The carnage and comedy of MadWorld is not sitting well with anti-violence groups. Image: SEGA.
The vilification of videogames has now apparently expanded to include Nintendo’s hugely popular, family-friendly Wii console following news that upcoming action game MadWorld is drawing scathing criticism from anti-violence activists and even notable media sources.
A stylised action adventure that unfolds across a distinctive black and white game world often punctuated by gushing splashes of blood red, MadWorld is described by its creators as a gaming experience that “revolves around the themes of brutality and exhilaration,” reports The Daily Mail , which further labels MadWorld as “ultra violent.”
Set for a release in North America and Europe in early 2009, the game will reportedly see players able to execute in-game enemies with deadly weapons such as chainsaws, dual-wielded dagger and spiked walls, while also being able to physically tear out hearts, perform gruesome decapitations and impale foes with road signs.
Perhaps predictably, the approaching release of MadWorld on the demographic-busting and otherwise family-oriented Wii has led to a rush of condemnation from anti-violence groups calling for the game to be banned.
For example, long-serving content decency activist Mediawatch-UK is looking for official ratings board the BBFC to refuse age classification to MadWorld, which would prevent the game from being marketed and sold in Britain.
“This game sounds very unsavoury,” commented Mediawatch-UK director John Beyer, who also said that, regardless of how other territories deal with MadWorld, Britain needs to take a stand “to ensure that modern and civilised values take priority rather than killing and maiming people.”
“I believe it [MadWorld] will spoil the family fun image of the Wii,” added Mr. Beyer.
However, that seems somewhat unlikely considering the Wii’s reputation for being family friendly remained wholly intact despite the prolonged media coverage afforded the release battle surrounding hugely controversial sequel Manhunt 2 on the Wii.
In that particular case, which stretched from June 2007 to March 2008, a BBFC-enforced certification refusal issued against Manhunt 2 was eventually lifted after the game’s creators, Rockstar Games, won a retail release appeal through the Video Appeals Committee.
The BBFC was subsequently forced to grant the massively violent game an 18 certificate, although the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP title has yet to be released in the UK.
While the Wii, its motion-sensing controllers, and its innovative games for all the family have combined to provide Nintendo with a generation-leading hardware platform, its long-serving fan base has voiced its concerns regarding the lack of more conventional action-based software titles, which the likes of MadWorld and the recently released No More Heroes certainly are.
Yet, unlike the fast-paced and blood-free arcade action of No More Heroes, SEGA and PlatinumGames’ MadWorld takes an inspirational leaf from the twisted snuff film structure of the Manhunt series.
Specifically, in MadWorld players will find themselves fighting for bloody survival against other citizens of Varrigan City, an alternative world that has been overrun by evil terrorist group The Organisers and turned into a brutal game show known as Death Watch.
Described by SEGA as being a mix of “irreverent humour and over-the-top violence,” the renowned publisher believes that, despite its extreme content, MadWorld takes a step back from the darkly serious nature of most mature videogames and is set to become “an instant classic” when it hacks and slashes its way onto the Wii.
Blake KnightAug 13th, 2008 - 12:05:06
If the Wii is a family friendly console it is because it has family friendly games and not because it doesnt have an access of violent games. If parents in family dont want the game there is a simple solution. DONT BUY THE GAME.
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