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MadWorld

(2009, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated M, Play it on: Nintendo Wii)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Ultra-violent fighting game rewards grisly killing.

In this game kids can:   battle others, kill humans (with blood), live vicariously

Why We Rated This not for kids

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    None.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    You are a contestant in a "kill or be killed" game show where you goal is to kill others in the most sadistic manner possible. This game rewards the grisly killing of others.
  • Role models:

    You are playing as a character who is trying to kill others in the most sadistic manner possible.
  • Violence:

    Playing as Jack, the contestant on a kill-for-points reality TV show, you'll dismember, electrocute, slice open, and impale enemies, to sprays of blood. You will use a variety of weapons to kill other contestants including slicing through people with chainsaws, chopping off heads with a golf club, and pushing opponents in front of moving trains. "Finishing" moves in which an opponent is killed are presented in close and especially bloody detail. The game itself is a celebration of "stylish" violence, with players rewarded more points for extra brutal killing.

  • Sex:

    Several scantily clad female characters, though no nudity. TV Commentators' banter includes jokes about having sex.
  • Language:

    Explicit: Sh-t, f--k, motherf--ker, bitch, hell, goddamn.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Main character smokes cigarettes. Commentators of the TV show refer to drugs like "roofies" (slang for a date-rape drug called Rohypnol)
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of MadWorld was written by Common Sense Media

Parents need to know that while the graphic style of this game suggests a comic book or graphic novel, this is absolutely not a game for anyone under 17. It is a M-rated, ultra-violent video game in which you assume the role of a contestent on a reality TV show who earns points for the most outrageously brutal slaying of your opponents. With the Wii remote and Nunchuk in your hands, you will simulate the motions used to split open someone with a chainsaw, punch opponents with your fists, or pick up and use assorted objects scatterd throughout the levels to dismember, bludgeon, and impale your foes. You will see many of these brutual, over-the-top finishing moves up close. The dark humor in the fountains of blood and profanity-heavy audio commentary would be lost on younger players, who may be drawn to the title simply because it's been forbidden. Multiplayer "party" games are also ultra-violent as you play against friends to kill them.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about whether violent games evoke aggressive feelings in the player, or do they provide a harmless way to blow off steam? Is it fair to make violent Wii games only for adults or should the "family-friendly" console only have entertainment that everyone can play?
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More on MadWorld

What’s the Story?

The premise of MADWORLD puts the main character, Jack, into a post-apocalyptic reality TV show in which he moves through distinct neighborhoods in city, killing a series of deadly attackers for points. An off-screen pair of voices supply audaciously profane play-by-play and color commentary throughout as Jack, equipped with a chainsaw and assorted objects, brutally murders opponents. Additional style points are awarded the more sadistic the kill. Close

Is It Any Good?

Rendered in stark black and white (except the gushing red blood), the graphic style evokes comic books and graphic novels; speech bubbles pop from characters, the screen breaks into multiple panels, and every aspect of the environment and action is over-the-top. There's no denying MadWorld's impressive visual style, but the gameplay is mediocre.

It's intuitive that the Wii nunchuck and remote serve as your weapons for slashing, punching, flinging, and executing brutal combo attacks and finishing moves. However, some difficult camera angles and imprecise controls weaken the experience. MadWorld may appeal to comic book connoisseurs, but fans of fighting games won't find much sophistication in the gameplay.

Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 3/10/2009, price $49.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Sexual Themes, Strong Language)

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    hella violent but good

  2. I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    This game is brilliant. One of the best games on the Wii. It is extremly violent and over-the-top with blood and gore in all directions. But the abstract black and white cartoon style makes it much less disturbing and more comic. Should be fine for teens.

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 3.0

    MADWORLD = NO KIDS

    Well lets begin you use the Wiimote and Nunchuck and use it too slash eneies it is described as "Black White and BLOOD RED" a swing of the Wii Remote slashes your enemy you can use combos like smash a caution sign through there heart and take out body parts even through them into needles it is a game NOT RECOMMENED FOR KIDS

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title off for age 16 and give it 4.0

    Bloody disgusting brilliance, but not for the wee ones.

    This game fills a much needed void in the wii's library for games that appeal to gamers who've gone through puberty. I'm not saying a system releasing games geared mostly for younger players is bad, but when I'm getting openly mocked at school for having a wii instead of an xbox, something must be done. The black and white visuals are not ment to appeal to young kids, as this site implies, but to lessen the impact of the violence. And yes, of course the wii should release more mature games, because nintendo should remember the people who have been bying their software since they were kids and now have a game library that resembles their ten-year-old neigbor. If you cryed a little after finishing No More Heros, you need to buy this.

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 4.0

    IF YOU THOUGHT NO MORE HEROES WAS VIOLENT THINK AGAIN

    THE MOST VIOLENT WII GAME TO DATE. THIS GAME MESSAGE IS KILL KILL KILL. THIS GAME ROCKS THIS GAME IS NOT FOR KIDS OF ANY AGE. THIS GAME HAS GORE BEYOND IMAGINATION. YOU CHAINSAW VICTIMS BREAK NECKS BAREHANDED TAKE A SIGHNPOST AND STABB IT TRHOUGH A VICTIMS HEAD PUT A TIRE AOUND THEM. AND FINAALY PUT THEM IN THE ROSE BUSH A GIANT SPIKEY WALL PLUS THERE ARE CALLED BLOOODBATH CHALLENGES.ONE WHERE THEY GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE TO THROW AS MANY ENEMIES INTO A JET ENGINE AS POSSIBLEAND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. NEXT THE ANNOUNCERS MAKE REMARKS THAT ARE CRUDE AND INSENSITIVE BASICLY JUST FLAT OUT MEAN AND INSULTING. THEY MAKE A JOKE ABOUT ONE THE BOSSES'S SISTER ANATOMY PLUS JOKE AND SOUNDS FROM THERE SEXUAL EXPIERIENCES. THE LYRICS AND DIALOGUE CONSIST OF WITTY PROFANE AND CRASS SEXUAL REMARKS.

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