The Warriors was based on the 1979 cult classic movie of the same name. The general story surrounds a bunch of stylized New York gangs, in particular one known as The Warriors. The game expanded on the movie by adding a series of events that occurred before the primary storyline. However, for all intents and purposes, the PSP version is pretty much identical to that of the console versions. That is, apart from a few system specific changes.
Obviously, the PSP has one less stick and a few less buttons than the PS2 controller, so a few concessions were made. Given that the original scheme was not overly complicated, there hasn’t been too much crammed into the controls and you’ll be using the d-pad a little more. However, the biggest fundamental change to the game is that you’ll now be playing your co-op through a wireless network, instead of split-screen.
Completing missions in co-op.
We were given a chance to play through three levels of the game. However, they were all identical to the ones from the original game. The first level was an “introduction” level, where one of the Warriors rookies is getting an introduction. It was reassuring that we were able to pull off pretty much all of the prompted moves without too much trouble. The second level portrayed the Spray Painting competition. It shows off two important aspects of the game, spray painting and the chase sequences. It showed that the developers have managed to get a good grip on the PSP interface and the controls were quite solid.
The third level higlighted one of the more intense fight sequences from both the game and movie - the battle in the park with the “Furies”. This gang likes their baseball bats and melee weapons, so it’s quite a battle. Apart from a few camera niggles and at times a struggle to see a few of the minor details, the sequence showed that the PSP is up to handling the game and the beat-em-up genre. Even though it was going to be far from a perfect conversion, our play time showed that the developers have a handle of the system.
Get that clown!
Impressively, we were informed that all of the content from the console game has been fitted to the PSP without too much of a sacrifice along the way. That means that the mini-game that was paying homage to Double Dragon - Armies of the Night - and all the multiplayer extras will be open from the start - so you can jump in at any time and play with these goodies. We were not told whether the co-op play will extend over infrastructure and we were also a little disappointed that there is only room for the two players.
Still, the development team has obviously put in a lot of effort into bringing The Warriors onto the PSP. Both in terms of graphics and sound, the game appears to be very well intact. It was a bit hard to see some of the finer details, such as items lying on the ground, but the overall conversion seems to be pointing in the right direction. Furthermore, for a preview build, the load times were quite respectable.
Even though it may seem a little strange that the PSP version of The Warriors doesn’t come over with any bells and whistles, the developers have at least had the common sense to do the right thing. That is, make sure that the game plays well on the different format. While we won’t know whether it'll hold up until we play the final game, The Warriors is shaping up to be the beat-em-up for the PSP. Especially if there are two of you to play the game.
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