The Warriors Preview

Visuals are solid, but lacking in fine details

During our look at the game we saw this combat demonstrated by the initiation of Rembrandt into The Warriors. In this, Rembrandt was the player-controlled character and he was fighting against other members of the gang. This is a scene from the pre-film plot, and we are told that such scenes will take up the first half of proceedings, with only the second half of the game being based on the film itself. This artistic license gives Rockstar considerable room for manoeuvre with locations and gameplay options, while allowing them to flesh out the game as a whole. Let's face it, a violent chase film may be good game material, but without additions it has one-dimensional written all over it.

The Warriors' hangout is being used as a pre-game hub. This seems to share much in common with the garage in Jet Set Radio, and even uses a similar map for mission selection. However, how this hub will work (and change) in the film-based parts of the game, in which the ultimate objective is to get back to that safe haven, is still unknown.

Fortunately, we did see plenty of evidence of the game in action and were left with few doubts as to how it will work. Gameplay takes place within the New York streets, which are mostly straight roads set at right angles to each other, giving proceedings a very linear sense of progression. This depiction of the largely run-down and gritty city is rendered in a way faithful to the movie's aesthetic, but lacking a high level of detail.

The 1970s setting means run-down back streets, tramps lining the pavement and cops taking a hard line on gang culture - unlucky for The Warriors, since they're in a gang, but hardly surprising when you think about it. This is a world in which a drug called Flash is all-important, especially as it replenishes the player's health. To get Flash, players are required to mug, loot and be generally anti-social. Cars can be broken into and their stereos converted into cash, and this cash can be used to buy Flash from dealers. Tramps can even be paid for information, and then beaten up to get your cash back. A lot like Grand Theft Auto, then - and like GTA, we can foresee that the Daily Mail is just going to love this.

... The Warriors presented a combination of different gaming styles

In motion, The Warriors presented a combination of different gaming styles more at home in an action adventure title than a scrolling fighter. The section we were shown involved the gang's leader, War Chief, scouring the streets to find the other members of the gang. Fences were jumped with a quick button press without breaking stride, and finding Warriors members introduced a different game mechanic.

For starters, two of War Chief's pals were left on the ground handcuffed by police, who had then been distracted by a rival gang. That gave the PR guy demonstrating the game the chance to swoop in and free his cohorts with some surprising Track and Field style button mashing on the shoulder buttons. Next in the demo came the ability to throw things to distract enemies. Throwing an object seemed very simple, with an arrow appearing on screen to show the arc, distance and trajectory of the throw. This allowed the gang members to stealthily sneak past the cops unseen.

And it would seem that stealth is an important consideration in the game on the whole. We saw several instances where hiding in the shadows was beneficial or just downright necessary - especially when outnumbered in enemy turf. The throwing distraction also came in handy here to open up the opportunity for Manhunt style stealth kills - though nowhere near as gruesome or graphic as Rockstar's most controversial title.

However, as efficient as sneaking may be, there comes a point where you're going to get caught. To demonstrate this, we saw the three free Warriors take on a group of six or seven thugs attacking another of the Warriors' gang members. One of them was brandishing a machete, and once downed it was possible to pick up and use his weapon, carving some impressively nasty looking scars onto the enemy character models before they finally gave up the ghost and died. Other than weapons combat, we also noted the range of sound bites coming from Warriors and enemies alike - a veritable feast of trash talking that suits the urban gang warfare.