Nintendo Wii Fanboy

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]

The controversy that was whipped up over Rockstar's naughty Manhunt 2 may be more far-reaching than we originally thought; for example, it's pretty much scared Volition right off the idea of producing a Saints Row game for the Wii.

Volition's Dan Sutton thinks that a Wii iteration of the crime epic would create little more than an unwanted hoo-hah, particularly with motion controls thrown into the mix. "With games like ours you get much more controversy when you add motion controls like you saw with Manhunt 2," remarked Sutton to CVG, before going on to explain how motion-controlled chainsaws and satchel charges probably wouldn't win many friends in the various regulatory bodies.

So where do Wii-owning, virtual-hooker-killers turn now? Take-Two has already played down the idea of a Grand Theft Auto game on the Wii, and now one of the next best alternatives has been emphatically ruled out. Ooh, how about a True Crime game? Actually, just not caring sounds like a better option to that.

A sparse official website has appeared for Platinum Games' MadWorld, along with the street-sign-through-cranium trailer the entire internet and its dog has seen by now, and three screenshots (which are also old, at least in internet terms).

What is new is the text that's on display, which consists largely of the MadWorld team explaining (in endearing Engrish) some of their stylistic choices, namely the black-and-white visuals (which are there to help convey "brutality") and the buckets of blood (included to create a sense of "exhilaration"). There's also confirmation of North American and European releases in Q1, 2009, and a brief discussion about "linking and layering moves," which (not for the first time) recalls the likes of God Hand. It's all a bit devoid of content otherwise, though worth keeping an eye on.


[Thanks, HellAlucard!]

MADWORLD is surely set to be next year's absolute best ultraviolent, stylized, graphic-novel-inspired, God Hand-like game, and to demonstrate this, we will stack adjectives until they clatter to the floor in a heap. Initially, we were given only a peek at the awesomeness: a grainy scan and a few tantalizing screenshots. But now a few more have turned up, and the slow reveal of PlatinumGames' debut is the news equivalent of unwrapping a particularly delicious piece of candy. Satisfy your craving in the gallery below.

Are you sick to the back teeth of violence being so goddamn depressing? If so, Platinum Games, the developers formerly known as Clover, are right with you! In the latest edition of Famitsu, Platinum director Shigenori Nishikawa has declared that "cheerful violence" and "curb brawler" will be the themes of the company's first Wii title, Mad World. Echoes of God Hand, perhaps?

Mad World was unveiled yesterday through a shaky, grainy and spectacularly bloody video. Sporting heavily stylized black-and-white visuals, the only color to be found in the game was in the fountains of blood that regularly filled the screen. According to Famitsu, ultra-violence is very much the name of the game, which stars a troubled protagonist dedicated to committing his ultimate slaughter.

If you missed the footage (it was constantly being removed from video sharing sites), go past the break to catch up, and see how having a road sign lodged through one's face doesn't have to be a miserable affair.

Get this: David Jaffe, misunderstood genius/opinionated loudmouth (delete as you see fit) and creator of God of War would love to oversee a Mario project. Of course, because this is David Jaffe we're talking about here, Mario had better prepare for a makeover, should the call ever come in from Nintendo.

After exchanging a few stilted jokes with Geoff Keighley about equipping Mario with a machete and making Peach a hooker (at which point we were getting hideous visions of a Shadow the Hedgehog-style reinvention), Jaffe became a little more serious about how he'd tweak Mario, arguing that the Mushroom Kingdom is "sort of a drug-induced, altered state of consciousness," and adding that "There's clearly a kind of drug culture reference thing that I pick up on. I'd explore that. I'd make it more violent."

An early front runner for worst gaming idea of 2008? It might have some serious competition, but it gets our vote. Bless him for trying, though.

Note: Because Jaffe likes his naughty words, the above video is NSFW.

[Via Go Nintendo]

If, like the Washington Post, you expect hysteria to reign over the Zapper, just wait until the mainstream press catches a glimpse of Nyko's contribution to the ever-growing pile of third-party alternatives.

The "Perfect Shot" is the most gun-like shell we've seen to date, a world away from the Zapper's unoffending curves and thoroughly un-gun-like appearance. And we'd bet our very last cent on it provoking outraged bleating from the press (and perhaps even a certain lawyer), who will no doubt make gossamer-thin links between a plastic toy and real-life violence in the process.

So, in a Wii Fanboy world exclusive, we're going to beat them to the punch: if you want to train your child to be a cold-blooded, callous killer, you can pick up the Nyko Perfect Shot for just $13 on Amazon from December 24, and raise a murderer.

Some people will complain about anything.

We here at Wii Fanboy may have mixed feelings about the Wii Zapper, but there's one thing that we're pretty sure none of us has thought about: its potential in training children to becoming ultimate killing machines. Apparently, however, that's exactly what some people are thinking upon seeing different versions of the lightgun-like setup. The New Jersey Star-Ledger's Parental Guidance blog's most recent Question of the Week centered around the attachment, and it seems to have some folks alarmed. One commenter said, "I think it's irresponsible for Wii to come out with a controller that looks like a gun so kids can play games simulating shooting. What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids?"

What we didn't see was any mention of previous lightguns -- like, say, the one for the NES -- or laser tag, or paintball, or any other item that might involve simulated gunplay. Instead, we see a lot of mention of children and guns, and while we don't know the rating yet on the accessory's pack-in title, Link's Crossbow Training, the other games slated for use with the Wii Zapper are (or probably will be) rated Teen or Mature. Last time we checked, that meant they weren't for children.

We know it's hard for some people to separate the idea of video games and children, but considering the vast (and ever-increasing) number of adult gamers, we can only hope that eventually, the outspoken, uneducated nongaming minority will realize that not all video games and accessories are for kids. We might also add the neither the NES zapper nor the existence of paintball have thus far destroyed the world, but we'll keep an eye for signs of the apocalypse.

[Thanks, Andrew!]

We must be getting closer to elections if presidential hopefuls are beating the drum about game retailers and stricter laws again. This time it's Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney who's struggling to take the family-friendly line. While his rhetoric on games is empty and uninformed, it will probably strike a chord with parents, as it makes for a tasty soundbite: "It's time to clean up the water in which our kids are swimming," he said. "I've proposed that we enforce our obscenity laws again and that we get serious against those retailers that sell adult video games that are filled with violence, that we go after those retailers," he said.

It's unfortunate that the truth doesn't get more votes, because we'd love to see another candidate (any one will do) fire back with some of the statistics on exactly who's buying all these video games. Here's a hint: it's usually not the kids who are wielding the credit cards during game purchases. There are protections in place for children -- parental controls on consoles, rating systems, current laws -- and considering that only 17% of game purchases are performed by children, it seems that more laws, stricter punishments, and whatever else Romney could come up with would be a waste of resources. Until we can convince parents to take a more active role in monitoring the activities of their children, the current system is just fine.

That doesn't make much of a clip for the news networks, however.

[Via Game|Life]

It appears that rather than attempting to appeal the ESRB's AO rating, Rockstar has decided to lose some of the violent content from Manhunt 2. In fact, they've gotten it all the way down to E. In our opinion, the changes seem to be for the better.

We play games about killing dudes all the time. But when was the last time you played a game where, using the Nintendo Wii's innovative motion controller, you held someone down and forced them to take an adorable puppy? Never, that's when. This is the kind of thing we want to play-- creepily-intense-niceness simulators. Put us down for one copy.

... yeah, we know.

[Via Level Up]

We'll admit it: the video in this week's spotlight is a bit of a stretch, but bear with us and we think you'll agree that it's simply perfect. With this week's controversy over Manhunt 2, our colleagues over at GayGamer decided to delve into the history of controversial games, and they've dubbed this Night Trap week. Night Trap was an FMV-based game starring Dana Plato that is infamous for its overacting and horrible scenes. No, wait ... that's just our opinion now. At the time, Night Trap was considered sexist, ultra-violent, and downright shameful. My, how far we've come. Night Trap seems far less horrific than the slasher films we grew up watching, and these days, this sort of "violence" would be considered laughable in games. Check out this little slice of history after the jump.