The Warriors

"A Sleeper Hit!"

Well, I'm done with the Warriors, and I must say that it ranks as one of the top Xbox games I have played so far. I'm not really a fan of Beat em up games these days, since they are rarely done right, but one can't deny how well The Warriors is put together. Great games like The Warriors are needed to help save the beat em up genre. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the Warriors more than any other beat em up I have played since the arcade version of Final Fight. Let's get a little more in depth.

Story
Let's start with what I consider to be the best part of this game: the story. Wait......Did I just say a beat em up, with a good story? Indeed I did. In fact, the story in the Warriors rivals most games available today, regardless of their genre. Never did I think that I would care so much about a group of punks from Coney Island who are looking for a good fight and trying to make a name for themselves.

If you were to play through this game, but skip the cut scenes, you would miss what makes this game so great. By the time you actually get to fight the head of a rival gang, you already have a history with him, and there is a good reason that you are fighting him. Not the old school "They are in my way so I will beat them up" style of beat em ups.

Here's an example: By the time I fought Luther from the Rogues, I hated him with a passion. Everything from his annoying voice in the cut scenes, to his "WARRIORS COME OUT AND PLAY" banter at the end. He was cold, deceptive, and quit a jerk. I COULD NOT WAIT TO BEAT HIS FACE IN. When I did, it was all the sweeter.

I'll say no more on the story, but I could talk about it for another page. Simply put: It's friggin good.

Graphics
The graphics were good, and I really had no issues with them other than the occasional goofy looking character model. I was running it at 720p, so the cut scenes looked great and everything was animated well.

Gameplay
From the very beginning, when you do the initiation tutorial with Rembrandt, you get a good feel for the controls, and while sometimes cumbersome in the heat of battle, they hold up pretty well, and fancy maneuvers are not a necessity, just an added option. That being said, there are tons of ways to dispose of enemies, and offing enemies never seems to get old. From bats, to bottles, to garbage cans, to just your fists. The action remains intense and varied to a new plateau in the beat em up genre.

Objectives play out pretty linear, which I liked. I'm not a huge fan of sandbox games. There are bonus objectives too, which I completed some of.


Extras
Never once have I ever commented on "Extras" in a game, but the Warriors has tons of them. I played through the main story mode only, and did not explore the Flashback missions or Rumble mode, or many of the other unlockable modes, but there are tons of them. I'm sure they play just as well as the main story mode, and offer a little more back story for the game. Maybe I'll get around to them some day.

Characters
You know what, the story may be great in the Warriors, but it's nothing without good characters, and the Warriors has more quality characters than the average Final Fantasy game. All the main players in the Warriors, and the rival gangs are all represented and given their time to shine. Watching Sully look on in horror as you smash his new car is priceless. There are tons of moments in this game that will make you smile, laugh out loud, or just plain pump your fists in the air and say "YES!"

The Warriors are a diverse bunch, but playing as most of them gives you a chance to try something new, even if they all mainly play alike. The personalities of your teammates are great too. When hiding with Rembrandt, he may say "Stay low, we don't want to get spotted", but a more aggressive character like Ajax might say "What are we a bunch of p******". It's little things like that which really make this game stand out. Attention to details.

I could go on and on and on about the many things that make this game great. I could go in depth about the character development, the awesome rival gangs, the "pee your pants" moments of running from the Baseball Furies, or the mayhem mission which is completely insane. I will spare you and tell you this: GO BUY THIS GAME. I don't care if you don't like beat em ups, I don't care if it doesn't look appealing to you. Something in this game will make you like it. I guarantee it.

My Warriors rating: 9/10

My Personal Stats

Favorite Warrior: Swan
Favorite Rival Gang: Baseball Furies
Most hated character: Luther
Most hated Warrior: That first guy in the Warriors that the Destroyers killed. He was annoying. Can't remember his name.
Favorite weapon: Whatever is closest to me

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/07, Updated 06/12/09

Game Release: The Warriors (US, 10/17/05)