It was destined to be a meeting that would change everything for the hundred or so gangs in attendance but the man known as Cyrus - a gang leader that meant to unite them all - was shot dead in the middle of his speech. Within seconds, chaos erupts and it is a gang straight out of Coney Island called The Warriors that is blamed for the murder of Cyrus. The game based on the cult classic Walter Hill movie has come to consoles last year but now it’s come to PSP. Can you dig it?

Like the console version, The Warriors on the PSP follows the gang’s history and the days that lead up to the events seen in the movie. The game even starts with the initiation of their graffiti artist named Rembrandt and there’s even a level where we witness the birth of The Warriors. The great news is that everything the console version displayed can be found here in this portable version including many of the extras and even the multiplayer Rumble mode.

Rembrandt’s initiation really serves as a tutorial of sorts and thus introduces gamers to the brawling controls that are as good as the PS2 version. Aside from the basic punches and combos, your brawler can pick up objects and use them against enemies and you can even slam a foe’s head against a surface. Yet the game isn’t all about beating up other gang members. You will get a chance of exploring The Warriors turf and participate in store lootings, muggings and you can even break into cars to steal car radios. As the game progresses, you will find yourself moving through various areas in New York City as your gang tries to get back home just like in the movie.

The real meat of the game happens to be the fighting, though, and there are plenty of battles in this game. You’ll encounter a number of gangs to fight in this game including the strange mime-like Hi-Hats, the martial arts obsessed Gramercy Riffs and even the cocky Jones Street Boys. There are even moments in the game where the best strategy is running or risk being “wrecked.” The Story Mode is rich with fun and unique moments, such as the time your gang participates in a graffiti contest against a number of gangs and even join of King of the Hill-styled competition that pits two “boppers” from each gang attempting to climb to the top of a pile of stripped cars in junkyard. It’s moments like this that makes the lengthy Story mode such a joy.

Unfortunately, even with near perfect brawling moves and solid controls, the camera can be a very finicky. While the console version suffered the same flaw, it becomes more evident on the PSP. Still, even with this the core gameplay manages to overshadow this problem. It’s a small price to pay compared to the number of hours you’ll spend in the main Story mode (especially since the game allows you to accept side missions that explain how each member of The Warriors joined the gang). There’s even Rumble Mode, a mode that allows you to take on a gang one-on-one or hold a huge battle royale. You can even play both Rumble Mode and Story Mode with a friend thanks to the wireless Ad Hoc connection. Oh, and when you finish the game you can even unlock the Armies of the Night arcade-styled side-scrolling mini-game.

The Warriors is also a visually impressive game that is faithful to the PS2 version. This also means that you’ll find the same clipping issues but thankfully, it’s not as bad as other PS2 ports. The character models look great during cutscenes or during the action. You’ll never see footage from the film in the game but rather the game renders each familiar scene perfectly enough. The backgrounds are also wonderfully impressive and do an amazing job of bringing the film’s locale to life.

As far as the sound is concerned, the game not only does a great job of creating the same atmosphere seen in the movie but also brings all the sights to go along with the sights. The characters are voices appropriately and the dialogue mimics that of the movie perfectly. Even the game’s score and soundtrack (with the closing track from Joe Walsh) make an appearance in this game. It’s even cool to hear The DJ throughout the game. Overall, this is great stuff, all right.

The Warriors for the PSP brings all the things found on the console game but, more importantly, it delivers a solid fighting game based on a cool movie. While this means that it also brings a few of the console version’s few flaws, it’s hard not to like a game with a fantastic story, great brawling action and some fun extras that make this a great portable package you will definitely want to play. This is a 'Must Have' for anyone who loved the movie or likes a great brawler.

Gameplay: 8.2
Unlike the PS2 version, the game’s controls feel a tad more awkward on the PSP but at least the core gameplay that made the console version so good is intact. There’s plenty of brawling action and the story will take you through some great situations. You can also break into stores and cars as well as participate in a number of fun side missions.

Graphics: 8.0
The character models look just as good as they did on the PS2 and, while there are some clipping problems, it never gets really bad. The game’s backgrounds do an amazing job of bringing the Coney Island of Walter Hill’s vision and the cut scenes look wonderfully cinematic.

Sound: 8.5
A great voice acting cast makes each cutscene and in-game action sequence really come to life. Even with the movie’s familiar voices (the DJ being one), it’s the score and cool soundtrack that give this game its own style.

Difficulty: Medium
The second the Baseball Furies shows up you know you’re in a world of trouble. There are moments where you will be overwhelmed by the number of enemies you’ll go up against so you will often find yourself getting “wrecked.”

Concept: 9.0
Rockstar manages to cram in just about all the things found in the console version including multiplayer battles, loads of extra missions and even an arcade-styled brawler you get to unlock at the end of the game. The game is also really lengthy so you definitely get your money’s worth here.

Multiplayer: 8.0
You can go up against a friend in an Ad Hoc multiplayer beat ‘em up where you can even create your own gang to go up against the large number of gangs you’ll meet during the single-player game. You can even have a friend join you during the game’s Story Mode.

Overall: 8.5
Once again, Rockstar manages to do an amazing job porting one of their games and does so nearly flawlessly. The Warriors for the PSP is still one highly enjoyable brawler that now makes one seriously addictive portable game with a lot to offer. If you haven’t played this game on a console, do yourself a favor and pick up this portable package.