PROS: An amazing take on the beat 'em up genre; hundreds of ways to butcher enemies; awesome boss battles
CONS: Two-player mode feels cheap and tacked on; play-by-play commentary gets old; motorcycle levels are clunky
When Pat first booted up MadWorld, the ensuing screams of chainsaw mayhem brought editors and staff members a-running from every corner of the building. Every single person in the office crammed into the test cube to watch the bloody spectacle and holy hell were we impressed. Dark, brutal and hilarious in just the right way, MadWorld is a title that has rocketed to the top of every staff member's must buy list.
4.5 out of 5
A-
MadWorld is not a perfect game, and for some it might be a tad on the short side (five-to-six hours). But I had a blast on this roller coaster through a unique world. The immersive combat (aided by shockingly-fun Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls) would not have been as enjoyable if played on a traditional gamepad. Despite my early skepticism on the decision to bring this game exclusively to the Wii, I don't think the experience would be nearly as interesting on either HD console. The design constraints of Nintendo's system forced the developers at Platinum Games to be creative, and they followed through on their creativity by putting together a thoroughly enjoyable brawler with just the right amount of the ultra-violence.
IGN US Madworld review:
Closing Comments
I realize that not everybody will find MadWorld's unique visual and aural presentation appealing, but to me, the game is an instant collector's item and a Wii showpiece, not just for its amazing style, but for its label-busting content. Anybody who says Nintendo's console is just for kids will see things very differently after a few chainsaw- induced mutilations. More importantly, though, MadWorld does not place emphasis on style over gameplay, so there's plenty of fun, smart mechanics to back up the overwhelmingly slick look and sound of the title. You'll be floored by some of the scenarios that await you in the fast-moving beat-'em-up, surprised by the unexpectedly well-made storyline, and simultaneously grossed out and cracked up by all of the completely over-the-top gore. Even with some camera issues, some repetition, and a decidedly short single-player mode (if you play it on normal difficulty), SEGA and Platinum Games have still created Wii's first truly excellent game of the year.
I'm begging you, buy this game so that we'll see more like it.
9/10
IGN UK Madworld review:
Two things strike you very quickly about MadWorld. Firstly, it makes SEGA's recent The House of the Dead: Overkill look like a tea party in a nunnery. Secondly, it's one of the most visually arresting games ever devised.
What? That's un-possible! 
Think Hostel meets the Running Man, only cleverer and infinitely funnier. Much like Overkill, it's a game that shirks subtly for gratuity and ends up mailing most of its laughs back from somewhere far, far over the line of acceptability.
Surprisingly, it's not the violence that's likely to cause most offense in MadWorld though. That honour goes to Greg Proops and John DiMaggio's delirious turn as Death Watch's foul-mouthed commentators. It's an astonishing stream of no-holds-barred crudity that hurtles from bigotry to misogyny and back, by way of several thousand expletives – including one choice word that literally made us drop our controller in surprise. It's the kind of aural assault that's so relentlessly, knowingly offensive, you'd have to be fairly puritanical not to get totally swept up in its giddy revelry.
You see, it's all about points. You need a certain number to progress through a stage, unlocking mini-game-style Bloodbath Challenges, more outlandish weapons and boss encounters at various pre-designated milestones. MadWorld's rules are simple: pain, effectively, means points and – with a classic arcade multiplier system at its core - the more creative your masochism, the greater your reward. That would probably be justifiable grounds for grumbling politicians and horrified newspaper headlines if your arsenal wasn't quite so dizzily deranged. Success depends on informed experimentation and, as you progress, MadWorld's ultraviolent surface thrills melt to reveal its nuanced fighting system. Ultimately, it's about taking pride in your work - and the dizzying satisfaction as your most outlandish Rube Goldberg-style death machinations reach fruition. It's honestly and absolutely an obsessive compulsive's wet dream.
It's the classic Wii complaint – that there's too much reliance on the Remote's notoriously imprecise motion-sensors. There's an incredible amount of gesture input in MadWorld – from chainsaw swipes to nunchuck dodging – and, too often for our liking, arm movements either fail to register or produce unexpected results.
Seems to be at odds with the US Sites description?
Closing Comments
Control issues hamper fluidity but there’s no denying that, with some investment, MadWorld rewards in huge doses, delivering an incredibly visceral experience that's as stunningly unique and obscenely entertaining as it is just plain obscene.
8.9
IGN-Video-review-for-lazy-people
7/10
8/10
http://platinumgames.com/2009/04/07/mad-replay-value/
Hey everyone. Are you hooked on MADWORLD yet? If you aren’t, come back and read this blog after you’ve cleared MADWORLD ten more times. MADWORLD is now available in Europe, so this blog is going introduce some replay goals that will make your MADWORLD experience ten times more fun.
If you’ve already driven yourself mad by playing the game too much, this blog post might not be up your alley; however, for those who are keen to keep chomping at the bit, definitely read this blog and have an even better time playing MADWORLD again.
MADWORLD’s most famous kill has to be shoving a sign post into an enemy’s head, but did you know that you can impale up to five signs into a single enemy? When I look at some of the gameplay video that users have uploaded to Youtube, it seems that everyone is stopping at a single sign post. That’s just an unbelievable waste. If you use multiple signs, you will earn more points and a higher rating for your attack. Not to mention an enemy with five signs in his head is incredibly funny!
Big Bull Crocker is the overbearing guy wearing a bull helmet and charging at you with a double chainsaw. You guys are probably all trying to take him out with Jack’s chainsaw or punches. And I figure that you have all had a power struggle with Bull at least once. After winning that power struggle, Big Bull will stand there winded. That is when you can actually impale Big Bull Crocker with a sign post! He is only standing there for a moment, so your chance to pull this off is small, but you can impale up to 5 posts into Crocker.
I’ll share another tip for dealing with Big Bull Crocker! Get Bull in front of a Rose Bush (Spiked Wall) and attack him. Any attack will do, so give it a try. You can actually impale Big Bull Crocker onto the Rose Bush. Depending on his health, he will either die or be disabled by the spikes. When he is disabled, you can use your chainsaw to cut chunks out of him and send him to an early grave. Give it a try! I love this technique, so impale him with a sign post, plant him on a rose bush, and let the Bull know who is boss.
When you are in the Station portion of the first stage, there is an attache case in the area. The one that says “CASH” on the front. If you pick that up and throw it, all the money inside will fly up into the air when it hits the ground. The enemies who see that will lose all interest in Jack and head straight for the cash to gather it up, forming a pack of enemies all in one spot.
Throw the cash onto the train tracks and get all the enemies to gather there! A few moments later, a train will come blasting through the station and smash through the cash loving horde, wiping them all out.
There are the sorts of ways you can use the attache case cash to raise your kill efficiency and take out lots of enemies. In every stage there is a lure item, so once you find them make sure to take advantage of them.
Everyone is interested in the story, so they clear an area and move on to the next to see what will happen. However, MADWORLD may be a linear game, but you can revisit areas that you have completed.
Sure, playing the same stage the exact same way is OK, but it won’t stay fresh for long, so we’ve included extra missions. Each area has a different mission, with up to four missions added in one stage. As the missions change, it will give you a different sense of urgency in each area to complete the mission, so you really should give those stages another shot!
There are other things I’d like to add, but for now, I suggest checking out the MADWORLD strategy guide that is on sale in stores now. There is lots of great art featuring Jack and the enemies from MADWORLD, so everyone should own their own copy!
So here is your last bit of INSIDER INFORMATION!
In the 2nd stage area known as Bistro La Lusty Geisha, go to the tempura area and try to place as much tempura as you can on the plate in a single go, then ring the bell. You will find something well worth your efforts!
Shigenori Nishikawa
Just wanted to share an interesting story about MadWorld. Last night I went to Gamestop to trade in a few games and pick up ExciteBots. I brought MadWorld with me more to get an idea of pricing than to sell it. I've played through twice already so I figured if I got a good deal and saw something else I wanted maybe I'd trade it in.
My local Gamestop salesperson was shocked to see it come in. Apparently I would have been the first person to trade the game in. Over a month after it's release and no one was tried to sell it. I think that says something about the game right there.
And for the record I did keep it.
So funny, I can almost picture the shocked look on the face of the niche nerd gamestop clerk
You did well to hang on to it. This proves once and for all, you truly are Robio - God of Trendy
Oh BTW, I don't know what is going on, but whenever I go into a game shop or supermarket and look at the platform specific charts, I see GTA at no 1 in the DS charts and Madworld at No 1 in the Wii charts, followed by HOTD?
Madworld No 1 at Tesco? What the hell?
The games seems to be selling in the UK at least. They may not pop up on the multiformat top ten, but it seems like they are selling.
Oh and I'm at the casino now.
Liked the base level and the boss. The robot and vampire bosses were piss easy though.
Story suddenly got a huge jolt in the pants. COOL.
Okay I beat the game and I'm ready to deliver my final verdict.
The ending really picked up. They save the good story bits for the final quarter of the game. I didn't realise till the final boss fight just how effective QTEs are using the wii remote, man busting that guys face up was SO enjoyable. And HE was the final boss!
Awesome.
The visuals can be stunning, I've seen clips of Renaisance and it looks as good. If you ever wanted Sin City, the game, buy this.
And you get a katana once you complete the game and now it plays like Ninja Gaiden minus the ball crushing difficulty and wiggy camera? Awesomesauce!
I will say that its a game which you have to play repeatedly to get the most out of it, each level at least 3 times, so the replay value is definetly there. If you play it just to beat it, you aren't really playing it. The first level is the worst so dont be put off by that.
Oh oh and its almost worth completing just to hear the commentary on the credits. Bra--fucking-vo.
I love how they leave room for the story to expand at the end, now they can lose the deathwatch and just make it Jack going after sponsors.
I really want a sequel to this game. It's not swift ballet ninja moves, it's bludgeoning violence, from the visuals, the hefty square jawed manly men to the extreme violence, gruff voices and blunt weapons. But it all perfectly suits the controls, I dont think slamming assholes in a can against a spiked wall will ever be better. And the chainsaw? FUCK yeah.
Don't be an asshole all your life, buy it. I'm adding it to the "list".
I can't decide between the two scores so:
8.7 - 9.0
Now you're mocking me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
From your impressions on Madworld before you might have a similar experience to me, an 8.5 ish game, slightly repetitive that you have to work at to get better in. The arenas aren't great either. Its worth the ride but you have to dial down your hype meter. It's a solid game, meaty and brutal, but it can be sluggish and workman like. Thus, I would put LKS above it.
I already knew to put LKS ahead of it, I am just mocking you.
Not cool, man.
*shakes head*