The Warriors, a gang in the slums of New York, are out for power and control. This game is based on the movie The Warriors released in the 1970’s. The characters are true to what the player would think and know about gangs and their interaction with other gangs. The rating of this game is Mature and for good reason. The characters all use foul language and they are brutal to everyone they encounter on the streets.

The characters are all distinct in form. Their clothing style is dependent on the gang. Clothing includes baseball uniforms, leather pants, cowboy hats, bowling jackets, baggy jeans, chains, top hats and suspenders. Gang members are also marked with tattoos and bulging muscles. These guys aren’t playing around. Their attitudes are ruthless. These gangs clobber their way through each section of the city and destroy everything that gets in their way, also leaving their tag on everything they can. When the guys first appear on the scene, the streets seem harmless, quiet and motionless, but as they begin to terrorize and destroy, others try to destroy them. The streets are suddenly filled with Hobos, Orphans, Moon Runners, Panzers, Destroyers, Punks, Lizzies, High Hats, Savage Huns, Jones Street Boys, Turn Bull AC’s, Boppers, Hurricanes, Furies, Rogues, Satan’s Mothers, Riffs, Saracens, police and Crack Dealers.

The sound effects are accurate for the characters displayed in the game. The voices are tough and rough and fitting to gang members. Each gang has their own sound and slang. The statements of the characters are believable and convincing. The Soundtrack is interesting. It is a sound type that everyone is familiar - 70’s disco combined with a punk mix.

The Warriors begins with the player getting initiated into the gang. This portion of the game is where the player learns the controls. The prospect must annihilate a hobo, and then a pack of hobos, before he can begin his objectives. After this, the prospect becomes a Warrior. Each level has several objectives the player must complete before moving to a new territory. Some levels also include bonus objectives. In each level, the player is on a mission to complete certain objectives. To obtain the red flag, the end of the round, the player must rumble through the streets and rob, kill, and paint his way to the end. A player must steal car stereos and rob stores for money to buy paint to tag over the others gangs’ markings - an objective to finish the round. When the player is not waging war on other gangs, he can kick it at the clubhouse. This is a safe spot; one can drink, eat, workout, etc.

Fighting and warfare are the main elements of this game. There is an added Rumble mode the player can enter. Here the player can create gangs and choose who he wants to rumble with. This part of the game is brutal. Gang members beat the crap out of each other until one gang kills the other. Dead bodies cover the ground and the remaining gang is beaten and bruised. While completing objective rounds, the player must fight off policemen, and rival gang members. When the Warrior is beaten badly, he can go to the crack dealer and get a fix to rejuvenate himself. In this game you must fight to survive and the stronger man wins the war.

This game varies in difficulty. Some rounds are extremely hard, but the next round might be a cake walk. The Warriors offers an auto save feature that enables the player to pick up where they left off. The initiation round teaches the player the basic controls of fighting, and throughout the game, help blurbs appear on the screen to teach the player new tricks. There are a few hidden keys to open gates and things to reach the marker at the end. If the player participates in complete destruction of the territory, it won’t be hard to find these hidden objects; they will fall out of things the player destroys.

The controls are easy to learn and easy to use. The main problem is with the 2-player game. When there are 2-players, the screen splits in half and the camera gets strange. Sometimes the player gets off screen and you can’t see what’s going on. This is tricky when you’re under attack, because you can’t see where the enemy is to attack him and he’s hitting you the whole time. I find the screen gets crazy when the two players get very far away from each other.

The Warriors is a true fighting game. It’s not just pressing buttons for the players, it’s like being part of the fighting. This game is one I think all players will enjoy. It combines real story with true combat.