Nintendo Wii Fanboy

As happens each month, some of the more interesting tidbits from the holiday issue of Nintendo Power have been transcribed by the tireless folks at Aeropause.

The most eye-catching news, for us? A novel and particularly painful-sounding attack in Platinum Games' MadWorld. According to the magazine, you'll be able to lodge "a trumpet where the sun don't shine, leaving the unfortunate fellow to stagger around as he inadvertently toots the horn." Awe. Some. What's a trumpet doing lying around on the set of a futuristic game show about death and wanton bloodletting? Heck, don't ask, just shove.

Other worthy factoids drawn from the mag deal with how No More Heroes creator Goichi Suda relaxes (by playing Burnout Paradise), and the news that Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers will have a two-player splitscreen mode. Hit up Aeropause for the rest!


[Via Go Nintendo]

A lot of things come to mind when looking at screens or video from MadWorld. Its visual style has been compared to Sin City and Running Man, to name a few. So, is this where creator Atsushi Inaba got his inspiration for the game?

"Of course we like Sin City very much and we have seen Running Man before but they are not the sources of our creation," said Inaba. "The concepts of MadWorld are 'visual impact' and 'over-the-top violence,' and these two themes run right through the game." Inaba also says it hasn't been easy for his team to accomplish the game's stylish look and feel, commenting that "all team members are constantly working very hard to capture the style we want the final game to have."

When asked why Platinum Games settled on the Wii, Inaba pointed to the "huge install base" and said his team is "really interested in the Wii platform" and "wanted to create a really cool and stylish game for that." Frankly, we're glad. Not just because we, uh, want to play this, but also because we're tired of the Wii getting the "it's only for kiddies" label. We're awfully tired of that, to tell you the truth.

Well, we would think, given that there are a bunch of really unique and fun-looking games coming down the pipe next year. MadWorld, Sin & Punishment 2, The Conduit, and Punch-Out!! are just a few of the games that the core are likely excited for. "I think that next year you're going to see the tide turn a little bit, in terms of people realizing that the Wii can have something of interest for everybody," said Cammie Dunaway in a MTV Multiplayer interview. "So, yeah, I think next year is going to be a pretty good year in terms of the breadth of offerings that are going to be out there for a bunch of folks."

The full interview with Cammie hasn't been published yet, but we'll let you know when it does. Frankly, we're interested in hearing more from her on these games, because, well, we're as excited for them as you are!

[Via CVG]

There's not much we'd rather do on the weekend than stare for hours at the gorgeous MadWorld, but since we can't look at the real thing, we'll have to settle for a few new screenshots. Not everyone agrees (blasphemy!), but we can't find anything wrong with a little black and white violence. Study the new screens (located in our gallery below) and see if you agree.

[Via GoNintendo]

Fans of MadWorld haven't been too pleased with Mediawatch-UK. See, Mediawatch-UK outright called for a ban of MadWorld for, uh, well ... all of the violence in the game. Those in the country looking forward to playing the stylish title from Platinum Games haven't taken to Mediawatch-UK's call lightly, as it's reported that Mediawatch-UK has received "a rain of hostile emails from gamers poured into our office telling us to 'shut the f*** up', suggesting that we had 'got our knickers in a twist', demanding, as though we were on trial for an heinous crime, to know what right we had to impose our 'narrow minded bigotry' on them and stopping them playing an 'adult' game of their choice," says John Beyer in the autumn newsletter.

It isnt' just the more extreme, either, that've contacted Mediawatch-UK. "Others, of a more sober character, asked reasonably why we should be so concerned about games when there was so much violence in films and on television," commented John Beyer.

So, what do you all think? Is MadWorld taking things too far? We're inclined to think not, thanks to the setting of the game and the cartoonish, over-the-top way the gore and violence are presented, but different strokes for different folks, and all of that.


[Via Eurogamer]

Even before the boxart for MadWorld was unveiled, we found ourselves to be in love with the game. When we got our eyes on it back at E3, we entertained thoughts of pushing our way to the front of the crowd of journalists there to see the game, ripping the controller out of Atsushi Inaba's hands, and playing it for as long as we could before security came down to the area Platinum Games demoed the title for us and forcefully ejected us from the premises. The game just looks that good.

What do you think of the boxart? Hate it? Love it? Indifferent?


[Via Go Nintendo]

Sega currently has no plans to release MadWorld in Japan or anywhere in Europe at the moment, faced with game content ratings boards that are less lenient toward violence than the American ESRB. Despite the apparent (and ironic) prudence in the choice of regions, Sega is going to try to get MadWorld released in what may be the region least friendly to violent games: Australia.

Sega of Australia stated to Vooks that "We believe MadWorld will be an asset to the industry and will do what we can to support its release in our territory." Of course, their intention to release the game there may not translate into reality. It seems a bit more over-the-top than Dark Sector, which didn't make it.

For those of us expecting an eventual release, or those who would like to enjoy what they can of the game even without the hope of playing it, IGN has a few new screens.

How do you keep the ESRB from destroying a game like MadWorld, built as it is almost entirely around ridiculously overblown, graphic violence? By warning them, mostly. In order to avoid the dreaded, sales-killing AO rating, Platinum Games and Sega are keeping the ratings board apprised on the development of the game, sending periodic preview builds and getting feedback.

While Platinum is ensuring the maximum allowable violence for an M rating here, they aren't seeking a release anywhere else at the moment. That basically ensures that they can tune the violence precisely to what one ratings board will allow rather than having to worry about many. If there's enough money to be had, Sega will look into other regions, but right now, it's totally US-focused.


[Via Game|Life]

A new video for Sega and Platinum Games' upcoming gorefest MadWorld has made its way onto the internets (it was a DVD supplement to the latest issue of Famitsu) and, for fans of vroom-ing chainsaws, it's sure to be a delight. We're not cheering for the title due to its bucketloads of violence, personally, but rather because an over-the-top violent experience that parodies game shows sounds like a treat across all fronts. Plus, you know, it's Platinum Games.

Catch the video after the break.

Despite what the Daily Mail says, Platinum Games' Atsushi Inaba thinks that MadWorld is a perfect fit for the Wii. Not in the sense that you can play as your Mii (you can't), or because it contains a bunch of minigames (it doesn't), but because indulging in wanton slaughter is very, very intuitive.

"As you can see [from our Leipzig presentation] it's really easy to pick up and play, so when we came up with the concept of MadWorld, the Wii felt like a good console for that," Inaba told CVG. "It feels like a game that is at home on Wii." By the sounds of it, Inaba couldn't really imagine MadWorld on any other console. Not that we would expect him to say he'd prefer it on the Xbox 360 or anything.

We ache for this game. We're not going to say that there will be some clearly inappropriate fondling of the game case before we insert the disc into our Wii, but know this: if there was a choice between saving this game from an apartment fire and, say, you, then we're clearly grabbing the game. Our apathy towards your life when compared to Platinum Games' title aside (otherwise, we totally love you and stuff), have you watched the MadWorld trailer above yet? Uh, why not? None of this text matters. Just watch it already!

According to a statement given to Nintendo-Online by Sega of Germany, Platinum Games' MadWorld and the newly-announced House of the Dead: Overkill will not be released in Germany. Based on what has been shown so far, Sega does not believe that the restrictive USK ratings board would give the games a rating, and so rather than go to the trouble of changing all the enemies into robots, they have opted not to release them.

In other news, gamers and press from all over the world are in Germany this week to see new games like Sega's MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill at the Leipzig Games Convention.


[Via NeoGAF]

The brewing controversy around MadWorld may seem similar, after the Manhunt 2 media debacle, but at least one person is concerned it may have a deeper effect on Nintendo and the Wii's future library of games. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that writer and advertising student Thom Dinsdale thinks the Wii market will be driven by the "Wii Sports generation," and that there will be little place for riskier games like MadWorld. On the face, it sounds like the oldest argument we've heard about the Wii: that the large casual focus is going to somehow damage gaming.

Well, Wii gaming, anyway.

Dinsdale seems to think that Nintendo is attempting to ride two horses at top speed, and is uncertain the company can balance the casual appeal with games like MadWorld. While he grants the fact that the publications lambasting the game are known for sensationalism, he also reluctantly admits that they're read on a daily basis by millions in the U.K., and he worries that other third party developers will look at the controversy and shy away from future Wii exclusives.

We can only hope he's wrong, and have the system's history with Manhunt 2 on our side, but we certainly don't want to see MadWorld toned down ... and we'd rather it not negatively impact future third-party releases, either. Dinsdale's arguments are well-reasoned, but we're keeping our fingers crossed on this one. After all, things are looking up for non-Nintendo releases on the system, and that's after the last major controversy.

[Via GoNintendo]

Britain's most hysterical newspaper and preferred litter tray liner the Daily Mail has caught wind of MadWorld -- and it wants us to know all about it. For our children's safety. THINK OF THE CHILDREN.

In a piece entitled "Parents horrified as most violent video game ever to launch on 'family friendly' Wii," the newspaper illogically huffs and puffs about the forthcoming Platinum Games project, which it claims has "shocked anti-violence pressure groups." Near the top of the article, the Mail quotes a spokesperson from MediaWatch-UK, while a retort from Nintendo is relegated to the very bottom of the article. Little has changed from the Mail's previous coverage of videogames, with the familiar, outraged tone and Luddite views present throughout. The paper also ignores the imminent release of Manhunt 2, and conveniently forgets that MadWorld will almost certainly be granted an "18" certificate.

Most absurdly of all, the Mail suggests that MadWorld will "dramatically transform Wii's image," as though the game is likely to sell in the tens of millions. Seriously, if the Wii is synonymous with MadWorld (and not Wii Sports) two years from now, we'll eat the hat of everybody reading this.


[Via MCV]

Don't you just hate it when a menacing antagonist reaches through the screen at your local cinema, absconds with your girlfriend, and forces you to obtain all kinds of awesome powers in your quest to rescue her? Okay, so maybe it doesn't happen that often in the real world. But if you've played one of the best games of last generation, odds are it's a familiar story.

Viewtiful Joe was released for the GameCube in 2003 as one of Capcom's exclusive titles for Nintendo, though the exclusivity deal didn't last long; just like Resident Evil 4 and Killer7, Viewtiful Joe was released on the PS2 as well. Side-scrolling beat 'em ups are few and far between in the 3D era, but Viewtiful Joe brought back the genre in a big way, with stylish action and movie-inspired powers that shame the competition. And while the gameplay is the real meat of what makes Viewtiful Joe great, the game's sharp wit, pop-culture inspiration and wonderful setting really elevate the experience. Viewtiful Joe 2 continued the tradition, but it's been over three years since the sequel's release, and the series' two spinoffs, Red Hot Rumble and Double Trouble, don't satisfy this gamer's desire for a fully-fledged Viewtiful sequel. Trilogy, anyone?