Madworld is ambitious at every turn, providing a crazy and visceral adventure that matches even the best Wii titles.
MadWorld takes place in the metropolis of Varrigan City. Once a bustling burg, the city has now become a terrorist base. After spreading a dangerously lethal pathogen across the city, the citizens are now at the will of the terrorist organization. So what do the terrorists want? They want to play a game, or more specifically, watch the others fight to the death in a game aptly titled Death Watch. In order to obtain the antidote to the pathogen (along with earning a hefty prize of $150 million), the citizens must fight to the death and rise up the ranks to earn their prize and life. Enter Jack, a tough guy with a hidden agenda. It's up to Jack to not only fight for freedom, but also to uncover the secrets behind Death Watch. Led along by a mysterious sponsor, Agent XIII, Jack must battle through waves of enemies to find the truth. An interesting mix of "Sin City" and Stephen King's "The Running Man", the story in MadWorld is surprisingly well versed. Suspenseful cutscenes illustrate the secrets behind the games well, and the overall narrative has an excellently designed mood. It's not too complex, but it's entertaining enough and has plenty of unique twists to keep the player interested.
The most apparent factor in MadWorld is the graphic style, which follows a simple monochromatic base with plenty of blood red to paint the town with. Many have compared this to a noir comic book style, and while it does capture that idea, MadWorld mixes in plenty of violent bloodshed for good measure. Cutscenes blend in comic-book-style panels with full-motion sequences, which add a clever atmosphere to the game. The game's style follows in Clover Studios' footsteps with some great shading and design effects, reminiscent of the wonderfully-stylized Viewtiful Joe series. Giant onomatopoeia blast during action-packed sequences and subtle details like main character Jack's cigarette smoke add a brilliant bit of unique essence to the game's incredible graphic design. The game animates fluidly in action, and the cinematic kills flow together cleanly and smoothly. There was a small notice of lag when things got too heavy, but overall, this is some of the best the Wii has done, not just technically, but stylistically. Despite being named "underpowered," the Wii has shown plenty of unique styles and aesthetics when it comes to graphics, and MadWorld is probably the most ambitious presentation yet.
Controls were a major concern before MadWorld's release, but fortunately, the game doesn't use the overused Wii Remote waving that many other games have suffered from. Instead, basic attacks are mapped to the Wii Remote's A button. Holding down the A button lets Jack grab, and holding the B-trigger lets him rev up his chainsaw. Swinging the Wii Remote either vertically or horizontally lets Jack perform a backfist or uppercut, and performing the gesture while holding the B-trigger lets Jack tear up enemies with his chainsaw arm. The D-pad lets Jack switch weapons, pick up nearby power-ups, or simply taunt an enemy. Moving and jumping is mapped to the Nunchuk, with centering the camera being mapped to the C button. Obtaining a lock-on must be done by holding the C button, making the overall camera control a bit of a hassle. You usually only need the lock-on during a boss fight, but the inconsistency in the camera system can make things a little confusing at times. Fortunately, the rest of the controls work very well.
But it's during the battles that the controls really come together. During battles, the player will be directed with context-sensitive sequences to execute an enemy. These insanely gruesome actions range from a chainsaw decapitation to bending a guy's torso backwards till their spine snaps like a twig. In case you don't know yet, this is not for the faint of heart. The whole thing makes Gears of War look tame. The overall control setup is smooth and easy to use. Sure, you may accidentally grab at the wrong time or swing in the wrong direction for a chainsaw kill, but a vast majority of the confrontations feel tight and well implemented. This is hands-down the most ambitious control setup seen on the Wii. Even better, it's a blast to use.
Jack's adventure in Varrigan City is one giant competition, with the combatants killing off others to earn the prize. The goal is to kill as many enemies as possible in as many different ways to earn big points. Try the game's typical combo: pick up a tire and slam it around an enemy, pick up a signpost and shove it into the enemy's skull, then pick up the guy and slam him into a spiked wall. It's these unique combinations that really show the cleverness in the system. Throughout the game's levels, there are more different environmental hazards like giant presses, meat hooks, and electrical machinery, along with new weapons like spiked bats and daggers. MadWorld produces a smooth variety of items and traps to take out enemies; once you get tired of one, try another. What makes the gameplay really spectacular is the visceral strength behind each attack. Jack can literally tear enemies apart, leaving their bloody corpses lying about the levels. While other games may find the slaying of enemies rather serious, MadWorld's executions and assassinations are so ridiculous that you'll probably burst out laughing after you cringe a little at their sheer destructiveness. MadWorld doesn't take itself seriously at any point in the battles, and really, we wouldn't have it any other way.
Boss encounters are over-the-top and insanely fun to play. The enemies seen throughout the levels could easily be considered point-fodder, but the bosses actually take some serious skill to defeat. Pack a few extra lives, because they are remarkably tough. Many feature quick-time events to nail extra damage, but the clever and diverse design of each boss fight is incredible. The finishing moves are what really draw the whole thing together; not convinced? Try seeing a man get shot over and over until he's nothing but a skeleton. Yeah, that's some serious finisher. MadWorld's remarkable action and insanely unique boss fights are a highlight for the system, rivaling the bosses of other Wii hits like Zelda: Twilight Princess and No More Heroes, all with a bloody chainsaw to boot.
Aside from earning big points from extreme acts of diverse violence, there isn't a huge reason to go through the game again, which is a shame, because its amazing control setup and strong action work incredibly well together. Once the game is over, there are a few unlockable weapons and a tough-as-nails Hard Mode. You also can participate in the single-player Bloodbath Challenge minigames with a friend via split-screen, which is a cool inclusion. MadWorld's short single-player is a bit of a disappointment, but returning to levels to see how high your score will climb after taking out enemies is a decent incentive. It's so much fun you'll no doubt return to it just to shock your friends.
The sound design in MadWorld is simply second-to-none. The music is a nice collection of hip-hop tracks, each one feeling upbeat while synching well with the action of the gameplay. To match the music, the sound effects are stellar. The rev sound of the chainsaw emanating from the Wii Remote's speaker is good, and the over-the-top actions produce an awesome blend of sound-offs from victims and strong impacts as their bodies fly across the level. But the crown gem of the sound is the commentary. Famed improv comic Greg Proops teams up with John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War) to produce some of the most vulgar, ridiculous, and downright hilarious commentary ever seen in a video game. You'll hear them insulting each other's ex-girlfriends, mindlessly cursing, and providing random insight to Jack's actions as he progresses through Death Watch. Despite how crazy their insults are, it's very difficult to not crack a smile at their quips and quarrels. It's undeniably obscene and crass for sure, and some may not be drawn to its humor, but the commentary compliments MadWorld's over-the-top gameplay better than anything else, resulting in a laughably visceral game unlike anything else seen on the system.
Pros
+ Visceral combat system is hard-hitting and undeniably over-the-top
+ Controls are accessible, though progressive and unique
+ Graphics ooze style and gory substance
+ Hilarious commentary tops off the stellar sound design
Cons
- Camera isn't perfect
- Not entirely lengthy
- Mature content won't appeal to everyone
MadWorld isn't afraid to shock you, but with the blatantly mature content comes one gem of an action-game. The ridiculously elaborate kills and finishers would be great enough with a regular controller, but the Wii Remote and Nunchuk's intuitive controls make taking out enemy after enemy a rewarding and addictive experience. Add in a killer (pardon the pun) set of Bloodbath challenges and objectives and you get a diverse game with plenty of depth. With an excellent control setup, addictive challenges, beautifully-designed graphics, and a hilarious commentary throughout, MadWorld challenges the norm in nearly every way possible. If you can forgive the imperfect camera and slightly short length, you'll find one of the best Wii games to come out in years. Sure, it's violent. Sure, it's crass. But MadWorld is the serious kick in the pants that the system needed. If you're of age (and aren't afraid of a little gore in your games), then MadWorld is what you've been waiting for on the Wii. Refined, accessible, and mindlessly crazy, MadWorld is already an excellent contender for Game of the Year 2009. Pick it up today.