MediaWatch UK, self-appointed guardians of decency in entertainment, have suddenly registered Wii’s Mad World on their radar – and they’re not too chuffed about it.

“I hope the British Board of Film Classification will view this with concern and decide it should not be granted a classification,” says John Beyer, MediaWatch UK president. “Without that it cannot be marketed in Britain. What the rest of the world does is up to them. We need to ensure that modern and civilized values take priority rather than killing and maiming people.”

“It seems a shame that the game’s manufacturer have decided to exclusively release this game on the Wii,” he added. “I believe it will spoil the family fun image of the Wii.”

It’s not really a shame though, because Wii is in need of more decent third-party titles. Meanwhile, UK national the Daily Mail has got hold of this and is now in hysterics, claiming that parents are “horrified” yet they utterly failed to consult any parents on the matter. Great journalism, that.

They also hail it as the “most violent videogame ever”, conveniently forgetting they paid Anne Diamond for her opinion of Resident Evil 4. She came up with the corking, “This game shouldn’t be sold, even to adults. It wallows in violence for violence’s sake.” She’ll probably expect Platinum Games and Sega to face charges themselves if she gets hold of MadWorld.

I think it’s kind of funny, then I think it’s kind of sad. I’m not surprised at this line from the paper, which is by far the most sensationalist and inaccurate of all the UK nationals, but the watchdog shows itself up something famous.

They clearly haven’t registered the imminent release of Manhunt 2 in the UK (28 August) which is far more violent, far more graphic, and so far hasn’t destroyed the Wii’s image in the US. Nor have they considered that MadWorld is pretty much a guaranteed 18. They don’t seem to be content unless the BBFC’s is anything other than a banhammer.

Nintendo, surprisingly, takes a more balanced approach. “Wii appeals to a wide range of audiences from children and teenagers to adults and senior citizens, anyone from five to 95, as such there is a wide range of content for all ages and tastes available,” says a spokesman, who craftily qualifies this justification with, “The game is not made by Nintendo but by Sega.”

Source: Daily Mail