My poor, lonely Wii just sitting there, lifeless. I remember when we first met, you were so new and refreshing, your white brilliance shining like a beacon to those other consoles. But now your just gathering dust, your brilliant white shell is getting grayer by the day and I’m afraid its time to trade you in at the local – wait a second, you bought me something? Okay but it will have to be quick, 360 and PS3 are waiting inside. Madworld, made by Platinum Games, founded by designers from Clover Studios, okay Wii you can stay.

Lets face it, the old story that ‘core’ gamers aren’t being catered for on the Wii is becoming passé. But while playing Madworld its something that you cannot help relishing the chance to play, a violent brawler that is completely against all the all-play, casual, kid friendly ethic which Nintendo is currently all about. Platinum Studios know that your annoyed that you are being ignored, and they are ready to give you the griefing simulator you have always wanted but were too afraid to ask.

Madworld is the first title by Platinum games formed by key Clover Studio designers Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya. Makers of games such as Viewtiful Joe and God Hand, Madworld slots into the studios lineage rather nicely with the absurd gameplay and comedic style you would expect. A brawler at its core, this title has you dispatching foes in an increasingly gruesome fashion which just become more bizarre and surreal as you continue to play. But it is so absurd at times that you can’t help but have fun and run with it. Jamming signs through fighters heads, launching enemies onto a giant darts board, throwing them onto catapults which propel them into a giant statues sword, its all a bit mental.

You play as Jack, a gentlemen with conflict resolution issues, and his attempts to resolve an escalating situation on Jefferson Island, a city recently cut off from the rest of the world following terrorist activity. But soon it all becomes clear that the terrorist activity is just a cover for a murder based reality TV show named Death Watch, where players fight to the death in order to become the champion. Reminds you of a certain film from the eighties doesn’t it, but the story here is actually quite good. There is sufficient twists and turns and you begin to actually care what happens to Jack, no matter how unashamedly unlike able he is from the very outset.

First impressions of Madworld are instantly striking, its very odd to play a game in black and white when you have been enjoying the HD goodness of other consoles for many years. But on the Wii Platinum games have made an inspired choice because this game looks gorgeous when it is in full flow. Removing the colour scheme so it now only shows black, white and red is a master stroke because it is instantly atmospheric and adds the comic book sensibilities which make the action so wonderfully surreal and entertaining. All other games with my Wii have looked a bit rubbish, but with Madworld it looks clean, clear and crisp. Looking at screen shots and low resolution video gives the impression that the on-screen action is hard to follow and chaotic and this was an issue before this title was released but after playing it for six hours I never ran into any issues, on the contrary I loved the style from the very beginning and felt compelled to smash myself in the face for doubting such a bold and inspired move.

Levels resemble are free form allowing players to wonder all over in their efforts to accumulate enough points to gain access to the end of level boss. Its a good structure which constantly adds more violent options through weapon drops, scenery changes as you get continue to increase the  levels high score. More points are rewarded for combo kills where you use the level scenery around you coupled with the more brutal weapons in order to grow your points total. It feels very retro in execution and it can offer a tangible amount of glee when you use many of the each levels set pieces around you properly. This retro feeling is exacerbated by the inability to save the game mid-level, meaning if you fail on a particular boss you need to start that level from the very beginning. At the normal difficulty level this is no problem as the majority of bosses can be dispatched with relative ease, but on the harder difficulty levels it feels needlessly punishing. Being forced to play through a twenty five minute level just to fail again on boss can be a real ball ache, a retry option after your death at the boss stage would have been a welcome addition.

All the action on screen is given a boost by the eccentric commentary performed by John DiMaggio(voice of Bender from Futurama) and Greg Poops (Whose Line is it Anyway) which adds to the sport/reality TV game presentation. Most of what they say is funny but really juvenile in nature punctuated by many expletives and sex references which warrants the 18 rating, possibly as much as the comical violence. The only problem is the amount of time both Poops and DiMaggio spent in the studio as dialogue is often repeated multiple times during your levels and there just isn’t enough of it to stay fresh during levels which can last as long at thirty minutes. However you can’t doubt the duos commitment to the subject matter and it helps to propel the action along while raising a wry smile.

At this point it seems mandatory to talk about the Wii controls and just like some third person action games before it, the Remote and Nunchuk fit the hack and slash combat perfectly. There are some issues with quick time events and boss battles where at rare points the controls won’t properly register but that seems to be an issue with all Wii games, which will hopefully be sorted out with the 1:1 attachment. But there are some brilliant touches, using the swinging and slashing actions to finish off bosses, and the default weapon of the chainsaw is perfectly suited to a Wiis unique controls. It never seems difficult to know what to do next and the controls are easy to get to grips with, but never seem overly simple. Due to the fact that levels can only be as long as thirty minutes due to the time limit, your arms never get tired of the required flailing, shaking and slashing and its much more immersive to actual move your arm up or side to side when slashing an enemy in two.

The biggest problem with Madworld and it is one which will undoubtedly put off many potential buyers is the length of this full retail release, a paltry five to six hours long. Sure it doesn’t out stay its welcome and means that the levels remain fresh enough for multiple play-throughs but when you pay £30 for a new game you expect it to last long enough to sustain your gaming lust for at least a weekend or two. But it is this length which enables Madworld to be a tight, fun experience which remains entertaining throughout where no grind is present whatsoever.

Overall Madworld is a great game but it is held back by a lack of content and some odd design decisions. With perhaps another feature or two it could have received the extra star which even now I’m thinking it may have deserved, but for a début game from a new studio its incredibly promising. Something as simple as an online leader board for each of its levels top scores or maybe a few more levels would have given it that extra recognition. But with that all said and done it is still one of the best games to appear on the Wii so far, and personally I enjoyed it much more than No More Heroes, a game of equal oddness and personality. Its a game where you could come back to in a few months time and it would still feel fresh and make you laugh in the dirty gleeful way that only Jack can, lets hope we see more of him in the future.

Andy Griffiths

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