The Club is a fun, if very shallow, shooter that is remarkable only because of it's combo system.
So The Club borrows a bit from PGR, as it's all about style. Rather than having to kill everyone in the level, or get to an objective, you win by scoring the most points. In each event, when you first kill someone a multiplier begins to build, and you'll notice blocks dropping off the screen, which means you have until all the blocks have dropped off to kill another guy otherwise the multiplier will go down. If you keep killing, the combo multiplier increases and you get more points, but it gets harder to keep it going as blocks drop quicker.
This system makes rounds incredibly fast as you must keep moving from one bad guy to the next if you want to keep the multiplier going. You can earn more points by killing more stylishly, for example if you kill just after you roll or if you get a headshot you will get more points. You can also get bonus points at the end of each match by having lots of health, having the combo multiplier high when you finish the level and more.
Unfortunately that's really the only unique thing about The Club. Shooting is similar to Gears of War except you don't use cover. You're in a third person view and can zoom in by holding down the left trigger. Weapons don't stand out because none of them really pack a punch, and they're all about as effective as each other. In the end, The Club only manages to make an impact because of it's combo system.
There are also some poor attempts at story here. There are eight available characters, each that look very different. But really, there's no reason to be picky as none of them are better than each other. Plus, when you complete the tournament mode with a character you unlock a cutscene for them. They look nice, and could inspire a sequel, but don't make much sense and feel tacked on. It would have been nice if the story was more integrated into the tournament mode.
The main meat of the game comes from the Tournament mode, where you compete in different tournaments to be the best. There are three difficulties available at first, and a fourth will become available. Easy is a cakewalk, as the opposing scores are pathetic. The medium is decent enough challenge, but expert shooter fans will snooze. The harder difficulties definitely are the best as the scores required to succeed are monstrous. Still, the game doesn't really ramp up the enemies or limit health and ammo, just increase the score required to win.
The game types include a match where you simply have to get to the end and score as many points as you can, one where you must survive for an amount of time while not leaving the area, races where you must make your way around the course as fast as you can with the most points and more. Some matches require you to not only complete a task, but also score an amount of points, which can be hard of the tougher difficulties. But sooner or later, the game gets repetitive as there aren't too many match types.
Graphics and sound are good, but nothing spectacular is here. The main character models look great as some characters have huge jackets which hang of them, and some of them have dreadlocks that look really chunky. Enemies aren't that inspiring though, and they can repeat often. The environments are unique, with warehouses, a war torn street and more. The sound however is completely forgettable, with hammy acting, absent and repetitive music and weak sounding guns.
But what really lets The Club down is how shallow it feels. If you're into clearing every challenge with the best scores then it could last you a good amount of time, but if you're not a perfectionist you'll be lucky to get a weekend out of it, making it better as a rental rather than a full price purchase.
The Club is a decent game, but it's just too shallow to hold attention for long. The graphics and sound aren't too impressive, the gameplay does little new and the modes feel light. But if you're an old school player who likes racking up high scores, then The Club could be the game for you.