The Warriors (video game)
The Warriors is a beat 'em up video game published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 17 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and February 12 2007 for PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the 1979 film, The Warriors. The console versions of game were developed at Rockstar Toronto, while the PSP port was developed by Rockstar Leeds.
[edit] Setting
In addition to covering events depicted in the movie, the video game also acts as a precursor, establishing the Warriors' reputation all throughout New York City. Levels 1 through 13 (and Flashback Levels A through E) take place before the movie begins. After Level 13, the player is shown a CG cutscene duplicating, to an extent, the beginnings of the movie, with Cyrus's meeting. Levels 14 through 18 cover the movie itself.
[edit] Gameplay
The Warriors is an action-adventure game which focuses heavily on brawling. Like most games from Rockstar, several minor gameplay elements are mixed into the experience, such as the ability to use spray paint to mark turf or to insult other gangs. Diversity is one of the game's strong points, with missions requiring players to do everything from smashing up shops to collect protection money, to running through rival turf while wearing insulting t-shirts, to capturing opponents and getting information out of them (as opposed to beating them unconscious).
Rather than focusing entirely on the one versus many style found in most brawler games, The Warriors focuses largely on gang rumble style action, with the player being assisted by several other Warriors at once.
Throughout the game, you play as 9 different Warriors in all the levels.
[edit] Levels
Level 1: New blood (3 months before the meeting)
Since Rembrandt is good at tagging, Cleon and Vermin let him try out for the Warriors.
In order to become a Warrior, Rembrandt must beat up bums and some of the other Warriors. Rembrandt gets his vest and Vermin takes him out to get healed up after the rumble. In order to get money, he steals jewelry, a car radio and muggs a civilian.
Player: Rembrandt.
Introductions: Cleon, Vermin and Rembrandt.
Level 2: Real Live Bunch (90 days before the meeting)
The Destroyers attack the Warriors' hangout and invade The Warriors side of Coney.
By doing this, the Destroyers stir up the fuzz.
Cleon, Rembrandt and Vermin have to recruit the rest of the main Warriors.
When the Warriors go back to their hangout after beating up some, they notice the Destroyers have painted their hangout with their logo.
Cleon suggests revenge.
Player: Cleon.
Introductions: Ajax, Cowboy, Snow, Fox, Swan and Cochise and the Destroyers .
Level 3: Payback (In the same night of the previous level)
As an act of payback , Ajax, Cowboy and Vermin take Rembrandt to snuff out all of East Coney (Destroyers' turf) with the Warriors symbol. All the Destroyers are partying and getting drunk thus making it easier for the Warriors to do the job.
After painting all of East Coney, Vermin, Cowboy and Rembrandt sneak into the Destroyers hangout and do the Warriors logo over the back wall.
In the mean time, Ajax sneaks inside the Destroyers house and paints the W from the Warriors in the back of Virgil's vest.
Player: Rembrandt.
Introductions: The Gramercy Riffs.
Level 4: Blackout (72 days before the meeting )
Vermin and Snow are taking the new warrior, Ash, to the Black Cat in Harlem to check out some girls.
When they get there they notice there has been a blackout ( power outage ) and a riot ensues. The riot takes place in Riverside Park which is the turf of the Baseball Furies.
Vermin, Snow and Ash take advantage of the riot and steal car radios, do smash and grabs and cause chaos.
After some time, the riot cops show up, so the Warriors must go back home.
Before they leave the lights come on again and they are spotted by the the Baseball Furies (gang) who are beating two members of the Rogues (Tommy and Patches).
The Warriors are chased by the Furies until they make it to the subway and get back to Coney. Meanwhile, Luther, the leader of the Rogues tells his gang all about the riot.
Player: Vermin.
Introductions: Vermin, Ash, Snow, the Baseball Furies gang and the Rogues.
Level 5: Real Heavy Rep (63 days before the meeting )
The Orphans reported on the radio that they have knocked out the Warriors, which is a lie.
Cleon decides to take Fox and all the new bloods to the Orphans turf in Tremont for revenge.
They cruise through their turf they wreck every Orphan along the way until they find Mercy, who is the unsatisfied girlfriend of the Orphans leader Sully. She tells the Warriors where they can find him and that he loves his car.
The Warriors go straight to him and he hides behind a gate. To lure Sully out, they destroy his beloved car.
Player: Cleon.
Introductions: Cleon, Fox and The Orphans.
Level 6: Writer's Block (53 days before the meeting )
Rembrandt finds out about "Soho Writer's Showdown " (a burner battle featuring other gangs which takes place in the Hi-Hats territory, Soho).
Snow, Rembrandt, Ajax and Cowboy go to the contest which is hosted by Scopes.
After the Warriors win, everyone realizes that the Hi-Hats set them up. The Hi-Hats turn on the competitors, throw Scopes off of his observation platform and close all the exits off, trapping everyone inside.
The Warriors use the elevator to go upstairs and wreck the pulley to make some of the building structures collapse onto the Hi-Hats leader Chatterbox.
The Hi-Hats get angry and chase the Warriors until the Warriors get to the Hi-Hats gallery.
They destroy all of the gallery including paintings and sculptures and then go back home.
When the Hi-Hats return to the gallery with the wounded Chatterbox, he sees that all of his work has been wrecked and plans vengeance.
Player: Rembrandt, then Snow after the Hi-Hats attack the competition.
Introductions: The Hi-Hats (with the exception of the other gangs participating, the Moonrunners, the Panzers and the Electric Eliminators.)
Level 7: Adios Amigo (48 days before the meeting )
Sanchez is an affiliate of The Hurricanes who owes the Warriors money.
It turns out that he has completed jail time and once the Warriors know about it they figure they should collect their debt.
Ajax, Cochise, Rembrandt and Snow go to Spanish Harlem (Hurricanes turf) to collect the money from Sanchez, but he is protected by the Hurricanes.
After bopping through them, the Warriors meet two huge brothers: Diego and Vargas who are the leaders of the Hurricanes.
When they kill both of them, they go get Sanchez who is helpless and trapped on the roof.
As Ajax sees that he's not gonna pay up, he scares Sanchez making him fall from the building to his death.
Player: Ajax.
Introductions: The Hurricanes.
Level 8: Encore (38 days before the meeting )
The Hi-Hats are back to get their revenge. They lure the Warriors to the Coney Amusement Park for a fight and next, to the inside of the park where the Warriors go face-to-face with some of the Hi-Hats and then with Chatterbox.
The Warriors kill Chatterbox.
Player: Cleon.
Introductions: None.
Level 9: Payin' the cost (21 days before the meeting)
The Destroyers attack the Warriors by scaring all the shop owners and destroying their stores.
Cleon, Swan, Vermin and Snow have to protect the stores from the Destroyers at all cost while Ash was sent, by Cleon, to go to Tony's fishmarket to check things out.
After some time, Tony is sent by the Destroyers to give The Warriors Ash's vest.
Cleon and Swan go to Tony's fishmarket and find Ash dead, and then they realize that it was all a trap. The Destroyers lieutenants try to kill Cleon and Swan, but they escape through a gate.
Player: Cleon.
Introductions: None.
Level 10: Destroyed (Same night of the previous level)
The Destroyers went way too far this time so the Warriors plan on finishing them for good.
The Warriors go to East Coney and destroy every store under Destroyers protection,wreck their soldiers ,take out their pimping business or even gambling.
After cleaning the streets, The Warriors attack the Destroyers hangout in full force.
They see LC and silently follow him all the way to the shack (where Virgil is hiding).
They hit LC and go inside the shack to kill Virgil. The shack is falling apart with the fire Virgil caused and after beating him, Cleon throws a molotov cocktail into Virgil's face, killing him.
Player: Cleon.
Introductions: None.
Level 11: Boys in Blue (12 days before the meeting)
Cyrus has something big planned. So Cleon has sent Fox and Snow to Pelham to check it out.
In the meantime, a cop was murdered in Pelham. So the police are looking to hurt anybody who is part of a gang.
Leading to a full-blown riot; Cowboy, Vermin and Cochise have to go there to find Snow and Fox and get them back to Coney Island.
When they find them, Fox and Snow say they have been beaten by The Turnbull AC's lieutenant Birdie (gang member in a wheelchair).
The Warriors call some more soldiers to the place to take care of the Turnbulls and Birdie.
When they find Birdie, he shows a revolver, and the Warriors throw objects (mainly empty beer bottles and bricks) at him, until he falls down to the sewer
Player: Cochise.
Introductions: The Turnbull AC's.
Level 12: Set Up (9 days before the meeting)
Cyrus has a meeting planed and for the Warriors to get there, they need to be on the Riff's network.
Cowboy and Cochise go to Bensonhurst to do a favor for The Saracens (gang).
The Jones Street Boys (gang) who share Bensonhurst with the the Saracens, have been working with some dirty cops to ruin the Saracens.
If the Cochise and Snow frame the cops and the J.S.B's then the Saracens will put a word for them with the Riffs.
The two warriors plant some of the stolen items in the dirty cop's police car and the rest at the J.S.B's hangout.
Later they tell the cops the J.S.B's have been holding out on them and when they are arresting them for the betrayal, two detectives (Harrison and Garrison) come and find out about the items on the police car.
Both the J.S.B's and the dirty cops get arrested and the Saracens put in a word for the Warriors with the Riffs.
Player: Cowboy.
Introductions: The Saracens and the Jones Street Boys.
Level 13: All City (2 days before the meeting)
It's time to take the Warriors all city.
The Warriors meet with Scopes (who is recovering from his injures) in Pelham's trainyard with the plan of painting all of the new trains.
The only problem is that the trainyard is The Moonrunners turf, and is secured by guards and policemen.
Rembrandt, Snow, and Fox destroy the guards communication radio thinking it would be easier, but then Scopes warns them that the radio was a direct link to the local precinct, which makes the police respond.
The Warriors finally finish tagging the trains and go back to Coney.
Player: Rembrandt.
Introductions: The Moonrunners.
[edit] Flashback Levels
The flashback levels are bonus levels showing how Cleon and Vermin started the Warriors and how the other Warriors joined.
Flashback A: Roots
Before forming the Warriors, Cleon and Vermin were in the Destroyers gang. Virgil gives them a job to go meet the Satan's Mothers from Sheepshead Bay to give them supplies that Virgil left for them. They go to LC to pick the stuff up, but LC tells them that there are cops everywhere. Cleon and Vermin start doing much crime to get the police to leave. Later, they return to LC and he gives them the stuff and they go meet the Satan's Mothers. The Satan's Mothers accuse Cleon and Vermin for ripping them off and get revenge on them. Cleon and Vermin run into a warehouse and realize that Virgil set them up. When they get away from the Satan's Mothers, they go against the leaders, Spider and Tiny. They beat them up and return to the Destroyers' hangout, furious for what Virgil did. Cleon warns him that someday Virgil will pay for what he's done and he and Vermin quit the Destroyers.
Player: Cleon
Introductions: The Satan's Mothers
Flashback B: The Best
After leaving the Destroyers and forming the Warriors, Cleon and Vermin go to a contest in Gunhill. They notice that Swan and Cowboy (who are also former Destroyers) are in the contest. The contest begins and Swan and Cowboy go against the Warriors and other gangs. After they win, Cleon offers them to join the Warriors. They accept and start wrecking the stores in Coney that the Destroyers own. Later, they meet up with Cleon and Vermin and go to the Destroyers' hangout. The Warriors fight the Destroyers and take over their hangout and make it into the Warriors' hangout, forcing the Destroyers to move to the east side of Coney.
Player: Swan
Introductions: None
Flashback C: Heavy Muscle
Ajax and Snow are both heavy hitters, so Cleon lets them try out for the Warriors by making them go against other Warriors in the pen. After they succeed and receive their vests, Ajax and Snow go to the Destroyers' turf. The Destroyers knock them out and steal their vests. Ajax and Snow search for their vests and interrogate Beansie, who tells them that LC and Lemmy have their vests. They beat up Lemmy and Snow gets his vest back. Then, they go look for LC to retrieve Ajax's vest. They go to a store where LC is staying at in a back room. The store owner refuses to let them in, so Ajax and Snow start wrecking the store, forcing the store owner to come out. They steal his keys and go after LC. After getting Ajax's vest back, they start to head back to their side of Coney. They spot Destroyers and try to quietly leave, but a girl that Ajax met ruins it and the Destroyers chase them back to their turf. Ajax and Snow return to their turf safely and Cleon is upset with them for getting into trouble on their first night as Warriors.
Player: Ajax
Introductions: None
Flashback D: Scout's Honor
The Warriors have a problem with the Savage Huns from Chinatown and they need Fox to solve it. So Cleon gives him a test to handle business sending Vermin along with him. They enter the Huns' turf wearing shirts that say "fuck u huns!" and the Huns become furious. Fox and Vermin rumble with the Huns and go after the consulant to steal information about the Huns. They sneak up on him while he makes his deliveries. After he is finished, Fox and Vermin beat him up, including a few Huns, and steal the Huns' information. They run into a guy that is making a deal with a store owner, who owes money to the Huns' leader, Ghost. The guy sees Fox and Vermin and runs back to the Huns' hangout, while Fox and Vermin chase him. When they get there, Ghost sends the Huns to take care of Fox and Vermin. Fox and Vermin beatup the Huns and Ghost. The Huns' dealer tries to get away, but Fox and Vermin catch him and steal his stuff. After finishing the job, Fox and Vermin start to head back to Coney. The Huns see them and chase them, but Fox and Vermin make it back to Coney in time, rewarding Fox with his vest.
Player: Fox
Introductions: The Savage Huns
Flashback E: Sharp Dressed Man
Cochise wants to be a Warrior, but the crew doesn't trust him, however they give him a test. With Snow helping him, Cochise has to go to the Boppers turf in Harlem and find a Bopper who wears a size nine hat. The first few Boppers don't have one so Cochise and Snow check out the clubs. They rumble with a couple of Boppers and interrogate one of them. The Bopper tells them that the leader of the Boppers, Big Moe, wears a size nine hat. They go to a club where Big Moe usually hangs out, but he isn't there. They interrogate another Bopper named Reggie and he tells them that there is a girl at another club who knows Big Moe. When they get to the next club, the girl named Debbie tells them that Big Moe is at a disco club. Cochise and Snow go to the club and find Big Moe. Cochise orders him to give up his hat, but Big Moe refuses. Cochise and Snow beat up Big Moe, steal his hat, and return to Coney, where Cochise gets his vest.
Player: Cochise
Intoductions: The Boppers
[edit] Armies of the Night
Armies of the Night is an unlockable minigame made available at the gang's headquarters after completing the main game once. The minigame is modeled after the beat-em-up games that were popular during the late 1980's and the early 90's. It starts off with a blatant parody of the opening intro from Double Dragon, in which Mercy is beaten and carried off by Masai of the "Gramercy Riffs"; followed by Swan (and Ajax, if a second player is playing) emerging from the garage at the background. The objective is to fight off against the numerous gangs from the main game in five different stages. After defeating Masai at the fifth stage and rescuing Mercy, the player will control the ghost of Cleon (and Fox) in a final fight against the ghost of Cyrus.
On the PSP version of the game, Armies of the Night is already playable from the first time the player reaches the Warriors hideout.
[edit] Comparison between the video game and the movie
Both the game and the movie involve the same characters and locations. The primary difference, however, is in the fact that a large portion of the game takes place before the actual movie begins, with Rembrandt's initiation. The flashback missions show how Cleon formed the Warriors and how each of the other members joined. The Flashback missions take place in 1978, a full year before the movie is set. The events of the movie itself take place near the end of the game.
The game also looks deeper into various gangs and characters, fleshing them out and giving them personalities and backstories, where they might have only been seen in the background or mentioned in passing in the film. Cleon, for example, is the leader of the Warriors. The game portrays him as somewhat of a protagonist, whereas he is only on screen during the first few minutes in the movie. The Hi-Hats are one of the gangs at Cyrus's conclave, but they are never named in the film, and only appear in the opening of the film. They are named, however, by the narrator of the theatrical trailer. The game has at least two missions in which the Hi-Hats feature prominently, giving a lot of depth to the group that many fans of the film had taken to calling "the mime gang."
The major plot points of the movie are all translated into interactive stages within the game.
The Warriors' insignia, a winged skull, is changed in the game to a cobra, a la the Saracens, with flaming wings.
Many of the original actors voiced their roles in the video game, with the notable exceptions of Roger Hill (see "controversy") and David Patrick Kelly (who played "Luther"). Most of the movie's original soundtrack is included in the game.
[edit] List of the Warriors
- Cleon: The "Warlord", leader of the Warriors. Although he and Virgil founded the Destroyers, Cleon became betrayed by the gang and decided to defect. He started the Warriors alongside Vermin. After Cyrus's assassination, Cleon is falsely accused of the shooting and is brutally beaten in the melee. Voiced by Dorsey Wright.
- Swan: The "Warchief", second-in-command of the Warriors. Quiet and cool-headed, his main goal is to get the surviving gang members home. Voiced by Michael Beck
- Ajax: A cocky womanizer who is always up for a fight. After the loss of Cleon at the conclave, he engages in a short confrontation with Swan over who should assume command. He is the most aggressive Warrior. He wears fingerless leather gloves and a black tank-top under his Warriors vest. While escaping from all the gangs that thought he shot Cyrus, he tries to rape an undercover cop, who arrests him, separating him from the gang forever. Voiced by James Remar
- Vermin: Like Cleon, he is a former Destroyer. A very pessimistic Warrior yet very loyal and can show what he's made of in a fight. He wears no shirt under his Warriors vest. Started the gang with Cleon. Voiced by Joe Lo Truglio.
- Rembrandt: The "Writer", the gang's graffiti artist, he wears the standard Warrior's vest and an afro. The youngest member, Rembrandt is far less battle-hardened and is frequently looked after by the other members of the gang. His job is to spray a large W (Representing The Warriors) with a spray can containing red paint throughout the city. Voiced by Andy Senor
- Fox: The Scout, Fox is very familiar with other gangs and their rackets, territory, and numbers. While in a subway, he is encountered with a police officer who throws him in front of the subway train which runs him over. Voiced by Thomas G. Waites.
- Snow: A stoic African-American Warrior with an afro parted down the middle. A bit more reserved, he is still a very talented fighter who is the warlord's first choice. Voiced by Sekou Campbell
- Cowboy: A Warrior who wears a Stetson cowboy hat. He is an optimistic, happy-go-lucky Warrior. Voiced by Kurt Bauccio
- Cochise: A real-life soldier & the fastest fighter of the Warriors. He wears Native American-style jewelry, leather pants and boots. He also has an afro with a red bandanna tied around it. He was originally from Harlem but moved to Coney Island. Voiced by David Harris.
Supporting Characters:
- Virgil: Leader of The Destroyers. After setting Cleon and Vermin up when they were in their gang, they both quit and made the Warriors; The Destroyers Arch enemy. After going too far with messing with the Warriors, The Warriors decide to get back at them. They chase him into his shack and kill him by burning him with a molotov cocktail.
- Ash: The newest member of the Warriors. He doesn't get included in most of the missions the gang goes on but Vermin usually takes him places to cruise. He is beaten to death by The Destroyers shortly before the big meeting.
- Mercy: Mercy was originally with the Orphans but got bored and moved in with the Warriors. She and Swan fall in love and is a distraction to the rest of The Warriors.
- L.C: Virgil's closest Destroyer. He helps Virgil set Cleon and Vermin up with the money. When The Warriors get revenge for killing Ash, They chase him down in order to get to Virgil and knock
him out by slamming his head against The wall. It is unknown if he lives or dies.
[edit] Young Blood Warriors
- Ash
- Jones
- Malcolm
- Lynx
- Rhino
- Cody
- Royce
- Ace
- West
- Terrance
Although it's mentioned that the Warriors have 120 members, Rockstar only introduce 20 members
[edit] List of Gangs
- Moonrunners (bitter rivals of the Van Cortlandt Rangers)
- Turf: Pelham
- Overlord (leader): Bullet
- Warchief (field commander, deputy leader): Deke
- Uniform: silver (red for warchief & lieutenants) jackets
- Orphans
- Turf: Tremont
- Overlord: Sully
- Warchiefs: Jesse & Monk
- Uniform: green t-shirts (w/brown vests for warchief & lieutenants)
- Rangers (bitter rivals of the Moonrunners)
- Turf: Van Cortlandt
- Overlord: Pharaoh
- Warchief: Lucifer
- Uniform: white long-sleeved tops with purple stripes (reverse for warchief & lieutenants)
- Turnbull AC's
- Turf: Gunhill
- Overlords: Sid and Thrash
- Warchief: Nails
- Uniform: blue denim vests
- Destroyers (bitter rivals of the The Warriors)
- Turf: East Coney Island
- Overlord: Virgil
- Warchief: Cleon, later Crusty
- Uniform: Blue denim vests
- Jones Street Boys (bitter rivals of the Saracens)
- Turf: Bensonhurst
- Overlord: Knox
- Warchief: Harry
- Uniform: gold (white for warchief & lieutenants) shirts w/black stripes
- Saracens (bitter rivals of the Jones Street Boys)
- Turf: Bensonhurst
- Overlord: Edge
- Warchief: Mouse
- Uniform: black shirt-vests w/white trim (reverse for warchief & lieutenants)
- Satan's Mothers (bikers; bitter rivals of the Destroyers)
- Turf: Sheepshead Bay
- Overlords: Spider and Tiny
- Warchiefs: Goober, Kevin K.
- Uniform: black vests (w/gold t-shirts for warchief & lieutenants)
- Warriors (The Destroyers)
- Turf: West Coney Island
- Overlord: Cleon
- Warchief: Swan
- Uniform: red leather vests
- Baseball Furies (bitter rivals of the Panzers)
- Turf: Riverside, Upper West Side
- Overlord: Cobb
- Warchief: Thurman
- Uniform: white (black for warchief & lieutenants) baseball uniforms
- Boppers (bitter rivals of the Hurricanes)
- Turf: West Harlem
- Overlord: Big Moe
- Warchief: Tubbz
- Uniform: shiny purple vests over purple (gold for warchief & lieutenants) long-sleeved shirts & fedora hats
- Electric Eliminators (bitter rivals of the Hi-Hats)
- Turf: SoHo
- Overlord: Tracer
- Warchief: Header
- Uniform: gold jackets over purple t-shirts
- Hi-Hats (bitter rivals of the Electric Eliminators)
- Turf: SoHo
- Overlord: Chatterbox
- Warchiefs: Crackerjack, Marcel
- Uniform: black long-sleeved tops w/red (white for warchief & lieutenants) stripes, suspender-trousers & top hats
- Hurricanes (bitter rivals of the Boppers)
- Turf: East Harlem
- Overlords: Diego & Vargas
- Warchiefs: Sanchez, Rico
- Uniform: white shirt-vests, w/blue (for lieutenants) or brown (for Warchief) short-sleeved shirts & bowler hats
- Lizzies
- Turf: The Bowery
- Overlord: Starr
- Warchief: Sarah
- Uniform: blue or red (indigo for warchief & lieutenants) long-sleeved shirts
- Panzers (black pride; bitter rivals of the Baseball Furies)
- Punks
- Turf: The Bowery
- Overlord: Vance
- Warchief: Ed
- Uniform: blue denim overalls w/long-sleeved striped shirts
- Riffs
- Turf: Gramercy
- Overlord: Cyrus
- Warchiefs: Masai, Spazz, Seal
- Uniform: red (white for warchief & lieutenants) kung-fu uniforms over black t-shirts
- Savage Huns
- Turf: Chinatown, aka Little China
- Overlord: Ghost
- Warchiefs: Jimmy Lo, Tam-Tam & Lingo
- Uniform: green (black for warchief & lieutenants) kung-fu uniforms
The DJ will mention a gang called The Judas Bunch on the radio from time to time, saying they tried to rumble with a certain gang, usually one of the heavier sets. Interestingly, during the last cutscene for missions 12 (Set Up) one of the corrupt cops is called Judas.
[edit] Reception
The Warriors received mostly positive reviews. Many praised the game for its deep combat and control, stating that the game helped breathe life into the brawler genre, which was nearly dead at the time. The game was also praised for its unique style, along with a story and music that make the game feel identical to the movie. Complaints with the game were mostly directly towards the multiplayer. Critics complained about how the game's screen would split horizontally for two players, creating a narrow field of vision and often cluttered screens. The Warriors is often looked upon as one of the better movie licensed video games.
[edit] Soundtrack
[edit] Licensed songs
[edit] Controversy
Roger Hill, who played Cyrus in the movie, filed a lawsuit of $250,000 against Rockstar Games for using his voice and depicting him in the video game. He claimed that it would not have been difficult for Rockstar to pay, since the game made $37 million.[6]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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