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2008 video game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 there 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.
| The Club | |
|---|---|
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 | Mobile 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
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:
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.
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.
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.
| Publication | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Destructoid | N/A | N/A | 7/10[6] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | N/A | 6.17/10[1] | 6.17/10[1] |
| Eurogamer | N/A | N/A | 8/10[7] |
| Game Informer | N/A | 8.75/10[8] | 8.75/10[8] |
| GamePro | N/A | N/A |   [9] |
| GameRevolution | N/A | N/A | C+[10] |
| GameSpot | N/A | 7/10[11] | 7/10[11] |
| GameSpy | N/A |  [12] | [12] |
| GameTrailers | N/A | 7.3/10[13] | 7.3/10[13] |
| GameZone | 6.7/10[14] | 8.2/10[15] | 8.2/10[16] |
| IGN | 6.9/10[17] | (UK) 7.2/10[18] (US) 6.9/10[19] | (AU) 8.4/10[20] (UK) 7.2/10[18] (US) 6.9/10[21] |
| Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | N/A | 8/10[22] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 66%[23] | N/A | N/A |
| PlayStation: The Official Magazine | N/A | [24] | N/A |
| 411Mania | N/A | N/A | 8.8/10[25] |
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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