After New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's recent condemnation of Grand Theft Auto, I can't wait to hear what she has to say about Rockstar's latest attempt to offend: a no-holds-barred, beat-'em-up across the blood-soaked streets of the Big Apple itself. Of course, this time Rockstar's only being faithful to its source material: the 1979 cult classic flick, The Warriors.
Even if you're not familiar with the titular gang's treacherous trek back to Coney Island, the game will bring you up to speed. In fact, there's more plot and storytelling finesse here than in the actual film. And just as San Andreas perfectly captured the feel of LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas, The Warriors brilliantly re-creates the atmosphere of 1970s New York. The gameplay isn't nearly as varied as GTA, but fans of the beat-'em-up genre will certainly dig it.
HEROES OF THE PACIFIC (T) (4 stars)
Ubisoft
Xbox, PlayStation 2
This game isn't quite as realistic as other sims out there, but that just means you won't need a pilot's license to nail the control scheme. With superior graphics and kick-ass dogfights, these action-packed battles through WWII's Pacific theater of war make other flight sims feel like dusting crops.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (T) (3.5 stars)
Activision
Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
New spider, same flies. Spider-Man has a fresh, new look borrowed from the pages of the comic book (or perhaps from Viewtiful Joe), but like Spider-Man 2, this game is still crawling with filler missions, involving time trials or thwarting the same bank heists over and over.
NBA LIVE 06 (E) (4 stars)
EA Sports
Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube
It's like NBA Street played indoors. This year's NBA Live adds superstar moves, allowing star players such as Shaq to conquer with stylized flourishes like 180-degree spin dunks. These moves are virtually unstoppable so they hinder the realism in favor of a looser arcade style, but they sure look awfully pretty.
WORMS 4: MAYHEM (T) (3 stars)
Majesco
Xbox
Less than a year after Worms 3D hit the Xbox, we're being asked to open yet another can. Unfortunately, the formula of turn-based combat and British humor is wearing thin faster than an anorexic with a tapeworm. But the multiplayer experience is still worth the budget price.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].