The Club

What was your favourite element of Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham series? Perhaps it was the breadth of vehicles and tracks, the impressive rival driver AI, or maybe it was the kicks to be had thrashing your vehicle around well-designed courses, racking up points for flair. Yes, Gotham's major innovation was probably Kudos points, which forced racers into caring about more than just their finishing position for the first time.

With Bizarre now turning their back on Project Gotham under the wing of Activision, who clearly also have designs on the racing genre, it is with Sega and The Club that the developer now have the chance to show they can turn more than the racing genre on its head. In something of a departure, then, The Club is a third-person shooter that Bizarre Creations promise will "straddle" genres in a bid to create something refreshing in a genre jam-packed with good and not so good examples of gaming-kind.

Not that The Club isn't something of a risk for Bizarre, the developer's own website describing this ambitious new project as a "radical departure" that will "prove our teams are capable of straddling genres whether they're about firing on all cylinders or firing shotgun shells." If that's not laying down the gauntlet, then I'm not quite sure what is.

Like the manner in which the stringing of flair 'combo' moves in Project Gotham racked-up Kudos, so The Club will challenge players on a somewhat more violent level to "chain together" kills, ratcheting-up the body count in an increasingly stylish and frenetic fashion in a bid to earn the maximum number of points. Little wonder, then, that Bizarre describe the new title as highly arcade-influenced. So how are the developers to help prevent The Club becoming a flash in the pan blast that won't live beyond its fast-paced but ultimately shallow gameplay? Well, the points based reward system should help foster a "one more go" mentality, but beyond this, Bizarre seem to be working hard to inject plenty of premise and even a hint of plotline, helping bind the experience together and add to the title's long-term appeal, which could lie in the multiplayer modes.

With this in mind we're offered the idea of "The Club," described as an "organisation so hidden and secretive, that only a few people around the globe know of its existence." Billed as a more voyeuristic and cynical 'Fight Club', The Club allows the rich and powerful the opportunity to indulge their twisted fantasies, underground gladiatorial combat, if you will, where 'recruits' are thrust into a brutal blood contest and told "kill or be killed." I'm surprised parallels haven't been drawn with Manhunt as yet; a premise such as this surely proving irresistible to the outraged pen-smiths of the Mail / Express.

"Drug lords. Dotcom billionaires. International arms dealers. Dictators. Media Tycoons. Hollywood superstars. Third World warlords. Aristocrats and royalty. They all rub shoulders in The Club, sharing a taste for blood and a belief that their wealth places them beyond the reach of normal laws. The entry fee is astronomical, and membership is for life; once you're in The Club, you can't leave," Bizarre explain on the organisation, adding that little is known on the history of the group - something that we'll perhaps be learning more about through the game.

At the beginning of a bout you'll choose a character beat 'em up style, before being thrust into the level with a racing-esque '3,2,1'. Diverse characters will be available to choose from, each with their own stories and styles; reasons for being thrust into this brutality. Described by the development team as a "shooter/beat-'em-up/racer," we're promised 'old school' rapid play, coupled with modern AI and physics, as well interactive environments and a certain amount of freedom to do things your way. Style and pace are key, and the action promises to become more intense and demanding as you race into the level on offer.

"You run forwards and turn the first corner. Two masked hoodlums holding pistols (the most basic enemy in the game) swing round and take aim at you, but immediately fall in a hail of gunfire from your sub machinegun. Without breaking pace you sprint up the stairs behind them, blasting open a window (and through another enemy) as you climb," Bizarre offer as one example of an early level.

"You roll through the door at the top of the stairs, immediately taking aim at the enemy to your right. BAM, he goes down with a perfect head shot. A massive roll-bonus racks up on your screen, supplemented with the score from the headshot... Must keep this combo going! Sprinting through the next corridor and smashing through the wooden door, you're trying to shoot down the next soul before your combo ends and your bank is stashed. Must. Run. Faster!"

Early reports hint that the characters entering The Club will all have their own motives for entry to explore, and I think it's fair to assume that as the game progresses we'll be learning more about the secret minds behind the organisation, and perhaps even upsetting the apple cart in the process. Shades of Battle Royale, anyone? More over, one character, 'Renwick', a former NYPD cop - sacked and disgraced by the Machiavellian reach of The Club whom he was investigating - is looking to win the tournament for the chance to take down the masterminds behind this sick indulgence. Others are present for simpler reasons; blood-lust, greed or desperation.

Locations include ancient prison cells, an old steel mill, a disused ocean liner, an old English manor and even a dilapidated sector of Venice under reconstruction. We're promised play will take place in a broad selection of locales (at least eight), all owned or controlled by the wealthy elite behind The Club. Naturally, then, these settings will all throw up differing gameplay opportunities and different cannon-fodder - down and outs and desperados - thrown into the fight at the bequest of The Club's lawless owners.

Given the tournament style structure of the game, it is unsurprising that multiplayer will form an important part of the action. Xbox Live and PlayStation Network play will support up to eight players, or four on a single console. You can also undertake eight player 'pass the pad' in Gunplay mode. Bizarre describe Gunplay as "the perfect 'back from the pub' gameplay mode," letting you play individual levels, or build a "playlist" of your favourites.

Some eight multiplayer modes of varying configurations will offer plenty of quick thrills, while The Tournament is the main singleplayer game - where you'll enter The Club, moving through events across the globe unlocking new locations and events along the way.

All in all, The Club is an intriguing prospect, and one that should have widespread appeal if Bizarre Creations can truly mix their genres as they claim. The arcade-style gameplay sounds ideally suited to multiplayer fun, as does the combo-focussed score based nature of victory. What is less clear is how the singleplayer Tournament will stand-up. Bizarre need to avoid this mode coming across as little more than a side-show - and this is where good characterisation, diverse locales and of course the premise/plot will be important. That said, social play seems like The Club's focus, and assuming the gameplay is rock solid in its implementation of combo-moves, fast-paced play and gritty violence, the future could be bright for Sega and Bizarre's new slice of ultra-violence.