The Club is an upcoming arcade-styled, third-person shooter from Bizarre Creations and Sega. At first, I didn’t know too much about the game so to hear that it was shaped like an arcade shooter, I was a little nervous about how the game will differ from the ocean of mediocre games. Thankfully Bizarre Creations created a sharp game experience with an emphasis on action flair and an over-the-top presentation without much of the mediocre cheese. A PC demo was recently released, which sampled two levels, one game mode and one character.
The game’s plot could have easily been the basis for a cheap straight-to-DVD action movie or a Time Crisis arcade game rip-off: some shadowy, faceless rich guy sponsors an underground run n’ gun sport where people can bet on various killers. While Bizarre Creations could have easily just given The Club the quick spit shine and send it off for mediocre reviews but the type of polish and flair The Club has is something that separates the game from others.
The game is all about the quick and relentless action. Based around a points system, players are awarded points through various styled kills, which can be increased by stringing combos and aerial moves together. If you stop, you lose potential points, that’s why you have to basically sprint to your next "kill zone". It’s all about making the kills and you’re rewarded by your distance, the kill point and if you do any flashy move before hand.
I was playing the demo on PC, so I was a bit fearful of the controls since I was using a keyboard and mouse. Naturally, a controller will feel much better than a keyboard and mouse but it was manageable while playing the demo. I wasn’t able to turn down mouse acceleration so the frantic running n’ gunning was a bit erratic.
Levels are themed to provide a straight-forward, linear experience but there a few things to break the monotony, such as skull signs. Strewn around each level, these skull signs add a small bonus to your score. There are also hidden health and weapon packages, so that’s the trade-off: spend the time and look for weapons for the sake of potential combos and score?
You have eight characters to sample, but in the demo, you can only play Nemo, an English man who hides his face under a yellow hoody. All the characters have a set of three attributes, speed, strength and stamina and each of them purportedly play differently. Nemo, who had average speed, noticeably ran a bit slower so hopefully all of these characters play differently. I hope all eight characters are fleshed out as you play them because the demo’s introduction movie purposely showcased all eight characters, and that shouldn’t be waste.
The Club is a game relying on a lot of hope. I’m hoping all eight characters will provide different game experiences; I’m hoping that the levels won’t be too linear; I’m hoping quite a bit for The Club and that can ultimately lead to disaster. In the world of arcade shooters, it’s hit or miss. So far, The Club seems to be right on target.
The Club heads to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on February 19th.
