So I came across this video and article via WiiFanboy & Joystiq today regarding an upcoming game called "MadWorld" an ultra-violent brawler(??) rendered in stylistic black and white (Blood/Gore in brilliant red, of course).


MadWorld is being made by Platinum Games (Formerly Clover Studio)

quote WiiFanboy

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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.

Can't wait to see better quality footage. Definitely a game I'm going to keep an eye on.

Update via Joystiq.com

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MadWorld currently has the distinction of being the only Platinum Games game that we've actually seen -- you can peep the debut trailer after the break and first-time director Shigenori Nishikawa (adorned with an incredible MadWorld shirt) demoed the game for us live at last night's Platinum Games event. First, he prefaced the gameplay with the following sentiment: "We didn't want to create a game that was depraved or perverse but rather featured comical, over-the-top violence so that anyone can enjoy it." So think less Manhunt 2 and more No More Heroes.

In fact, Nishikawa repeated this mantra throughout his demo, after every scene of grisly violence, he'd remark about how "lighthearted" the game was. And every single time, the skeptical audience laughed at (with?) his enthusiasm. We begin the demo by meeting Jack, the protagonist, set in a black-and-white world accentuated with flourishes of red blood. He begins tangling with enemies, throwing them into the spiked walls (sometimes over and over and over), tossing them into dumpsters only to have the lids sever their bodies at the torso, or shoving a street sign through their face, then dragging them around. Most notably perhaps is the chainsaw attached to Jack's arm ("everyone loves chainsaws," Nishikawa reminds us). With one swift flick of the Wiimote, you split enemies in half, right down the middle. After that: Man Darts. What?


Pulling a lever at the end of the stage brings up an enormous bullseye, an accompanying "Man Darts" minigame and audio announcers. Enemies pour out the sides and you swing a bat at them, trying to place them (and their blood) onto the target. Again, we're reminded of the "comical" tone of the game.

He closes out by saying, "We thought Wii was missing this type of game in its lineup and think this will fit perfectly." And we're left wondering what sort of actual "game" MadWorld is (besides a violent one). It's an action game, to be sure, but what form will the levels take? How will you progress? How many moves do you have? After showing the trailer, he asked us, "Was it interesting?" It was definitely that.

MadWorld is scheduled for release in Q1 2009.

This sign is just brilliant XD.

Anyway, I'm intrigued. I'm quite fond of the art style and the gameplay seems very interesting so far. I hope they demonstrate the game at E3 2008, since we still can't tell what the game is actually about. That said, I love the concept, so I can't wait to see more.

Information seems to just be pouring in for this title. 1up.com just got a peek at the game, and a little bit more about the plot and some commentary from the creator.

quote 1up.com

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Background: As one of the first titles from developer Platinum Games, made up in large part by ex-Clover Studio team members, this superstylized Wii action game continues the crew's mission of creating unique-playing, eye-catching fare. But don't think for a second that just because it's from the guys who brought you Okami (Atsushi Inaba, producer of the Clover classic, serves as the same on MadWorld), that it's anything like the former effort. The main concept here is that the entire game is presented in black and white -- except for one thing: the red blood. And the entire game plays off that concept, setting up situations in which you paint the game's world red through extreme acts of violence.

What We Saw: At a press event to formally announce their relationship, Sega and Platinum gave a first demonstration of MadWorld's gameplay, taking the main character -- a tall, buff badass -- right into a series of fights. The idea, it seems, is that you're a contestant on a bloodsport TV show, and the objective is obviously to kick ass, but to do it in a way that amounts to as much red all over the screen as possible to feed the audience's bloodlust.


In the demo, after a few brutal punches, guy No. 1 got thrown at the back of an open dumpster, causing the lid to slam down on his body hanging over its side, effectively splitting him in two. Guy No. 2 was thrown against spikes on a nearby wall, then pulled off the spikes and slammed back into them several times. Guy No. 3 got impaled with a signpost. Then our hero took out his chain saw arm -- yes, he has a chain saw for an arm! -- and guy No. 4 was just plain chopped to hell. Guy No. 5? He got it the worst, though. Our hero performed a finishing move that consisted pulling out the guy's heart à la Temple of Doom, then squashing it in front of his eyes. Meanwhile, there's blood just squirting everywhere during all of this, even on the screen itself.

But here's the thing -- though it's filled with blood and violence, MadWorld is presented in such a stylized fashion that it never results in squeamishness. Later in the demo, our hero held an enemy up against a giant spinning saw blade, shredding the baddie to bits and spewing blood all over. He also entered a minigame that consisted of hitting enemies against a giant dartboard with a baseball bat, the red blood splotches indicating accuracy. This is not the game you let Grandma try after she's gotten her fill of Wii Sports.

Good to Go: The Sin City vibe is fantastic, with detailed black-and-white visuals and written action cues to further lend to the game's graphic-novel style. The upbeat music, too, perfectly sets the tone of the game -- you just want dive in and cause some bloody mayhem. Though we didn't get to play it, the combat seemed really tight -- though, here's hoping it'll control better than God Hand (Clover's previous brawler).


Warning Sign: Though Inaba says there will be more weapons later in the game, it remains to be seen just how inventive the Platinum crew can be in terms of keeping the gameplay fresh throughout. We've seen spikes, saw blades, and dumpsters, but it'll be interesting to see what other environmental elements these guys come up with. Also, because of the game's "blood as a sport" theme, an announcer often provides commentary -- let's hope that doesn't get old.

Warm Afterglow: In a week of seeing many of the industry's biggest wares ahead of E3, MadWorld easily stands out as one of the most impressive. Surrounded by rehashes and titles offering predictable gameplay improvements, the game feels extremely fresh and cool. It also feels entirely void of marketing's influence -- black and white with tons of blood flies in the face of the industry's usual instincts, and it's great to see something so bold as this. This early demo cemented two things in my mind: 1) Clover's art-house spirit definitely lives on in Platinum, and 2) I cannot wait to play this freaking game.

IGN has some pretty high praise as well. I particularly like the following line.

quote Atsushi Inaba

Later, when we have a chance to sit down with all four on-hand Platinum Games employees and we ask Inaba if Wii's inherent technical limitations had anything to do with Mad World's ultra-stylized look. "It actually had nothing to do with the limitations of the Wii hardware," he explains. "In fact, we're not using the Wii hardware to full capacity just yet. It was unrelated to technical limitations, but more of a lineup issue. On PS3 and 360, there are a lot of action games, but on the Wii we felt we could really make a difference in the lineup and provide something unique to the user."

The "Sin City" look gives it 50 bonus points.

Definetly buying this. Who doesn't want to pull some arms off or other limbs after you come home after work or school? Good times.

I love the style, it looks amazing. Though, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle the gore...

This and conduit are looking mighty fine.