The Warriors – XB – Review

Leave it to
Rockstar to resurrect a 1979 Walter Hill movie and not only make a game loyal to
the cult classic but also make it play like a true brawling game with a lot to
offer. The Warriors is a return to the classic beat ’em ups of old and an
Xbox game that brings to life the criminal underworld and the biggest gang war
ever to hit New York City. Can you dig it?

Taking place in
a late 1970s dark version of Coney Island, the game doesn’t exactly follow the
film in the way most games follow the main plot of a game based on a movie. In
this game, much like the movie, we witness the biggest gang meeting in history
as the prophet-like Cyrus addresses the various different gangs from the Riffs
to Brooklyn’s own Jones Street Boys. As Cyrus points out, together these gangs
are a force to be reckoned with and greatly outnumber the police. Can you count,
suckas? Yet before he could continue his address to possibly unite all the
gangs, he is murdered and the blame is placed on Coney Island’s own gang The
Warriors. From there we leap into the past as The Warriors break in their newest
member of the gang, Rembrandt. It is here that we get to know each member and
the gang’s rise from mere thugs to boppers to be reckoned with.

The game
introduces the brawling action almost immediately as you control Rembrandt (who
also knows how to make good use of his spray can). Cleon, The Warrior’s warchief,
managed to convince a few homeless to attack you so it is here that you learn
the game’s solid fighting mechanics. Sure there are combo moves and you can grab
items found scattered throughout the game, but the basic fighting controls are
simplistic in that old-school kind of way. You can grab your opponent and toss
them around or bash their heads into a wall. There are power blows and light
blows but the best moves come from going into Rage Mode that even has its own
finishing move.

While the
one-on-one fights are handled beautifully enough, the real joy comes from
fighting as a group. There are many moments in the game where you’ll be joined
by your friends like Swan, Ajax, Fox, Cochise, Cowboy or Snow and they’ll even
provide backup when you need it the most. Aside from playing as Rembrandt you’ll
also take up the role of Cleon so you’ll be able to issue commands to your
troops. The command list ranges from stay, follow, fight, vandalize and scatter
(for when you want your boys to hide from the cops). There are fights aplenty in
this game seeing as this world is filled with dozens of different gang rivals
such as the Destroyers, the Savage Huns, the Hurricanes and the baseball crazy
Baseball Furies. You’ll even go up against the odd mime gang the Hi-Hats. It all
leads up to the climatic battle against the Rogues and their dangerous leader
who taunts The Warriors with “Warriors, come out to play.”

While the fights
are downright addictive fun, the game breaks up the brawling action with an
assortment of other interesting features. For one thing, the game takes a page
from Rockstar’s biggest attraction, Grand Theft Auto, and offers a world
you can explore. While the free roaming isn’t as deep as the car-jacking fun of
the GTA series, you’re free to walk around the streets to steal car radios, rob
stores or mug pedestrians. The muggings and theft open up different mini-games.
For example, muggings require you to grab unsuspecting pedestrians and apply
pressure by moving the analog stick until it vibrates. Apply the right pressure
and your victim will give up the green pretty quickly. Stealing car radios has
you breaking a car window and turning the analog stick until all the screws are
gone.

The game’s
mission objectives are both a hit and a miss. There are some pretty interesting
missions that have you painting your gang’s color and logo on the walls of your
rival’s territory and missions that have you attempting to free your fellow
Warriors from the police. Unfortunately these good missions are also mixed in
with some pretty dull missions and some frustrating ones as well. The stealth
missions, for example, can be a pain mainly because it’s easy to be spotted no
matter what you do. It’s not bad, but it’s not fun getting caught. 

Playing through
the game’s main mode you’ll unlock content to use for the game’s multiplayer
mode. There’s a mode that has you fighting a one-on-one battle against a rival
gang member and another that has you picking an entire gang and pitting them
against a rival gang for an all-out brawl. There’s plenty of unlockable items
and characters as well.

The game’s
graphics are a nice homage to Walter Hill’s version of Coney Island and the
characters in the game do resemble the actors that portray them in the film. The
Xbox sports some sharp-looking character models but the way they move can appear
a bit unnatural, especially when it comes to limbs. The locale is dead on and
the city has a menacing feel to it … just like the movie. This is also a pretty
violent game, letting the blood fly frequently throughout the experience. Slam a
rival against the wall and his blood will splatter it.

The sound, on
the other hand, is handled beautifully with the film’s great score and licensed
tunes (songs by Joe Walsh and Fear). The game’s dialogue is also nicely handled,
much of it done by the same actors that portrayed each character. It’s also
great to hear the film’s female DJ who makes commentaries during transitions or
whenever you die. It’s a nice touch, indeed. As for the sound effects, the
bone-crunching can be heard frequently as does the sound of brutal beatings.

In the end,
The Warriors for the Xbox is an addictive brawling game that’s just as
appealing as the movie its based on. It manages to blend genres in the process
to make the game an interesting mish-mash of solid old-school brawling like
Final Fight to the random crime sprees of games like the Grand Theft Auto
series. In short, these things make for a game that will not disappoint in
the very least so check this one out.

Gameplay: 8.7
It’s an
old-school brawler with plenty of twists and a surprisingly lengthy story that
has you doing everything from stealing car radios to battling it out on the
street against scores of rival gangs. The Warriors is also true to Walter
Hill’s cinematic vision.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics
aren’t bad but they could have been a tad better, especially when it comes to
character movement. Each character resembles the actors during cutscenes and
during the game’s action and that’s a very good thing. It also manages to
capture the gritty look of the film’s Coney Island.

Sound: 9.0
With most of
the cast reprising their roles and the great soundtrack, the game is wonderfully
cinematic … even the DJ lends her voice in the game. The sound effects are
extremely detailed to the point that you’ll winch at the sound of breaking
bones.

Difficulty:
Medium
Expect lots of
street brawls against worthy opponents like the Baseball Furies and finally the
Rogues. You’d think cops would be a lot tougher but with your gang by your side
even their brand of police brutality can’t compete with a bottle to the head.

Concept: 9.0
Never mind the
fact that the movie was a cult classic a long time ago, it makes for a great
game filled with a cast of interesting characters, a lengthy story mode filled
with fun muggings and addictive brawling action. There are literally hundreds of
characters, modes and multiplayer options to unlock along the way. Can you dig
it? Yes, we certainly can.

Multiplayer:
8.0
There’s a
two-player multiplayer game that starts off with just a few options but by the
time you finish the game’s story mode you’ll be able to play a one-on-one fight
or pit your favorite gang against another gang with all the gangs and
characters. The only thing missing is online play but this is good enough.

Overall: 8.9
Come out to
play, fans of old-fashioned beat ‘um ups, because The Warriors is a true
fighting game that is destined to become an instant classic. Much like the film
it’s packed with a great story, moody atmosphere and lots of action. Some
missions can be something of a drag but that doesn’t stop this from being a game
well worth the price of admission.