The Warriors

When Walter Hill’s The Warriors hit theaters back in the late seventies, the film sparked quite a bit of controversy, having been blamed for inciting gang fights in certain movie houses. However, the film drew a huge cult following with a fan base growing to this day. Now, the folks at Rockstar Games (no strangers to controversy themselves) are releasing a game based on the beloved film. Not just another shoddy licensed game, The Warriors is a very fleshed-out brawler that incorporates a great blend of deep fighting mechanics and a firm dedication to the original film’s atmosphere and aesthetic. If you are a fan of the film, you will love the game, and if you are new to the movie, this game should send you to the nearest video rental place to pick it up.

The movie starts out with the Warriors, a street gang from Coney Island in New York, preparing to go to a meeting being called together by Cyrus, leader of the largest and most powerful gang in all of New York City (the Gramercy Riffs). A visionary and somewhat unconventional leader, Cyrus announces his plans to unify all of the various street gangs in the city under one flag to take over. All seems going well, until Luther (the leader of the Rogues, another street gang) shoots Cyrus and pins it on the Warriors. Therefore, the Warriors are in a rough position, having to retreat back to their home turf at Coney Island while braving all of the rival street gangs who are gunning for them for the murder of Cyrus.

In the game, you actually begin a few months prior to the events in the film, as one of the members, Rembrandt, is being initiated into the Warriors. This serves as a tutorial mode, getting your feet wet in the mechanics of the game as well as Rembrandt’s. It also sets up some great side stories that weren’t touched on the film, like the Warriors’ ongoing feud with the rival Coney Island gang, the Destroyers. In fact, the events of the film only really account for about half of the game, with a lot of the content playing out like a prequel to the film.

The Warriors is a brawler at heart, with some really deep fighting mechanics. Throughout the game you will play as each of the nine Warriors from the film, each of which has their own special traits and fighting styles. For example, Rembrandt is the freshest Warrior, and what he lacks in experience and brawling ability he makes up in “burning” (or graffiti tagging). Ajax, on the other hand, is an all out brawler, skilled in taking down large groups of foes and so on. The fighting is pretty easy to learn, but features a lot of complex moves, like grapples and holds coupled with a combo system. The environments are also destructible, meaning that you can procure items like wooden planks and pipes in order to beat down your enemies.

You can also use your fellow Warriors to help do the fighting. You can issue commands to them, telling them to follow your lead or stay behind, or even tell them to go ape, destroying everything in sight.

Aside from the fighting elements, you can also do a fair amount of things as a means of gaining extra money for healing and spray cans (for tagging missions). You can loot businesses, picking locks, breaking windows and stealing booty. You can mug people in a God of War-like minigame, requiring you to move the thumbstick in certain directions in order to take money off of bystanders. You can even steal car radios for some extra dough. 

Graphically, the game is quite good. The environments are pretty detailed, although the character models have a slightly low polygon count when compared to many titles out there. However, the game really shines in capturing the atmosphere and mood of the original movie. The opening cutscene is taken almost bit for bit from the film, and will have fans of the film beside themselves with joy (I personally had quite the cookie-eating grin on my face while watching the introduction). All of the gangs are nicely represented, as well, including my personal favorite, the Baseball Furies.

The sound effects are also excellent, with some new music mixed in with the original soundtrack from the film, adding to the already great feel. The voice acting also features some of the original cast members from the film, with actors like James Remar and Michael Beck reprising their roles of Ajax and Swan, respectively.

The Warriors is an extremely impressive game in its own rights, and the fact that it makes excellent use of a beloved film license only serves to sweeten the deal. Fans of fighting games or of the original film would do well to pick this game up ASAP.

Gameplay: 9.0
The gameplay in The Warriors is very deep and complex, but very easy to get into. Even though the mission structure is a little linear, the game is surprisingly long, with about 15 to 20 hours of play, depending on whether or not you take on all of the secondary side quests. Plus, there are tons of unlockable features to keep you engaged for quite a long time.

Graphics: 8.5
While the character models are a tad simplistic, the game does an excellent job of emulating the feel and visual style of the film on which it’s based.

Sound: 9.0
The music is either lifted right from the film or sounds as though it might as well have been. The voice acting is also fantastic, with some of the original film cast stepping back into their roles.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.5
The Warriors is all that a licensed game should be, combining all that we loved from the film on which its based with some great and engaging gameplay elements. In short, it will satisfy people who love the film, and will make fans out of those who haven’t seen it yet.

Multiplayer: 9.0
The multiplayer is a lot of fun, which a rumble mode that let’s you choose your favorite gang, be it the Warriors, the Gramercy Riffs, the Jones Street Boys, the Boppers, or (of course) the Baseball Furies, and face off against one or more members of an opposing gang in an arena-like setting. There’s also a co-op mode that let’s you team up through the campaign.

Overall: 9.0
The Warriors is a great game that would excel even if it didn’t make excellent use of it’s license, which it most certainly does.