If you’ve never heard of the 1979 cult classic “The Warriors” then it’s not too late to find out what thousands claim to be one of the best movies ever. Rockstar’s newest title “The Warriors” sports an interesting storyline along with an entertaining battle system while keeping as true to the movie as possible.

In this retro New York City, the Warriors are just one of the thousands of gangs claiming turf in the big city. The story begins with a recent gang leader, Cyrus, addressing sixty thousand gang members about his goal to unite all the gangs of New York as one and take the Big Apple by force. Just when the gangs cheer in approval of Cyrus’s message, a lone gunman shoots Cyrus, causing the crowd to erupt in chaos. In the confusion, the gunman’s gang calls out that it was one of the Warriors who shot Cyrus. With all of New York’s gangs calling for blood, the Warriors must make it back to Coney Island alive. After this opening scene the game flashes back to the initiation of the newest member, Rembrandt, learning what it means to wear the trademark red vests the Warriors call their own. From then on the player works his way back up to the meeting, raising gang reputation and competing for an invitation to the meeting Cyrus is holding.

For the most part, “The Warriors” is a beat-em-up street fighting game that holds nothing special in its combat layout. Players can find the traditional fast attack and strong attack, along with some grabs and throws. Combos are basic and easy to learn and easy to put to use in battle right away. Also, throughout the game a player can find weapons to use, ranging from the classic baseball bat to bottles and spray-paint cans. “The Warriors” is strictly old-school brawling, meaning that no guns will be found in battle. That doesn’t mean that this game will not be violent though. “The Warriors'” battles actually feel like street fights, complete with incredibly violent moves that the player can execute. The simple way this game handles fighting adds to the charm of it. It doesn’t take a master to kick some serious butt, making “The Warriors” the closest a player can get to being in a street fight without donning a color yourself.

Rockstar did a very good job sticking to the film script, using most of the original actors to voice their old characters. Rockstar even went so far as to do scenes from the movie exactly the same way the director made them without a lot of alteration.

The biggest flaw found with this game is that it feels too much like “Grand Theft Auto.” While the game did have a totally different style of play, the graphics as well as the main screen format gave “The Warriors” a feel that didn’t seem to be its own.

However, “The Warriors” is an excellent game that is purely entertaining to the very last showdown. This makes “The Warriors” a game that every gamer should, at the very least, check out. Take to the streets, gamers.

Final Score: 8/10