4 stars (The Warriors (PS2)) - The Warriors for the PS2 & XBOX was released in 2005 which happens to be the 25th anniversary of the original cult classic film which follows a gang as they struggle to return home after being accused of shooting Cryus, the president of the bigest gang in the city.
The game was made by RockStar which means it's gonna be violent, filled with bad language, similiar to Grand Theft Auto (but without guns) and of course not for children.
As for many comparing it to Grand Theft Auto, they have a point. It does play rather similiar though as stated above there are no weapons and no cars either. In this game instead you use one of nine "Warriors" and beat living crap out of someone with your fists of a melee weapon (Baseball bats, bottles.)
And if the games 23 Story missions were not enough, they have also added in Flashback Levels which show and allow you to play levels that explain how the Warriors were formed.
This game is truely a great addition to any serious gamers pile and will have you entertained for days. One of the best things about this game is the fact that for each level you complete you are awarded characters from other gangs to play as in Rumble Mode. There are roughly 200 to unlock.
5 stars (Making an old favorite that much better.) - I heard a rumor about this game months and months ago. I tried to keep an eye out, but i rarely get the scoop anymore. Especialy because all of the independent game stores in my area closed. So when i heard they announced a release date i rushed to the site and watched everyhting. I was excited. My excitement has not ended.
By this point i'm sure you have an idea of what the warriors is about, but allow me to indulge in case you don't. The warriors should own NYC. They prove it July 13th 1979 when they are wrongly accused of murder of a pretty heavy cat, and must make it from one side of the city to other. Back home to Coney island. Needless to say they make it back, but this game allows you to explore a little deeper into gang life in 1979.
I started the game on the single player mode. I put it on bopper, the middle level and made my way through every mission. Graphically the game is awesome. Every area is detailed and for the most part the environments react to your actions and characters. Throw a bottle into a car window, and the window brakes. Smash your opponents head into a wall, and leave a resonant trail of blood.The game is supposed to be dark, as it take place about 1999 percent at night, but this even plays off well. You feel the street. That feeling of being under city lights with the warm summer air and a slight cool breeze.
The Game play is great as well. For the most part it is brawling, with low and high attacks that can be used in combos as well as grapple attacks. But going beyond that, every environment has other things you can do. You can break into stores, mug bystanders, steal car stereos and mark over enemy gang tags. Each of these activities are completely interactive, requiring you to do a lot more than just trigger the effect, you are forced to ensure that each goes down without a hitch. If not the results can be horrible, causing fights with the person you are mugging, or having them alert the authorities. This in part also allows for bonus objectives in the missions, and also sets up for a large part of the replayability of the game.
The levels are mission based, with afformentioned side missions. There is some stealth involved, but for the most part there is nothing to do but get your hands dirty. The combat is fast paced and on most occasions sees you and one partner up against anywhere from 5 to a countless number of appearing opponents. The afformentioned partner can be controlled by either the computer or your best friend. The entire game has a two player co-op mode, which is just brilliant.
Besides the main game there is a battle arena, which despite other reviews i read, is really fun on multi-player. "Have mercy" is my personal favorite. It's a brutal capture the flag that has you and an oppenent attempt to toss Mercy into your area, and pummeling each other. Other good Mini-games are from the missions themselves and include a king of the hill competition and a tagging battle where you try to lay down a three layer "burner" while having to scrounge for paint, and ward off enemy attacks. Just to list a few.
Beating the game unlocks a mini game that i won't spoil, but suffice it to say, it is well worth it.
The game has a great deal of replay ability. I beat it within a week of owning, and am still playing it over. There is a lot to see and do.
"... come out and pla-ay"
4 stars (Live the Movie.) - As a diehard fan of the Warriors and a hard core fan of Rockstar's 'Grand Theft Auto" series, I was pretty psyched to find out that Walter Hill teamed up with Rockstar to make this game.
The results are impressive. The game is very interactive, features a lot of simple to use gameplay elements, and has all the right tools to recreate the Warriors experience.
I bought the game yesterday at 5 in the afternoon, took it home and spent the better part of last night playing through the first four levels. In fact, some last minute gaming made me late for work this morning...
This is usually for me a good sign. If a game is that addictive, there has to be something to it. The fight scenes are tough enough, but challenge the player to come up with ways to win fights other than just all and out brawling. There are enough role playing elements to make up for the level based story structure.
I recommend this game to those fans of the Warriors who have always wanted to join with the gang and loot through the streets of 1979's New York City or to GTA style game fans who want to finally play a third person game based on a movie worth playing.
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