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
Well I played the first level last night, didn't even make it to the end, got killed by a train and had to quit.
And um............. I'm not sure I like it so far.
Firstly there is a big old technical issue and I hope that its a mistake or something wrong on my end but I'm playing on a 30" SDTV and............ is this game in letterbox mode? Because like RE4, half my screen is black. It was okay for RE4, as the camera was made around the extra width, leon shifted to the side. Here, I just dont understand it. I want to look at the gorgeous visuals, but can't because its squished into letterbox mode on a 4:3 TV. Already that has sucked 25% of the enjoyment out of the game because I can hardly see anything.
There are other finnicky things so far, but I will elaborate later. I want to know about this first^
Sorry to hear it's not grabbing you. As for the screen I'm not sure but I can see that being a problem. The very first thing I said about this game was that you have to have a large screen to appreciate it. If they force letterbox on you that sucks. You need every inch of screen in this game.
As for the other issues, hopefully they'll work themselves out for you. IF it's any encouragement the levels only get better as time goes on. I'm at the final level in the game right now and it's pure nirvana.
FUCK SEGA. I just checked again and checked other forums.
They have screwed over Europe. I give this game 7.5, because I can only see 75% of the screen. MASSIVE black borders. To put things into perspective, we haven't had conversions this bad - massive black borders since the F-ing SNES and megadrive days.
This is appalling. I almost feel like phoning up customer service and ranting. This is a really poor show and I can't believe that I didn't read about this in any of the UK reviews.
No Uk review has mentioned this issue. So did SEGA hide the true Euro version from them? Did they let them review US versions or invite them into the offices to play the US version? What happened here? Did the PR hide the true Euro version?
It's shambolic.
I just finished the game (nice thing about working from home is being able to play during lunch break). Overall I enjoyed the game a lot. Took me about 9 hours to complete the game, so it clocked in right at about the same length as God of War. My gameplay was a little extended due to a couple levels that kept tripping me up and I had to replay those. Next go around I could probably do it in about 7 1/2, though frankly the game is better when you're not rushing through it.
As far as the initial impressions I had, most stay true. The gameplay and levels only get better as time goes by and the final zone was nothing short of incredible. I would have hung around longer than the 30 minute time limit allowed if I could because there's so much to do it in. the last boss was very cool too. Neat surprise as to who it is.
For anyone who picks it up, be sure to play to the end. The ending is good and all, but the end credits were some the funniest shit I've ever seen as it features the announcers making fun of the people who worked on the game.
Overall I'd give it an 8.5. It was a little slow getting started, I had a few camera issues and the hip-hop soundtrack more often than not was a little rough to listen to. But for the most part I loved this game. Definite a keeper in my collection.
Well Robiot. I completed the first section and now, now that my anger has simmered down and I practiced the controls and camera a bit. This is pretty swish. It's very satisfying, the motion controls are generous and visceral, I love smashing them against spikes repeatedly. I started to identify items and hotspots. It's very polished and enjoyable.
Good game that had me grinning a few times. I just lament the letterbox mode I'm forced to play in.
Blame Akiko O'Donnel (I think that was it). She was the Head of European Development according to the credits.
You're in for a treat though. Each level gets better. Asian Town is better than the first level. The Castle level is better than Asian Town, etc. And just wait till the championship level. I'm still giddy after playing it.