractions; the brilliant boss fights and Bloodbath challenges.

The game's twisted mini-games - hosted by the ever-offensive pimp, the Black Barron - are as diverse as they are hilarious. Ranging from hurling blokes at a giant dartboard to knocking them in the path of a giant, spiked train, the Bloodbath challenges never fail to offend or entertain.

You can play the events competitively in multiplayer, which feels more like an after thought. But the sequences you really will want to revisit are the epic and brutal boss fights, which rival the genre's best in sheer gore and spectacle.

Each level ends with Jack taking on one of the colourful characters competing in the terrorists bloody game show, including a Mexican bandit, muscled Sumo, family of angry werewolves and everything in between.

These sequences carry on the consistent variety present in almost every area of MadWorld's design. In one battle you'll be hacking at the ankles of an angry giant, then in another you'll be dodging the car-flinging tornadoes of a robot-armed Nazi - each of which are brilliant fun to defeat.

But you'll notice by the number at the top that Platinum Games' debut isn't perfect. The main game, at less than six hours, is dangerously on the short side and you'll probably only revisit it on (incredibly) hard mode if you've get a hard on for high scores.

The multiplayer mode as well, as we mentioned before, feels like an afterthought, as does the odd rubbish driving section which action games still seem determined to tack on.

Meanwhile the game's sound design - which layers often repetitive commentators on top of a blaring hip-hop soundtrack and angry, shouting men - can turn into a blur of white noise if not adjusted.

But that doesn't keep Platinum Games from touching distance of Wii's very best action games. MadWorld is, while it lasts, a consistently entertaining (and motherf***ing awesome) scrap with an 18 tag on the box - as good a reason as any for those neglected Wii owners to dust off the box.

Buy Madworld now

Andy Robinson

// Overview

Verdict

A bloody, entertaining - but short-lived - action game.

Uppers

Inventive, deep combat

Great motion controls

Brilliant, hilarious mini-games

Great boss fights

Downers

Way too short

Multiplayer lacks depth

Hip-Hop/loud commentators/shouting blokes = noise

// Screenshots

// Interactive

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Posted by WHERESMYMONKEY

sold!

Posted by infamous76

u getting it for real???? let me know what it's like then m8. Aint bought a game for Wii since mario kart, no sorry wii fit.

Posted by Biggwedge

The answer to the question is HELL YES! :)

This is one of the lower review scores too, but I have little doubt the game will make a splash. The short length goes with the (beat-em-up) territory, but I think it stands up to most games these days considering the hard mode offers extra weapons too.

Your loss. You can't expect to enjoy a console if you don't bother buying it games.

Posted by _Marty_

Sounds really great.
Definitely one worth a look at.

Posted by Sinthetic

been eyeing this up for about a year now. get it off gameplay for 26.99, i know i am. my poor wii hasn't been on since september.

Posted by kimoak

I got it pre-ordered. Can't wait!

Posted by jubbgi01

8 sounds like a fair score based on the length of the game. I think I'll be picking this one up soon.

Posted by WHERESMYMONKEY

Why the hell not, It looks fantastic. Like No More Heroes in Black and white. I've been looking forward to this since it was announced.

If i could just stop playing House of the dead overkill. Damn that games awesome and hella addictive.

Well done sega for bringing gory adult entertainment to the wii.

Posted by carterlink

My mind is made up. Getting this instead of Res Evil 5. There may only be a few percent difference in scores, but this looks infinately more interesting and entertaining for the single player.

By the way, for all CVG's jibe of Wii owners feeling neglected, in this and HOTD:Overkill, we have two of the most entertaining and downright fun releases of the year so far.

Roll on Punch Out! and Sin and Punishment 2.

Posted by BYDO

Watch the video review on IGN. It looks fantastic fun. I really shouldn't buy a new game so soon after SF4,Killzone,F.E.A.R....etc but I just might have to over spend this month. Did some one say something about a 'down turn' or something???

Posted by seancuk23

I am shocked that it got a better review than Resident Evil 5! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Posted by RumbleThunder

Arghh I really don't like dangerously short-lived games. I may buy it though. This and RE5 have the same Metascore I think, so there you go.

Posted by RLRL_

The short story mode does bug me, but I'm sure the sheer brutality of the game will make me forget that fact. Also multiplayer for things like human darts, I'm all for that!

Posted by Miss Marvellous

I like the look of this , but it wont do very well sales wise as its on the wrong console.

Posted by WHERESMYMONKEY

is that because you don't own it.

Most more core games on the wii do well because gamers that had the sense to hold onto thier wiis snap them up, and a good game is a good game reguardless of what machine its on.

It'll do brilliantly because it doesn't have much competition and it's ****ing awesome. Played through the first couple of levels last night and its one of the most OTT and fun game experiences i've had in ages. I highly reccommend it to anyone with an once of (bad)taste and (twisted) sense of humour. If you're easily offended **** OFF!

Posted by carterlink

Personally, I think it's on exactly the right console. Quirky, off-the-wall, stylized and comic-book cartoony are all traits I would associate with the Wii.

The game is far too stylish to be appreciated by realism-seeking tech-heads.

Also, as said elsewhere, MadWorld would not be anywhere near as entertaining and fun with conventional pad control.

Made for and entirely suited to Wii me-thinks.

Posted by svd_grasshopper

its a mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad mad, mad world.

Read all 17 comments