'The Warriors' was released on October 17, 2005, meaning it's 15 years old today.
Video games based on movies rarely earn elite status; picking the best one is a relatively easy task, given there aren’t many shining examples to choose from. Most people default to GoldenEye 007 as their go-to tie-in; Blade Runner, Alien Isolation, The Thing, and even Disney’s Aladdin regularly get their rightful dues, too.
But on this day, 15 years ago–back when Rockstar Games had more of a habit of creating new experiences–its Toronto studio released its only independently developed title for the PS2 and Xbox, delivering the best, and certainly most faithful, game adaptation of a silver screen classic: The Warriors.
Dropping onto North American shelves on October 17, 2005, this superb beat ‘em up coincided with Paramount’s release of the original 1979 movie’s “Ultimate Director’s Cut”, introducing a whole new audience to the cult, campy, ridiculous, gang-based cinematic classic set on the mean streets of New York City.
'The Warriors' was brutal, seedy, and so much fun.
Rockstar Toronto had a lot to live up to. The wider company’s incredible reputation for brilliant games was at an all-time high; Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Max Payne 2, Manhunt, and GTA San Andreas had been released in the three years prior. On top of this, the game was regularly sold with the all-new DVD as a bundle, giving players an even better point of reference.
Luckily, the opening sequence of The Warriors game soon proved it was the beginning of something very special indeed–and was incredibly loyal to its source material.
If The Warriors movie somehow passed you by–and if it has, I implore you to watch it as soon as possible–the tale follows the titular, leather-vest-wearing gang as they attempt to return to their turf of Coney Island. The Warriors are wrongly blamed for the murder of Cyrus, the leader of New York’s biggest gang, the Gramercy Riffs; after brokering a midnight summit to unite countless gangs against the police, Cyrus gets popped by the comically evil Luther, the head of the fittingly-named Rogues, who immediately blames The Warriors for it.
In both the movie and game, the protagonists have to negotiate their way home past gangs like the mime-faced Hi-Hats, the school-bus-riding Turnbull AC’s, the freakishly painted, bat-wielding Baseball Furies, the purple silk waistcoat-wearing Boppers, the bomber jacket-donning Electric Eliminators, the fedora-loving Van Cortlandt Rangers, the black-and-yellow-striped Jones Street Boys, and the deceiving, double-denim Rogues who landed them in the mess in the first place.
At its heart, The Warriors was an action-adventure survival game with combo-heavy brawling, while spray painting–tagging The Warriors’ name, just as artist Rembrandt is asked to do in the movie–played a major part, taking Rockstar’s love affair with minigames to a new level. Characters could be trained, developed, and would learn new skills by helping people in the community. While it was much more linear than the developer’s more celebrated titles of the era, it packed just as much content onto the disc.
The Baseball Furies are just one of The Warriors' many ridiculous street gangs.
The Warriors offered no fewer than 18 story missions, a further six “flashback” stages, plus an unlockable, side-scrolling “Armies of the Night” mode after you finished the main game. The central levels saw you attacking rival gangs all the way back to Coney, while flashbacks explored the back-stories of different key players in The Warriors.
As a co-op multiplayer game, The Warriors was unparalleled, as you fought together, rescued one another from the clutches of the police, and explored the complex, and altogether seedy, settings of late-70s New York in search of endless collectibles and upgrades. Tying it all together was the original voice cast of the movie, as well as the game’s spectacular soundtrack, including the iconic main theme from Barry de Vorzon and Joe Walsh’s perfect closing tune, “In the City”.
Alongside a PSP port in 2007, The Warriors finally landed on the PS4 via PSN in 2016, where its $14.99 price tag still offers a bargain, 15 years on. Xbox Live Arcade was given the altogether more disappointing Street Brawl in 2009.
While it would be the perfect candidate for a remaster, The Warriors, much like the 41-year-old movie it’s based on, is just as enjoyable and relevant now as it was on release. If you’ve got a few bucks spare, and you want a truly interactive movie experience, pick it up–but only if you’ve watched the movie first.
