The Club (video game)

Last updated
The Club
The club front.jpg
British cover art
Developer(s) Bizarre Creations
Publisher(s) Sega
Composer(s) Richard Jacques
Chris Chudley
Jesper Kyd
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Mobile
Release
  • AU: February 7, 2008
  • EU: February 8, 2008 (PS3, X360)
  • NA: February 19, 2008
  • EU: February 22, 2008 (PC)
Mobile
2008
Genre(s) Third-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

The Club is a third-person shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Mobile in February 2008. The story of the game centers on The Club, an underground blood sport controlled by a wealthy elite who place their bets on who will survive the gladiatorial-style combat. [1] The game utilizes both racing and run-and-gun elements, where players must either complete a level quickly or defend a location from numerous enemy attacks for a set amount of time, all while accumulating their score through various kills with a bonus multiplier. It also includes eight multiplayer modes, featuring four-player local split screen or up to seven online. The Club received favorable reviews upon release.

Contents

Plot

The player chooses from a roster of characters who are forced to compete in The Club, a modern form of gladiatorial combat. They are under the watchful eye of a middle-aged man known as The Secretary. There are 8 characters to choose from; each with its own attributes and ending:

Gameplay

The Club is played from a third-person perspective. The player must make their way through a level as quickly as possible, or defend one location and survive attacks from respawning enemies for a set amount of time. Gameplay is centered on a score mechanic where each kill acts as a bonus multiplier. Various kill methods, such as ricochets, head shots, and long range shots earn extra points. After each kill, the player has several seconds to get another kill before the bonus multiplier starts to reduce. This interval also reduces the higher the multiplier gets. Icons are scattered throughout each level, offering bonuses. Weapons, ammunition and health are present but the player is not rewarded for picking them up. The Club incorporates elements from racing video games, including time attack events.

Multiplayer

The game includes eight multiplayer modes, with online leaderboards to compare scores. Online games can feature up to seven opponents on-line, or four-player local split screen.

Development

The lead designer of the game was Matt Cavanagh who described the title as "a racing game with guns". At first the game was literally a shooting gallery with limited AI. After 6 months of development a new prototype was created with an emphasis on scoring rather than narrative. The gameplay was designed before any setting and back story was created. Many publishers declined to take on the title before Sega chose to back it. [2]

The title was released globally in 2008. Composer Richard Jacques wrote the score for the single player levels, Chris Chudley from Audioantics wrote the score for the multiplayer levels, while Jesper Kyd scored the main theme.

Reception

The Xbox 360 version received "generally favorable reviews", while the PC and PlayStation 3 versions received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [3] [4] [5]

Eurogamer 's Tom Bramwell complimented the Xbox 360 version as "a shooter that turns tired genre conventions around with a bullet to the shoulder", but stated that it would be "divisive" due to its run and gun mentality, which went against the contemporary trend towards tactical shooters. Bramwell pointed out that the game "does for the third-person shooter what no one else has even bothered trying to do: moving it closer to the 2D shoot-'em-ups of old in a manner that appeals anew." [7] Andrew Reiner, writing for Game Informer , mentioned Bizarre Creations' background and its influence on The Club, saying: "The speed-first mentality of the racing genre is cleverly infused into the framework of a run-and-gun shooter...And to truly capture the racing atmosphere, some of the levels have players running laps in specific environments...It may sound odd, but the racing shooter formula works amazingly well." Reiner called it "a nice change of pace, and hopefully the beginning of a new genre." [8] GamePro reviewer Cameron Lewis wrote of the Xbox 360 version: "What might be most impressive about The Club is that despite the many disparate elements that it cherry-picks from genres as diverse as racing, skateboarding, and first-person shooters, the whole never bears the disjointed feel of a Frankenstein creation." [9] IGN UK's reviewer Alec Meer stated that the scoring system "will prove an immediate turn-off for some" and went on to blame the "fairly dismal" graphics for putting potential players off, saying that "it's about how it plays, not how it looks. But if it looked better, more people would want to play it." He praised the gameplay as "it does the job it sets out to do very well", but said the game only had "specialist appeal". [18] Edge gave it seven out of ten, calling it "a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game." [26]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 A. Fitch; Tyler; Gord (March 2008). "The Club". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 226. Ziff Davis. p. 83.
  2. ↑ Nouch, James (April 14, 2013). "The Club retrospective". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "The Club for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom . Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "The Club for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "The Club for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Burch, Anthony (February 29, 2008). "Destructoid review: The Club (X360)". Destructoid . Gamurs. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Bramwell, Tom (February 5, 2008). "The Club (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Reiner, Andrew (March 2008). "The Club (PS3, X360)". Game Informer . No. 179. GameStop. p. 97. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Lewis, Cameron (February 25, 2008). "Review: Show Some Love For The Club (X360)". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ↑ Costantino, Jesse (February 27, 2008). "The Club Review (X360)". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Sassoon, Alex (February 20, 2008). "The Club Review (PS3, X360)". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Villoria, Gerald (February 19, 2008). "GameSpy: The Club (PS3, Xbox 360)". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "The Club Review (PS3, X360)". GameTrailers . Viacom. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ David, Mike (April 1, 2008). "The Club - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Zacarias, Eduardo (February 22, 2008). "The Club - PS3 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  16. ↑ David, Mike (February 19, 2008). "The Club - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 29, 2008). "The Club Review (PC)". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 Meer, Alec (February 6, 2008). "The Club UK Review (PS3, X360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  19. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 22, 2008). "The Club Review (PS3)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  20. ↑ Shea, Cam (February 7, 2008). "The Club AU Review (X360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  21. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 22, 2008). "The Club Review (Xbox 360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  22. ↑ Lynch, Casey (March 2008). "The Club". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. p. 90. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  23. ↑ "The Club". PC Gamer . Vol. 15, no. 6. Future US. June 2008. p. 70.
  24. ↑ "Review: The Club". PlayStation: The Official Magazine . No. 5. Future plc. April 2008. p. 84.
  25. ↑ Williams, Jordan (March 4, 2008). "The Club (Xbox 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  26. ↑ Edge staff (February 2008). "The Club". Edge . No. 185. Future plc. p. 88.
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