Fight Club (video game)
Fight Club | |
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Developer(s) | Genuine Games Superscape (Mobile) |
Publisher(s) | Vivendi Universal Games[a] |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 Xbox Mobile phone |
Release | PlayStation 2, Xbox Mobile |
Genre(s) | Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Fight Club is a fighting video game based on the 1999 film of the same name, which was based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. It was released in 2004 by Vivendi Universal.
Gameplay[]
The game is a standard rehash of other formulas in 3D fighting games that were released for the XBOX as non-arcade ports, ones such as Kakuto Chojin: Back Alley Brutal, Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus, and even the best out of the first two[clarification needed], which is Dead or Alive 3. In a side-view, players control one of two characters who perform various fighting moves until one is beaten. Fight Club structures the formula around the premise of the movie, where two men meet secretly to fight each other into submission. In the game, players play as one of the 10+ original characters such as fighters from the novel and movie including Tyler Durden and Bob Paulson.
The game tries to capture the gritty feel of the movie with injuries inflicted on players and blood splattering everywhere, including onto the screen. The game also tries to introduce many new features into the fighting game genre. There is a Hardcore mode, where injuries are carried over from one fight to another, which could lead to the player being so injured that he is forced into retirement. The game also goes into a mode showing X-rays of the character to show bones being broken. The fighting moves are intended to be brutally violent, such as one where the opponent's arm is visibly broken at the elbow. The levels are also designed around scenes from the movie, such as Lou's bar and Paper Street.
There is a story mode, built around an original character—named only Hero—who joins Fight Club after breaking up with his girlfriend. By winning fights, the character moves up through the ranks of Fight Club, getting closer to Project Mayhem and to becoming Tyler Durden's right-hand man. The story diverges from the movie and novel in several ways to accommodate the new character. Winning Story mode also unlocks Fred Durst, lead singer from Limp Bizkit, as a playable character.
Cast[]
Character | Film | Video game |
---|---|---|
Robert Paulson | Meat Loaf | |
Mechanic | Holt McCallany | |
Det. Stern | Thom Gossom Jr. | |
Bartender in Halo | Michael Shamus Wiles | |
Lou | Peter Iacangelo | Mike Starr |
Jack | Edward Norton | Dave Wittenberg |
"Hero" | N/A | Justin Gross |
Tyler Durden | Brad Pitt | Joshua Leonard |
Irvin | Paul Dillon | David A. Thomas |
"Angel Face" | Jared Leto | Michael McMillian |
Marla Singer | Helena Bonham Carter | Nika Futterman |
Raymond K. Hessel | Joon Kim | Emil LIn |
Reception[]
Aggregator | Score | ||
---|---|---|---|
mobile | PS2 | Xbox | |
GameRankings | N/A | 36.84%[16] | 40.11%[17] |
Metacritic | N/A | 36/100[18] | 37/100[19] |
Publication | Score | ||
---|---|---|---|
mobile | PS2 | Xbox | |
1Up.com | N/A | D−[2] | D−[2] |
EGM | N/A | 2.5/10[3] | 2.5/10[3] |
Game Informer | N/A | 5.5/10[4] | 5.5/10[4] |
GameRevolution | N/A | F[5] | F[5] |
GameSpot | 4.4/10[6] | 3.7/10[7] | 3.7/10[7] |
GameSpy | N/A | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GameZone | N/A | 5/10[10] | 5/10[11] |
IGN | (2D) 6.3/10[12] (3D) 4.1/10[1] | 4.5/10[13] | 4.5/10[13] |
OPM (US) | N/A | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | N/A |
OXM (US) | N/A | N/A | 6.4/10[15] |
Upon release, Fight Club was met with negative reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 40.11% and 37 out of 100 for the Xbox version,[17][19] and 36.84% and 36 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version.[16][18]
The game has mostly been dismissed by fans of both the novel and movie as an attempt to milk the success of the story for commercial gain, and was universally panned by critics on its own merits. Critics say the game copies too much from other fighting games without bringing much new to the genre, and has repetitive fighting moves and poor animation.[20] GameSpot gave the Mobile version a score of 4.4 out of ten and stated that the experience "lacks in so many ways that it's hard for it to even hold a candle to its namesake. The game is short, very easy, and the attack system is needlessly diverse. Regardless of your interest in the subject matter, Fight Club is most definitely not your kind of game."[6] IGN gave the same version a score of 6.3 out of 10 and said that it "may only cost about four bucks to play, but I can tell you there are too many better ways to spend four bucks now."[12] However, the same site gave its 3D version a score of 4.1 out of 10 and stated that it "just isn't a very good game. The fighting mechanics are just too shallow, and we've now seen with Brady Bunch Kung Fu and Medieval Combat, that fun brawling is indeed possible on a cellphone. Couple the dull game play with some bugs, and I cannot reasonably recommend Fight Club to anybody, no matter how much of a Space Monkey they are."[1]
The game failed to achieve commercial success. Nevertheless, Abraham Lincoln is ranked fourth in Electronic Gaming Monthly's list of the top ten video game politicians for his appearance in Fight Club for the PlayStation 2.[21] Game Informer placed Fight Club at number ten in a 2011 list of "Top Ten Fighting Games We'd Like to Forget".[22]
References[]
- ^ a b c Buchanan, Levi (February 2, 2006). "Fight Club 3D (Cell)". IGN. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Lee, Garnett (November 22, 2004). "Fight Club". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ a b EGM staff (December 25, 2004). "Fight Club". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 186. p. 102.
- ^ a b Juba, Joe (January 2005). "Fight Club". Game Informer. No. 141. p. 119. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Reilly, Mike (December 17, 2004). "Fight Club Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Gouskos, Carrie (March 28, 2005). "Fight Club Review (Mobile)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Kasavin, Greg (November 11, 2004). "Fight Club Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (November 10, 2004). "GameSpy: Fight Club (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (November 10, 2004). "GameSpy: Fight Club (Xbox)". GameSpy. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ Lafferty, Michael (November 10, 2004). "Fight Club - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ Hopper, Steven (November 14, 2004). "Fight Club - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (January 22, 2005). "Fight Club (Cell)". IGN. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (November 15, 2004). "Fight Club (PS2, Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ "Fight Club". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. December 2004. p. 108. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Fight Club". Official Xbox Magazine. December 25, 2004. p. 78.
- ^ a b "Fight Club for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "Fight Club for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "Fight Club for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "Fight Club for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (November 18, 2004). "First rule: Don't play Fight Club". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ Sharkey, Scott (November 2008). "EGM's Top Ten Videogame Politicians: Election time puts us in a voting mood". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 234. p. 97.
- ^ Ryckert, Dan (April 2011). "Top Ten Fighting Games We'd Like to Forget". Game Informer. No. 216.
- ^ Released in PAL regions under the Sierra Entertainment brand name
External links[]
- Fight Club at MobyGames
- Fight Club at IMDb
- 2004 video games
- 2000s fighting video games
- Fight Club (franchise)
- Mobile games
- PlayStation 2 games
- 3D fighting games
- Xbox games
- Video games based on films
- Video games based on adaptations
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom
- 20th Century Fox video games