Few of the best mature video games on the market are made for the Nintendo Wii. The console has a reputation for featuring family-friendly video games instead, or titles that appeal to non-conventional gamers (such as Wii Fit Plus).
But some games for the Wii do appeal to hardcore gamers. The best M-rated games, such as The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, House of the Dead: Overkill, and Madworld, use the Wii's motion controls creatively to give players a unique experience.
Mature Video Games Based on Mob Movies
The Godfather: The Game was originally released for Xbox and Playstation 2 by Electronic Arts in 2006, but was ported to the Wii the following year. Like Scarface: The World Is Yours (also later released for Wii), The Godfather: Blackhand Edition adapted the events and settings of the classic Mafia film into video game form.
The Wii version of The Godfather is unique, however, thanks to its exclusive "Blackhand" controls. Players use the Wii remote to mimic a variety of violent acts, including grabbing and throwing enemies, swinging blunt objects, and using a garotte. This "hands-on" approach upped the ante for mature video games, setting it apart from other Grand Theft Auto imitators.
House of the Dead: Overkill Sets an M-Rated Record
Sega's House of the Dead shooter series has been an arcade hit since the 1990s. The light-gun-style gameplay of House of the Dead: Overkill (2009) was a natural fit for the Wii's motion controls, and Overkill refined the interface of earlier horror shooters like Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.
In Overkill, House of the Dead's protagonist, Agent G, teams up with a local cop when a crime lord uses a secret formula to mutate an entire town. This M-rated video game naturally features copious blood and gore while blasting waves of mutant zombies. But it has also won over fans with its Grindhouse aesthetic, over-the-top cursing and sexual humor – along with a brilliant in-game soundtrack.
No less than Guinness World Records acknowledged that House of the Dead: Overkill was the most profane video game in history. It has 189 instances of the F-word being used (about one per minute of gameplay).
Madworld Among the Most Violent M-Rated Wii Games
However, gamers may find that Madworld, another 2009 Sega entry and Wii exclusive, is the most entertainingly violent video game for the system. Inspired by the look of Frank Miller's Sin City, Madworld casts players as a mysterious, chainsaw-wielding tough-guy called Jack Cayman.
Cayman has infiltrated the futuristic "Death Watch" game show, in which players are rewarded points for dispatching their enemies in the bloodiest way. While using the Wii remote to commit random acts of mayhem, players can also listen to gleefully obscene, mock-sports commentary voiced by Greg Proops (Whose Line is It, Anyway?) and John DiMaggio (Futurama).
In a market with no shortage of M-rated video games, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, House of the Dead: Overkill, and Madworld stand out. Not only are they among the few great mature video games for Nintendo's Wii console, they are innovative in their own right.
Luke Arnott - Luke Arnott has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where he is currently enrolled in the ...
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