More powerful weapons, like rockets and mortars, are scattered around the level by themselves or hidden in crates, but with the crates, you won’t know what you’re getting until after you’ve picked it up, and you can only hold three weapons at a time, so there will be the occasional frustrating moment where you accidentally trade 30 rockets for 6 mines. Vigilante 8-speak for “FINISH HIM!”Īs for your arsenal in this battle, you start out with a weak machine gun with infinite ammo, but laying on the trigger will overheat it and slow its fire rate to a crawl. Basically, it just comes down to making a mental note of what the target is and either staying clear of its general area or making a quick side trip to raze it. Enemy AI, however, isn’t particularly interested in your objective they never actively try to torch a building you’re supposed to protect or defend a target you’re trying to destroy…if anything, enemies will probably end up blowing up the objective on pure accident while trying to attack you. You also have an objective in each level, but they only consist of protecting or destroying a landmark, depending on your character’s affiliation. The meat of the game is the single-player Quest Mode, where you select a character and crash and smash your way through five of the game’s levels, battling more enemies at each stop, and culminating with a final showdown with a member of the opposing faction. Add a raid by the Coyotes on a secret government research facility in search of heavy artillery, and we’re off and running across the American Southwest. economy, but their attempts are thwarted by a good-guy trucker named Convoy and his band of misfit followers (the titular Vigilantes).
to heel, so they turn to professional terrorist Sid Burn and his gang (the Coyotes) in an effort to wreck the U.S. An evil oil cartel known as OMAR dominates the world oil market, but can’t manage to bring the U.S. Set in an unspecified year in the 1970’s, V-8’s story ties in surprisingly well to the time period. Yes, the black guy’s special is using a zebra-print speakerbox to unleash an earthquake. So eventually, someone had to combine these elements, and in mid-1998, Activision did just, creating today’s souffle, Vigilante 8. And everyone loves aliens and big-ass afros. Most weapons, from bull's eye rockets to roadkill mines, include secondary and tertiary functions activated by performing secret combos.Sometimes, the best formulas are the ones comprised of the simplest parts. No matter which mode is selected, players will find an assortment of weapon pick-ups scattered throughout each stage. "Brawl" is a deathmatch supporting up to four combatants, "Team" lets friends form two-man squads, and "Smear" pits one player against three. Larger groups can engage in Brawl, Team, and Smear game types. The former has the duo battling a group of computer-controlled rivals, while the latter offers the same missions found in the solo version.
Two players can participate in a one-on-one Versus Mode, or they can team up for the Cooperative and Quest Modes. Vigilante 8 also includes a robust number of options for two, three, and four players. Single players can follow each character's separate storyline in the Quest Mode, set up deathmatches in the Arcade Mode, or try to outlast waves of enemies in the Survival Mode. What sets Vigilante 8 apart are the 11 destructible environments, ranging from a ski lodge to the Mushroom Kingdom-inspired "Super Dreamland 64," and the '70s-style characters, outfits, and vehicle types. The content is otherwise the same, with players choosing between 12 members of two rival gangs in an attempt to eliminate the opposition in vehicular combat.