MadWorld (Nintendo Wii)

Ugh, this cold I've got has really knocked me out of sorts. I went to sleep before I could write last night.

Right. MadWorld. Let me say, this is not a review, just a post based on my first 90 minutes or so of play. I'll also say, before I go any further, that they were the most entertaining 90 minutes of play I've had in a long time (at least as far as videogames go!).

The thing that draws you into MadWorld, and one of the things that might persuade you to buy it before you've even played it, is the black-and-white look that the game has. It's not exactly Sin City, but the comic book feel is authentic, with the only other colour being the red of blood. You'll be seeing a lot of red.

The game has a storyline, not that it's anything you'll be particularly concerned with. No, what you'll be concerned with is the violence.

MadWorld is one of the most violent games I've played. And I mean this in the best way possible. It's comic book violence, to go with the comic book look. And yes, it's fun to play a bloke with a chainsaw on his arm and go ripping bad guys to shreds. That's very satisfying in a game. But once you move beyond that, dig a little deeper, a whole world of hilarious carnage is opened up.

I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but the inventiveness of the killings is to be applauded. Look around your arena, look for things, maybe not even obvious things, that can be used as instruments of death. Signposts, waste bins, passing trains... not merely mundane, everyday objects here, but sources of amusement and hilarity, once used the right (wrong!) way, and the gateway to better weapons (every boy wants to own a spiked baseball bat, right?).

MadWorld is fantastic, hilarious over-the-top fun. I'm wondering at this point if it might get a little samey with repeated play, but I honestly don't think that will matter. A lot of games are samey after a few hours, but it doesn't stop them being fun, and MadWorld is really a lot of fun. The voice acting is fantastic as well, and hilarious. There are some great lines in there.

MadWorld is like a third-person version of Smash TV, the update you would want it to have if it moved outside the overhead viewpoint, and took away the guns (killing is more fun when you can see the black-and-whites of their eyes). That should be enough to convince most of you that it's worth your while.