The British Board of Film Censors has granted classification to Nintendo Wii-exclusive MadWorld. The game received an 18 rating, but apart from looking a bit weird on shelves between the ranks of party games and shovelware, it didn’t have too much trouble getting passed the censors.
MadWorld stands out from other Wii titles thanks to its instantly recognisable graphics. The game relies on a very limited colour palette consisting of black and white, with liberal splashes of bright red blood.
The levels of violence in the game have caused controversy in the UK, following Mediawatch-UK’s appeal to the Daily Mail, which complained that the bloody title would “spoil the family fun image of the Wii”. That isn’t to say that MadWorld is any more violent than other ‘ultra-violent’ titles out there though, it just happens to be one that the mainstream media has latched on to. Since the Manhunt 2 brouhaha kicked off over a year ago, there hasn’t been much else to whinge about.
In fact, the game is fairly tongue-in-cheek. You tear through opponents on a Running Man-esque television show using chainsaws, knives and other assorted instruments of death. Mini games are going to play an important part too, including one called Man Darts, in which you smack people at a giant darts board using a baseball bat and appropriate Wii remote gestures. The gore itself is pretty cartoony.
Nintendo has also stood firmly by the game, despite the alleged risk to its console’s image. It has also made it clear previously, that the Wii is not just for children and families, but for all ages, including the violence loving, more traditional gamer demographics. And given the number of disgruntled Nintendo fans who feel missed out by the Wii’s heavy focus on ‘casual’ gamers, Ninty needs more titles like this to prove it still knows its core audience.