In 1979, a movie was released called 'The Warriors'.
It was a classic.
The perfect mix of a good story, good characters and good action.
Prime material for video game.
But it wasn't until late 2005 that we finally got what we all wanted.
So courtesy of Rockstar, here we have 'The Warriors'- the game.
It begins with a faithful reconstruction of the opening to the film, letting you know
that this isn't just some cheap knock off.
This is the real deal man.
Rather than just retelling the plot of the movie, this is more like the extended cut.
It delves more in to what makes The Warriors who they are and gives you the details of
the events leading up to that fateful day when the gangs of New York attempted to unite.
But let's start by answering, who are The Warriors?
In the movie, they're a group of nine gang members, stranded in the middle of the Bronx,
with over 60,000 rival boppers, not to mention the entire New York Police Department trying
to hunt them down.
In the game, you get to learn how The Warriors were formed.
What their initiation procedure is.
How they make their money.
And you get to see how they rose in fame to become the leaders of Coney Island, taking
out any competition that got in their way- from The Orphans, to The Baseball Furies.
It plays like the campaign of a Grand Theft Auto game, just without the guns or the driving.
In fact it's more like Double Dragon, because here, it's all about the fighting.
From light attacks, to heavy . From weapons.
To grappling.
It's more like a full blown battle, than a street fight, with friends and foe all getting
mixed up in the chaos of the combat.
It's a mess of limbs, punches and black eyes.
It's not about finesse, it's about beating the shit out of your enemy.
But it's not always about getting into a brawl.
Throughout the campaign, you'll have missions like tagging an enemy base.
Running for your life.
Or stealth missions- although it does get the award for the blindest A.I. ever in a game.
The game feels split in two.
The first part covers the events leading up to story of the movie, with free time allowed
for roaming the streets of Coney Island, completing side quests- which reward you with useful
perks.
To training.
To flashback missions, exploring the origins of each of the main Warriors.
And then, when it's all ready to kick off- you'll play through the entire story of the
movie, hitting each of the key scenes.
This is a game packed with content.
They really tried to give you a lot more than your usual movie tie-in game.
There's the rumble mode, where you can create you own gang and compete in a variety of different
games, potentially with a friend.
The PS4 version of The Warriors sees the game fully upgraded to 1080p, with added trophy
support.
But other than that, this is the just the same game we enjoyed eleven years ago.
Rockstar were the perfect developers to make this game.
Not only do they have a history of games about gangs and violence, they also always manage
to create interesting stories and memorable characters.
Taking a beloved film and adding to it's lore, while still remaining authentic, is always
going to be tricky.
You have to remain faithful for the fans, but also give something new.
And with The Warriors it's clear, Rockstar loved the franchise as much as any fan.
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