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What do you get when you mix franchises like "The Club" and "Streets of Rage", then add a little "Hokuto-No-Ken/Fist of the North Star" for style?  The result is "MadWorld", shown off in full-force at Comic-Con NY 2009.  Developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega, MadWorld is set for a Wii-sclusive release March 10th.

MadWorld stars a mechanic named Jack living in Varrigan City. The city has been taken over by a group of maniacs called "The Organizers" who have locked up the city and its residents, filling the streets with deadly traps and homicidal maniacs. “The Organizers” have done so for the purpose of hosting a mysterious game show, "Death Watch", for the citizens of Varrigan city are now all unwilling participants. Jack, barricaded inside the city, now sets his eyes on the one-hundred-million dollar prize for being the last man standing in this "Battle Royale" style deathmatch.

While the setup sounds like the plot of an old Kurt Russell movie, it's the eye-popping action that steals the show.  The Steve Miller-inspired high contrast vistas is reminiscent of other Wii titles like "Okami" and "No More Heroes".  MadWorld features strictly black and white environments and characters, the starkness punctuated by the grandiose crimson spray of blood and guts.  While stylish and cool to see for a little while, one wonders if it might not be enough to carry on the entire game using such a limited palette.  From a purely game-play perspective it can be hard to differentiate or locate enemies and other active objects in the environments without the color cues we're used to receiving as gamers.  Artistically speaking, it makes a great first impression, but tends to grow repetitive in the least and straining on the eyes at its worst.  Still, despite some complaints in the color department, the game does much to compensate for the limited chroma by providing interestingly modeled enemies and environments to stomp and smash through.  The animations in particular are very well done and just so far over the top as to be very satisfying without being too ridiculous.  Whether your locked in a chainsaw vs. chainsaw duel with a hulking brute or knocking a thug into the lower atmosphere with a baseball bat, everything flows from one action to the next quite seamlessly.

The controls are just as smooth as the animations and models, and really bring the action of the game to the forefront.  Every action, from varying chainsaw slashes to grabbing and tossing the bad guys, was performed quickly and easily.  After playing with the controls for a few minutes the question many have asked, "Why is this on the Wii?", was laid to rest.  The answer is very simple: "Interaction is better".  After trying out some of the other action games on the floor, pressing buttons to hack and slash foes into bits, it becomes obvious just how much more fun MadWorld's literal "hands-on" approach is to that same violent action game play.  When you grab an enemy with the Wii remotes you really feel like you've got your hands on them.  Unlike some Wii titles that employ the motion controls in a gimmicky and ultimately unnecessary manner, it's clear from having tried MadWorld that Platinum Games had the unique control-set in mind as an integral part of the game-play from the get-go.

The game-play itself is habit forming, even in the demo stage that was shown it was very hard to put down.  As mentioned earlier, the game-play draws elements from Sega's Genesis era brawler, Streets of Rage, and 3rd person competitive scoring action game, The Club.  The fighting is intuitive fun and you're given a lot of options as to how you're able to dispatch your foes like a classic beat-em-up.  As in The Club, you're rewarded for exceptionally stylish kills and for mixing up the methods you use to decimate the competition.  There is a timer that presses you onward, encouraging you to move quickly through the various challenges put before you, but unlike The Club, failing to continue on your spree doesn't penalize you so harshly.  Rather than outright aborting the level, MadWorld releases a powered up chainsaw wielding brute that you'll have to contend with, a "penalty" that only serves to provide even more variety and excitement.

    With the graphics, controls, and game-play coming together so tightly there's no questioning MadWorld's level of quality.  It's a title that's now been bumped-up from a "must play" to a "first day purchase" on my own personal radar, and will sit comfortably next to titles like "No More Heroes", "House of the Dead II & III", and "Resident Evil" in my Wii collection.  While there may exist doubts about the length of time the relatively simple visuals and straightforward game play might remain fresh, it's a small concern in the face of the sheer amount of just plain good, gory fun available in exploring the great multitude of ways to pummel, slash, chop, immolate, and crush the competition.