Software:The Club (video game)

From HandWiki
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
  • 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. 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]

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:

  • Dragov: A Russian convict who is rescued by The Club after attempting an escape across the Siberian tundra. He is the strongest of the competitors, but also the slowest. The game ends with Dragov escaping The Club compound through a helicopter, killing the guards in the process.
  • Renwick: A former New York detective, who lost his job after repeated attempts to locate The Club, and continued the search on his own. He is fairly well balanced, with particular attention to speed. The ending shows Renwick waking up in a derelict building - dazed and confused. He then receives a phone call from The Secretary saying he is released from The Club unharmed but is now a fugitive to law enforcement, a small price to pay for meddling with The Club's affairs.
  • Finn: A gambler whose debts landed him in trouble with the mob, and resulted in his Club membership. He is also well balanced, but with a little extra emphasis on stamina. After completing The Club, he sends the money he owes to the mob with a bomb inside the briefcase, killing them in the process.
  • Seager: A Canadian extreme sports junkie, who joins The Club in search of that next high. He sacrifices strength for above average speed and stamina. The Secretary thanks him for his participation and gives him his cash reward, to which he declines and simply says, "I want to play."
  • Kuro: A Japanese double agent posing as a Triad Society assassin. Kuro is among the fastest competitors in The Club. He is last seen being interrogated by law enforcement, who are actually The Club members in disguise, suggesting that they intend to recruit Kuro again.
  • Killen: An Australian man who survived through The Club once, only to be forced back when his daughter's life is threatened. Killen is well balanced, with an extra bump to strength. As promised, his daughter is released from custody and Killen is seen exiting the Club compound on a motorcycle.
  • Adjo: An African giant who seeks to redeem his violent past, but is ultimately forced to participate in the tournament. Adjo is also one of the strongest competitors in The Club. He rudely refuses his reward money in the end, saying he wants his village to be left in peace and marches out of The Club.
  • Nemo: A psychopathic Englishman who only lives to kill. Nemo is extremely fast and quite strong, but has very low stamina. It is revealed that Nemo is The Secretary's son, but when asked by the guard his true identity, The Secretary replies he is "no one."

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

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS3Xbox 360
DestructoidN/AN/A7/10[6]
EGMN/A6.17/10[1]6.17/10[1]
EurogamerN/AN/A8/10[7]
Game InformerN/A8.75/10[8]8.75/10[8]
GameProN/AN/AStarStarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameRevolutionN/AN/AC+[10]
GameSpotN/A7/10[11]7/10[11]
GameSpyN/AStarStarStarHalf star[12]StarStarStarHalf star[12]
GameTrailersN/A7.3/10[13]7.3/10[13]
GameZone6.7/10[14]8.2/10[15]8.2/10[16]
IGN6.9/10[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]
OXM (US)N/AN/A8/10[22]
PC Gamer (US)66%[23]N/AN/A
PSMN/AStarStarHalf star[24]N/A
411ManiaN/AN/A8.8/10[25]
Aggregate score
Metacritic67/100[3]72/100[4]76/100[5]

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]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 A. Fitch; Tyler; Gord (March 2008). "The Club". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (226): 83. 
  2. ↑ Nouch, James (April 14, 2013). "The Club retrospective". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-club-retrospective. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Club for PC Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-club/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Club for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-club/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Club for Xbox 360 Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-club/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. 
  6. ↑ Burch, Anthony (February 29, 2008). "Destructoid review: The Club (X360)". Gamurs. https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-the-club/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bramwell, Tom (February 5, 2008). "The Club (Xbox 360)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-club-review. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Reiner, Andrew (March 2008). "The Club (PS3, X360)". Game Informer (GameStop) (179): 97. http://gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/BE39F6EF-247A-41E4-93F3-37118B0A46B7.htm. Retrieved May 19, 2014. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lewis, Cameron (February 25, 2008). "Review: Show Some Love For The Club (X360)". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/163368.shtml. Retrieved March 31, 2023. 
  10. ↑ Costantino, Jesse (February 27, 2008). "The Club Review (X360)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/40148-the-club-review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sassoon, Alex (February 20, 2008). "The Club Review (PS3, X360)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-club-review/1900-6186280/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Villoria, Gerald (February 19, 2008). "GameSpy: The Club (PS3, Xbox 360)". IGN Entertainment. http://ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/the-club/853276p1.html. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "The Club Review (PS3, X360)". Viacom. February 27, 2008. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=2695. 
  14. ↑ David, Mike (April 1, 2008). "The Club - PC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/the_club_pc_review/amp/. 
  15. ↑ Zacarias, Eduardo (February 22, 2008). "The Club - PS3 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/the_club_ps3_review/amp/. 
  16. ↑ David, Mike (February 19, 2008). "The Club - 360 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/the_club_360_review/amp/. 
  17. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 29, 2008). "The Club Review (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/29/the-club-review. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Meer, Alec (February 6, 2008). "The Club UK Review (PS3, X360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/06/the-club-uk-review. 
  19. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 22, 2008). "The Club Review (PS3)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/23/the-club-review-2. 
  20. ↑ Shea, Cam (February 7, 2008). "The Club AU Review (X360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/08/the-club-au-review. 
  21. ↑ Brudvig, Erik (February 22, 2008). "The Club Review (Xbox 360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/22/the-club-review-3. 
  22. ↑ Lynch, Casey (March 2008). "The Club". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 90. http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/club. Retrieved March 31, 2023. 
  23. ↑ "The Club". PC Gamer (Future US) 15 (6): 70. June 2008. 
  24. ↑ "Review: The Club". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (Future plc) (5): 84. April 2008. 
  25. ↑ Williams, Jordan (March 4, 2008). "The Club (Xbox 360) Review". http://www.411mania.com/games/reviews/70187. 
  26. ↑ Edge staff (February 2008). "The Club". Edge (Future plc) (185): 88. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Warning: Default sort key "Club, The" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:The_Club_(video_game)&oldid=728201"