First Encounter

By Mickah Wallace

Like the book and the film that it's based on, Vivendi Universal's Fight Club™ simplifies the question of masculinity down to a single question: Wanna fight?

The Fight Club story follows a handful of red-blooded American males who feel there's something missing from their safe, modern lives. Looking for a real challenge to provide some real danger, they test themselves against each other in the ring. The circle of impromptu warriors grows larger and larger until the quest evolves from a personal quest to a political one. There club becomes not just a way for them to let off steam, but a movement aimed at changing the world.

Someone's going down hard.

Fight Club is a straightforward fighting game with punches, kicks, and throws that take a realistic toll on the bodies of combatants. None of the characters are Martial Arts experts or trained commandos, but that doesn't mean the action isn't fast and brutal. Different fighters use different moves, so you'll have to combine defense and offense to keep yourself intact while you lay on the pain. If you maneuver your opponent into the right area, you can take advantage of special environmental attacks that look so painful, you'll almost feel sorry for the victim.

Damage is progressive and persistent. Keep pounding on someone's face, and it'll bruise and swell. Take too much damage to an arm or a leg, and the bone will break in vivid onscreen displays. Fighters can be knocked out from taking too much punishment, or they can tap out in order to take a loss over a career-ending injury. You can focus your attacks on specific body parts to wear down an arm, leg, or even an ankle, and once that area is broken, it dramatically reduces the fighter's speed, strength, and chances of winning.

These fights get real ugly, real quick.

The story mode puts you at the edge of the action that takes place in the movie. As the main character, you spend your time pursuing club founder Tyler as he busily shuttles around the country to organize the mysterious Project Mayhem. At each stop, you meet a whole new chapter of members, and according to Rule #8, if it's your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight. Battling Tyler's minions advances the plot and gives you the chance to polish your skills.

The multiplayer modes in Fight Club are where the real action is, especially since you can square off against brawlers from around the world via Xbox Live™. Players can use any of the existing characters, but serious contenders will want to create their own. Select a fighting style (brawler, Kung Fu, or grappler) and an appearance to get started. You earn credits with each victory in the Arcade, Versus, and Online modes, and these credits allow you to open up new combos or pump up your stats (strength, endurance, speed, and technique) to make you even more dangerous.

Forget Hollywood. Xbox Live is where it's at.

You're responsible for more than just your created fighter's evolution—you have to keep him healthy enough to carry on. Your life bar regenerates between bouts, but serious injuries do not heal unless you spend some credits in the Emergency Room. If an opponent breaks your arm in one bout, you will continue to suffer in every other match until you get it fixed. If the injury it too serious, your fighter can be forced to retire, and that's it—you have to start over from scratch.

To avoid potential career-threatening injuries, you may have to bite the bullet and tap out, rather than letting the other guy continue to beat on you. This simple device makes each fight more important and captures another taste of the movie's flavor. Rule #3 of Fight Club says if someone yells "stop," goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over.

Fight Club touches on the heavier aspects of the story, while also focusing on the action in the ring. The fighters aren't as pretty as the girls in Dead or Alive® Ultimate™, but they do know how to pack plenty of punishment into a three-minute bout. If you're looking to prove something to yourself, or if you just like to mix it up online as a street brawler, this is one exclusive club that you definitely want to join.

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