This is a lede to a MadWorld review, this is where the reviewer is supposed to say something ‘clever’ about dusting off your Wii, or some clichéd comment about hardcore gaming, or maybe even a comment about the nature of an over-the-top violent game being released on a more family-friendly oriented machine; but much like Jack, I’m going to cut through the bull and get right to the meat of things.

A few caveats, this review will be spoiler-free, and for the purposes of full disclosure, I have beaten Madworld on the default difficulty setting, but have yet to finish it on hard. That being said, I have put a few hours into the hard mode, so I feel I can speak of it well enough to review adequately review the game; that was a word from your reviewer, we now return you back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Ostensibly, Jack is a rugged ex-marine who happens to find himself in the midst of Death Watch, a murderous game show that takes place in the criminal controlled streets of Varigan City. Jack is forced to kill for the enjoyment of the powerful elite, who in turn sponsor fighters and gamble on the games. Without getting into specific details, MadWorld’s story ends up being more than what initially meets the eye. Sometimes though, storytelling is as important as the actual story, and Platinum Games does a great job at setting the scene.

 

 

The game utilizes short cut scenes before and after stages to reveal the plot thus the story is never rammed down the user’s throat; the user is never forced to grab a bucket of popcorn and a tub of butter while watching the action unfold. Rather, the story is told in small enough increments that the user is never tempted to skip the cut scenes to get to the action. Another thing remarkable about the storytelling are the characters; it’s rare to see a Japanese developed game create characters with any real depth while almost totally avoiding cheesy dialogue, whether that honor falls to the developers or translation/localizers, it was a welcome surprise.

The game’s control setup is fairly intuitive. The nunchuk’s analog stick controls your movement and tapping it in a direction twice will trigger Jack’s sprint. Jumping is done with the ‘Z’ button and basic punching and grabbing of bodies and environmental items are mapped to the ‘A’ button. To use the much ballyhooed chainsaw, hold the ‘B’ button and swing the Wii Remote vertically or horizontally and Jack will mimic the action, ripping and tearing into pixilated flesh all the while. By shaking the nunchuck, you’ll unleash Jack’s only defensive move - a back flip, or really, more of a double back handspring, but that is beside the point. One thing to keep in mind, while Jack is performing a back flip, he cannot be damaged, so it is more than just an evasive maneuver, as it leaves Jack temporarily invulnerable.

 

 

The ‘C’ button snaps the camera behind Jack and holding it down locks on to an opponent. This creates a problem, as there will be times you get locked on to a foe, and instead of tapping it to position the camera behind Jack’s back, you will have to hold it down to unlock, then tap it again to position the camera appropriately. This isn’t a problem throughout most of the game, as most of the common enemies don’t require locking on for any reason, but when encountered by a mini-boss surrounded by smaller foes, you can easily lock onto a smaller baddie unintentionally. Then, of course, the mini-boss deals damage quicker than you can correct your mistake.

 

Punching and grabbing techniques are all well and good, but the discerning Death Watch audience came for the carnage and calamity, and Jack puts the asses in their chairs. A quick flick of the wiimote sets in motion Jack’s devastating uppercut that can send foes flying, while a right or left movement will trigger Jack’s back hand, and Jack keeps his pimp hand strong. Another bloody venture are Jack’s weapons. Jack can pick up various items to “defend” himself with - for instance a spiked club. Select it by pushing up on the D-Pad then you simply swing with ‘A,’ or use gesture controls with deadly force by hitting ‘B’ and swinging the wiimote like a juiced up MLB slugger. The only motion based complaints I have is with the sensitivity. Often times shifting your weight or simply sitting up in a chair would trigger a motion based attack, but it’s not a deal breaker.