User Review : MadWorld

Actually, yes, this IS madness!

Having barely touched my Wii since I got my PS3 (once you go black, you can't go back) I had a bit of Wii-mote dusting to do and batteries to scavenge for. I probably wouldn't have cared so much about their condition had I realized within three minutes of turning on MadWorld, blood comes in a tidal wave off of the screen.

The game itself is probably the only besides manhunt 2 the public didn't even want on shelves because and I quote "It would hurt the Wii's family-friendly image." [20-page meandering rant deleted] But here's the game.

The story goes that a city on an island is cut off from the outside world and more murderous people are released amongst the populace. At first glance, its just an excuse to kill things, but it turns out there's a fairly neat story behind it all. I like it 'cause it's a story that can be taken seriously but never demands to be. Hell, you can skip all the scenes after the first level, and for all you know it IS just a mindless bloodfest. The story's only problem is that characters' backstories are talked about but never visualized, which considering the cheap animation, seems like something they could have thrown in.

The game's an arcade-style beat-em-up, where using a chainsaw is for pussies. If you want points, you gotta throw flaming barrels on enemies' heads and jam street signs through their necks and throw them against a spiked wall. Points unlock bonus weapons, power-ups and eventually the boss of the level. It gets kinda repetitive, but each new level brings new exciting ways to kill people. Like, now you're jamming turtle shells over their heads and throwing them into meat grinders.

Some levels are motorcycle rides. They're not unbearable, but I kept wanting to get back to the regular game, and fortunately only one boss fight is done like that.

Speaking of boss fights, all of the ones in game pretty much boil down to dodging an attack then hitting them, but each boss has their own unique design, and usually some kind of gimmick to them that makes them unique. And its all worth it for the over-the-top fatalities at the end. There are QTEs involved, but in this game, they're quite bearable.

The game has a mostly low-brow sense of humor that is accommodated by the two commentators, my enjoyment of whom fluctuated more than sine wave (trig joke!) mostly due to them repeating themselves. But they're more funny than not usually.

I thought for sure this game was gonna be a shallow, repetitive mash-fest, but it turned out quite well, even if it isn't the deepest action game ever. If you're looking for a game the hardcore can sink their teeth into, you won't be disappointed.

EDIT: thanks for the reports/suggestions. really have to get in to the habit of spacing my paragraphs. But seriously, i think the "bad spelling" is uncalled for as long as it's readable. I can't seem to find the errors.