The Warriors

"Your one stop shop to bop!"

Introduction

The year was 1979 when The Warriors came into theatres, and now some 26 years later Rockstar releases the game. The Warriors was a fantastic movie, 26 years is a long time and seeing how the movie was Rockstar has quite the classic to live up to. My review consists of Story, Game play, Graphics, Sounds and Soundtrack, Controls, and Replay Value. We shall see how the game measures up and for those who are fans to the movie, we shall see how it stacks up to the movie. Enjoy the review.

Story

Cyrus is holding a secret meeting. Nine representatives from each gang in the city will be there. Each gang totalling a massive 60,000 armies of the night. When your crew gets there, Cyrus is shot and The Warriors are accused for this wrong doing. Your objective now is to reach Coney Island, your turf. There is only two problems. Your turf is on the other side of New York and those 60,000 gang members are all after you.

Game Play

The game play is very fluid and impressive. Rockstar did a wonderful job capturing the dark gritty atmosphere which was that of the late 70's war like gang territories. This game is mission based and contains a lot of events from the movie that are played out. The Warriors includes extra missions that sort of branch out and have nothing to do with the movie but the characters themselves. A pretty interesting aspect of game play as you progress. Since there is no shooting, the games focus is mainly on hand to hand combat. Unfortunately the combat system is not that diverse but it makes up for it in other areas of combat. The ways it makes up for it is that each character has a special "signature" move they can perform. The combat is down right bloody, dirty, and painful looking! And there are quite a few blunt objects lying around the streets to bust a few domes. While this is a freely roaming game, the levels aren't huge but pretty big and it's never repetitive. The games levels are scored and evaluated according to your performance. You can also knock off a few stores and steal a few car radios if you are ever low on cash.

Graphics/Visuals/Sights

The only thing you can associate with the movie in terms of graphics would be the dark atmosphere brought out and of coarse the way the characters look. Rockstar has done it right. And speaking of dark the game is almost sinister in an eerie way to it's design. The graphics are very good and the key work I used earlier was fluid. You will find no frame rate issues or pop ups when zooming through dark alley ways and streets here. There is a decent flow when taking on multiple enemies on your screen. Enemies on your screen can range from 1 or 2 all the way up to 10 or 15 at once. Each level is detailed and different as you traverse the many different areas of this game. The face details on the characters aren't quite dead on for some but identical for others. There is a neat effect when you beat up or get beat up, you are left bruised and soaked in your (or someone elses) blood until you heal.

Sounds and Soundtrack

Well what can I say? Almost (if not all) the entire sound track is in the game. That classic instrumental tune that is synonymous with The Warriors written by Barry De Vorzon never fails to set the mood. Plus surprisingly after 26 years, Rockstar got some of the actors to do voice overs. Wow!. In terms of music and voice overs, the game would seem complete enough. The voice acting is top notch and it's like watching the movie all over again. Now all thats left is sound effects. The ambiance in the city, patter of multiple running gang members, trains cruising by, the pounding sound of beating flesh. Yup, thats the city! The sound effects are crisp and persuasive.

Controls/Learning Curve

Simple, very simple. Since the game provides you with training your learning curve goes as far as you do. By going through with training, you should be ready for anything. Not to mention the controls are super responsive and easy to re-map and remember!

Replay Value

This game should take you anywhere from 10-15 hours to beat. 15-20 hours for any additional things you do; (side missions, replaying levels, achieving 100% completion) There are quite a few surprises and unlock-ables and upgrades along the way as well. This game would totally be worth replaying over again. I've tried to cover this review for fans of the movie and people who are fairly new to it. The game is decent enough to stand on it's own. Fans of the movie should buy it, there will be no disappointments. If you are looking for a good brawler, you are missing out on a hidden secret that never got enough recognition...this game is also for you. If you are still skeptical, rent it and watch the movie. They released an ultimate directors cut along with the game. I hope you found my review helpful and/or informative.

-Happy Gaming!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/03/06