By Patrick Greenwell
“Mad World” is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the aging beat-em-up genre. The game, the latest release from Platinum Studios, eschews intricate combo systems and maddening difficulty for quick motion controls and copious amounts of gore.
It is this last point that perhaps most distinguishes “Mad World” from the rest of the titles on Nintendo’s Wii. Nintendo’s console is the Mickey Mouse of this current gaming generation. It’s cute and innocuous and as such has quickly gained a place in most every household with small children or bored geriatrics.
Imagine, then, how surprised most everyone was to find a game like “Mad World” on the console; a game in which one can literally tear apart a human being with one’s bare hands, or force a persons head into their backside.
Right off the bat it’s clear that “Mad World” is a very different sort of game than really anything currently on the market. It’s also heavily stylized, being rendered entirely in black and white with the only color coming from the gallons and gallons of blood being generated.
The protagonist, Jack, is a man of few words, with a chainsaw for an arm and a mean streak. Jack finds himself infiltrating an organization called Death Watch, which is holding “Varrigan City” hostage and using it as a location to stage gladiatorial-style combat. Jack must fight his way to the top of the Death Watch rankings in order to save the city, or something to that effect.
Game play on the surface is very simple. The A button punches in a standard combo fashion, and the B button activates Jack’s chainsaw which is controlled by slicing the Wii-mote vertically or horizontally. Enemies are pretty stupid on the normal difficulty; generally they just stand around waiting to die. The game is based around the accumulation of points thus the only way to generate a large score is to kill enemies in the most complicated, brutal ways possible. This includes, but is not limited to, stabbing a street sign through their faces, lighting them on fire, feeding them to piranhas, tearing them in half, or playing golf with their heads. The world is one’s proverbial oyster when it comes to the means of an enemies’ demise.
All of the happenings on screen are narrated by Greg Proops (Who’s Line is it Anyway) and John DiMaggio (Futurama, Gears of War) who provide vulgar, rambling, and occasionally suicidal commentary. Additionally, the game features an impressive soundtrack consisting of music from up-and-coming rap artists, which works surprisingly well, and is suited to fit the each level’s environment, ranging from China-town to a haunted castle.
On the downside “Mad World” is incredibly short, lasting some 8 hours if taken slowly. It has some replay value, with a monstrously difficult hard mode to be unlocked, as well as multiplayer for the mini-games—however neither is terribly substantial. Also, at times the camera can be uncooperative, making boss fights and even simply locating enemies frustrating. Finally, the game’s dialogue can begin to wear after a time. The commentary tends to loop, and while it is entertaining, repetition can grow tiring. Furthermore, midway through the game, the story starts to become heavy handed as characters begin to muse on the brutality of humanity and what not.
Of course all this ultimately boils down to one question: is “Mad World” good? The answer is entirely subjective. If puppies and rainbows are what interest you, then no, you will not enjoy “Mad World”. However, if you enjoy rending a man in twain while two men make raunchy jokes about it in the background (and who doesn’t?) then “Mad World” is the game for you. Indeed it may be the only game you, you very violent person whom I shall be very nice to from now on, may ever need for the Wii.
