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While the attention was most certainly focused on the large screen showing the highly-stylized game, I could still make out some of the controls Nishikawa used to move and perform attacks. It looks like, at least for now, the character, Jack, is controlled by the thumbstick, while attacks are started typically by pressing a button. Some of the attacks, like pounding a person's body into a wall of spikes, or ripping out a heart, were performed with Wii remote motions. The heart ripping specifically, was performed by pressing a button and flicking the remote up.

The enemy AI, this early in the game, didn't really seem to do much to defend itself, though I would assume that would change by the time the game ships. All of the attacks were amazingly gruesome, but the art style helped prevent the game from being grotesque.

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The game also appears to have a number of mini-games; one shown last night was called "Man Darts." Jack pulled a giant lever to activate the game, turning a nearby wall into a giant dartboard. Next Jack pulled out a bat and started smacking hapless enemies onto the board. The blood that splashed to mark their impact helped score points for Jack. All the while a team of in-game, but off-screen commentators kept up a line of jokes that included the enthusiastic use of the phrase "man juice."

Madworld has, so far, many of the elements to make it a great game: Amazing art direction and a distinct look, an over-the-top and risky premise and a fun sense of humor, but what will push this game from cherished, but financially unsuccessful, to blow-out success will be how all of these elements come together.

Hopefully, this will turn find a larger audience than cult classic God Hand, another title that reveled in extreme violence but never found the audience it deserved.