Many games try incredibly hard to be stylish, cool and funny. Madworld just is.
This ultra-violent, mature-rated action title manages to take an incredibly
simple and seemingly overdone game design and execute it in a way that has never
been done before. Madworld is, at its core, an old-school beat-‘em-up. Our
(kind-of) hero, Jack, fights endless hordes of enemies in arena-like levels,
racking up points. But it’s here where Madworld sets itself apart. The points
system isn’t based on how many thugs you kill, but how grotesquely you murder
them. For instance, you can impale them through the head with a road sign, jam a
flat tire around their torso, and then slam them onto a meat hook to finish them
off. You are basically ranked on how creative your kills are. Of course, it can
be just as fun to simply beat a guy into a bloody pulp and then perform one of
the absolutely ridiculous chainsaw finishing moves.
Many of these moves are executed via motions using the Wii remote and nunchuk.
And while these kinds of commands are occasionally iffy in other games, Madworld
nails it on the head. The motion controls are specific enough to give a genuine
sense of immersion, but also forgiving enough that they never become
frustrating.
The only shortcoming control-wise is the camera system, with the only option
being to re-center. It just feels clunky when most games allow for at least
rotation these days. The lock-on system is also poorly implemented and only
really useful during boss fights.
Once you rack up enough points, you are treated to a mid-level mini-game. Titled
the “Bloodbath Challenge,” these contain some of the most hilariously gruesome
sequences. Examples include Man Darts, which has the player batting baddies into
a giant dart board to score points, or even playing golf by decapitating
zombies.
As you can probably tell, the violence level in Madworld is so over-the-top that
it’s played for humor. There is no sense of realism here, and therefore it
becomes almost cartoon like with its eruptions of blood and frequent
dismemberment.
But as fun as the general beat-‘em-up portions are, they do become a bit
repetitive. Although, the environments and enemies may change, the same ideas
tend to repeat themselves. Luckily, the brisk pace tends to soften this issue,
and the excellent boss fights that are rewarded to the player by reaching a
certain point threshold make it worth a bit of redundancy.
In fact, these epic boss fights are probably the highlight of the game, and
contain some awesome cinematic touches.
And as fun as the gameplay is, the presentation is even better. The game takes
place in Varrigan City, which has been taken over by terrorists. The terrorists
unleash a deadly virus that will kill everyone in the city, unless they fight.
Only the survivors get the antidote. It all becomes part of a gruesome reality
show titled Death Watch. And while the setup may be a bit ridiculous, the plot
is surprisingly engaging with Jack pursuing his own agenda and the Death Watch
officials trying to figure out just who this new challenger is. The game is very
well-written, and the direction of the cinematics is excellent.
It’s impressive how well the game is able to balance the fairly somber plotline
portrayed in between missions with the hilarity of the missions themselves. In
addition to the laughs provided by the over-the-top violence, the game features
a pair of in-game announcers voiced by comedians Greg Proops and John DiMaggio.
I don’t know if they were just improvising to the video of the game or what, but
their commentary is absolutely hilarious. It’s a great touch, especially
considering that some of these sequences can be a bit repetitive on their own.
The first thing that jumps out at you though, is the visuals. The art direction
here is absolutely outstanding. The game is entirely black and white, giving it
a great stylized noir look. The only other color you’ll really see is blood red,
and as you can tell, you see a lot of it.
The character designs are also very good, and the graphical technology itself is
very impressive. This is definitely one of the best looking games on Wii, both
artistically, and technically. Perhaps the biggest knock here is occasional
slowdown and a lack of 480p. But the black and white nature of the game makes
the slightly rougher look of standard definition much less obvious, so it
doesn’t turn out to be a serious setback.
Another interesting choice in Madworld is the music. The game features an almost
entirely hip-hop soundtrack, and it fits the action surprisingly well. Also on
the sound side, the voice acting is quite good overall. I do wish a bit more
attention had been paid to the sound mixing, however, as between the loud
effects and music, it can be difficult to catch some of the great commentary
from the announcers. You can adjust the various levels yourself, but you really
shouldn’t have to. And as great as the commentary is, it does repeat too much,
especially during the boss fights.
Madworld does feature a multiplayer mode, but it feels like more of an
afterthought than anything else. It basically consists of two-players competing
in the mid-level challenges. A cooperative mode would have been great. What’s
here is fun, but shallow.
Nevertheless, Madworld is still easily recommended for its single-player play alone.
It’s a very impressive Wii title in terms of controls and graphics. The gameplay
doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s unquestionably fun. It also features
incredible presentation that gives the game a personality that feels completely
unique. If you are looking for a hugely entertaining, adult-oriented Wii game,
you can’t do any better than Madworld, and you simply won’t find a funnier game
anywhere else.
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Gameplay: 8.5
Great use of motion controls highlights the general beat-‘em-up segments. And
while these can become a bit repetitive, the player is always rewarded with fun
(and disgusting) mini-game challenges and excellent boss fights. The clunky
camera system is a disappointment, however.
Graphics: 9.0
Fantastic art direction enhances the already technically impressive visuals.
Sound: 8.5
I doubt the mostly hip-hop soundtrack will be to everyone’s liking, but it
definitely fits the game well. The voice acting is very good, and the announcers
are hilarious.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 9.0
The game design isn’t anything outrageously new, but it’s well executed. What
makes Madworld great is the phenomenal presentation. The writing is excellent,
alternating between a surprisingly good plot, genuinely hilarious dialog, and
ridiculously over-the-top violence.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Unfortunately there is no cooperative play (online or off), so multiplayer is
limited to the mini-games featured in the single player missions.
Overall: 8.8
Madworld takes a genre that had been absolutely beaten into the ground and
reinvigorates it with incredible presentation and brilliant usage of the Wii’s
motion controls. The game is as fun as it is violent, and as hilarious as it is
grotesque.
