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.