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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Isopod Labs Publisher: Activision |
make or model, each with varying driving attributes and special weapons to use, and then take it into the field to do battle in the hope of destroying other cars on the map attempting to do the same to the player. “Twisted
Metal” was a very popular title at the time, but “Vigilante 8” was one game that took advantage of the vehicular combat genre’s popularity. It spawned one sequel and the series spanned over several different platforms
before it disappeared with the entire genre.
Activision is bringing back the “Vigilante 8” franchise with the release of “Vigilante 8: Arcade,” an Xbox Live Arcade game selling for 800 Microsoft Points. Players get a combination of eight different characters from the
two previous games and five arenas that have seen a bit of refinement since the original release of the two games in the late ‘90s. The game play is identical to what players may remember from the past, which is both
good and bad. This is good because of the nostalgia of being able to run through a classic experience the way it was meant to be player. The vehicle combat is a little less exciting than many will remember because
they will more than likely notice that battles will have players attacking, and then reversing away from the competition and lobbing mortars and rockets at their enemies.
The controls are also straight out of the original, which is to say that the game is a little hard to handle at times. Tapping right or left on the analog stick swings the vehicle in either direction. Some vehicles are worse
than others, but they are all fairly manageable. What can be a bit frustrating is the fact that while playing as some of the larger vehicles in the game, the smallest mine can easily knock the vehicle over. Luckily players
have some control when they are on their back, so getting back on the vehicle’s wheels isn’t anything to worry about, but those few seconds while players try to right themselves can be very deadly.
Each of the eight vehicles in the game has its own Quest mode where players will player through three arenas, each with a growing number of enemies as they move on. A final boss character appears at the end of
each vehicles final stage, and it is different depending on which character players have taken control of. One notable change that has been made from the original comes in the form of salvage. As players go through
the Quest mode, each opponent that is totaled will drop salvage for the player to collect. Picking up these salvage parts actually extends the amount of hit points for their character. This is a nice mechanic and players
can also put together weapon combinations to earn extra salvage. There are also oddly placed alien artifacts that can be collected, but these felt like a worthless addition to the game. The overall design of the Quest
mode is a bit boring dull at times with very little differentiating the characters besides the end boss that must be defeated, and it is a little disappointing that players never get to see a full arena of the seven other drivers
while in Quest mode, though players can in a custom battle. Instead, players will see a maximum of three, plus the end boss.
Though the single player mode can be fun, the real experience of the game can be found in the multiplayer where players can face up to eight players on Xbox Live in a battle royale. They can play in a death match or
with teams, and it is much better experience than playing against the AI. Lag isn’t much of an issue online and the frame rate is never solid, but it isn’t made any worse when playing online. It is also important for
players to know that up to four players can play in a local console game against AI in a split screen mode.
The stages have been fitted with many more destructible buildings and environmental object pieces. Players can run over oil derricks, resulting in a spout of oil shooting from the ground that car carry other cars into the
air. The overall destruction is visually impressive and can also help to create traps for the enemies in each level, but that all comes with technical flaws.
As stated before, the frame rate in “Vigilante 8: Arcade” bounces a little too often when the camera swings to show a large chunk of the level and the action going on in that area. That isn’t to say that the game is bad,
after all it is an Xbox Live Arcade game, which is makes this issue allowable. However, the stuttering frames are a little bit disappointing and pull players out of the game play experience. With that being said, the edges
are smooth, texture work is solid and the models are more detailed than in the original.
“Vigilante 8: Arcade” is one of the types of games that isn’t nearly as much fun as the original game. It isn’t a bad game by any means, but it is a great piece of nostalgia for any game collection, but the game play itself
doesn’t hold up very well. It is fun for a while and it is well worth the 800 Microsoft Points, though some who have never played the series may want to spend the points somewhere else.
Metal” was a very popular title at the time, but “Vigilante 8” was one game that took advantage of the vehicular combat genre’s popularity. It spawned one sequel and the series spanned over several different platforms
before it disappeared with the entire genre.
Activision is bringing back the “Vigilante 8” franchise with the release of “Vigilante 8: Arcade,” an Xbox Live Arcade game selling for 800 Microsoft Points. Players get a combination of eight different characters from the
two previous games and five arenas that have seen a bit of refinement since the original release of the two games in the late ‘90s. The game play is identical to what players may remember from the past, which is both
good and bad. This is good because of the nostalgia of being able to run through a classic experience the way it was meant to be player. The vehicle combat is a little less exciting than many will remember because
they will more than likely notice that battles will have players attacking, and then reversing away from the competition and lobbing mortars and rockets at their enemies.
The controls are also straight out of the original, which is to say that the game is a little hard to handle at times. Tapping right or left on the analog stick swings the vehicle in either direction. Some vehicles are worse
than others, but they are all fairly manageable. What can be a bit frustrating is the fact that while playing as some of the larger vehicles in the game, the smallest mine can easily knock the vehicle over. Luckily players
have some control when they are on their back, so getting back on the vehicle’s wheels isn’t anything to worry about, but those few seconds while players try to right themselves can be very deadly.
Each of the eight vehicles in the game has its own Quest mode where players will player through three arenas, each with a growing number of enemies as they move on. A final boss character appears at the end of
each vehicles final stage, and it is different depending on which character players have taken control of. One notable change that has been made from the original comes in the form of salvage. As players go through
the Quest mode, each opponent that is totaled will drop salvage for the player to collect. Picking up these salvage parts actually extends the amount of hit points for their character. This is a nice mechanic and players
can also put together weapon combinations to earn extra salvage. There are also oddly placed alien artifacts that can be collected, but these felt like a worthless addition to the game. The overall design of the Quest
mode is a bit boring dull at times with very little differentiating the characters besides the end boss that must be defeated, and it is a little disappointing that players never get to see a full arena of the seven other drivers
while in Quest mode, though players can in a custom battle. Instead, players will see a maximum of three, plus the end boss.
Though the single player mode can be fun, the real experience of the game can be found in the multiplayer where players can face up to eight players on Xbox Live in a battle royale. They can play in a death match or
with teams, and it is much better experience than playing against the AI. Lag isn’t much of an issue online and the frame rate is never solid, but it isn’t made any worse when playing online. It is also important for
players to know that up to four players can play in a local console game against AI in a split screen mode.
The stages have been fitted with many more destructible buildings and environmental object pieces. Players can run over oil derricks, resulting in a spout of oil shooting from the ground that car carry other cars into the
air. The overall destruction is visually impressive and can also help to create traps for the enemies in each level, but that all comes with technical flaws.
As stated before, the frame rate in “Vigilante 8: Arcade” bounces a little too often when the camera swings to show a large chunk of the level and the action going on in that area. That isn’t to say that the game is bad,
after all it is an Xbox Live Arcade game, which is makes this issue allowable. However, the stuttering frames are a little bit disappointing and pull players out of the game play experience. With that being said, the edges
are smooth, texture work is solid and the models are more detailed than in the original.
“Vigilante 8: Arcade” is one of the types of games that isn’t nearly as much fun as the original game. It isn’t a bad game by any means, but it is a great piece of nostalgia for any game collection, but the game play itself
doesn’t hold up very well. It is fun for a while and it is well worth the 800 Microsoft Points, though some who have never played the series may want to spend the points somewhere else.
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