MadWorld

Gameplay

The main gameplay mechanic is based around open world fighting.  Jack's main weapon is a chainsaw, but he can utilize various objects in the environment to dispatch enemies, such as knives, garbage cans and baseball bats. He can also use parts of the environment, such as spiked walls, furnaces, grinders and metal presses.  More stylish kills award the player more points and allow them to progress faster through the game. In addition to the main beat-em-up gameplay, Jack also participates in a variety of minigames, such as Man Darts, where you use a baseball bat to hit enemies into a massive dartboard. There are also driving segments in the game, where you use your motorcycle to traverse long expanses of terrain, killing people as they drive by.  Each region has an "appropriate" boss that you must fight to finish the level.  Score is a primary motivator in the game, and as a result you can go back and play any level whenever you want to increase your score or complete sub-missions.

Mad World requires the use of the nunchuk as well as the Wii Remote.  Most attacks are done with either the A button, B button or a waggle of the Wii Remote.  Button A performs a punch, B engages the forearm Chainsaw and a shake of the remote does a variety of context sensitive attacks.  Holding the A button will grab an opponent, at which point you can either throw them (waggle), interact with the surroundings (waggle), or headbutt them (waggle the nunchuk).  The headbutt will stun your opponent, allowing you to drag them farther.  Getting a held opponent near some fixture (spiked wall, rose bush, random spiked bus) will allow you to waggle the Wii Remote and kill them in a more creative fashion (and score more points).  Boss battles and mid-level challenges have a variety of context sensitive waggle moves to perform different attacks.  These battles have a God of War feel to them, as you enter a QTE (of sorts) to perform certain moves.

A comic book onomatopoeia, in this case "BLAM!"

The visuals of the game appear to be heavily influenced by Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels, with a heavy emphasis on the colors black and white to give contrast, as well as using a deep red for blood. It also has a slightly cell-shaded look which (along with the art direction) allows for a low polygon count. There are also several themes to the levels, as there would be in a real city, such as a Chinatown level, and so on. The game also displays comic onomatopoeia's on the screen when you hit an enemy.  

Controversy

Due to the game's ultra violent content, British group Mediawatch UK has raised concerns that the game may "ruin the family-friendly image of the Wii." They are pushing that the game be blocked in the United Kingdom. Director of Mediawatch UK said that, "The game sounds very unsavory." A Nintendo representative in defense of the release of MadWorld said, "Wii appeals to a wide range of audiences from children and teenagers to adults and senior citizens, anyone from age five to ninety-five, and as such there is a wide range of content for all ages and tastes available." No further word has been given by the British Board of Film Classification if they plan to withhold the title from shelves. Eurogamer later commented in a preview of the game, "It's difficult to understand why there's so much controversy surrounding when the violence is so very Tom and Jerry . . . It really is hard to be offended . . . because it's so ridiculous." However, SEGA confirmed that MadWorld would not be released in Germany. Although the game has raised controversy, it will not be censored in Europe or Australia, unlike how No More Heroes was, which has similar ratings.

Sound

As of this writing, two voice actors have been confirmed. The protagonist's voice, a gruff growl, is yet to be confirmed, but it bears strong resemblance to Steven Blum. The two confirmed voices are those of the announcers of the show, which comment on your every move often to profane and hilarious lengths. The first is played by John DiMaggio, voice actor of Gears of War protagonist Marcus Fenix, but most commonly known as voice actor for Bender in the Matt Groening cartoon Futurama. The second is that of Greg Proops, a common guest on the British-turned-American Improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? While there are other voices in the game, they are yet to be confirmed. The soundtrack of the game consists of hip hop songs.