Is it... surely not? It can't be... no. Maybe, though. It seems familliar. Been so long, it's hard to tell, but the more I think about it, I'm fairly sure -

I'M EXCITED ABOUT AN UPCOMING RELEASE!

A videogame release, at that. I've become so bored with gaming that I've completely stopped paying attention, and you're probably all sitting there thinking "yeah, welcome to six months ago, retroboy". But sod you. I'm excited, and I want to share.

Look at the trailers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFNJfDGSZp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK9hbStTO1U

Read the Eurogamer "hands-on" article!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/madworld-hands-on

(CAUTION: CONTAINS EUROGAMER)

Look. I know I'm going to be bitterly disappointed. I'm hoping this will be the best thing ever, and it won't be. BUT. Even if it turns out to be a total mess, it's still my kind of game. Interesting graphics, gratuitous violence, high-score mentality, campy SEGA production... I don't care if it's shit. It just makes me happy that people are still making games like this.

The consensus in the Eurogamer comments? "Not brown enough".

York Notes version of post: WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT

I gave up after the first sentence, what's this about, without the Eurogamer wibble? I am interested in your joy.

Looks like it could be a bit like Godhand.

There's not a lot to tell that you can't glean from the trailers; it's Manhunt-style violence through a monochrome+claret cel shading lens, with the emphasis on arcadey high-score fun, and the bare minimum of plot. The Eurogamer man seems to like it a lot, but I haven't let that put me off.

It features something called MAN DARTS and a boss character called HERR FREDERICK VON TWIRLENKILLER. They can have my £40 now, if they like.

(I have never played Godhand. I feel that may be a grave error on my part).

It does seem impossible that it won't be great. So obviously it'll be rubbish, but I concur with the suggestion of being excited about it in the meantime.

Me too! I just watched the videos.

Colour me excited. (Thanks!)

Considering it's got a large part of the same team working on it (a whole boatload of ex-clover staff), that's not surprising. It is, however, really fucking exciting.

This is going to be ace, as well as being the point I get really sore about having to sell my wii ages ago.

Check out the latest vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFhceXJTntM

Speaking of being excited about upcoming releases, I will actually use my on money to BUY this if it's as good as it sounds in my head:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/scribblenauts-preview

it'sjet set radio for rhe 10s!

Jesus that really puts things into perspective.

The 2010's are less than a year away.

Once we start talking about the 20s the new century will really be underway.

review confuses me
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/madworld-review

I wonder if people experienced the same awkward decade nomenclature at the turn of the last century? After so many years of saying '88', '92', '79' (etc) 'two-thousand-and-nine' just sounds wrong. I hate it.

Incidentally, why didn't single-digits ever take off? You never hear anyone saying "yeah, it was back in Two, or thereabouts", whilst referring to 2002.

A Simon Parkin review!

If you mean the score, he gave Metal Slug 7 7/10, so he may not be on your wavelength. (He also gave Dragon Quest IV, 8/10, which is too generous for my taste.)

If you mean the wibble, that's not unusual, here are some examples of what he's like. I find it a bit much, though I think it's the kind of thing Eurogamer ask for.

I tend to ignore his reviews. He seems like a bit of a boring JRPG fan and not really interested in anything remotely fun to play.

edit: He also gave Super Stardust Portable a 7, which is wrong on so many levels.
edit edit: And one of my fave games of last year Omega Five.

ah, he didn't even understand mariokart

..

he did sfiv too isaw.. well suppose i'' watchout next time

I'm really *really* hoping this drags the Wii out of the doldrums for me. It looks like one of the most violent games on any of the systems which is kinda ironic. The Wii is just a beautiful machine with a fantastic interface it really does deserve more games.

A bit off-topic but has anyone played Gradius Rebirth on Wiiware? I'm also very tempted by that as I like me some Nemesis.

Nope, but I've noticed that, more six months after the Japanese release, it's now on the US WiiWare shop. So it should be on the PAL one soon, fingers crossed.

Looks a bit bland, though. :(
http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/gradius/gradius4.htm

They wore their pants firmly secured above the hipbone in those times, and were quite content with intoning "in the year nineteen-hundred-and-four" in a low baritone.

What confuses you about the review? Score aside.

I'm not being antagonistic. It's fine if you don't like my writing style for the site, or if you think my scores are off or whatever, but I am interested in where I've been confusing with the text.

I always say "space year 2009"

well the structure i think. If i am giving you a serious response, and i intend to do so, i should mention i am a Dutchman and not a native speaker, but, as other on this site will confirm, used to talk and write in English for work and private reasons allmost every day.

I think the two main points are
1. although i love a new games journalisme like piece, this game should be introduced by placing it
2. the enormous cut off point right before the end, where you go 'and there it loses lots of its audience.. you only have a few lines below it with criticism. befor eit, i though it was going to be a 9, and after it a 6, so the score might follow logically as an averasge, but not from the whole of your review,
as a buyerrs guide i thought it wasn't that useful for me, as i'm still not sure if the game would let me appreciate the cool things, that was i would hope to get from your review

I find "these, the early years of the 21st Century", to be a useful alternative.

Perhaps you can always go for The Year of Our Laird..

Yes but I dont get to pretend Im buck Rojers with either of those.

I've heard from some people 'in the know' that it all gets a bit boring after you've seen all the different ways to kill people. I'm a sucker for a good high score game though, so I plan to take the plunge. I need something new and good for my Wii, anyway. I bought No More Heroes the other day, but I have to keep doing jumping jacks to keep myself awake while I play it.

The bit that put me off was where the review talked about the highest scores being acheived by staying alive the longest - counter productive for a game of this ilk I'd have thought.

... or even throw in the Anno Domini tag. Worked for Kubrick[1]!

Common Era just wouldn't be the same when expressed in leaden tones.

[1] Okay, that's a lie. But it works for the comic. Would you argue with Dredd?

This just dropped through my door. After an extensive, er, half hour play, I can confidently say that it is the single greatest game the world will ever see. I mean, the might well be a time when I grow tired of restraining an enemy by sticking them inside a car tyre, ramming a street sign through their neck then impaling them on a spike, but when that time comes I will be a shall be a shambling, soulless husk rather than a human and I will know it's time to punch out.