The Warriors

How Rockstar turned this into a success is beyond me. On paper it looked like a recipe for disaster. One thing that Rockstar does well however is open games up into epics instead of twenty minute duds. It's of course dark and disturbing as you might expect, but the quality and polish are undeniable.

If you're not familiar with The Warriors it's an old movie from the late '70s based on gangs in New York. Why this looked appealing for a game is beyond me, but I can't argue with the results. The game takes this premise and weaves a story around a new recruit's entry into The Warriors gang, following it to where the movie ends. The plot is designed masterfully and will keep you interested until the end. However, the game doesn't stop there and numerous unlockables allows for significantly increased shelf life.

The gameplay for The Warriors focuses on strong 3D fighting but has a variety of elements. It's the 3D fighting however that makes it work, offering a surprising amount of maturity. First, the fighting system is remarkable with a number of combo potentials and variety of moves that keep the combat from getting old. Different opponents require different strategies that keep you out of the comfort zone of repetitive attacks. The AI also makes an impact here with clear tactical decision making during the fights. That's not to say that the gameplay ported seamlessly from the PS2 as the control system and camera suffers some, but it works better then many other attempts.

Other gameplay elements such as the open city concept that Grand Theft Auto brought to glory is also represented. Here you'll be moving through the city performing a variety of tasks from stealing car radios, robbing stores, mugging citizens, ect. All the stuff that Rockstar puts into their games that occasionally causes them to defend their products in the media or worse is here as well. In addition, if you like playing with a buddy or online, The Warriors offers plenty of options as well with the ability to create your own gangs and battle it out or walk through the story mode together.

The Warriors only significant drawback is the graphics which appear dated, but honestly it won't cause any issues. Sure there are better looking games around, but that kind of detail isn't necessary to this style of game.

My only two cautions are that this is almost a direct port from the PS2 so if you played it then you will want to pass. Also, The Warriors earns the mature rating, but if that doesn't bother you either, it will be money well spent.

Hey, all you mean boppers out there. Word on the street is that you're lookin' for an action brawler with that sweet 70's feel. Lucky for you, babies, cause The Warriors from those crazy cats over at RockStar Games took the cult classic and made it into one jivin' videogame, filled with all the stylin' action and violence that made the movie so sweet. Enough from me, though, cause here's the latest and the greatest on The Warriors ' '?

It's not often that you see a 3D beat-em-up that isn't, for a lack of better terms, boring. It's an abused genre, filled with all kind of movie licensed shovel-ware. That's what makes The Warriors really refreshing. It's a movie-based game, sure, but it tries to be something more than a linear beat-em-up filled to the brim with combos. You're thrown into a GTA-style world (though much smaller in scale) where you can tackle missions in the way you see fit. You can knock over stores, steal car radios, mug bystanders, tag walls with the Warrior's emblem' and that's without even mentioning the solid beat-em-up core.

The combat in the game is pretty standard stuff, with light and heavy attacks that let you string together combos. There are a lot of special moves, too, that help flesh out the action; anything from performing body slams to throwing an enemy into his buddies. And, in the later stages of the game, the sheer number of enemies you'll take on at once makes for a truly epic experience.

If you're a fan of the movie on any level, it's hard to not notice just how much effort went into staying true to the source material. Every minute detail found in the movie is recreated in the game, from the replicated introduction to the way the story unfolds (with the same camera angles and all). Plus, the game takes place a few months before that one faithful night in New York, filling in a lot of the back story that wasn't found in the movie. Definite fan service all around.

Like a lot of RockStar titles, you won't be wowed by the visuals themselves, but more by the scale of things. Unfortunately, the scale isn't absolutely huge like something you'd find in Grand Theft Auto, but, even so, the graphics are solid enough, filled with a lot of detail and it fails on few technical levels.

The audio, however, really shines above all else, with a replicated soundtrack and absolutely superb voice acting by many of the original actors who starred in the film. And who can't help but love the sassy voice of the radio announcer?

The Warriors for the PlayStation 2, unlike so many other movie-licensed videogames, does absolute justice to its source material, even outdoing it some areas. Fan or not of movie, you'll likely find something in The Warriors to love. In the immortal words of Cyrus: 'an you dig it'

It'd be pretty hard not to, honestly.