MadWorld

"This is the odd review that compares No More Heroes and MadWorld shamelessly."

MadWorld (2009), Platinum Games - R008 - 04.13.2009

Because they really are that similar.

I don't mean this in a negative way. No More Heroes and MadWorld are two members of what some refer to as the Unholy Trinity of overlooked action games led by humor, style and zany combat. The third member is God Hand, a game designed by Capcom's ex-love partner Clover Studio, which was dissolved and then phoenix-ized into Platinum Games, now developers of MadWorld.

MadWorld is, like No More Heroes, an answer to the thirsty 'hardcore' crowd among the vast Wii community, users who complain about the third-party scene ignoring Nintendo's little white box or just slapping together some motion-based excuse to make quick cash.

In that sense, No More Heroes and MadWorld go hand in hand, succeeding at bringing quality and hope to the often forgotten leader platform of this generation.

In that sense... and in many others.

Redundant design is redundant
No More Heroes and MadWorld are beat-'em-ups, featuring unique and repetitive combat with no major surprises along the way. Their structure blueprint boils down to segmented sandboxesque freedom with an immediate goal, accomplished by racking up points in a variety of ways until you have enough to enter the boss's hideout. In both games, this happens from start to finish. If you're not a fan of the Coma Patient's ECG school of videogame design, you might wanna take the next exit. For the rest of us, it's a blast, especially if these games are played in short bursts.

Conditional fun
Facing lone goon after lone goon in No More Heroes tends to get old fast. Killing enemies barehanded in MadWorld tends to get old fast. In order to make the combat shine in these games you have to meet specific conditions, such as lining up thugs for multiple decaps in No More Heroes or being around creative background hazards in MadWorld. Unlike No More Heroes, however, MadWorld is all about these environmental kills. Every bit of subtlety and depth in this game results from experimenting with the near countless irreverent murders Jack conducts, and there are indeed many interesting bits and pieces to find.

Bosses larger than life
The one exception to the conditional fun rule above (exception is a condition, but bear with me here...) happens whenever Travis and Jack encounter their more important rivals. In here, enemy clusterbang and the environment take the back seat. It's very likely that your most memorable moment in No More Heroes and MadWorld will be a boss fight, because both games do an excellent job at building up and executing them. Ranging from elegant to cinematic, the end-of-level battles in these games are solid proof of their quality and you will always want to see what the next big fight reserves. And there are lots of 'em in MadWorld. 13 total, and no recycled fights.

Mini-games are the way of victory
Okay, this is more of a Wii staple. But it's interesting how they managed to tie short, unorthodox challenges to the core objective by being complete jerks and making them practically mandatory. While I wouldn't buy a whole game made of either's mini-games, they can be funny distractions at times, with MadWorld's flowing more naturally perhaps because they're not as random as NMH's. In MadWorld, the mini-games are sort of 'caged' versions of events that are already present in normal gameplay, whereas in No More Heroes they're widely regarded as a middle finger to the player (albeit a clever one where you kinda get the point and laugh along).

Wiimote cutees
As an addition to the mini-game festival, success in No More Heroes and MadWorld depends a lot on how often you score the famed cutees, or QTEs, or quick-time events. No More Heroes does better here. In both games, most context-sensitive moves are mapped to Wiimote gestures. The problem with MadWorld is that some of Jack's basic moves also require Wiimote flicks and swipes, so there's a lot of getting used to not accidentally shaking the Wiimote in a direction and throwing the object, missing an opportunity to score big with the context-sensitive kill you were aiming for.

Motorcycle
I guess this is a cheap shot at MadWorld's formulaic bike sections. In No More Heroes, you use Travis's Schpeltiger to cross the Santa Destroy hub in no time, so it's actually a helpful ally, and there are some interesting secret tricks to pull off with the Wiimote. (Ruining a baseball game on it doesn't hurt.) MadWorld's bike sections are fast, stylish and fun for a while, but there's a good chance you'll feel the game could have used another sandbox level instead of a simplistic ride.

Faux ranking system
Both titles feature a pseudo-ranking system that really is just a fancy way of displaying game progression. No More Heroes' is a more tangible system: you have a list of ten annoying people standing in your way, like Kill Bill, and you go after each one. MadWorld's is more like Battle Royale: everyone is a competitor and you barely know what's going on, except that you're still alive. No More Heroes takes the cake, let's face it, if only for that awesome 8-bit ranking screen and music. ;)

Humor as a key element
No More Heroes is a parody of... everything, I assume, while MadWorld's announcers might just be the best virtual commentators in recent history. In the end, you won't enjoy either game nearly as much without their hilarious characters and dialogue. Between Diane from Beef Head Videos and frequent jokes about lack of marriage sex, there's no denying their charming ability to make you smile as you murder people. (I'm sure there was a lesson here somewhere...)

Story full of social and political commentaries
If you're playing these games for the story, well... you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Stylized everything
Blood fountains versus ninja popsicles? Both winners. As far as presentation goes, the prime concern of No More Heroes and MadWorld is to mask the Wii's notorious technical limitations, by creating their own visual style. Every little gruesome detail is exaggerated and overused, and it works well because these blown-up traits follow the games' overall tone. These games are violent, yes, but in a cartoony way instead of the usual shocking realism you see on TV. MadWorld mimics a graphic novel in motion with black, white and red all over (that joke again!), but while this seems like a bad idea, the ridiculously in-your-face contrast is strangely appealing to the eye, thanks to Platinum's brilliant art direction. You won't feel you're inside a graphic novel or anything like that; in fact, there isn't really anything justifying this decision, and you'll face a couple of issues with not being able to see items on the floor sometimes. Yet all is forgiven considering the beautiful painting these guys conveyed. Finally, the soundtrack fits the concept in both cases, too. No More Heroes plays a satirical tune for every situation made fun of, and MadWorld's catchy hip-hop tracks will guarantee a nod or two for every punch you throw. You'll just have to choose between music and comments, though, because things can get a little busy with the millions of voices heard at once.

So, here you have two high quality games that yes, are very similar, so... why not buy and enjoy both? This is the most obvious case of obvious ever seen. If you like one game, there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't give the other a chance.

These being such twin games reflects the Wii's reputation as a whole. No More Heroes and MadWorld are M-Rated games that are proud of being M-Rated, and thankfully it doesn't look like the family-oriented audience is stopping Grasshopper from developing a sequel to Travis Touchdown's insane adventure. Let's hope that, along with all the cool similarities that bring the two lost siblings so close as artistic efforts, the public translates their hardcore rage into millions of copies so we can see another MadWorld installment, because this is a worthy addition to the Wii's library.

Eight out of ten.

(By the way, No More Heroes gets the same 8/10 score from me. And I don't even have to write a review!)

Bonus comparison: Katana
Sorry, Jack. There's no beating the offspring of a killer blade and a lightsaber.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/14/09

Game Release: MadWorld (US, 03/10/09)