Fight Club

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on February 08, 2005

Review: The first rule of Fight Club is: you don't want to play Fight Club.

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I'll get straight to the point since there's no wishy-washy, politically correct way to put it: Fight Club is a terrible game.

Needless to say, it is based on the 1999 film of the same name, and reinforces the general rule of thumb that games based on movies suck. If you didn't like the movie, you'd probably skip this anyway (which is a smart thing) but even die-hard fans won't find anything good to say about this poor quality mess. Sure, you can play several characters from the movie Ц who, due to licensing issues, look nothing like the original actors Ц and visit familiar locations, but unless you've got money to burn, it's not even worth a rental.

Fight Club is a supposed to be a fighting game, but the fighting mechanics are so horrible it immediately degenerates into random button-mashing; in fact, УFrustration ClubФ would probably be a more appropriate title. The characters move so slowly you'd think they were underwater (which isn't a bad idea; maybe that way, they'd all drown and never see the light of day again). Actually, I should clarify that your character moves slowly; the computer controlled opponents, on the other hand, will pummel you senseless with quick attacks, flurries of combos, and flawlessly counter-attack practically your every move. When you get knocked to the ground, you'll experience the joy of watching helplessly as the AI will repeatedly knock you down when you are trying to get up and are unable to counter or defend yourself. Granted, the computer AI in all fighting games is tough, but this is ridiculous.

Not only does your character move slowly, he reacts to your button presses at an even more leisurely pace. Fighting games are about rapid-fire response, but apparently Fight Club didn't get the memo. It feels like whenever you push a button, maybe Ц just maybe, if he feels like it Ц your character might do something. Needless to say, this is extremely frustrating against the nearly perfect and instantaneous reactions of the AI. Another annoyance is the flaky hit detection; I've hit (and been hit) from distances that would require arms of simian length.

There are four gamemodes if you have the intestinal fortitude to play through them all. Training mode is self-explanatory; you practice against a computer opponent and can adjust how he attacks. It's actually a good idea that lets you practice against low attacks only, for example. You can also view a list filled with dozens of combos for your character; the extensive list looks impressive, but they are really just slight variations of a small number of basic combos. Attempting the more complex combos will only give you carpal tunnel syndrome and an ulcer thanks to the slow button response.

Survival mode pits you against a series of computer opponents that increase in difficulty the further you go. You earn Character Development Points (CDPs) as you progress and can redeem these points to increase your character's attributes in Strength, Endurance, Speed and Technique. You can create your own character or use a pre-existing one, and can choose to play Normal or Hardcore. Hardcore characters carry their injuries over to the next fight (Normal characters do not keep their injuries) which means if you suffer too many broken bones, your character will be forced to retire. However, you can redeem CDPs in the hospital to heal your injuries. The Hardcore and CDP features sound like cool ideas but in practice, they really don't add much to a game of such poor quality in the first place.

Versus mode lets you fight against a friend offline, via System Link or Xbox Live. You can also use your Hardcore character in multiplayer and wager your CDPs on the outcome, another interesting idea wasted in a badly executed product. Fighting games are usually at their best when you're playing against someone else, but there is no fun to be had struggling with sluggish, unresponsive characters.

In Story mode, you play a nameless character who wants to join Fight Club and must fight your way up through the ranks until you reach Tyler himself. The story loosely follows the movie, so if you haven't seen the movie, good luck trying to figure out what's going on. Fans will appreciate how Meat Loaf (Bob), Holt McCallany (the Mechanic), Thom Gossom Jr. (Detective Stern) and Michael Shamus Wiles (Halo bartender) reprise their roles, but their speaking roles are extremely brief.

The story starts and ends with rendered video, with the ending pretty much lifted straight from the movie. Enjoy it, because those are the only animated cutscenes you'll see; in between fights, the story is told through still pictures and bad voiceovers. It looks very old school and feels cheap.

Speaking of cheap, it also appears like the developers didn't spend much on sound effects since you'll fight in virtual silence. Despite cranking up the volume, the sounds of battle are practically non-existent; if you're lucky, you'll be barely able to hear the soft pillow-like punches and the gently whispered grunts of pain. People also seem to lose their voices in fights because you will hear no talking whatsoever Ц no announcer, no trash talking, nothing. It's just plain weird to fight in silence and watch victorious characters taunting their defeated victims with nothing coming out of their mouths, which are moving as if they were talking. Where are the big crunching blows and ferocious screams that always add excitement to fighting games? Oh, wait Ц those are supplied by angry consumers venting their frustration at buying this game.

Fittingly, the graphics are as poor as the gameplay. This is disappointing because closer scrutiny reveals some fairly decent character model detail and nice shadow effects, but for some reason, the whole package looks old. Maybe it's the slow character movements; or the repetitive victory and defeat animations (which never change); or the dull color palette; or having several characters that seem to look and move the same. Regardless, this is not a pretty game.

So are there any good things about Fight Club? Surprisingly, yes: the blood splatter effects are very cool; hit an opponent hard enough and blood will splatter and run down the screen. When a fighter gets very low on health, they reach a critical stage indicated by a flashing icon. If you get close enough when they are critical, you can perform one of several bone-breaker moves that replay complete with a detailed X-ray view of your opponent. It's like a finishing move common to other fighters, but much easier to perform and very satisfying to see. Music fans will appreciate the original movie soundtrack by The Dust Brothers, along with licensed music from Limp Bizkit, Korn and Queens of the Stone Age. You can even unlock Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst as a playable character.

Other than these tiny bright spots, there is absolutely nothing here that any other fighting game can happily provide. Anything with the words УDead or Alive,Ф УMortal Kombat,Ф or УSoul CaliburФ in their titles are far more superior to this very poor excuse to milk money from a film merchandising license.