With the advent of the 32 and 64 bit game consoles, a new genre of gaming emerged: the car combat game.  One of the first was Twisted Metal, which was followed by a sequel, Twisted Metal 2.  Both games were PlayStation mainstays.  However, games of this sort have been few and far between on the Nintendo 64.  That seems to have changed now that Vigilante 8, a themed car combat game which was available last year on the PlayStation, has finally arrived on the Nintendo 64. 

The story for Vigilante 8 on the N64 is the same as it is on the PlayStation version: In an alternate timeline, the oil crisis of the seventies never ended. An anti-US oil conglomerate paid a group of mercenary terrorists to destroy the remaining US oil reserves in order to force the US to its knees and into economic slavery. A group of hard nosed citizens have taken up the fight as The Vigilantes to take on the roaming terrorists in hopped up autos.

Vigilante 8 has several play modes to choose from: Quest Mode, Arcade Mode, and Survival Mode, where you face an unlimited barrage of computer opponents and fight as long as you can. Quest Mode can also be played in a 2 player cooperative manner as can the Arcade Mode.  There is also a standard 4 player deathmatch. 

Vigilante 8’s play consists of driving your car around the various play environments and either destroying or protecting various objectives. The secondary objective is the elimination of all of your rivals. Each vehicle is equipped with a standard machine gun, but several different power ups can be picked up by each vehicle. There is also a special power up for each individual vehicle.  

Vigilante 8 makes no pretense of deep gameplay or even of a deeper meaning. The gist of the game is to blow stuff up, even when you are on a protection mission, and that is precisely where it succeeds. The '70's theme allows the  developers to take the outrageous style and glitz of that era, and blow it up real good.  

Each vehicle in Vigilante 8, while not too terribly different from any other, possesses a special quality. Agility and damage characteristics differ to be sure, but more importantly, the special weapon, and size of vehicles are to be taken into account.  For example, John Torque’s massive Cadillac is a tough machine to move around in tight spots and makes a big target to hit, but his car also comes with a weapon that befits its size: a wake-inducing bass wave. Having size and mass means you can do a little destruction derby action as well. Boogie’s Gremlin, however, is the opposite. It’s fast, maneuverable, and packs a much smaller punch.  Luxoflux has balanced the cars quite well, and there is no car that gives a distinct advantage.

Sound effects, while not the best around, are good enough. The same can be said for the music, with some tracks being simply okay, while others are really good.  The '70's disco music can get on your nerves, but you can turn it off. 

Vigilante 8's graphics are worthy of special mention because it stands out from other N64 games.  Luxoflux has implemented a special texturing system that loads higher quality textures as you get closer to an object. It’s done quite effectively here. The game also supports the expansion pak for two additional resolution modes, one of which must be earned.

Multiplayer action in Vigilante 8 is a love/hate affair.  Unlike a first person shooter, you actually see your on-screen avatar.  When the screen is split, it can make your viewing area very small.  But other than that the multiplayer is great. Aside form the two player co-op mode, you have the basic deathmatch.  Playing teams is probably the best way to do the multiplayer thing.  I liked playing “King of the Mountain” on the ski slope level. The high grade and slick surface made for some serious fighting, and the ski lifts make a nice sneak attack maneuver possible.

When it comes down to it, Vigilante 8 is about one thing: blowing stuff up. The graphics are great, the sound is adequate, and the multiple modes give a nice amount of replay value.  Cooperative play is a nice plus, as are the other multiplayer functions.  Gameplay, while not the deepest, is fun.  What it all boils down to is that Vigilante 8 is a good time.