The Warriors Member Review for the PS2

The Warriors was an old late 70s-early 80s film that had lots of brawls and chases around every corner. Some people may say it's a solid movie while others may not agree. In today's times, most video games based on movies and the other way around tend to generally suck. Of course, the same could be said for Rockstar and Rockstar Toronto's game, The Warriors. In this case, The Warriors game doesn't suck, but it does have its flaws like everything else.

Most of the game takes place before the events of the movie. This shows how the Warriors formed and what they dealt with before the movie took place. It could be said that the game was done by someone's fan fic, but the way the game is played out, it is a good one. The game also has several flashback missions that show how each Warrior became a member of the gang. In each level, you have your main objectives, such as destroying something or finding and wrecking a key person. Most levels also has bonus objectives and you will unlock extra stuff to use in Rumble Mode when you complete those bonuses.

Fighting is real simple. You have your light and heavy attacks and you can mix them up to combo enemies. Grabbing and throwing enemies is also simple, but if you are close to a wall and throw the enemy into the wall, you'll smash their face in it! Stylish. Weapons are plentiful. They range from bricks, to knives, and even meat! Weapons are either tossed or swung, depending on what you use.

You will take a beating from enemy gangs, so you have to keep your health up by popping, Flash. Flash is mainly brought from Flash dealers, but it can also be found and some enemy gang members may drop them. Money is acquired in several ways. Mugging people is the simplest way. Stealing car radios from cars is another way to score money. Breaking into stores and robbing the contents of it also nets you money. Each method works differently, but all are fun to do. You'll also need money to buy spray (for tagging or macing people) and knives.

Rage Mode lets you really kick some butt. As you beat up people, your rage bar fills up. When it's full, activate it to be filled with rage. Rage Mode makes you invincible until the bar fades and your attacks do more damage. Your character's special attacks are altered and do major damage.

The player also has warchief commands to control the Warriors. Commands range from Wreck Em' All and Watch My Back. The AI allies will then do the commands you tell them to do. If you are too far away from them, they won't hear your commands. If you attack your own allies too much, they WILL fight back, so don't think you can abuse them all you want.

Rumble mode has a variety of matches to play, such as King of the Hill and Burner Battle. These modes can be played alone or with a friend. Each mode is fun to play and you can even make your own gang by mixing and matching characters. You think you can make a gang that can beat the Warriors? Now's your chance.

The Warriors can be played with 2 players, doubling the fun. Player 2 cannot issue any warchief commands though, so if Player 1 gets wrecked, Player 2 cannot tell the AI what to do.

One problem with the gameplay is the camera. Although you can adjust it, it may get caught behind an object or something else, making it hard to see. The AI isn't perfect in responding to your commands either.

The style of the levels capture what New York City was like during its dark days; graffiti filled buildings, trash everywhere, and the dark nights. Each Warrior has their own look and personallity, but the enemy gangs have limited personality (except for their leaders) and most are just clones of each other. Everything in the game just seems a bit TOO dark and it can be somewhat tough to see.

All the music you hear are based from the 1970s. Depending on your tastes, you may like it or hate it. There's not much to say on it.

The game is a very good one. The voice acting is very well done and some of the voices were provided by the actors that did the movie. The game surely captures the city's dark side and the large variety of beating up people makes it fun to play. However, the game is very linear and there's not much free roaming. Camera problems are another hassle to deal with as well, but overall, the game is one worth playing, even if you haven't seen the movie.