MadWorld is stylized game, consisting of mainly three colors – if you haven’t guessed already. Taking the look from Sin City, MadWorld does it extremely well. The graphical presentation is nice, smooth and creamy; or rather, nice to look at as the spectrum is actually really fitting for the game. The game does a good job making the world, well Mad, as it seems to a broken down trash heap of no humanity left. The level design sports good variety as no two levels looks the same, giving out nice atmosphere to the bloodshed that is all around you.

The game itself is genuinely fun, very fun in fact. Using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck to a good extent. Using the A and B buttons to attack and actual movements to finish off people is a splendid combination, like No More Heroes. The game does rely a lot on the motion of the Wii Remote, but to a good extent – as in, not completely revolving around the motion. The game controls well but the only complaint is that at some points in the game, it will not completely register some movements, or it may register any movement. There are some Quick Time Events in the game which does a good job of not disrupting the action and continues the flow, as the action sequence is a very beautiful sight to see every time.

The game play itself can be described as a classic beat-em up, except with more blood. Though simply pounding on enemies is not where all the fun is; it’s exactly how you kill your enemies is the fun part. There are many different ways to kill your enemies, it never loses it touch. Why beat the crap out of someone when you can throw them on a wall spikes? Or into a grinder? How about slamming a pole through their face and then grind them against a saw? There are many possibilities and combinations on how to finish off your enemies, it never gets old. Anyone who has played God Hand for the PS2 will feel at home as you can tell it has the Clover touch to it, even some references here and there.

The enemies seemed varied but at the same time the same. There the weak guys, the strong guys, and then mid-bosses. First their street punks then ninjas then aliens, so on… just reskins, except the zombies which act a bit differently as well. Small minor complaint but it never really bothered me when dismembering them. The great thing is that all the bosses are all different and are very fun. Each stage will have a different boss with a different strategy to take them down.

Though I usually not fond of rap/hip-hop, I thought the soundtrack of the game went really well with the style. I tend to like it old school and the soundtrack takes me back and can’t wait till the soundtrack actually comes out. That’s saying something since all I listen to is metal.

The story itself is nothing too spectacular but it binds it all together. A city has been taken over by terrorist, released a virus, and made a game show called DeathWatch. The protagonist, Jack, enters the games as a bounty hunter and his own personal reasons. The game story gives it a definite dark feeling and a bit sense of mystery throughout. There’s no real character development and all that jazz but they are hilarious. The announcers throughout the game that describe your every action kept me laughing throughout the game. Though at times they will just repeat themselves depending on what you did, I don’t really mind hearing it a couple more times. The announcers really give the game a feeling that you are part of the DeathWatch experience. Nothing else much to say about the story itself, but the dialogue from the announcers makes up for all of it.

Of course for those of you who are in Euroland, some of those countries over there might be saying bad things about all the violence, saying the game isn’t meant for a “family” console. There is indeed a lot of violence, but there was also a lot of violence when I watched Tom & Jerry or Looney Toons when I was a kid. The only difference is the blood as the violence in this game is way too over the top, I doubt kids are going to shove streets signs up another’s asshole. It’s game perfect for the “family” console, after all, the dads, the moms, the teenagers may want something else than colorful rainbows farting lollipops doing the same thing over and over again.

Overall, the game is fantastic and if you’re a fan of beat-em ups and over the top violence, you should definitely get this. I know some of us are having a bit of buyer’s remorse since getting our Wii’s but I can assure you that MadWorld will make it worthwhile, or at least dampen it a bit.

When you think about the Wii, you immediately think crappy multiplayer party titles that everyone can only enjoy only if they’re A: ten years old; or B: drunk off their asses (except for the rare first-party and third party gem here and there, of course). Now it seems that Platinum Games, that blessed company made up of the imaginative people that brought God Hand screaming into the world, is looking to change that, with their upcoming title, the gory and noir-laced Madworld, featuring some multiplayer segments that should be pretty fun, seeing as the  game itself isn’t your usual sports-related title.

Of course, it’s not yet explicitly stated just how much of the game will be multiplayer, but it’s this bit in the official MadWorld website that got our attention:

Take control and compete in a variety of ultra-violent ‘Blood Bath Challenges’ which can be played offline multiplayer with your friends or enemies.

Hopefully it lets us play online multiplayer, too. Man Darts will probably be a nice way to vent all that rage from lost Mario Kart matches.

MadWorld Uncensored Trailer. Here’s what you really need to know: it’s super violent, it’s got the black-and-white cel-shaded noir thing going on about it, and it looks like it plays like God Hand. Yes, with the third-person perspective and everything. And yes, you do get to punch people with a juiced-up arm – but instead of having one with the power of a god,  you’ll be throwing down with a robotic arm that has a chainsaw attachment. And with it, you’ll be cutting up everything from random thugs to flipped-out ninjas.

Context-sensitive kills, God Hand-esque combat, and the freedom to use your chainsaw on anyone. Platinum Games, you’re doing something right.

You can view the awesome trailer here.

People are always complaining that good developers like Clover become defunct because no one bought their awesome fucking games (myself included to be honest.) I’m not letting this happen again. Platinum Games is essentially Clover under a new name, you’re being given a second chance to redeem yourselves by supporting a good developer. If you don’t buy this game you CANNOT complain about games not being good anymore. I don’t even care if MadWorld turns out to be a steaming pile of crap (and it won’t), you’ll still be funding the developers to have more resources for future games, some time get dig their feet in and make a name for themselves.

The only possible downside is that, if and when, Platinum Games gets bigger and starts pumping out awesome at a faster rate than anyone can comprehend they will inevitably get bought out by EA Games. But to be honest, with the current state of the economy and EA having the majority of its assets invested very thinly across the board, I don’t foresee them buying any new companies in the relative future.

Also, take a look at the other games they’re developing right now:

Bayonetta

Directed by Hideki Kamiya, creator of the Devil May Cry series, it will tell the story of the eponymous witch, Bayonetta, who has guns on her feet and hands, blowing off the heads of monsters masquerading as angels. Creator Hideki Kayima has said that ” Bayonetta will blow the doors off the action genre”.

No, violence doesn’t automatically make a game good, but how can you read the premise of this game and not think, “Wow, that sounds pretty freaking awesome.”

To sum it up, if you don’t buy MadWorld, you will have killed gaming. What’s the worst that happens? You spend $50 on a game that might not be everything you thought it would be but still support a small company instead of a tyrant that’s been pumping out the same old garbage year after year after year?