MadWorld is a thoroughly entertaining romp that Wii owner who are not faint of heart should definitely check out...
The story in MadWorld follows a sick sort of gladiatorial game called Death Watch. You play as a newcomer to the games, Jack. The story is pretty ridiculous, and not very interesting, but where the game truly shines is its humor, especially from Death Watch's two announcers, who had me laughing out loud through most of the game.
The gameplay is fairly standard fare for a Wii action game. You'll use the A and B buttons to perform basic attacks on enemies, and use various objects in the environment in combination with motion controls to perform some more complicated, and brutal attacks. But the name of the game in MadWorld is combos. Sure dicing an enemy up with a single swipe of Jack's handy chainsaw arm can net you some quick points, but when you string basic moves with the environmental attacks, and then end with one of the game's ridiculous finishers, you start rolling in the points.
Jack will even take a break from on foot carnage to enjoy some motorcycle manslaughter. These sequences, while refreshing, aren't really very polished, and definitely could've used some touching up.
While some might fear repetition after a while, MadWorld's gory mini games found in each level will keep things fresh. Every activity from playing "Man Darts" to splatting guys against the moon by hitting them with a golf club is worryingly hilarious, and simply a lot of fun.
MadWorld's gameplay also benefits greatly from its numerous bosses and mini-bosses, who serve as a refreshing break from the standard grunts, and lead to some pretty intense fighting. Not to mention that the finishers you get to pull on them are downright badass.
Obviously one of the huge draws of MadWorld is its unique graphical design. Every thing is black and white except for the blood red...er...blood. It's not exactly easy on the eyes, but it's definitely cool that the developers were willing to do something so risky. Some will love it, some will hate it, but all can admit there's nothing else quite like it in the realm of video games.
The sound department is excellent, the game has great sound effects, and a pretty awesome score of original rap songs, not to mention the pure awesomeness that are the Death Watch announcers (played by renowned voice actors Greg Proops and John DiMaggio.)
MadWorld doesn't last very long, only 5-6 hours, but it's definitely the kind of game you'll want to come back to if just to relive some of the ridiculous boss fights. It's also worth noting the game has a multiplayer mode, in which you and a friend compete in the various mini games seen in the game's story mode, but it's really not all that great.
MadWorld looks and sounds like nothing you've ever played before. Unfortunately it plays like a lot of games you've played before. But that's not all bad. While it is short, and can get repetitive, ultimately the insane action and awesome production values make MadWorld a game that's definitely worth adding to the mature Wii owner's library.