The Warriors

It's hard being in a 1970‘s street gang. The constant running from the cops while you try to protect your turf and your cred, the endless worry of whether your ‘fro has enough hold and enough bounce. The Warriors takes us deep into the dark and gritty world of the 1979 cult classic film of the same name. A world where gang members far outnumber that of police and your gang's reputation is everything. Rockstar Toronto have developed a massive brawler that expands on the world of the film and gives gamers a unique gaming experience combining non-stop ultra-violent action with an enormous engrossing narrative.

The game kicks off a few months before the start of the film, and follows The Warriors as they slowly make a name for themselves and gain control over Coney Island. As you smash and grab your way through the story-based missions, you get to learn a great deal about your gang and its history. Each member of The Warriors is playable throughout the game, and you really get to know their style and personalities, to the point where you think, “hey, these are really nice guys” - until you remember that they are in fact street hoodlums who you just used to mug a homeless guy for a lousy two bucks.

The gameplay in The Warriors is far more varied and exciting than the stagnant repetition that we’ve come to expect from most brawler games. There are two main attacks - one weak and one strong - that you can use in an array of different combos to inflict some spine shattering smack down on which ever ‘sucka’ invades your turf. By using these attacks together you can unleash power attacks that result in some major brain splattery. You can also grab hold of your opponent and lay into them, or for a bit of a change you can simply throw them off the building you’re on or through a shop window.

If you ever get weary of fighting and want to try your hand at other gang activities, there is a lot of street thugery to keep you amused. Stealing car stereos is a fun pastime, as is looting the various stores. Mugging is an excellent way of earning funds while intimidating the locals. Tagging is an essential part of getting your gang known about town and tagging over your rivals “burners” is integral to the game.

The world of The Warriors looks amazing. The city is a bleak and foreboding place - a lot of effort was obviously spent to give it an almost post-apocalyptic feel. The environment is a brilliant representation of the desperation of the characters situation. Regrettably, the high graphical quality doesn’t quite make it to the characters of the game. Although some attempt has been made to make the Warriors easily recognisable, they still suffer from the play dough hands problem that plagues the GTA characters. All the characters in The Warriors look washed out and malnourished, but as they only spend their money on drugs and spray paint I guess this is excusable.

The standard of the sound is superb. Many of the original cast of the film have come back to reprise their roles, and although their voices have aged a little since 1979, the dialogue of the game is incredibly punchy and, well, explicit. The music is a high point of the game, adding to the overall retro feel - and if you ever get bored with the current track just steal someone’s boom box and change the station.

The Warriors is an extreme immersion into a world gone mad. The violence and the language is so harsh it could strip paint, but the game couples this with an incredibly addictive story that leaves you wondering where the last few hours went. Fans of the GTA series will find exactly what they want in this hardcore romp into urban warfare. So if you’ve got a secret desire to bash peoples brains out or penchant for throwing rubbish bins through windows I suggest you give this game a go. It’s a heck of a lot of fun and wont ruin your police record.