Kill or be killed! (Madworld (Wii))

Member Name: northers

Product:	Madworld (Wii)
Date:	27/03/09 (228 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stylish, playable, humourous

Disadvantages: Easy to offend

One of the most hotly-anticipated and over-hyped games for the Wii has finally arrived. For too long, it seems, we have been teased with tantalising screenshots and a constant slow-drip of information regarding this, the latest adult-oriented game for the best family game console on the market. Yes people, MadWorld is here at last; now was it all worth the wait?

Oh yes.

We were promised slick monochromatic graphics in a comic-strip style. Check. The game hurtles along in pure black and white, punctuated sporadically with torrents of red blood. Comic book-style captions often litter the screen, leaving the player in awe of the unusual visual style on offer.

We were promised over-the-top violence. Done. Various characters are eviscerated in a seemingly unlimited number of ultra-violent ways restricted only by the imagination of the user. The comic-book sadism on offer is of the ridiculous over-exaggerated variety with bodies popping and zipping apart with regular abandon and unfeasible amounts of escaping bodily fluids.

We were promised controversy. In the bag. From the outset, MadWorld is riddled with outrageous commentary, with language that would make a prison guard blush, suggesting that it's not only graphic violence that can invoke what some people would call 'Daily Mail outrage'.

So by now let nobody shelter under the illusion that this is a game to buy the nephew if he's still in his schooldays. Sega's latest foray in to the adult market well and truly raises the bar for adult content that will not be surpassed for quite some time, perhaps ever. Nintendo and Sega have taken some heat from various quarters for allowing and developing this release respectively, but to their credit, they have defended MadWorld's release with a determined, united front. With a certificate rating of 18, this game pulls no punches and does not pretend to be something that it isn't. This is not a game that tries to court younger players with an almost touchable, negotiable 12 rating. No. Its adults only; we can protect younger members of the family by using a PIN lock on our console, so let us be glad that the censors have seen fit to allow us to make our own decision regarding MadWorld.

So what exactly is MadWorld all about then? The player controls Jack, a former marine, in a violent game show set in Varrigan, a city that has been overrun by terrorists who have infected the entire population with a virus that will kill everyone in 24 hours. The terrorists have decreed that anyone who kills someone else will receive the vaccine. Furthermore there is a prize of 100 million dollars on offer to the last man standing, leading, inevitably, to an immense bloodbath with Jack and his arm-attached chainsaw at the fore.

Each level is based on a points-scored system, where Jack has to accrue a certain number of points before progressing to the boss phase and subsequently to the next level. Jack must be inventive with the way he dispatches his foes, as the watching audience, represented by the leering, abusive commentators, demand increasing levels of sophistication in his choice of ultra-violence. It simply is not enough to slice someone in half with a chainsaw (although this is very gratifying). Instead, it is all about combinations, as it pays well to combine attacks; there are all manner of objects lying around with which Jack can inflict damage. Enemies can be run-through with traffic signs then impaled on spikes or thrown through revolving industrial saws for serious audience kudos.

Points can also be accrued in a number of mini-games, rather affectionately titled 'Bloodbath Challenges' where Jack is required to kill his enemies in a specific way. These mini games are wickedly creative, with a perverted sense of humour behind them. Big points need to be scored in these games to have any hope of progressing. Challenges include such gems as Man Darts and Death Press; the objectives behind these probably need no explanation, suffice it to say the kill total rises dramatically.

The control system used within the game is very intuitive, something we have become increasingly expectant with new games. Gone are the days when the latest port to the Wii would be hamstrung by some ineffectual mash up of the unique Wiimote and nunchuk combination. Instead, when you play MadWorld, you are seen flinging your arms in all directions and pressing buttons galore as you instinctively learn to dispatch your foes using every single one of the controllers' buttons.

When you play MadWorld there is no escaping the adult content. If you find bad language or violence offensive then this is not the game for you. Indeed, those hardy souls who can take the vile, even juvenile insane violence on offer here need to take the odd break as the stark graphical style and incessant ramblings from the commentators, not to mention the pounding Hip-Hop soundtrack take their toll on the senses. The game also ranges in difficulty, with earlier levels being very simple to complete. Things ratchet up very quickly however, such that players often find themselves being beaten during boss fights only to be propelled back to the start of the level again.

To round up MadWorld, we are talking about a game that will appeal to those Wii owners who yearn for no-holds-barred ultra-violent action. The graphics seen throughout the game are without compare in the gaming world. Expect this trailblazing style to soon be copied. The soundtrack matches the graphics in its ability to shock, with the worst language I have yet to see coming out of a video game. As far as playability goes, MadWorld is a game that is very difficult to put down, not until you have maxed-out your score in Rocket Reamer anyway.

Ultra-violent... Offensive... Shocking... We love it.

Summary: Fight on and on and on...