Reviewed on PS3. Also on Xbox 360, PC Developed by Bizarre Creations. Published by Sega
The Club is a 3rd person shooter that incorporates elements from other games such as BC’s own PGR series and Tony Hawk games amongst others. The premise is so slight (its usually the sort of premise you get when a programmer has to justify the setting)- you are a bad ass who gets trapped in a Club where you basically have to kill or be killed. Its one very small step up from “in the future violence is televised so here’s arena combat.”
You pick one of the available characters and compete with him, unlocking new levels as you go. Each setting has a few different game modes you need to beat in order to progress. They generally start with ” just get to the end of the level,” then “get to the end of the level before the timer runs out” (with extra time granted for stunts, kills, etc), “survive in one area until the timer runs out” and variations of the three.
So its really a simple third person shooter than controls OK with super macho characters in a silly story mode that’s just an excuse to do time attack in a shooting game. Its all about best times, high scores and rankings. Tony Hawk style shooting tricks, score multipliers and lots of shooting. This is a game where you could in theory beat the story mode in an evening but the replay possibilities with the different characters mean the game can last you as long as you’d like. Of course, having been out for some 18 months and not made that much of an impression on the larger market, you might find online a bit of a graveyard here but the reason this game is actually import ant may not become apparent for a few years.
Namco released a game called Kill.Switch back in the PS2/ Xbox era. It didn’t do all that well, but when its main shooting mechanic of stop and pop was popularised by Gears of War and Uncharted, there were many disgruntled fanboys who bubbled to the top of the forum pages to point out that Kill.Switch did it first. The Club wasn’t a hit but it is a game that developers mention a lot as an influence on their latest game: “It’s a bit like The Club.”
What’s this got to do with the price of NAND chips in China? Well, The Club is dirt cheap and for a small outlay, my friends, you can be one of the first to post on GAF how a new Xbox 720/PS4 shooter is just The Club. Or you could just play The Club as a cheap date now and have fun with it.
Controller1.com rating 2/3 (if it is cheap)
After a few relatively game-lite weeks- I’m playing a bit more regularly. I’m off on a vacation in a fortnight’s time (the site will still have updates) but in the meantime I’ve had some fun with a few titles.
The Club, subject of a recent focus test, is a silly score-attack shooter. Take PGR and Tony Hawk and make it about shooting and you have The Club. If you’re not a score attack junkie, you might find there’s not much for you since multiplayer doesn’t have a thriving community and the single player is a few hours at best. Its a repetitive title to be sure, but once you start playing, you’re there for longer than you’d expect. It’s not ugly, but there are much prettier games on the market. Its also being referenced left right and centre “oh, its like The Club.” Hey, great, you used a commercial flop as the basis for your big title. Its like how those in the know reference Kill/Switch as the game that Gears got much of the stop and pop actions from. I recommend renting this for giggles, or buying it outstandingly cheap (which should not be hard)
Of course, the big game in this post is the PS3 exclusive title inFamous, from Sucker Punch, makers of Sly Cooper games. Some say InFamous is just Sly 3 with a new skin. I can’t say that for sure since, although I own Sly 3, I haven’t played it for more than 30 minutes. InFamous has a far grittier aesthetic but you can see a lot of Sly Cooper in this game. Apart from Sly Cooper himself.
It also channels the ghost of Crackdown. A few days after this post goes live, we may have some news of Crackdown 2. My sources assure me its in the works. My sources also assure me that you can’t catch Swine Flu from a toilet seat unless an afflicted piglet used it previously. If you liked Crackdown, you should also have a ball with this game. I like Crackdown, and from I’ve played of the demo, this is a fun substitute. Our next Focus Test podcast features this game so give it a listen (links at the right of the page).
There’s climbing up buildings, jumping, popping a zap in the asses of the baddies. Its got it all. And ANGST! Games need more whiny bitches as the protagonist. Of course, I can’t play the full game for three more weeks since it doesn’t get released here before I go away for my break. The zinger is, this game comes out at the exact same time as a another similar game, Prototype.
Prototype is a multiplatform gamer from Radical, the makers of Hulk games and before that, some Simpsons games a few years back. They know their open-world blow shit up routine. Prototype is a gorier version of the Hulk game from all accounts. Its the release of Infamous and Prototype that has clogged the net with Prototype verse Infamous blogs. “Which is better? Which should I play first?” I don’t really have any interest in Prototype just at the moment so we shall see what it is like once its released.
I had decided earlier in the year that I would like to replay the single player campaigns of the Call of Duty games. Apparently the original game is being released as a downloadable title soon and if it does, I could have all 5 games on my 360. Which would be nice. I’ve been replaying the most recent, World at War, in single player mode. My first run through was on PC and this time, its on 360. I think WaW get’s trashed a bit too much for not being made by Infinity Ward, but I found it a highly enjoyable game in its own right. CoD4 is still better but the differences are enough to make it feel like a different game, and close enough to keep the CoD4 whore in me smiling.
The Club. We play the Club. Clint loves The Club.
