Something Original

The Wii has been getting a bad rap lately with nothing but shovel ware and mini-game compilations crowding its software line-up. PlatinumGames hopes to spice up the somewhat stale Wii portfolio with MadWorld, a hyper violent fighting title. Its distinct black and white look along with its mature themes offer something new that Wii owners have yet to try.

You play as Jack, a bounty hunter caught up in the show Death Watch. Death Watch is a television program a terrorist group called The Organizers has put on after they invaded the simple city of Varrigan. Each participant in the show must fight for survival using anything in the environment as a weapon. The grand prize is a ticket out of the city and $100 million. This all sounds a little silly but it fits in nicely with the over-the-top look and feel of the game.

Something Bloody

The root of the gameplay is open-world fighting. You can move around in a limited space, picking up items to help give you an edge in combat. Although being armed with your standard chainsaw, you are not limited to simple chainsaw kills. Utilizing key objects in your environment like spike walls, giant fans, poles, and garbage cans offer a slew of unique finishing moves that always end in bloody results. The more gruesome the kill the more points you get. These points allow you to progress through the game.

Aside from the basic combat, there are a few mini-games to help keep things fresh. Man Darts is where you pick people up and throw them into a giant dart board. To travel long distances you can use your motorcycle which can also kill foes while traveling at high speeds. Boss Battles are sprinkled in too but little is known of these beasts as of this writing.

Something Fresh

The style of MadWorld is fresh as its not used before on the Wii, or any other platform for that matter. Taking a page from the crazy-popular Sin City, everything is in black and white… except for the blood. Slicing enemies open and watching the red goo flow out is now more fun than ever with its stimulating red contrasting the bland backgrounds. The overall look has a slight cell-shaded vibe to it with comic book style “BOOM” and “slam” texts periodically accompanying the on screen mayhem. The city is a distinct place wherein each area having its own characteristics. China town looks like china town, the slums are poor and filthy… you get the picture.

Something for the Hardcore

MadWorld is something totally unique to the Wii. An over the top look with hyper violence accompanied by buckets of blood is a nice change of pace from the Wii-Sports rip offs that are flooding the market. An open-world fighting game could really turn out to be special or at least hearken back to the days of Power Stone. If you are a fan of fighters or just love blood – check this one out when it hits store shelves sometime in March.