The Club
A racing-inspired third-person shooter centered on score and speed.
The Club is a third-person shooter from Bizarre Creations, published by Sega and released in February 2008 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Its story follows an underground blood sport where wealthy elites bet on gladiatorial combat. Gameplay blends racing and run-and-gun mechanics: players either race through levels or hold a position against waves of enemies, building a score through kills that trigger a bonus multiplier.
Eight characters are forced into the tournament, overseen by a middle-aged Englishman called The Secretary. Each has unique traits and an ending. Dragov, a Russian convict, is the strongest but slowest; he escapes via helicopter. Renwick, a disgraced New York detective, is balanced with extra speed; he wakes up disoriented, then learns from The Secretary that he is now a fugitive. Finn, a gambler in debt to the mob, is balanced with extra stamina; he sends the mob a bomb in a briefcase. Seager, a Canadian extreme sports enthusiast, trades strength for speed and stamina; he refuses his reward, saying he wants to keep playing. Kuro, a Japanese double agent posing as a Triad assassin, is among the fastest; he is interrogated by disguised Club members, hinting at re-recruitment. Killen, an Australian forced back after surviving once, has balanced stats with extra strength; his daughter is freed, and he leaves on a motorcycle. Adjo, an African giant seeking redemption, is one of the strongest; he refuses his reward, demanding his village be left alone. Nemo, a psychopathic Englishman, is fast and strong but has low stamina; he is revealed as The Secretary’s son, though The Secretary dismisses him as "no one."
Played from a third-person view, the game emphasizes scoring. Each kill adds to a multiplier, with extra points for head shots, ricochets, or long-range kills. The multiplier decays after a few seconds, and the window shrinks as it grows. Icons grant bonuses; weapons, ammo, and health appear but offer no score reward. Racing elements appear in time attack events.
Multiplayer includes eight modes, with online leaderboards for up to seven players or four-player local split-screen.
Lead designer Matt Cavanagh called it "a racing game with guns." Early prototypes were simple shooting galleries with limited AI; after six months, a new prototype focused on scoring over story. Gameplay was built before the setting or backstory.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Club
- Developer
- Bizarre Creations
- Publisher
- Sega
- Composer
- Richard Jacques / Chris Chudley / Jesper Kyd
- Released
- AUS · February 7, 2008 · EU · February 8, 2008 / (PS3, X360) · NA · February 19, 2008 · EU · February 22, 2008 / (PC)
- Genre
- Third-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Club is set in a modern gladiatorial arena where eight characters are forced to compete under the watch of a middle-aged Englishman known as The Secretary. Each character has distinct attributes and endings: Dragov, a Russian convict, is the strongest but slowest and escapes via helicopter; Renwick, a former New York detective, is balanced with speed and becomes a fugitive; Finn, a gambler, has extra stamina and kills his mob creditors with a bomb; Seager, a Canadian extreme sports junkie, has above-average speed and stamina and asks to play again; Kuro, a Japanese double agent, is among the fastest and is recruited again by The Club in disguise; Killen, an Australian, is balanced with extra strength and is released with his daughter; Adjo, an African giant, is one of the strongest and refuses his reward; Nemo, a psychopathic Englishman, is extremely fast and strong but has low stamina, and is revealed to be The Secretary's son, though The Secretary denies him.
Reader's Guide
The Club received favorable reviews upon release, with the Xbox 360 version earning 'generally favorable' scores and the PC and PlayStation 3 versions receiving 'average' ratings on Metacritic. Critics noted its fusion of racing and shooting mechanics, with Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell calling it 'a shooter that turns tired genre conventions around with a bullet to the shoulder' and stating it '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.' Game Informer's Andrew Reiner highlighted that 'the speed-first mentality of the racing genre is cleverly infused into the framework of a run-and-gun shooter' and called it 'a nice change of pace, and hopefully the beginning of a new genre.' GamePro's Cameron Lewis praised that despite its disparate elements, 'the whole never bears the disjointed feel of a Frankenstein creation.' IGN UK's Alec Meer noted the scoring system 'will prove an immediate turn-off for some' and blamed the 'fairly dismal' graphics for limiting appeal, but praised the gameplay as doing 'the job it sets out to do very well.' Edge gave it seven out of ten, calling it 'a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game.'
Did You Know?
- The lead designer described the title as 'a racing game with guns'.
- The gameplay was designed before any setting or back story was created.
- Many publishers declined to back the title before Sega chose to publish it.
- The game includes eight multiplayer modes with online leaderboards.
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