MadWorld

Last updated

MadWorld
MadWorld.jpg
Developer(s) PlatinumGames
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Shigenori Nishikawa
Producer(s) Atsushi Inaba
Designer(s)
Programmer(s) Masumi Tarukado
Artist(s) Yusuke Kan
Writer(s)
Composer(s) Naoto Tanaka
Platform(s) Wii
Release
Genre(s) Beat 'em up, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

MadWorld [lower-alpha 1] is a beat 'em up hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames, published by Sega, produced by Atsushi Inaba, and directed by Shigenori Nishikawa. It was released worldwide for the Wii in March 2009, and in Japan in February 2010. Although a commercial failure, MadWorld received generally positive reviews from critics. A spiritual successor, Anarchy Reigns , was released in 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Contents

Gameplay

Jack impales a foe on a "rose bush", a wall of spikes. The game's graphics were inspired by, and have been compared to, Frank Miller's Sin City. Madworld-screen.png
Jack impales a foe on a "rose bush", a wall of spikes. The game's graphics were inspired by, and have been compared to, Frank Miller's Sin City .

MadWorld is divided into several levels representing different parts of Jefferson Island that have been converted into sets for the game show DeathWatch. The player progresses through these levels in a linear fashion during the first playthrough, but can revisit any completed level to attempt to score more points or take on a harder challenge.

Most levels are open environments, allowing the player to explore them freely, although some sections of the level may require the player to earn a number of points before it will be accessible. A few levels feature motorcycle-based combat where the main character, Jack, is assaulted by foes as they race down a track or in a small arena. The player is challenged to beat the level's boss within a time limit, but in order to activate the boss fight, the player must accumulate enough points by defeating regular foes on the level. There are other challenges, bonuses, or mini-bosses that become active after the player accumulates enough points. A common feature of each of these levels is the "Bloodbath Challenge", a time-limited minigame that rewards the player for completing a specific type of activity with additional points. For example, the player may need to attempt to swing a bat at foes to knock them into a giant dartboard to score points, or to ensure foes are trapped in front of a speeding train. Outside of these challenges, the player is awarded points for every defeat of a foe. The number of points for beating foes increases by increasing the foe's power or using more unusual methods of winning. For example, while the player could throw an enemy on a wall, the player will earn significantly more points if they had previously forced a tire around the enemy. [6]

The player controls Jack from a third-person perspective using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment for attacks and movement, respectively. [7] MadWorld does not make use of the Wii Remote's infrared sensor, as its developers found it unnecessary to pinpoint movements on the screen in order to attack. [8] When certain special attacks are possible, the player is prompted to press a button or move the controllers in a specific fashion to complete the action. In boss fights, the player must trigger special finishing moves that engage their foe in a series of quick time events in order to weaken, dismember attached weapons or defeat the boss, called Power Struggles. These are possible against certain normal enemies.

The game features extreme, over-the-top violence, but designer Shigenori Nishikawa intends it to be seen in a comical light despite the dark tone of the game. [9] For example, in a minigame called "Man Darts", players must hit enemies onto a giant dart board with a baseball bat to score points. [10] Because of the intended level of violence PlatinumGames was unsure of whether or not the game would ultimately be released in Japan, stating, "In certain markets there are a lot of limitations on the amount of violence you can show, so we definitely have the Western market much more in mind." [11]

MadWorld features highly stylized graphics that use a limited color palette of high contrast black and white with red, partially inspired by Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels. [9]

Plot

Three days before the game's event, the fictional Varrigan City became a target for a group of terrorists called "The Organizers", who severed the island city's transportation and communication ties with the rest of the world. They released a virus onto its population that would kill them in less than a day. However, the Organizers informed the populace that any person that killed another would receive the vaccine.

The city was quickly transformed into the stage of a recurring game show called DeathWatch, with announcers Howard "Buckshot" Holmes (Greg Proops) and former DeathWatch fighter Kreese Kreeley (John DiMaggio). [12] The remaining citizens of Varrigan City and new hopeful ones become the show's contestants, hoping to become the top-ranked fighter in the game and win a large cash prize.

Jack Cayman (Steve Blum), a man with a chainsaw attached to his prosthetic arm, enters the games and manages to gain sponsorship from "Agent XIII" (Jim Ward). The game's organizers, led by Noa (Dwight Schultz), know Jack's motive is more than just to win, and learn that Jack works with someone on the outside. They come to learn that Jack was a former marine, police officer, and rogue agent, but now seems intent on a mission. Noa surmises that Jack is after Naomi Ann Boris (Kate Higgins), the mayor's daughter working in the city. While they plan to kill Jack, they realize he became an audience favorite, with many sponsors and viewers betting on his success.

Meanwhile, Jack meets Leo Fallmont (Danny Cooksey), a hospital doctor who was unwittingly trapped in the city but managed to obtain the vaccine. After telling Leo to stay low, Jack continues the mission. When Jack finds Naomi, he learns that she is the one watching the games and not getting in crisis. Jack leaves and continues to solve the case about the city's abnormal situation.

Meanwhile, the Organizers realize Jack as the reigning champ, who quit the games by signing on to the Chasers. As Jack nears the last battle against the reigning-feigning champ, the Black Baron (Reno Wilson), Agent XIII reveals himself to be Lord Gesser, an influential figure in politics and knows that the DeathWatch games were created to cause the attack, but admits that this particular incarnation of the games is solely driven by someone's greed, and passes on the name of Springvale to Jack and the Agency, which quickly recognizes the name as a pharmaceutical company and that they were the silent hand that had built (in anticipation of DeathWatch) much of the sets for the games as soon as the Organizers had released the virus.

After defeating the Black Baron at the end of the games, Jack blames Noa, who is shot and killed by Leo. After dealing with the armed forces, Jack disables the communication link with the Chasers and interrogates Leo. Leo tells Jack that his father was the president of Springvale Pharmaceuticals, who created both the virus and the vaccine, and was planning to use the televised DeathWatch event to show the effect of the virus as to blackmail anyone to pay for the vaccine under the outbreak. Leo admits that the company went bankrupt in the last presidential election and saw this route as the easiest way to recoup their losses. He is also at the games to be close to the action, fascinated by sports. Jack throws Leo off the tower to his death.

While the announcers complain about the irrelevance, Jack leaves Varrigan City.

Development

MadWorld was created by PlatinumGames, a studio founded by former members of Capcom's Clover Studio, in their attempt to make a game that would be "fun and attractive" for the Wii, but that would also have a high level of violence that would make it unique for the system. [13] [14] The game was produced by Atsushi Inaba, who had previously produced Viewtiful Joe , and directed by Shigenori Nishikawa, one of the designers of Resident Evil 4 . [14] The developers chose violence as the main theme of the title, but experimented with a variety of cartoon-like art styles to alleviate the violent content with a sense of humor, ultimately deciding upon a black-and-white aesthetic with splashes of red for blood. [13] [15] Inaba and Nishikawa acknowledged the influence of Frank Miller's Sin City in the work, but also noted they borrowed from both Western and Japanese comic book styles to create a unique style. [13] [14] [15] Comic-book style text and sound effects are also used in the game. [14] The main character, Jack, was designed to be "big and tough" rather than traditionally heroic, with an appearance that suggests he "has been worn down by the world." [14]

MadWorld was developed primarily for a Western audience, and the team extensively analyzed American pop culture in search of material that was so extreme and unrealistic it produced a comedic effect. Inaba played a variety of games, such as Manhunt 2 , to see how they portrayed serious violence and to avoid making those same choices with MadWorld. Nishikawa chose to focus entirely on combat, omitting extraneous puzzle-solving or collection elements, with the goal of making the game easy to play in short sessions. The game's motion controls were designed to be as intuitive as possible, with Inaba reflecting that "we've come to believe the Wii controller is actually more intuitive and more relevant for action games." An emphasis was placed on earning high scores, while "Bloodbath Challenge" minigames were used to incorporate additional variety into the game's design. [14]

The game was developed using Softimage for creation of the game's art, and a custom engine built to handle the art aesthetic and limitations of the Wii's memory. The game's sets are completely modeled with complex lighting features, but only normal maps are used to draw the game, avoiding the high-processing costs of light maps or layered textures. [13] This allowed the game's artists to have finer control of visibility and color balance in the game. [13] Though the developers attempted to add reflection mapping into the game, they found it did not fit well with the comic-book style and dropped it. [13] Explosions and other effects, normally created in other games using particle effects to achieve a factor of realism, were modeled with particles in MadWorld, but using specially-designed images to retain the comic book style. [13]

To overcome the lighting issues, the main character of Jack was modeled with two different textures, one used when he was in a bright area, and second used in dark areas that highlighted the main lines of the character's face. [13] Jack and other principal characters from the game were redesigned with the black-and-white features adjusted numerous times to make sure they did not simply blend into the background as the lesser enemies in the game. [13] Other characters were drawn and modeled to be as destructible as possible, with numerous versions of each character having missing limbs or other bodily harm. These were put together in 2000-frame animations that were then motion-captured; movement from one animation to another was blended out with the use of Hermite interpolation. [13] Blood spurts from each of the methods that Jack could use to kill a foe were each uniquely modeled to capture the appropriate trajectory for the type of injury, and often increasing the realistic amount of blood in order to make it stand out in the world. [13] The spatters of blood on the walls, floor, and other characters was modeled within the game using a collision detection system and a complex system for how the blood would interact with Jack's clothing. [13] Early builds of the game resulted in disorientation and eye strain due to the lack of colors. To avoid this, the developers limited the amount of on-screen movement and adjusted the game's textures to include more gradual changes from black to white. [13] While some of MadWorld relies on the Havok engine for modeling physical interactions in the game, the developers found they had to resort to their own programs to capture some of the reactions and behaviors of the enemies for many of the unique killing methods. [13]

Comparisons have been drawn between the game and Inaba's last project, God Hand , a comedy beat 'em up for the PlayStation 2. However, Inaba claims that while God Hand was developed for "hardcore" gamers, MadWorld is "a lot easier to pick up." [15] The game's use of over-the-top violence was intentional to add humor to it. [15]

The game's story was written by Yasumi Matsuno, famous for his design in the Ogre Battle series and a number of Square Enix titles. Matsuno was given two opposing guidelines to writing the scenario. [16] While the development team ruled that violence should acceptable in the game's world, Inaba expressed his desire for violence to be "denied in the end" due to current views of violence in the video game industry. Matsuno combined the ideas for MadWorld's DeathWatch gameshow environment: violence is both accepted and required within the show, but not outside of it. [16]

Proops and DiMaggio, who had previously worked together on animated films such as Asterix and the Vikings and Kaena: The Prophecy , were both contacted by the voice cast director Jack Fletcher to play the parts of the announcers for the North American and European release. While most of their lines were already scripted, the two were able to ad-lib during recording, with some lines being retained in the final game. [17]

Soundtrack

The music for the game was composed by Naoto Tanaka, PlatinumGames' in-house composer, along with four different local artists—Ox, Doujah Raze, Sick YG, and Bandy Leggz. Tanaka wanted to "write in American style music and tried to avoid a true Japanese style". [18] At the request of Inaba, the music styles included hip hop and rock, taking inspirations from the mashup album Collision Course from Linkin Park and Jay-Z. [18] Tanaka created the backtracks first using Cubase SX and ACID, then gave these, along with the general theme of the level associated with the music, to the artists for them to add lyrics and other performances. Tanaka received feedback from the American branch of PlatinumGames to refine the music to get the Western style down. Music was then assigned for the various stages and boss battles, requiring some revision of the existing works to make the music more apt for that stage of the game. [18] A total of 50 minutes of music was created for the game, and a soundtrack of the game's music was released along with the game in the United Kingdom and Australia. [18] The soundtrack was released in North America on June 30, 2009, by Sumthing Distribution. [19]

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Get It Up"Ox2:47
2."Come With It"Doujah Raze2:35
3."Survival"S.O.U.L. Purpose2:30
4."Body That"Ox2:36
5."Mad World"Optimus2:24
6."Ain't That Funny"Sick YG2:17
7."Lets Go!"Ox2:39
8."Death & Honor"Wordsmith2:30
9."Crazy"Doujah Raze2:34
10."Deathwatch"Doujah Raze2:32
11."Crimson Rain"Ox2:44
12."You Don't Know Me"Bandy Leggz2:22
13."Move"Ox2:40
14."It's A Mad World"Sick YG2:29
15."Bang"Ox2:26
16."Ride!!"Ox2:49
17."Breathe"Ox2:33
18."Look Pimpin!"Sick YG2:38
19."So Cold"Ox2:32
20."Soul"Ox3:49
Total length:52:26

Controversy

On August 19, 2008, Sega announced that MadWorld would not be released in Germany. [20] Despite the fact that Australia is also known for strict video game classification, the game was released there unedited, with an MA15+ rating for "strong bloody violence and strong coarse language". [21] [22]

In a preview, Eurogamer commented: "It's difficult to understand why there's so much controversy surrounding MadWorld when the violence is so very Tom and Jerry... It really is hard to be offended... because it's just so ridiculous." [23]

On March 10, the National Institute on Media and the Family issued a press release expressing its disappointment in Nintendo for allowing MadWorld to be released on the Wii. [24]

Reception

MadWorld has received positive reviews from critics. In its April 2009 issue, Nintendo Power gave MadWorld a 9/10 rating. IGN gave the game a 9/10, praising the style, gameplay, and music, but criticizing the camera and short length, though it mentions that the hard difficulty level lengthens the game and increases the challenge considerably. [45]

About.com felt the game was more flash than substance, giving it a 3/5 and stating: "Divorced of its unique graphics and over-the-top presentation, this is actually a rather mediocre beat-em-up." [46] Game Informer disagreed, praising the deep combat system and arguing: "for an amateur to become a talented executioner, you'll have to lash out creatively, prolonging your victim's death through multiple phases of pain. MadWorld runs the gamut in violence, taking an encyclopedic approach to its variety in kills. Some of the bloodletting will make you squirm uncomfortably." [32] IGN opined: "MadWorld does not place emphasis on style over gameplay...there's plenty of fun, smart mechanics to back up the overwhelmingly slick look and sound of the title." [45] 1Up.com praised the motion controls stating, "The immersive combat (aided by shockingly-fun Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls) would not have been as enjoyable if played on a traditional gamepad." [27]

Sales

Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing for Sega of America stated that, in terms of sales, "the first set of data for Madworld is very encouraging". [47] The game sold around 66,000 copies in its first month of release in North America, according to The NPD Group. [48] These sales numbers have been used by market research firm OTX Research to justify their assertion that hype and marketing do not translate into sales figures; MadWorld, while commanding the "highest level of unique interest" based on user input at IGN , ranks 41st in OTX's sales metric for all Wii titles. [49] Sales of the game have reached 123,000 units in North America as of August 2009. [50] [ needs update ]MadWorld fared much poorer in Japan, where it debuted at number 33 on Japanese sales charts and only selling around 3,000 units during its release week. [51]

Legacy

Despite low sales for both MadWorld and The House of the Dead: Overkill , Sega stated that it would continue to explore mature games for the Wii, according to Gary Dunn, a director at Sega Europe, noting that such games have a long tail in sales as such games become more discounted. [52] On January 4, 2010, it was announced that Sega would not publish any future M-rated video games for the Wii. [53] However, PlatinumGames announced a few days later that they would like to do a sequel to MadWorld, [54] which ended up as Anarchy Reigns, a 3D fighting game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that was released in 2012 in Japan and 2013 in western territories. [55] [56] [57]

In a 2019 interview, Inaba called MadWorld one of the most enjoyable projects he had worked on. [58] [59] On March 10, 2020, PlatinumGames celebrated MadWorld's eleventh anniversary with new artwork of Jack created by lead character designer Masaki Yamanaka. [60] [61]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: マッドワールド, Hepburn: Maddo Wārudo

Related Research Articles

Yasumi Matsuno is a Japanese video game designer and writer. Matsuno was first introduced to video games in arcades while waiting for the train, and first played Space Invaders and Xevious there. He attended Hosei University for foreign policy but dropped out, and after working for a time as an economic reporter, he joined Quest Corporation.

<i>Viewtiful Joe</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Viewtiful Joe is a side scrolling beat 'em up video game developed by Team Viewtiful for the GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five, under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the name Clover Studio, subtitled in Japan Aratanaru Kibō. The game's story concerns Joe, an avid movie-goer whose girlfriend Silvia is kidnapped during a film starring Joe's favorite superhero, Captain Blue. Joe is shortly thereafter thrust into Movieland, where Silvia is taken by the villainous group known as Jadow. After accepting a special V-Watch from Captain Blue, Joe transforms into the tokusatsu-style persona "Viewtiful Joe" and sets out to rescue her.

<i>Ōkami</i> 2006 video game

Ōkami is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for PlayStation 2 in 2006 in Japan and North America, and in 2007 in Europe and Australia. After the closure of Clover Studio a few months after the release, a port for Wii was developed by Ready at Dawn, Tose, and Capcom, and released in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capcom Five</span> Five Capcom video games for GameCube

The Capcom Five are five video games that were unveiled by Capcom in late 2002 and published from March 2003. At a time when Nintendo's GameCube console had failed to capture market share, Capcom announced five new GameCube titles with the apparent goal of boosting hardware sales and showing off third-party developer support. Capcom USA followed up with confirmation that they would be exclusive to the GameCube. The five games were P.N.03, a futuristic third-person shooter; Viewtiful Joe, a side-scrolling action-platformer; Dead Phoenix, a shoot 'em up; Resident Evil 4, a survival horror third-person shooter; and Killer7, an action-adventure game with first-person shooter elements. Though not directly related to each other, they were all overseen by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami and, except Killer7, developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4. Capcom USA later clarified that only Resident Evil 4 was intended to be exclusive; the initial announcement was due to a miscommunication with their parent company.

<i>Sonic and the Secret Rings</i> 2007 video game

Sonic and the Secret Rings is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog's quest to stop an evil genie named the Erazor Djinn. In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience points and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked by means of progression.

<i>Wii Sports</i> 2006 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the console in all territories except Japan, making it the first sports game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was later released on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atsushi Inaba</span> Japanese video game producer

Atsushi Inaba is a Japanese video game producer and businessman. He was the former CEO and producer of the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio, who developed the games Viewtiful Joe, Ōkami, and God Hand. He is currently the head producer at the development division at PlatinumGames and the CEO since 2021, after years being vice-president in the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlatinumGames</span> Japanese video game company

PlatinumGames Inc. is a Japanese video game developer that was founded in October 2007 as result of a merger between two companies, Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc. Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya founded Seeds Inc. after the closure of Capcom's Clover Studio, while Odd Inc. was founded by Tatsuya Minami. A year after the studio was founded, video game publisher Sega announced that it would be publishing four intellectual properties developed by the company: MadWorld, Infinite Space, Bayonetta, and Vanquish. Their partnership later extended to include Anarchy Reigns. Most of these games were met with positive reception. Over the years, PlatinumGames had developed an expertise in action games and one of their key philosophies was that the team would not follow conventional game design concepts.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games</i> 2007 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a 2007 crossover sports and party game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department. It is the first installment on the Mario & Sonic series. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, and released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. The first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it is licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia (ISM), and is the first official crossover game to feature characters from both the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog series.

<i>Sega Superstars Tennis</i> 2008 sports video game

Sega Superstars Tennis is a sports video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It is the second title in the Sega All-Stars series, preceded by Sega Superstars (2004), and crosses over characters, locations, and soundtracks from several Sega franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Channel 5, and Super Monkey Ball.

<i>Sonic Unleashed</i> 2008 video game

Sonic Unleashed is a 2008 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The story follows Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser to unleash Dark Gaia, an ancient evil, while dealing with having become a "Werehog", a werewolf-like transformation, which he gains after coming into contact with the energy of Dark Gaia. Gameplay features two distinct styles, with each being played either during daytime or nighttime. Daytime stages incorporate Sonic's traditional platforming and trademark speed, with a combination of behind-the-back third-person viewpoints and 2D side-scroller platforming; gameplay seamlessly transitions between these two views. Night-time levels see Sonic transform into the Werehog; gameplay slows down to accommodate greater platform play, and involves combat against waves of enemies using the Werehog's brute strength.

<i>Pokémon Platinum</i> 2008 video game

Pokémon Platinum Version is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the third version after Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and is part of the fourth generation of the Pokémon video game series. It was released in Japan on 13 September 2008, and later in North America, Australia, and Europe in 2009.

<i>Bayonetta</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Bayonetta is a 2009 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan in October 2009, and in North America and Europe in January 2010. It was released on Wii U in September 2014, Windows in April 2017, Nintendo Switch in February 2018, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2020.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games</i> 2009 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a 2009 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive license International Sports Multimedia. The game is the third official crossover title to feature characters from both Mario and Sonic's respective universes, the first and second being the game's predecessor Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl respectively. It was released on the Wii and the Nintendo DS in October 2009, and is the first official video game of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games</i> 2011 video game

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a 2011 crossover sports and party game developed by Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and Korea and by Sega elsewhere. As the third instalment in the Mario & Sonic series, it was released on the Wii on 15 November 2011 in North America, 18 November 2011 in Europe, and 26 December 2011 in Japan. It was also released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2012. Mario & Sonic is the official video game of the 2012 Summer Olympics and is licensed by the International Olympic Committee through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia. The game is the only Wii title to come in a yellow keep case.

<i>Bayonetta 2</i> 2014 video game

Bayonetta 2 is a 2014 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo. It is the sequel to the 2009 game Bayonetta, and was directed by Yusuke Hashimoto and produced by Atsushi Inaba, Akiko Kuroda, and Hitoshi Yamagami, under supervision by series creator Hideki Kamiya.

<i>Bayonetta</i> Video game series

Bayonetta is a series of hack and slash action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya, developed by PlatinumGames, and owned by Sega. The franchise was introduced in 2009 with Bayonetta. Two sequels were released, Bayonetta 2 (2014) and Bayonetta 3 (2022), as well as a spinoff, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023). In the games, players control a witch nicknamed Bayonetta as she wields dual pistols, shooters in her high heels, and long, magically transforming hair which becomes a deadly weapon.

References

  1. 1 2 Spencer (October 30, 2009). "MadWorld Chainsaws Into Japan In February 2010". Siliconera.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  2. ↑ "MadWorld". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ "MadWorld Ships To Retailers" (Press release). San Francisco, CA: Sega. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  4. ↑ Wilcox, Jon (February 19, 2009). "MadWorld UK Release Revealed News". Total Video Games. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. ↑ Wildgoose, David (March 9, 2009). "WIN! MadWorld Wii Prize Packs". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Clive (April 6, 2009). "MadWorld Is Black and White and Awesome All Over". Wired . Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  7. ↑ Kennedy, Sam (May 15, 2008). "Previews: MadWorld". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ Razak, Matthew (May 15, 2008). "Updated / First details on Wii's MADWORLD". That VideoGame Blog. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  9. 1 2 Casamassina, Matt (May 15, 2008). "Eyes-on Mad World". IGN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  10. ↑ Crecente, Brian (May 15, 2008). "Madworld: A Fun Romp Through Dismemberment". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  11. ↑ Leone, Matt (May 15, 2008). "PlatinumGames Unveils Four Sega Titles". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  12. ↑ Morgenstern, Alexis (January 30, 2009). "MadWorld TV DeathWatch Trailer From SEGA (video)". Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 McEachern, Martin (June 2009). "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, MadWorld". Vol. 32, no. 6. Computer Graphics World.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thomason, Steve (August 2008). "It's a Mad World After All". Nintendo Power . Vol. 21, no. 231. Future Publishing. pp. 32–37.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Driftwood (September 20, 2008). "Interview: Atsushi Inaba". Gamersyde.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  16. 1 2 Matsuno, Yasumi (March 4, 2009). "MadWorld – Narrativity". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  17. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (February 19, 2009). "MadWorld Month: The Commentators". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Napolitano, Jayson (May 12, 2009). "Pimptacular Interview With MadWorld Composer Naoto Tanaka". Original Sound Vision. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
  19. ↑ "MADWORLD Soundtrack hits the US TOMORROW!". Sega. June 29, 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  20. ↑ "House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld banned from Germany". Nintendo Everything. August 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  21. ↑ "SEGA planning to bring MadWorld to Australia- What are you waiting for?". GoNintendo. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  22. ↑ Patrick Kolan IGN AU. "MadWorld Gets AU Classification – Wii News at IGN". Wii.ign.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  23. ↑ MacDonald, Keza (September 19, 2008). "MadWorld Preview". Eurogamer. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  24. ↑ "NIMF Disappointed with Nintendo". IGN. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  25. ↑ "MadWorld for Wii Reviews". GameRankings.com. August 9, 2009. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  26. ↑ "MadWorld for Wii Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  27. 1 2 Ellis, David. "MadWorld Review for Wii from". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  28. ↑ Robinson, Andy (March 10, 2009). "Wii Review: MadWorld". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  29. ↑ Edge [May 2009, p.93]
  30. ↑ Parkin, Simon (March 10, 2009). "MadWorld Review". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Famitsu review scores". Nintendo Everything. February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  32. 1 2 Jajuka. "Madworld – Nintendo Wii". www.GameInformer.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  33. ↑ Patrick Shaw GamePro (online) 16/04/09. "Sega MadWorld – reviews – Games – Consoles – PC World Australia". Pcworld.idg.com.au. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ Kevin VanOrd. "MadWorld Review - GameSpot.com". www.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  35. ↑ "GameSpy: MadWorld – Page 1". Wii.gamespy.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  36. ↑ "MadWorld". GamesRadar. March 10, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  37. ↑ "MadWorld Video Game, Review | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos". GameTrailers.com. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Madworld Hyper Magazine Review: "you'll be having an almost criminal amount of fun"". VGReleases.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  39. ↑ Matt Casamassina. "MadWorld Review – Wii Review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  40. ↑ "MadWorld for Wii review". March 23, 2009. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  41. ↑ Nintendo Power [Apr 2009, p.82]
  42. ↑ "MadWorld Wii Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  43. ↑ "Wii Review: MadWorld". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  44. ↑ Manuel, Rob (March 10, 2009). "MadWorld Review for Wii". G4tv. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  45. 1 2 Casamassina, Matt (March 9, 2008). "MadWorld Review". IGN. p. 1. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  46. ↑ Herold, Charles. "MadWorld – Game Review". About.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  47. ↑ Gaudiosi, John (April 6, 2009). "Sega shows off next big Olympics game, targets Wii and DSi". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  48. ↑ Graff, Kris (April 17, 2009). "Wii's M-Rated Madworld Sells 66,000 in the U.S." Gamasutra . Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  49. ↑ Gilbert, Ben (April 29, 2009). "MadWorld places relationship between online hype and actual sales in doubt". Joystiq. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  50. ↑ Matthews, Matt (September 14, 2009). "Analysis: Where Now For M-Rated Wii Games?". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  51. ↑ Ishaan (February 21, 2010). "This Week In Sales: Zangeki no Reginleiv Is In For A Dynamic Price Slash". Siliconera. Archived from the original on November 9, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  52. ↑ Martin, Matt (June 30, 2009). "Sega: It's not game over for mature Wii titles". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  53. ↑ "Sega Unlikely To Pursue More M-Rated Games For Wii". Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  54. ↑ East, Thomas (January 11, 2010). "Madworld 2 coming to Wii?". Official Nintendo Magazine . Future plc. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  55. ↑ Parkin, Simon (January 26, 2011). "Max Anarchy Extends Platinum Games' Relationship With Sega". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  56. ↑ Purchase, Robert (January 27, 2011). "Max Anarchy is Anarchy Reigns in Europe". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  57. ↑ "Anarchy Reigns Video Game, Japanese Baron Character Trailer | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos". GameTrailers.com. March 3, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  58. ↑ "PlatinumGames studio head reflects on MadWorld and The Wonderful 101". Nintendo Everything. December 15, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  59. ↑ Lucas, Victor (December 11, 2019). Behind the Scenes at PlatinumGames!. Electric Playground Network – via YouTube.
  60. ↑ "PlatinumGames celebrates MadWorld's 11th anniversary with new art". Nintendo Everything. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  61. ↑ @platinumgames (March 10, 2020). "March 10 is the anniversary of MadWorld's original release! Eleven years ago today, we left Nintendo Wii systems across North America black, white and red all over. Masaki Yamanaka, MadWorld's lead character designer, marks the occasion with this new artwork of Jack! #MadWorld" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.