Madworld is a game not like none other; specifically, it's like one other: No More Heroes. Ridiculous deaths? Yep. Pointless violence? Yep. Motion control finishers but conventional combat instead of inane wagglan? Yep again. Funky black bars because the game apparently hates being displayed in 16:9 and the system can't do even the most basic of scaling? Unfortunately also yes, but it's ok because with the bichromatic visuals the letterboxes don't really don't stand out.



Madworld is a brawler, and everything is about hurting people as horribly as possible. The tutorial walked me through the basics of combat, dodging, combos and weapons and once you get into it, the game feels like one big non sequitur. A pimp, who like Jim Gordon in Batman: Arkham Asylum looks far meatier than you would have expected, shows up and explains how to kill people with a giant turbofan engine, only to be dispatched in the way he just described by a dominatrix in librarian glasses... and then simply shows up again later, monogrammed chain and all, as if nothing happened. DiMaggio does double duty as the player character “Jack” and as one of the two commentators, managing to pull off distinct voices for each (as any good VA should, but it's worth mentioning I didn't know until I read so), and is joined by Greg Proops, who may have been yanked right out of Whose Line with a time machine.


*In place of the screenshots we've all seen a hundred times, I bring you, from the depths of the internet: The Atomic Rage

Any of the elements taken alone, from the senseless profanity to the obnoxious soundtrack, would be terrible. Together, they form a strange synergy. I shoved a man into a burning barrel, then that burning barrel onto another man, then jammed a street sign through the barrel, then threw the barrel into what appeared to be the sawmill equivalent of a crash test facility. Then I fought a rollerblading cowboy. Doing this while Greg Proops complains about his marriage over repetitive rap music seems... right. What could possibly go in place of those things? The game is well established as a parody of modern, gritty games, and it works as a package. When there's a button prompt for “murder”, you know what kind of game you're in for.


Madworld is about this goofy, foul language and all. Intentionally not one for the kids.

The controls are a little tankish, but as with NMH they work and don't get in the way. To my surprise I didn't have any issue with the graphics. I was excited for the game, but concerned about judging distance or identifying objects with everything lacking hemoglobin rendered in only black and white. That really wasn't the case, as I found it quite easy to navigate and find weapons.

It plays well, looks pretty good, and runs smooth. Madworld is doing its thing (which is everything else's thing taken to the absurd extreme) and I like it.


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