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
I went back to read impressions in this thread. GG you know me so freaking well its scary.
I love the gravity gun in that level. I like the QTEs in the boss fights, when they make you do things like shaking both controls to fire revolvers incessently. It had me LOLing quite loudly on a number of occasions. And on area 66 you have this bit where you slice crates in half as a boss throws them at you. Thats cool.
How did you find Frank? And what did you think of the difficulty spike once you hit the zombies?
You are quite near the end, the credits will make you LOL. Also try the game with the samurai sword once you've completed it.
Frank might have been the hardest boss fight in the game, I wish more bosses were like that. The difficulty did ramp up a bit, I actually died in the zombie level but that was cause I was going to the DW challange rather than paying attention.
UFO level was cool as hell.
I finished the game, didnt care for the final boss nor the final level. I felt the casino was weak. I need to play on hard and still complete a bunch of DW challenges (the only thing I dont like is that I have to finish the level over and over, the bosses sort of bore me and the bloodbath challenges get old).
I played some hard mode and tried to do some more challenges. Yeah hard mode is more of a challenge but more in the you have no life and enemies do more damage way rather than uping the AI or something. I dont find this to be a game that is fun to replay, it gets way too repetitive. Once you have seen every type of kill in each level, replaying them is just an excerise in killing enemies the same ways over and over. The actual combat isnt that interesting, nailing a guy with a sign, then a trash can and slaming him into a rose bush gets old.
Overall its a great game that tries to do something totally different than the average action beat em up. The first time through, and maybe the second, it remains a blast as you uncover what crazy stuff the game throws your way next. The levels progress beautifully, each getting more and more crazy (until the last one, let down). It's not about fighting as it is about finding ways to kill enemies so that first or second try at a level is so much fun as you discover new contraptions to kill. There is never a moment of down time, the action is always in your face and most importantly its always fun.
I loved the art style, the music, and the overall atmosphere were so fresh. It nailed that Sin City comic book vibe. It even had a decent story which surprised me. The annoucers are some of the most funny voice acting in game I have ever listened to. Madworld is more of an arcade style action game experience so the overall game is actually a bit simple when you look at it. You basically just play in small arenas and do many of the same types of kills over and over for a high score. I must hand it to Platinum games for taking that concept and dressing it up with such style and such over the top mayhem that it works.
Overall Score: 8.0
Great mini review, I agree with it all except I enjoyed it a little more so would give it a slightly higher score. On reflection reading about your impressions about the first two levels I'm starting to think that they are the way they are, to be intentionally easy to walk you through and get you used to the whole process before the game kicks off properly.
Did you try the samurai sword?
Of course, cool weapon but no where near as cool as the double chainsaw.
While I didn't really like the elevator part, overall I loved the final level. The Vegas themed level had a lot of interactivity too it. Lots of original ways to kill opponents, and the Black Baron rocked. Didn't see it coming, but I should have. Perfect final battle. The game took on the tournament feel that I thought was kind of missing throughout and there were a lot of little great things going on that just made it feel like "the big fight." From the camera angles during the pre-fight, Geisha Girls in Jack's corner, outside interference from the Black Baron's chick, and the massive crowd cheering the whole time. Just felt right.