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Vigilante 8

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Vigilante 8
Vigilante 8.jpg
Developer(s)Luxoflux
Vicarious Visions (GBC)
Publisher(s)Activision
Vatical Entertainment (GBC)
Designer(s)Adrian Stephens
Peter Morawiec
Jeremy Engleman
David Goodrich
Edvard Toth
Composer(s)Jeehun Hwang, Howard Drossin (PlayStation)
Alexander Brandon (N64)
Kelly Walker Rogers
Platform(s)PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
ReleasePlayStation
Nintendo 64
  • NA: March 17, 1999[3]
  • EU: March 1999
Game Boy Color
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Vigilante 8 is a vehicular combat game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. Although officially it has no connection to the Interstate '76 series,[5] it features several of its themes (auto-vigilantes, the 1970s decade, and specific fictional vehicle manufacturers).

Gameplay

Console versions

Players combat over a number of stages located over the western United States, whether in Story or Arcade Mode. Each stage has interactive features, such as ballistic missiles and launching Aurora planes for the Area 51 level. Every vehicle is equipped with a machine gun by default, but players can add up to three out of five available weapons - mines, auto-cannons, rocket pods, mortars, and homing missiles, plus a special weapon unique to the vehicle.

Three types of special attacks can be made using each of the five standard weapons, at a bigger cost in ammunition, by performing fighting game-style movements and button presses on the control pad. These attacks may be performed during normal play or to eliminate nearly-destroyed cars in a method called "Totaling." In line with the fighting-game style element, players can also score up to six combo hits called Whammies.

There are special icons scattered across the playing field; wrenches repair damage and yellow zigzag lines temporarily jam the opponent's homing-based weapons. Certain objectives in Story Mode must be completed to help unlock the game's secret characters and stages. The PlayStation version also offers players the option to play standard music CDs during a match.

The Nintendo 64 version includes a story mode for Y The Alien and a fantasy stage called Super Dreamland 64, as well as three multiplayer modes (two vs. two, three vs. one, and deathmatch) to take advantage of the system's four control ports, and a two-player Story Mode. A 480x360 hi-res mode is available from the pause menu if the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack is installed. The Pack also enables a hidden 640x480 mode, available via password.

Game Boy Color version

The Game Boy Color (GBC) version features five levels, each one from the console versions: Casino City, Hoover Dam, Oil Fields, Ski Resort, and Valley Farms. The game also features five game modes, each one essentially identical, with only minor changes.[4] The game's main story mode, Road Trip, takes the player through each level.[6] The game features three difficulty levels.[6] The player can choose from five different weapons, as well as a unique weapon assigned to each character.[6] The game features digitized audio and voiceovers, as well as a two-player mode made possible with the use of a Game Link Cable.[4][6] Unlike the console versions, obstacles and buildings cannot be blown up in the GBC version.[4] The game cartridge features a rumble feature.[4][6]

Plot

This game is set in an alternate history version of the year 1975, when illegal activities are so out of control that local every law enforcement agency, and emergency services are contacted to investigate urban areas causing suburban ones to be vulnerable. A person named Sid Burn and his gang of Coyotes are hired by OMAR to dispose competing oil companies in the U.S. so that they can become the richest company. After various reports of destruction by the Coyotes, and there are no people including cops to enlist help from, an awesome, workaholic trucker calling himself Convoy, suddenly forms a group to defeat the Coyotes and to eliminate this brutal wrath of OMAR.

Characters

This game's protagonists are the Vigilantes, a group of residents from various southwestern US states who get together in order to preserve war on crime in light of outrageous acts gripping and damaging the country. Their leader and general is good and dedicated old western truck driver Convoy. He is with his disobedient high school student niece Sheila, former gambler John Torque turned right hand man of Convoy, a hippie named Dave who loves extraterrestrials, Slick Clyde who is an arrogant vehicle collector, and sweet FBI agent Chassey Blue, who was assigned by the FBI, US House of Representatives, US Supreme Court, White House, and more of Washington DC’s officials to investigate shootout reports in the region. And together, they are the vigilantes.

This game's antagonists are the Coyotes, a group of bloodthirsty gangster terrorists recruited to carry out OMAR's sadistic goals by terrorizing commercial installations throughout this entire region using weaponry they’ve stolen when they trespassed and robbed that top-secret Site 4 military base in Nevada. Their leader and gang boss is Australian fugitive terrorist, arsonist, and corrupt business person Sid Burn. And his hitmen are part time disco dancer Boogie, a mentally-disturbed ex Site 4 test pilot that calls himself Loki; Beezwax, who is an agitated former beekeeper; Houston 3, a mind-control possessed slave as OMAR's high tech assassin, and runaway juvenile delinquent high school student (somewhat like Shiela) Molo. And together they’re them Coyotes.

An extraterrestrial being named Y The Alien appears in the game as a secret character.

Ending

Each character has their own ending, which is part of a bigger story. Molo successfully passes the Coyotes' initiation, only to be mocked as he is made to wash Sid's car. Sid receives his payoff money from OMAR for his services, but is left stranded in the middle of nowhere because he is out of gas. John Torque finds him and stashes him in his trunk. Houston breaks free of OMAR's mind control and goes away with Convoy, who detaches the machineguns from his truck. Sheila barely misses them at a gas station and is forced to walk on the road, where Convoy and Houston pick her up. Clyde wears Houston's outrageous brainwash armband out of curiosity and emerges as the Coyotes' new mob boss.

Chassey Blue embarks on a Hollywood career, releasing her self-titled movie based on the adventures of the Vigilantes. An alien ship abducts Dave in the middle of the night - and he beats his alien host in a round of checkers. The police arrest Boogie and he is convicted on a number of charges. Beezwax is elated at having acquired two nuclear warheads, but dies when a stray bee lands on and stings one of the warhead's fuses, triggering an explosion. Loki finds a UFO and is eager to fly it, but it crashes and he is mistaken for a live alien UFO pilot. In the N64 version of the game, the ship Loki crashed is revealed to be that of Y The Alien, who was seeking extra fuel and parts for his ship after being stranded on Earth for some time looking for his friends.

Development

Vigilante 8 was developed with a team of five people - Peter Morawiec, Adrian Stephens, David Goodrich, Jeremy Engleman, and Edward Toth. A commercial for the N64 version was produced for its release in March 1999. It shows a school bus dropping off children at school followed by game footage of the bus in combat. The students wait for their bus at dismissal time, only to find it severely damaged when it arrives. The advertisement was withdrawn following the Columbine massacre.

Reception

Vigilante 8 received "favorable" reviews on all platforms except the Game Boy Color version, which received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[33][34][35] Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot noted the easy control scheme and the well-designed graphics of the PlayStation version. MacDonald noted that the game's offerings would give reason for players to "retire" from Twisted Metal 2.[24] Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly noted the N64 multiplayer mode offered more fun and ran relatively smoothly in high-resolution mode.[9] Edge gave the PlayStation version seven out of ten, calling it "a competent and interesting game for anyone who enjoys trashing automobiles. But the definitive car combat would probably exploit the sensation of cars driving at speed, while enabling players to indulge in violence."[36] Next Generation gave both the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation versions favorable reviews in two separate issues, saying that the latter version was "more fun than Interstate '76 and currently the best game of its type on PlayStation" (#45, September 1998);[29] and later saying of the former version, "If you're craving some driving action with guns for your N64, this is the title to get" (#53, May 1999).[28] In Japan, where the PlayStation version was ported and published by Syscom on November 12, 1998, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.[11]

Sequels

Further information: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense and Vigilante 8 Arcade

A sequel was produced, titled Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, released for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64 in 1999. A remake for the Xbox 360, titled Vigilante 8 Arcade, was created by Isopod Labs, an independent company formed by the founders of Luxoflux. The game features a high-definition rendition of the past games plus some added multiplayer levels complete with an online mode. It was released onto Xbox Live Arcade on November 5, 2008.[37] The developer of the two Vigilante 8 games, Luxoflux, produced a game very similar to Vigilante 8 using the Star Wars license (and the Vigilante 8 game engine), titled Star Wars: Demolition.

References

  1. ^ a b Nelson, Randy (June 4, 1998). "Vigilante 8 (PS)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  2. ^ GameSpot staff (May 15, 1998). "videogames.com Game Calendat [date mislabeled as "March 14, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 15, 1999. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Schneider, Peer (March 19, 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harris, Craig (January 11, 2000). "Vigilante 8 (GBC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Scary Larry (January 1998). "Sneak Previews: Vigilante 8". GamePro. No. 112. IDG. p. 59. Although the company says it isn't Interstate 76 for the PSX, the game has a definite funky '70s feel to it.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Vigilante 8 (Game Boy Color)". Nintendo. Archived from the original on April 9, 2000.
  7. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Vigilante 8 (GBC) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  8. ^ House, Michael L. "Vigilante 8 (PS) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Davison, John; Smith, Shawn; Boyer, Crispin; Hsu, Dan (April 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 117. Ziff Davis. p. 124. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  10. ^ EGM staff (1998). "Vigilante 8 (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis.
  11. ^ a b "ヴィジランテ8 [PS]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Super Teeter (April 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64)". GameFan. Vol. 7 no. 4. Shinno Media. p. 24. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Weitzner, Jason "Fury"; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (April 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64)". GameFan. Vol. 7 no. 4. Shinno Media. p. 15. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Ngo, George "Eggo"; Chau, Anthony "Dangohead"; Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (August 1998). "Vigilante 8 (PS)". GameFan. Vol. 6 no. 8. Metropolis Media. p. 17. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Ngo, George "Eggo" (May 21, 1998). "REVIEW for Vigilante 8 (PS)". GameFan. Metropolis Media. Archived from the original on June 13, 2000. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  16. ^ McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (April 1999). "Vigilante 8 - Nintendo 64". Game Informer. No. 72. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  17. ^ McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (July 1998). "Vigilante 8 - PlayStation". Game Informer. No. 63. Archived from the original on September 30, 1999. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  18. ^ Dan Elektro (April 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64) [author mislabeled as "Air Hendrix"]". GamePro. No. 127. IDG Entertainment. p. 76. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Major Mike (August 1998). "Vigilante 8 (PS) [author mislabeled as "Air Hendrix"]". GamePro. No. 119. IDG Entertainment. p. 100. Archived from the original on January 16, 2005. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Liu, Johnny (May 1999). "Vigilante 8 Review (N64)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  21. ^ Dr. Moo (June 1998). "Vigilante 8 Review (PS)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 13, 1998. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  22. ^ Lopez, Miguel (March 10, 2000). "Vigilante 8 Review (GBC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  23. ^ MacDonald, Ryan (March 18, 1999). "Vigilante 8 Review (N64)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  24. ^ a b MacDonald, Ryan (June 23, 1998). "Vigilante 8 Review (PS)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  25. ^ Dry, Frank (June 1999). "Vigilante 8 (N64)". Hyper. No. 68. Next Media Pty Ltd. p. 80. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  26. ^ Shea, Cam (August 1998). "Vigilante 8 (PS)". Hyper. No. 58. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 60–61. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  27. ^ Bickham, Jes (May 1999). "Vigilante 8". N64 Magazine. No. 28. Future Publishing. pp. 64–66.
  28. ^ a b "Vigilante 8 (N64)". Next Generation. No. 53. Imagine Media. May 1999. p. 93. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Vigilante 8 (PS)". Next Generation. No. 45. Imagine Media. September 1998. p. 130. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "Vigilante 8 (GBC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 130. Nintendo of America]. March 2000.
  31. ^ "Vigilante 8 (N64)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 118. Nintendo of America. March 1999. p. 115. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Vigilante 8". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. 1998.
  33. ^ a b "Vigilante 8 for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Vigilante 8 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Vigilante 8 for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
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  37. ^ Davis, Torrence (February 14, 2008). "Vigilante 8 Arcade Comes To Xbox Live Arcade". The Bitbag. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2017.

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