Fight Club: The (awful) Game | A Retrospective

[@fallenishvalen9970]

I remember my Dad buying this (being a very genuine fan of the film , book and their message) and being so disappointed he didn't play another video game for years.

[@MrHammers]

Gotta be upsetting for big fans going into it expecting something good haha

[@endymallorn]

Unfortunately, the game fits the message, end of the day - everything gets packaged up, sanitized, and commercialized for The Man.

[@DonkeyBoyVids]

​@@endymallorn comes off like you only read through about half the book

[@jayhollows5729]

@@endymallorn it's a bit more than that too. It's also about the struggles with identity that people can have and men's feelings of disenfranchisement due to untreated mental health issues. How people tend "resolve" their anger through self destructive behaviors.

[@endymallorn]

@@jayhollows5729 I am fully aware of that. But I was commenting on the game being an insult to the source by pointing out the unfortunate irony that exactly what a part of the book commented on has come true. It’s very hard to get across a good emotional narrative through the mechanics of a fighting game - ‘bonding’ with an AI wasn’t possible at that time. It probably would have felt forced at the time. But the anti-commercial message in the book is more applicable here. If you played with a friend and have good memories, good for you, now go make soap.

[@SECONDQUEST]

Lincoln was an insanely strong dude who would wrestle and win against anyone. He loved wrestling, prolly another reason why he is in the game

[@seoulesskorean7311]

Helps that he was 6'4

[@AC-hj9tv]

Can confirm. Lincoln wrecked my shit

[@Evil_Noah]

@@AC-hj9tv He really Licolned your logs... poop logs... shit, never mind.

[@SECONDQUEST]

@@seoulesskorean7311 I'm 6'2 and I can't fight for shit

[@SECONDQUEST]

@@Evil_Noah At least you tried.

[@TheAsianLover]

I hate the fact I own this. I remember hearing Fred durst would demand to be in any game that would want to use his music otherwise they won’t get to use them. Great work! I look forward to the next video.

[@MrHammers]

Oh that makes since about Fred now! Haha

[@jakethreesixty]

Is he in Juiced? Or did he give it up by the mid 2000s?

[@Alex-Defatte]

Hearing huh?

[@ChondroMan]

I mean if that's what he wanted then that's fair.

[@ChondroMan]

I mean if that's what he wanted then that's fair.

[@spiceweasel]

I was so excited when my mom surprised me with this game for my PS2 Then I remember being excited trading it in for a good game.

[@seoulesskorean7311]

Relatable posts

[@shuneughu4244]

12cents trade in at gamestop

[@jakisfly]

@@spiceweaselthat game is such a classic they can get mf slapped

[@dalelumina3]

@@dvdbox360 come on dont pull ffny to that level its a legit great game

[@BurnDoubt]

​@@dvdbox360 the first 2 Def Jam games are great, the third was an absolute abomination but yeah fight for new York was one of the best and most ambitious titles I can remember from the day. In terms of "wow you can do that?", fun and replayability it's right up there with Blitz: the League

[@pentalway]

Fred Durst had it in his clause for the WWE games that he must be a playable character in it if they were to use his music. It's possible he had the same clause in Fight Club.

[@sweetypuss]

that's honestly really fucking funny and im glad he did that. it definitely shows the stupid amount of starpower he had back then

[@Alex-Defatte]

Yeah everyone wishes they were Fred Durst. A famous multimillionaire rockstar who's probably still banging 20 year olds. Everyone only secretly wishes.

[@pentalway]

@@Alex-Defatte I found Fred Durst's youtube account

[@Alex-Defatte]

@@pentalway Cool story dude!

[@CatNigga]

@@Alex-Defatte I found Fred Durst's youtube account

[@PhantomRemmy]

Def jam fight for ny is basically the only game on the ps2 I consider an actual fight club game.

[@BurnDoubt]

🍻

[@BardiXOfficial]

Imagine if they had Fred Durst in FFNY, that would've been dope, name him something like "Polar Bear"

[@ScottPillgram20]

I got introduced to Fight Club through this as a kid, since it was on one of the Playstation 2 Demo Discs I got. I never played it back then, since I was too young, but for a while, I had no idea about the movie or book and just assumed it was only a video game.

[@MrHammers]

The worst way to discover the IP haha

[@isgodreal1337]

I wonder if you did like me in those cases... got mindblown there was a movie based off the game, then later got mindblown again that the movie came first

[@teo2157]

thats awful mate

[@hanayaseth]

Ohh, I didn't expect you to cover this. Fred Durst in here stills live rent-free in my head.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Yo yo yo limp bizkit in the house Peoria are you ready

[@kalobhunt9001]

I wish there was an updated underground fighting game not based on the movie just one where you make your character and go through some underground fight clubs.

[@Got_Damn_47]

Def Jam Fight for NY is about as close as we got fam.

[@KingJadInfiniteHope]

@@Got_Damn_47fight for New York came out before this lol. that’s where most of the inspiration came from for the mechanics of this game.

[@traive-alastor]

Best nickname I can come up with for this game is: Fred Durst's TEKKEN 4

[@tsycho1619]

Coming home after a hard day at work to see my man uploaded a new video. Perfect timing, thank you!

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

Fred Durst was actually a quite successful outside of his music career. He was hired on to scope out talent and commission projects for big media companies, as well as doing his own independent films. By all accounts he was quite successful and it's speculated that he leveraged that position to cameo in video games that he was tangentially involved with.

[@Alex-Defatte]

People who hate Fred are just jealous he's a famous talented multimillionaire rockstar who's still banging 20 year olds.

[@CheGuevara110100]

Freddy D is really successful he gets a lot of stick but damn Limp Bizkit in the early 2000s were revelatory

[@flippedoutkyrii]

Fight Club? With how often I saw this advertised in demo discs and gaming magazines at the time I swear they spent more on advertising then the actual game development. As for Fred Durst, any game featuring his music had a clause in Limp Bizkit's Contract that required Fred Durst to star in the game either as a cameo or a playable character. He's literally in a dozen games from that era for that reason alone. Also, you got a sore throat in this one Hammers?

[@MrHammers]

Definitely tons of ads, I remember seeing this game advertised a ton. And that definitely makes sense about Fred Durst, what a weird thing still, wonder why he wanted to be in so many games lol. And not really sore throat, just tired. Recorded this one after a long shift and didn't notice how bad it was until editing. Should've redone the voice over tbh

[@evanhanley6437]

The E3 2004 Trailer and those magazines were clever deceptive marketing. It worked and it shouldn't have at all.

[@MrQdiddy85]

Lincoln actually had a history of fist fighting and invented the choke slam

[@Zololololololotted]

I am SHOCKED. I loved this as a kid.

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

Hahahah, I forgot all about that 50 cent game. When I was 16 I used to play the shit out of that in the back of a tattoo shop that my friend owned. Brought back memories.

[@chris_player2995]

i remeber seeing this game everywhere when I was a kid this one the 50 Cent game and The Sopranos Road to Respect

[@MrHammers]

There was a lot of commercials on g4 and ads in gaming magazines for this game. They pushed it hard

[@OLDE_SHYTE]

Worth it for getting to break Jared Leto’s _and_ Fred Durst’s limbs.

[@Timic83tc]

Fun fact: Pirating this on Xbox will make you lose every time and the game calls you a wimp

[@seoulesskorean7311]

I like your energy man. I subbed just for the vibes.

[@MrHammers]

Ayy thanks dude

[@AC-hj9tv]

Chill vibes fr

[@KotaSFCMMA]

*An absolute banger of a video (as always) my man* This was so good! Never picked the game up because I knew it was a pos and didn’t want it to hurt my vision of the film and book. Thanks for giving us a taste of it :)

[@MrHammers]

Don't blame ya one bit haha. Thank you!

[@KotaSFCMMA]

@@MrHammers Thank YOU for always showing the old dirty games that companies used to push, the vibe is so perfect. When I think of your channel, it’s like walking down the street in Max Payne.

[@MrHammers]

Haha awesome! I appreciate that, I try to cover games I like more than anything or at least games I enjoyed back in the day that may or may not be the best. Really I think there are just hundreds of cool games that don't get talked about enough and I like to bring some attention to them haha

[@muchlovegambine949]

How could this game be bad? It had Fred durst of limp bizkit!

[@mrmusickhimself]

Here's a mindblower: Joshua Leonard voices Tyler Durden...the exact same Josh from the Blair Witch Project. You can totally hear it, he doesn't do a bad job, too bad it was for THIS game.

[@sabreTXC3]

I can't tell if the people who made the game understood that everything including Tyler, his girlfriend and project mayhem were all in Jack's head. Maybe they do with having Lincoln and Fred Durst in the game.

[@MrHammers]

Someone else said in the comments that there indeed was a lot more planned for the game so maybe that was all there. Who really knows though, maybe a cash grab with recognizable names was all they wanted

[@evanhanley6437]

@@MrHammers I will clarify some more things to make this more convincing as this WASN'T a cash grab and the developers didn't make it out to be. -Genuine Games WERE big fans of the film and knew the fanbases expectations. -They reached out to Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Whilst they declined, they were still somehow able to use their likenesses for very early builds of the game. -Gandhi and Marla WERE supposed to be playable characters thanks to the art in the source code. -The roster had costumes that they wore in the film. -The character models were going to be WAY more higher quality. -There were WAY more environment interaction moves. Two levels from the film were scrapped. -The fighters could jump and perform a fatality styled move called a "Bruiser" when you were very low on health. -You could switch the way the roster moved during a fight. -The fighters ACTUALLY spoke!

[@MrHammers]

Man, sounds like it could've been a decent game after all. That's crazy!

[@PersonalAccountIndeed]

Project Mayhem wasn't in Jack's head, right?

[@sabreTXC3]

@@PersonalAccountIndeed watch when he first meets the fat guy with boobs Robert Paulson or whatever his name is. No one acknowledges him. Same with his girlfriend who I can't remember the name of. Plus when Robert gets killed when running from the police the rest of the members of project mayhem leave him behind but then they somehow go back to Paper st. and bring his overweight body and put him on the table without getting caught by the police. Also why would no one say anything about a woman who goes to a testicular cancer survivor meeting just to watch while smoking cigarettes? Brad Pitts character Tyler is Jack's masculinity unbridled and the girlfriend is Jack when he loses his testicles making him "feminine". Paper St. Is also all in Jack's head. It's his "safe space". Another thing is you never see Tyler and the girlfriend in the same Room. Jack has to separate the two so his psyche doesn't unravel. This isn't my own determination, I watched a video on it and everything made sense.

[@selimespunkt9796]

IM LOOKING FOR TYLER DURDEN, that was the devs cryptic message whilst breaking the 4th Wall

[@evanhanley6437]

Ahoy MrHammer! I absolutely loved this video! Your suspicions about this game being rushed and possibly being bigger in terms of it being an open world fighting game and having mini games based on the movie are 100% true! I'm a megafan of the game, found out TONS of info from everyone involved with Genuine Games and even own the games SOURCE CODE which had MASSIVE amounts of assets and art cut WELL before release! Some things I'll say is that Fox Studios and higher ups from Genuine Games sabotaged the game from the very start of its development and the story mode was SUPPOSED to be played EXACTLY like the movie through Jacks, Tylers and Marla's perspectives!

[@LeonLein82]

Why are you a megafan of this game? I'm genuinely curious.

[@MrHammers]

That's super interesting! That's sort of what it feels like when you see the content in this game, it feels like they just made a cash grab with what they had done at the time to salvage Thier development time. But that's interesting to think there could've been a more fleshed out fight club game

[@GamerGuysReviews]

Honestly, I'd love to see a documentary or article retrospective about this game's development.

[@evanhanley6437]

@@GamerGuysReviews I'm currently trying to work on it.

[@GamerGuysReviews]

@@evanhanley6437 If you need any help, I'd be glad to pitch in.

[@RyanGoslingmefr2049]

Only game we’re Fred d can fight Lincoln 10/10

[@Kurt_cocaine818]

How do I unlock them?

[@ginofrancejr555]

Excellent video review you should cover tao feng

[@aaron_exclusive]

When you were calling out people’s users names at the end 😂😂 gets me every time

[@MrHammers]

😂😂

[@Ganjabeard5000]

Hell yeah MrHammers you make great content!

[@MrHammers]

Thank you homie ❤️

[@digitalcake]

There's tons of info on the cut features on the cutting room floor site

[@3km143]

I still don't get how in the 2000's there was a ps2 tie-in game for almost any movie you could think of

[@spiderjerusalem100]

Despite the title of the book/movie being "Fight Club", it isn't actually all that much about fighting, it's much deeper than that. They missed the point by miles and why the fuck is Fred Durst in this?

[@glswenson]

At the height of his popularity Fred Durst had a condition where any game using his music had to also have him be a character in the game.

[@gadpivs]

Because he's seen the Fight Club about 28 times

[@jebronlames5997]

Maybe they were counting on people to buy it just so they could beat up fred durst. That seems like the best part to me.

[@BurnDoubt]

Only strong point for this game, besides sharing a title with the iconic book and movie, was getting to kick the s*** out of Fred Durst, provided you could get past the awful controls

[@100purenacl3]

Not a limp biscuit fan? I understand

[@ROCKit2grave]

I bought this game for $5 back in 08' and still felt ripped off

[@AC-hj9tv]

Neg vibes gtfo

[@viddysgamingviddyos4710]

So glad I've not played this game (or daresay 'consumed' it), I'll just stick with the book and film. Even these 'cutscenes' are just stills and 'where's Tyler Durden' over and over again? Good video again, tho.

[@MrHammers]

Lol yes, the "cutscenes" are obnoxious. And kind of funny, but unintentionally

[@100purenacl3]

It's like everyone worshipping Alear in Fire Emblem Engage

[@taer7097]

This movie is the reason we would fight in the bathroom during lunch and before school started when I was in middle school 😂 we didn’t have any beefs with each other just wanted to fight no ratting or anything good times I’m pretty sure I have brain damage

[@makmakg242]

Maybe the so-called PowerPoint dialogue was inspired by Twisted Metal Black? That game had its character biography cutscenes combine full motion, moving still-images, and ingame graphics. Maybe that's what Fight Club trying to achieve

[@suwooshi]

always a pleasure watching your videos mr hammers :)

[@tolchocked87]

Like many teenagers to early 20-somethings at the time, I was obsessed with Fight Club and Chuck Palahnkiuk books. I never had any interest in the game though. Until one day I was at a Game Stop and they had a bin full of unopened copies of the game for like $3 each, or something ridiculous. I took it home and beat the story in like an hour. And to this day, I've only ever played that one session and never had the urge to play it again.

[@umbrellacorp.]

6:21 I am still looking for Tyler Durden.😂

[@12ajenson94]

Love that society line with the joker 😂

[@deathraygonzo6339]

3:17 His name was Robert Paulson, but we don't talk about that.

[@solidsnake5317]

I enjoyed this game. Wish it was more developed and more time put into it. Yes it had some problems including lack of story but I had fun with it for what it was worth.

[@KeepaSkateboard]

You can actually fight Lou!? That’s actually pretty rad

[@billforson3143]

FINALLY!!!! A VIDEO OVER ONE OF MY FAVORITES!

[@taer7097]

I think another reason Lincoln was put into the game is because dude was in a real life fight club and only lost once

[@BirdGang6]

My friend got this game when he was a kid, he had a Mom who didn’t care what video games he played so anytime anyone wanted to play a rated M game we’d go his house. I remember we got through the first fight and then we were like “that was it?”

[@djtoxicdhg]

Hope life has bin treating you well lately bro. Ps can you one day review x2 wolverines revenge for ps2 review som day?? It's a amazing game I think you wold really like it.

[@MrHammers]

Thank you dude. And I of course want to visit the wolverine games they were dope and the PS2 hulk game too. Hope you're doing good as well my friend

[@djtoxicdhg]

@@MrHammers I'm ecsided to hear bro stay safe and I'll stay tooned

[@superpyromaniac]

Just came across your channel on a suggestion. Love your content man can't believe I've slept on it this long. Hope you keep creating content you love and your channel blows up

[@MrHammers]

Hey thanks! Appreciate it dude

[@cody_raves]

3:36 did i just see fred durst as a playable character?

[@mountaindurag]

Woah woah woah I rented this from blockbuster and LOVED IT 😂

[@wolfhurricane897]

There could be another reason Lincoln was in the game. He actually was a wrestler. He even invented a wrestling move known as The Chokeslam.

[@samuelmbila5583]

6:25 Man's got CHEST😂

[@TreyeParker]

Wait I thought the video game was something that took place years later... Meaning they kept the fight club going.... 😕

[@UltraManager]

Def Jam Fight For NY is the definitive "Best of Fighting Game of 2000s" on the other corner we have Fight Club..

[@jamesprice371]

Hey man new viewer. I dont know if you see all the comments, but this was my first time watching you and I have to say you are entertaining enough without the background music. The voice is nice. Background tunes are annoying.

[@MrHammers]

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback

[@jamesprice371]

@@MrHammersWow thanks for taking the time to read that and know I meant it as a compliment, not an insult to your creative choices. Maybe more ambianced backgrounds? idk. You're the guy. Just some feedback.

[@SickKitty-IsDead]

God I remember seeing this for rent as a kid long before I knew what the movie was. I actually saw a poster of the movie at my cousins and said why do you have that crappy game poster lol.

[@MrHammers]

😂 that's amazing, I hope you eventually watched the movie at some point lol

[@SickKitty-IsDead]

@MrHammers oh absolutely my cousins set me straight and it became one of my all time favorites

[@acidplastic782]

Maybe the end fight voice missing is an emulation error?

[@MrHammers]

I thought so too, but it looks like it was in the real version as well atleast on the PS2

[@kemotherapy9417]

At 9:09 the skeleton got tbaged

[@rednecktruthspouter3485]

Fred wanted himself in the games or he wouldn't let them use their music for the games

[@chrisvaldivia5180]

What's the intro tune? Where do I recognize this from??

[@-HappyMelt-]

Honestly Fred durst is cool in every game he's in 👍 idk why you think he's cringy but I couldn't agree with you there

[@genkia87]

You know what was a licensed title that expanded on a movies story and was a fun game ontop of that? The Warriors by Rockstar games.

[@MrHammers]

💯💯

[@cam3r0nrock13]

not hearing any negatives so far ngl 5:12

[@forgottenhelm1299]

I grew up reading and watching Fight Club and refused to play this game on principle alone 😆

[@Jinnypots]

I remember playing this as a teen…I literally only pressed 2 punch buttons to combo swing through the roster. I couldn’t stand bob’s ass 😂

[@MrSolidBlakeGaming]

Fred “paid” to be in the game

[@PunishedGayMelGibson]

I'm gay for Fred durst

[@wolfhurricane897]

You think a game based on Fight Club would've been good. But it was disappointing. But I wonder though. What would a good Fight Club game look like?

[@nfals6134]

This one reminds me much about DEF JAM

[@Diesel0514]

Except Def Jam actually had depth and cool finishers, this game just sucks

[@isgodreal1337]

​@@Diesel0514😑

[@Diesel0514]

​@@isgodreal1337 Problem? Lol it's the truth

[@KazzKobb]

Def Jam is far more better lol

[@nfals6134]

@@Diesel0514 True

[@Getcrustified]

The idea of a fighting game that’s just normal dudes beating the fuck out of each other is kinda cool, like the ufc games but much more brutal, if it was done right it would be a blast

[@BlackBerserkgasme]

Dude, I’ve been meaning to ask, that song/sound bite from your outro? Where is it from?

[@MrHammers]

Kenkura- lazy evenings

[@tomfoolery2619]

This game caused my divorce, kicked my dog and gave my mother cancer. Fight club the game sucked so bad that i considered why we continue the pursuit of meaning in existence at all.

[@TheGreatStinky]

Love this sort of video

[@zexyartist2833]

abe lincoln couldn’t be more inaccurate physically he was tall and lanky but well cut and strong

[@ryanmccarthy2033]

Fred durst is in there because he was one of the world's most popular people in the early 2000s

[@PlantNamedEmma]

How do you keep pulling these old memory joggers out like this all the time. Keep it up even if I didn't want to remember this one.

[@rustyshackleford3160]

I remember watching this get reviewed on X-Play......

[@MrHammers]

Me too! They were not kind

[@thetgomes6322]

Come on Man i know the game sucks but leave Fred Durst out of it he's actually a pretty cool guy

[@MrHammers]

Fred Durst is cringe. I stand by my statement lol. He might be a good guy irl, but he's still the personification of the 90s douchebag rap/rock guy. Him and kid rock

[@Eirik_Bloodaxe]

I remember renting this game, and just being super bored with it really fast and thinking I was doing something wrong. But it was just bad.

[@rgmusic4769]

Years ago I got this game for under $5 news and me and my friend thought it was a bad game

[@AC-hj9tv]

More like Fred Cursed

[@OG509]

So weird that i got this game before i watch the movie so for me the movie was absolutely crazy to watch lol

[@Sasso-pf1mo]

The 3rd rule of fight club is you DO NOT buy the crappy tie in game

[@choppamoose1174]

Very confusing that Limp Bizkit was still in fight club Or lotta video games at the time

[@Alex-Defatte]

Dude limp Bizkit ruled. They sold over 20 million compact disc records. That's back when people spent $15 on a single record. People loved them. There's a reason they're all multimillionaires. They also still sellout their shows to this day. Same goes with Korn.

[@tallon3925]

1:53 I wish I could delete the phrase “gameplay loop” from everyone’s brain so people could actually just enjoy video games instead of cheapening the experience

[@lowlowseesee]

yo i didnt know the film had a game, this is hilarious

[@Shesinvalid]

I would still play it

[@Mankey619]

A movie that challenges authority and society against the norms have turned into a game,and use the title literally. It looks like a badly made version of DefJam.

[@vintage_sole4065]

*“I’M LOOKING FOR TYLER DURDEN”*

[@Nobody-ev8ed]

Can you please try to retrospect the game Matrix path of neo

[@boombya123]

I bought this as a kid well I had my dad buy it for me after seeing some stills in a playstation magazine expecting it to be as great as the movie but its up there with the most disappointed I've ever been with a video game it sucked so bad Bob's glorious breasts couldn't even save this game.

[@MrHammers]

Bob's breasts certainly carried the best they could

[@brendancarey2875]

I remember renting this from blockbusters. Glad it was only a rental.

[@100purenacl3]

I would be too, man, I remember blockbuster, those were good times

[@ghostcat8244]

I actually had this game also!! I always love the cover artwork since I seen the movie.. thinking it’ll be great to play… no…it wasn’t I don’t even remember if I was able to beat it. This was oof maybe 19yr ago?

[@popeye5274]

I know there were better fight games back then, but I enjoyed Fight Club. It served its purpose.

[@vincenthawthorne9360]

I tried this and hot take here I actually liked this game. I dunno , I kind of liked the fighting. Besides, at least it’s not The Callisto Protocol….ugh…..

[@cxssetteman182]

This game is literally the opposite of Def Jam Fight For NY. While this game is very basic and underwhelming, FFNY was an absolute explosion. So many fighting styles and Flashy Moves. The amount of environmental interaction is the best in any fighting game to date. I wonder how the gaming industry would have been, had the gaming industry used that game's combat as a template for fighting games. It's a shame, Fighting games are mostly made to be sode scrollers that prioritise Gaming Competitions over Fun gameplay.

[@therealtijuanaman]

Maybe they were hoping it would turn out like The Warriors