The Club

 Xbox 360
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
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  1. GameTrailers
    73
    The Club is a lot like junk food—it initially tastes good but it won’t leave you satisfied for long.
  2. Planet Xbox 360
    73
    Those hooked by The Club's importance on the leader board will not be able to put the game down. Sadly, for the rest of the gaming population, there the game is all about replaying the same levels with the limited variety of weapons and characters repeatedly.
  3. IGN UK
    72
    You play The Club not because it's a great action game, but because you want to become better at playing The Club. Running and shooting: that is all it is.
  5. Cheat Code Central
    72
    It has a core concept that is truly engaging; it just feels as if it needs to be fleshed out a bit more. The single player Tournament mode is an absolute blast that will keep you occupied for a few hours. Unfortunately, the multiplayer features, though varied, are poorly executed.
  6. Edge Magazine
    70
    Underneath the mundane masculinity and grimy gun-toting clichés lies a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game – one that’s worth excavating for all the short-lived interest it holds. [Feb 2008, p.88]
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  7. Gamer.nl
    70
    Bizarre Creations delivers a different kind of shooter that will attract a specific kind of gamer. The boring setting and combo-system don't bring this game to the absolute top, but the addicting gameplay makes up a lot. If they put more effort in a possible sequel, it might become a classic in this new subgenre.
  8. games(TM)
    70
    It succumbs to a bewilderingly dull selection of environments. This might sound like a minor criticism, but for a title that otherwise basks in its videogame status – never once seeking to be recognised as an immersive piece of storytelling or sophisticated art – the generic locales seem painfully jarring. [Mar 2008, p.114]
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  9. GameSpy
    70
    It's the weak multiplayer that keeps us from recommending The Club with full enthusiasm.
  10. GameSpot
    70
    The Club provides some old-school single-player thrills, but it fails to live up to its initial promise.
  11. Destructoid
    70
    A flawed, but generally enjoyable slice of hardcore gaming. The fast-paced shooting mechanics and old school ideas make for some really intense, exciting, and just plain fun moments, but the squiffy controls and lack of true online score competition prevent The Club from reaching its true potential.
  12. Game Positive
    70
    At its core, The Club is all about shooting, running, and then shooting some more. This broad approach to game development is risky considering the saturation of similar titles on the market, but the gameplay is well supplemented by a scoring system that adds value to repeated play and practice.
  13. Gamervision
    70
    A fun, if shallow and mindless shooter. For those looking for quick-hit action without worrying about things like story or a sense of purpose, it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
  14. Xbox World Australia
    70
    Well, to be truthful, you'll probably tire of The Club long before you'd get sick of some new cool restaurant as the variety on offer here in this game is even more limiting, but we hope you see the point we're trying to awkwardly make.
  15. Armchair Empire
    70
    The Club is one of those games that you are really going to fall in love with, or discard fairly quickly.
  16. IGN
    69
    I didn't find the hook all that appealing and felt left with a glorified shooting gallery. The idea is sound. There just isn't much to be excited about in the final product.
  17. ActionTrip
    67
    Although it's always nice to see developers facing challenges and taking their talents across new ground, in Bizarre's case, it's safe to say they're far better off making racers.
  18. GameShark
    67
    While the game is a fast and furious stylized shooter, one of the biggest faults the title has is with how muddy the controls feel.
  19. 1UP
    65
    I can't recommend the weak single-player mode, but the multiplayer left me surprisingly satisfied.
  20. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    62
    The Club certainly brings nothing innovative to the venerable shooter genre. [Mar 2008, p.83]
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  21. GameTap
    60
    Sadly, The Club probably would’ve made a bigger splash had it been released in the early part of this decade, when games like this were all the rage.
  22. Game Revolution
    58
    You get tiny little cinematic snippets here and there, but it never coheres into anything like an actual story.
  23. GameCritics
    55
    The Club's greatest flaw is that it thinks it's a whole lot more revolutionary than it actually is. Despite the game's claims to the contrary, there's nothing new about any of this.
  24. Play Magazine
    50
    This is one club people might not want to join. [Mar 2008, p.58]
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Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2008
87
#87 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
68
#68 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 47
  3. Negative: 9 out of 47
  1. RaidenRaiden
    Feb 27, 2008
    9
    This game best suits people who grew up in a time when they were surrounded by Mortal Kombat, SFII, Sonic and Killer Instinct. When there was This game best suits people who grew up in a time when they were surrounded by Mortal Kombat, SFII, Sonic and Killer Instinct. When there was a sense that a game was difficult to master, and that time was needed to attain perfection. When a score mattered The current generation of players are spoon fed dribble, hand-held with health metres, shields and auto-aim. The skill factor has gone. Anyone can sniper someone Halo 3, everyone can clock COD4 and Halo 3. It's almost impossible not to clock Bioshock. Games these days are made to be clocked and then forgetton. They only live in the form of online multiplayer - and even that gets boring. If you want a storybased game - Half Life 2 If you want a realism - COD4 If you want to be bored - Halo 3 If you really want to test your skills - Alien Hominid If you want to test your skills, and test your skills and replay - The Club The replay value on this gem is incredible. Just one stage can hold you back until you reached a point where you cannot squeeze any more points out of the game. The highest difficulty levels are awesome, always a challenge. I've been a gamer for a long time, I've played pretty much everything, obscure or well promoted. The reviews for The Club are biased, this is a different kind of game. A game to test your skills. Just like SFII, Virtua Fighter and Gears of War. It's basically Gears of War meets Virtua cop meets Killer instinct. It's fast and frantic. The most important part of it all, is that you will replay stages that you have just passed, over and over... The most important part of a successful game is that it's addictive. Bioshock had a great story line but I never want to play it again after the first experience. Never go off just reviews. They are biased and paid for in most cases. Always play the demo and look at what actual players said. The Club is fast, accessible and hard to master. I highly recommend this for real gamers. I've been waiting for something like this for ages. I can't wait for GOW2. 9/10… Full Review »
  2. gamingisgreat
    Sep 16, 2016
    7
    The Club is a pretty good shooter.

    The game is very arcadey,with certain point goals needed to progress in the game.Killing enemies rapidly    The Club is a pretty good shooter.

    The game is very arcadey,with certain point goals needed to progress in the game.Killing enemies rapidly and shooting skullshots earns you points.

    The gameplay is great,with smart AI,over the top action where you just kill every f*cker you see.The level design is decent,but the game gives you no clue which direction you are headed in,which led to a few frustrating restarts.

    The graphics are decent,with a very rare hitch in framerate.

    The sound design and soundtrack are decent.

    Overall,The Club is a solid game that is worth giving a try    … Full Review »
  3. twos
    Jan 4, 2014
    6
    A very entertaining arcade shooter, no discernible plot but it certainly is fun, think brink but third person with less polish. The gameA very entertaining arcade shooter, no discernible plot but it certainly is fun, think brink but third person with less polish. The game controls well except for the painfully slow movement when you need to do a 360 turn and the terrible melee system. Stylized graphics mean it doesn't look dated.
    I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the game and can see the appeal in trying to improve on your scores and work through the different difficulties, but personally I have a lot of better story driven games still in need of playing so this one is being retired.    … Full Review »
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