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 also picked it up today. Great game. No video you've watched of the game has done it justice. You really have to see it on a big screen. It's a black and white comic come to life. And when it's on a big screen there's no confusion as to what is what. It's all extremely clear.
The commentary by Bender and Greg Proops is awesome. It gets a little repetitive, but it's not too bad really. Besides when they throw out exchanges like this who's going to complain?
"Did you know a cockroach can live a week without it's head?"
"That's nothing. When I was married I went without head for 8 years."
Classic.
So far I've completed the in-game training and the first level. First of all I have to give props to the guys at Platinum for the walk-thru/training. Very well done. You're taught how to do a lot of the moves, pull off combos, etc. but it's not done in a "hold your hand" kind of way where you're just rolling your eyes and waiting until the real action starts. This is real action.
Combat is a cross between No More Heroes and Deadly Creatures (at least the Scorpion's combat). Controls are very responsive. The camera does get a little wonky now and then, but it never got me into a jam that I couldn't quickly get out of.
The real meat and potatoes is how viceral it gets. You're imapling guys on spikes through their butt, tossing guys into jet engines, and sticking guys into toilets to create a whole new definition for the word "swirly." Platinum does a masterful job of making sure it never gets repetitive though. There's always something new in each environment that changes up how you're going to be killing your opponents. Trains going by, walls of spikes, etc.
So anyway I'm quite impressed. I had reservations and started to think that maybe the game was overhyped but it's not. It's living up to it. My only real complaint is the music. Yeah it's fits, but hip-hop just isn't my thing so if I had the option I'd turn it off. But other than that this game is a must-have.
Does Platinum like releasing half-arsed games? If not, then Platinum>>>>>>>>Capcom.
GS being GS, they gave Madworld a 7.5
The one thing that did alarm me is that they said the game is like 5-6 hours long. Is this true?
IGN said that too, I think.
Yes. It's around the same length as Resident Evil 5.
**Oh no he didn't!**
Hmmm, we dont yet have status names based on post count yet. Super Cunt is the top ranking I guess.
March 20th in Europe. If you rent it I will dub thee: The Magnificent Cunt.
!!
Thanks Leo.
Niiiiiiiice impressions thanks guys. I'm not hip hop fan either so it may grate with me too.
Gamespot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah its true, though that is the easy mode I hear. Game has multiplayer and minigames bouts and stuff, plus a hard mode though. I heard that the in game clock isn't very accurate either, so you will play a lot longer than it tells you. Like the old RE games, if you played past a typewriter and died the game doesn't record the times you tried and tried again.
Too soon to say, but every review clocks it in between 5 and 8 hours so I don't have a reason to doubt it. Part of the reason is each level is timed. For the first level you have 30 minutes to complete it. You can use as much of that time to run up a high score or you can just do the minimum and run to the boss in half the time. Since I haven't progressed too far yet I don't know if each level is 30 minutes or if that changes from level to level.
The other part of the reason for the short length is due to the AI for the regular enemies. They are pretty passive considering this is a death contest. They run up to you and will stand there for a second or two before trying to throw a punch. So it doesn't take a lot of time to slice through them.
Now since I haven't completed the game yet, but a couple reviews have said that once you're finished you can unlock a harder version and suddenly those same regular enemies suddenly become pretty damn smart. They'll team up on you and pick their spots and make life much more difficult. I imagine once you play on that level the game will no longer be as easy to breeze through.
Even if the game ends up being just 5 hours I won't regret it. There's a lot of replay value here.
Here is the X-play quote:
You’ll be able to clean up the city in a little under seven hours without breaking a sweat – but it’s seven hours of pure bloody mayhem that you won’t find in most twenty-hour games
It doesn't include the hard mode or multiplayer either.