Way of the Warrior - 3DO, 1994

 

Jason "Mr Midnyte" Pinon

Welcome back.

This installment is is a bit better than the last one, though it's cut from a similar cloth.

Similar to Kasumi Ninji, Way of the Warrior was released in August of 1994 for the 3DO (which for those who don't know is another system from the early 90's trying to cash in but was too expensive for it's own good).  Another attempt at a Mortal Kombat clone, WotW has similar digitized graphics of real people and ultra-violent game play, complete with multiple finishing moves per character.  The members of the cast are attempting to have their names added to "The Book of Warriors", a compendium of the greatest fighters in history. 

This particular game has a couple of really interesting things that make it stand out.  For starters, this game was an early game developed by studio Naughty Dog.  Yeah, that Naughty Dog.  Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, the Last of Us...and the Way of the Warrior.  Partnering with Universal Interactive allowed this fledgling game maker to become the behemoth it is now.  Humble beginnings indeed.  The soundtrack is also all provided by the band White Zombie, featuring songs from one of their albums, adding CD quality music in a game before Tony Hawk made it cool.

My favorite part of writing these things is checking out the characters in each game.  Way of the Warrior has a lineup of nine main characters, featuring a ninja named...Ninja.  Other highlights include an soldier named Major Gaines (lol), a cajun or something named Shaky Jake, and a tough biker lady that goes by Crimson Glory.  The bosses are claymation escapees that are a giant skeleton and a goofy-ass looking dragon.  There are even a few hidden characters, which include a bad Indian stereotype named Gullab Jamun.  The graphics seem pretty good, but appear to be plagued with clipping and slow down.  The stages are big and colorful, and there's even a stage with uneven levels, which seems odd.  




In the end, the game received less than stellar reviews, citing rough gameplay, poor sound effects, and difficult to execute special moves.  For a taste, feel free to watch this video with examples of Fatalities.
https://youtu.be/-_Ya4mSkDMI

Midnyte Score - 2 out of 5!

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