Vigilante 8

[Lok]

Has anyone managed an online game yet, i cant seem to find any servers at all.

[ChrisF]

Haven't tried it online I'm afraid, sorry

I was quite disappointed with this game. I think I had the wrong one in my head and was thinking of Interstate 76?

[EvilBoris]

That was the one before V8 wasn't it.
I didn't like the illustrations in this, they were very cheap looking and devoid of any style or charm

[SmokeMeAKipper]

Sorry to be pedantic but it's spelt "Vigilante"!

[Asholay]

I was quite disappointed with this game. I think I had the wrong one in my head and was thinking of Interstate 76?

My sentiments exactly - the Interstate games (76 & 82) rank at the top of my best game lists, in comparison, this game is an absolute crock of...! incredibly limited weapons, the driving is awful (quite a key part of a driving game I'd say), and it doesn't have any of charm that Int 76/82 had; used to get really immersed driving around the Death Valley shanty towns...

Maybe I've just been spoiled by the Interstate games...?

[Flabio]

I vaguely remember that this was more a clone of Twisted Metal than any attempt to be like the Interstate games.

[Spatial]

Sorry to be pedantic but it's spelt "Vigilante"!

While we're chipping in with the pedantry, since when did stuff like the OP constitute a first play thread?

[JohnMcL7]

I really enjoyed both V8 incarnations on the N64 and although I knew this was a poor shadow of its predecessors I went for it anyway.

I had hoped for a port of the Dreamcast version which had combined most of the elements from the two games into one however it's a very watered down version of the game. There's eight characters and five maps, each has their own quest mode which is basically just the battle mode with three rounds - two enemies the first time, three the second and then three plus a boss on the third. There's no objectives aside from destroy the other vehicles, in the orignal games you had to destroy certain items in the map which game some variety.

Although the game implies there's something to unlock giving me a faint hope my favourite character the garbage truck was available, it's a con - you only unlock 'classic' versions of the car you're using.

The maps are surprisingly basic, there's less objects than the originals and there's no different transport modes - you can't switch your cars to propellers, skis or hovering. The weapon interface has changed slightly, each of the face buttons maps to a gun in a certain position which is shown on a diagram on screen so as you pick up weapons they'll become assigned to each of the three buttons with the fourth being used for your machine gun. Each weapon still has special firing modes which in the original were accessed by d-pad combinations but in this version you hold down the button instead and then let go when you have reached the type you want. Initially I didn't like this as it seemed too easy but having played it a bit more it actually works well as you have to start charging at the right time to get the attack you want as it's easy to miss the timing and either fire the shots and miss or overcharge and fire nothing.

When a vehicle is wrecked you get a few seconds to slam it with a special attack which releases far more salvage, collecting these improves the strength of your vehicle. Like the rest of the game though it's a very simplified version of the system where you could upgrade your vehicle in four different areas, once you filled one area the car would get a visual upgrade (getting full speed would add a spoiler for example) and upgrading everything would give you completely new vehicle model.

The gameplay modes are very basic, just a battle mode and that's it...no surivivor mode or anything else. The game comes across as incredibly lazy, the music transitions are non-existant (one track just suddenly stops and then another starts), the game is buggy (I've fallen straight though the maps several times now) and there's just no imagination at all to any of it, all the character and charm of the original games is not at all present. I realise there are limitations on Live games but they could have done so much more just through scripting and design with the assets they have.

I am guilty of buying the game though simply because I enjoyed the originals so much and it's still quite satisfying going head to head with a cab firing mortars and missiles then switching to a buckshot cannon to blow the cab away followed by cow punch shots to knock it flying off the side of a dam.

I only had the N64 versions so I've dug out my DC and think I'm going to order its version of the game.

John

[Lok]

Sorry to be pedantic but it's spelt "Vigilante"!

or you mean just an arse.