The Warriors

When Virgil, the leader of a gang called 'The Rogues' shoots the most influential man in the underground gang scene 'Cyrus' during a meeting with over 9000 gang members all hell breaks loose. During the ensuing chaos which follows, a small gang from Coney Island called The Warriors get accused of the killing.
With 20 Miles separating them from their home ground of Coney Island they are left with little choice but to fight their way past the thousands of gangs desperate to take them out first.

Based on the excellent 1970s film of the same name which caused an uproar and apparently caused the Gang Scene in New York to rocket practically over night. The Warriors Game beats the crap out of any other Movie to Game adaptation I've ever played.

Unlike the movie however the game shows more then the just the original story. It gives an insight as to how the Warriors were formed.
The game starts of showing that crucial 'Meeting' scene with Cyrus, but then goes on to show the story from 3 Months earlier. It shows The Warriors at their early stages before they made a name for themselves.

R* (who also created the Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt series) did an absolutely brilliant job at keeping the atmosphere and mood of the game from the movie. Just like in the Movie the entire game takes place at night.

The game is most definitely an 18+ game and for the right reasons too.
You see unlike the GTA series money in The Warriors is key to surviving the streets. Local drug dealers on street corners and back alleys sell you Flash for $20. (Flash is health, you press the Right Directional button and your character will 'sniff' the Flash.) The Warriors don't have jobs of course so the only way for them to get their hands on cash is to steal it.
You can steal car stereos, break into shops and mug people on the street. It's dog eat dog out there and the lack of money is absolutely brilliant and really adds to the 'surviving' aspect of the game.

Then there's the gameplay. Gamers used to GTA will feel right at home. The controls feel fluid and you can control the camera with the Right Analog stick. The X and Square buttons are attack (X is strong but slow and Square is weaker but faster). Circle is Grab and Triangle is Action/Pick up Item & Jump.
The clever thing R* have done is add little mini-games to the stealing aspect. When you try to steal a car radio for example, you must first break the window of course. You then press Triangle to start unscrewing the stereo. Using the Right stick you must unscrew each of the 4 screws before the Radio is yours and the $15 reward is given to you.

I watched the movie after finishing the game and it was only then did I realise how spot on R* made the game. The entire intro sequence in the game is the exact same as the movie. Every scene runs parallel to the game.

Most of 26 missions in the game are new to us because it's from 3 months earlier. However the majority of the end missions are grabbed straight from the movie. From trying to escape from a bus full of angry gang members to the meeting with the Lizzies. Even the bathroom scene makes a welcome appearance.

All 9 Warriors make a return in the game including; Cleon, Swan, Rembrandt, Snow, Ajax, Vermin, Fox, Cochise and Cowboy.
The beautiful Mercy also makes a welcome return. Her attendance is subtle but needed.

All the gangs from the movie are in the game including The Rogues, Turnbull ACs, Baseball Furies, Lizzies, Destroyers, Punks, Savage Huns, Hi Hats, Jones Street Boys, Boppers, Hurricanes, Moonrunners, Satans Mothers, Saracens, Orphans and of course The Riffs.

A nice addition to the game is Warlord commands. In every mission you control one of the 9 Warriors. You are appointed the Warlord which means you can give commands to the other Warriors. You can tell them to Follow You, Attack, Destroy Everything, Watch Your Back and Hide.
Another excellent thing which to most would go unnoticed is the Pedetrian Dialogue. You often overhear pedestrians talking and it sounds real. They talk to each other and respond with proper replies.

The replay value is pretty good too. There are 6 bonus missions and you can just wander the streets of Coney causing mayhem if you're bored.
There's also an excellent Multiplayer mode with many different game modes available.

Anyway whether you've seen the film or not this game should not pass you by unnoticed.
A definite must buy.