Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: Wii
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
Rated: M (Mature)
The Deal: Two full years after its release, the Nintendo Wii has a reputation in hardcore gamer circles as a party favor at best and a glorified toy at worst. We like to call it “Your Grandma’s favorite console” ourselves, but hey, that’s us.
We’re not totally knocking the Wii—what it does, it does well and, really, 50 million customers can’t be wrong, right? Still, we’re thinking it would be nice if it stopped trying to get us to exercise or become an urban planner for animals and started letting us use the Wii-motes for more mindless kickassery.
MadWorld looks to be the Wii game hardcore gamers have been waiting for. Platinum Games—the good people who brought us the beautiful Okami—have produced another visually striking, fiercely individual title. With its striking black and white (and red for blood) graphics that bring to mind Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels, MadWorld is unlike anything that’s been available on the usually family friendly console.
You play as Jack, a mechanic with a chainsaw attached to one of his arms, and take him through an over-the-top TV competition that’s all about slaughtering your opponents for $100 million.
Definitely not a game for children, or grandmas, or squeamish girlfriends (i.e. the Wii’s main audience), MadWorld is a radical departure for the console and that’s commendable in itself—but does it actually have the chops to back up all its ultra-violent bluster?
The Good…
- The game’s visuals are distinctly stunning. As they did with Okami, Platinum has expertly fused a striking visual style with a great concept to excellent results.
- Any time you decide to commend a game for its violence, you’re probably navigating some pretty thin ice. Nevertheless, MadWorld’s barrage of cartoon carnage is definitely praiseworthy—but not in a high-fiving sort of way. It’s pretty clear that the over-the-top violence is, at least in part, meant to be self-reflexive. The murderous in-game reality show that Jack is a part of reflects our society’s voyeuristic attitudes towards death and destruction; an impulse we propagate through real world violence, as well as through images in film, TV, music and, of course, games. As with the so-vicious-it’s-kinda-funny gore from Bethesda’s Fallout 3, MadWorld’s intense brutality is a comment on violence and humanity’s penchant for perpetrating and being fascinated by it. You probably still shouldn’t let your nana play it, though.
- Not overstaying its welcome, MadWorld hits it and quits it. The game’s repetitiveness is a slight drawback, but Platinum keeps things contained to a romp-sized 6-7 hours. We’re sure a lot of people will think that’s a rip-off, but the one-note brutality of MadWorld would not be able to sustain anything longer.
- If your sense of humor tends toward the dark gutters of the profane (like ours) then you’ll find MadWorld’s dialogue hilarious. Definitely not for kids, the profanity-laced script is full of memorable (and ear scorching) one-liners you’ll be chuckling about for days.
The Bad…
- Perhaps ironically, the over-the-top-ness of MadWorld begins to wear the longer you play. While most of the gameplay keeps challenges fun and fresh, the “world” part of MadWorld—the dialogue, the blood, the violence—jades you after awhile and loses its impact and effect. Coupled with the game’s uncomplicated plot, this is a problem, as you don’t have any sort of character beats to slow things down for a bit.
Final Word: MadWorld is a crazy-violent joyride through a visually stunning world that eerily mirrors our own—and somehow it’s only available on the most family friendly console on the market. Maybe a little too short and a tad one dimensional, it’s still a revolution and a revelation for the usually twee Wii.
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