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 Based
on the decades-old movie, The Warriors, this videogame
of the same name is apt to bring about its share of
controversy. Don't listen to talk-show radio for the
next few months because the videogame industry is
going to be taking it on the chin for this one.
Hopefully
you're not dumb enough to act out scenes and situations
from videogame, movies and hip hop songs. The Warriors
is an exceptionally violent game that focuses on gang
activity. It's loaded with adult content such as plenty
of swearing. Of course kids are going to get their
hands on this game one way or another and they are
the impressionable ones that we have to worry about
- especially in the future when they are old enough
to "act out" these enticing slices of life.
Keep this game away from minors. You won't be doing
anyone a favor by letting some punk get his hands
on this. That's my public service announcement for
this week. Now I'm going to finish my bottle of whisky,
and this review, before I head home on the freeway.
Don't worry, I'm walking. Okay, stumbling.
The
Warriors is one cool game. It's not at the top of
the heap as there are some issues I will discuss later,
but you could certainly do a lot worse. It's totally
retro and unfortunately so are some elements of the
gameplay. Treat it like a combination interactive
movie and street-fighting game. The storyline is very
strong but it's essential to drive the interactive-movie
aspect. The cutscenes are done very professionally
with great acting and good graphics. You will learn
how the various street gangs interact with each other
and you'll learn the origin of the Coney Island Warriors
and how they were framed for killing one of New York's
most notorious gang leaders.
Taking
to the New York streets undercover of darkness, The
Warriors must make it from one end of the city to
the other. Not only do they have to traverse 20 miles,
they will face 100,000 enemy gang members that are
out for revenge. Violence is a way of life with these
gangs and that's the currency required to sustain
your life and get ahead in this underworld. To that
end you will have a generous assortment of moves that
you will put to use to attack and defend yourself
from rival gang members. Aside from the standard punching
and kicking, you will be able to grapple your opponents
and throw them into various obstacles. You can also
use other parts of your body to inflict pain such
as your knees and elbows. You can throw things and
although there are no guns anywhere in the game (okay,
so it's not totally realistic) there are an assortment
of weapons such as bats, bars, bricks and bottles
- and anything else that starts with a "B."
 One
of the most remarkable trends in videogames recently
is the ever-increasing intelligence of the artificial
intelligence, and there is no exception here. The
enemy is full of piss and vinegar and ready to smash
you and your mates into the concrete given half a
chance. They will swarm, flank and surround you if
you're not careful. Commands can be given to your
gang members to help you out in certain situations.
This adds more depth to the gameplay and makes it
seem like these guys are really part of your gang.
There are six commands in all and they really come
in handy. A rage meter fills throughout the gameplay
and allows you to inflict some extra-serious damage
when engaged.
Missions
can be accessed at different times, giving you a sense
of freedom not unlike GTA. There are going to be inevitable
comparisons between the two games and they are not
unwarranted although I'm not suggesting that The Warriors
is the next evolution of thug life in videogames.
In some instances this game has more in common with
NBA Street V3 than GTA, at least when you consider
the variety of moves, combos and strings. But instead
of shooting hoops you'll be recruited to steal stereos,
mug passersby, tag walls and pull some B&E. It's
just another day at the thug office.
Multi-player
modes such as King of the Hill, Capture the Flag and
various races add to re-playability of The Warriors,
but nothing can compare to the co-op mode in which
another player can join in at anytime during the single-player
story mode and fight alongside with you. This player
can stay with you or move in any direction he or she
feels, as the screen will split to accommodate their
quest while retaining yours as well. It's a great
way to experience and experiment with the game.
 Both
the PS2 and the Xbox share graphical similarities
with The Warriors. It's not a great looking game but
it's huge and historically accurate in some respects
as the developers poured over locations of the movie
and old photos of the areas to recreate the environment
as it looked in 1979. Everything is period, from the
tunes to the tacky clothes to the old-school vernacular.
Slowdown does occur when things get a little heavy
on the screen, but there are tons of things going
on so I won't be too hard on the game although I do
expect a little more from the Xbox.
The
Warriors is a no-nonsense game that features tight
fighting controls that can easily facilitate the relentless
action and often overwhelming odds. It offers lots
of gameplay variety and a down and dirty story that
gives us a fair representation of thug life in the
70s. Not to be missed.
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Naturally,
Rockstar has it's hands in the pie ingredients when
it comes to a video game adaptation of the cult classic
gang flick, The Warriors. 
War
looms over New York City when "The Warriors"
are wrongly accused of killing a big time gang leader
and now every gang in the city is out for revenge.
"The Warriors" must make their way from
one end of New York to their turf on the other side
of the city. All that stands between "The Warriors"
and their survival are 20 miles and 100,000 gang members.
The streets are owned by the armies of the night and
there's no turning back. "The Warriors"
must fight for their lives as danger and uncertainty
emerges from the city night.
