Friggin mad for MADWORLD!

Clover studios had always been one of my favorite game developers. Whether I was spanking the behinds of the female opponents of God Hand or getting my ass spanked by one of the insane bosses of Viewtiful Joe, I knew that I could bank on a unique gaming experience. Well, Clover is gone if only by name and reborn as Platinum Games with an all new adult themed experience for the waggly Wii. Madworld brings something to Nintendo's console that has been sorely lacking for quite a while.........a hardcore game for hardcore gamers. I truly hope this does well and other developers take notice. This is how you do insane action games for this system.

Jack......just Jack is a contestant for a gameshow called Deathwatch. The idea is to eviscerate all comers and stay alive for big cash rewards. I haven't finished the game yet, but it seems that Jack has his own personal reasons for wanting to be involved in such a suicidal set up.

I often wondered what a video game based on Frank Miller's Sin City would look like. Clearly Platinum was inspired by Frank's violent underworld and that's not a bad thing. There is an old children's joke that goes "what's black and white and red all over?" The answer is no longer a skunk with a bloody nose..... it's the main character Jack of Madworld spilling gallons upon gallons of his foes blood across the TV screen in the most sadistic ways possible. I can honestly say that it is a video game first to see a character get a spike put up their ass and have it come out their mouth in a beautiful fountain of crimson death! It doesn't hurt that the insane visuals are complimented by solid game mechanics.

The waggle never feels forced and it's always fun. Jack has a prosthetic right arm with built in chainsaw that you use the remote to slash vertically or horizontally with. You can also beat your opponents with a punch button. There are a few context sensitive finishers used and they are a joy to perform and watch. If you think that this just sounds like a mindless beat em up experience....you'd be right. However, just killing the other contestants isn't enough to progress to the next level. The game forces you to be creative and use the environment to dispatch your enemies. Each level is only finished after dealing with the boss of the area. But, you must first earn enough points to be able to challenge the boss. Killing a guy with your chainsaw is fun, but only routine. Putting a tire around a guy, shoving a street sign through his head, and impaling him on a spiked wall will triple your score and help unlock the final encounter. There are also mini games to help you score like man-darts, or hurling as many people you can into a jet engine. (the mere thought of that last one makes me smile!)

I've heard some complain about the game's short length. You'll get about five hours of content on your first playthrough. This isn't a game that you want to spend hours at a time with anyways. It works the best in short doses that leaves you wanting more. Over the top violence......over the top bosses......and over the top fun makes Madworld one to own for the Wii.

Sin City's Marv would feel right at home in Madworld