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Game Information

Release Date: December 25, 1999
Developer: Luxoflux Corp.
Publisher: Activision
Platform(s): PlayStation, Dreamcast
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Players: 1-4

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Synopsis

VIGILANTE 8: Second Offense for the PlayStation features all of the aspects that made the first game exciting, and adds a few new features to keep it interesting. The plot is simple: It's the 1970s, and you can play as either a good driver trying to get money from the bad guys, or you can play as a bad guy and try to steal money from wherever you can. There are also elements of time travel, which allow cars and weaponry from the future to show up. The premise is the same as the original, as you drive around in a 3D environment and complete mission objectives, all the while avoiding the enemy. Once you meet all your mission objectives you can move on to the next stage. There are numerous cars and levels to choose from, secret characters to find, and some two-player multiplayer options to help the replay value. For fans of the original VIGILANTE 8, this is a sure bet.

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Story

Vigilante takes place during late 1977 in the south west United States. A highly-organized and efficient gang called Coyote, has finally been defeated by OMAR (Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime). Fast forward to the year 2017, the new leader of Coyote, Slick Clyde -which also runs OMAR- despises how America and resorted to nuclear and and sustainable energy rather than oil. He wants to change this so he goes to Stanford University and steals a prototype time machine to go back to 1977 to defeat the Vigilantes to ensure OMAR's dominance throughout the globe.

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Gameplay

Players get to choose from several different vehicles in three different game modes: Quest Mode, Story Mode, or Arcade Mode. Quest Mode takes you through 10 different states (maps) and you have to complete three certain objectives along with destroying all the enemies. You can proceed to the next map without completing these tasks, however, to complete that vehicles quest you must replay that mission in the end if you did not complete every task. In Story Mode, you do almost the same thing as in Quest Mode, but you get to see the cut scenes and the AIs are a bit more challenging. Arcade Mode allows you to choose up to thirty AIs to go against on any map you choose, though all thirty do not spawn at beginning. You must destroy a few to gain a few. You can play any of these modes with another player as well. In multi-player (4 players) mode you can only fight against each other.

Each vehicle can be upgraded by "totaling" enemies throughout any game mode. You can upgrade the speed, acceleration, armor, and gas (which prevents fires). Each vehicle is fitted with a standard machine gun and a special that you must pick up. These specials are located in green boxes. There are also other weapons in brown boxes such as mines, missiles, rockets, flamethrowers, turrets, mortars, and rapid fire cannons. Each weapon has secret tricks that activate with a sequence of buttons you must press. Their are also upgrades lying around based on each map. They include; skis, hover pods, improved accuracy, off-aim (which makes enemies harder to hit you), invisibility, and motors that allow you to "swim".

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Graphics

This game is pure eye candy. The vehicles are very detailed and will leave marks when hit and will have effects from weather. The environments in each map are very beautiful and look very realistic. Vehicles leave tracks on snow maps, the waves when you swim will splash on your car, and even the machine guns will leave leave marks on your vehicle, however, they will not shatter the glass. Not there yet unfortunately. All the random obstacles look good as well such as the alligators in the swamps and the sharks in the water. Nothing in this game was left unnoticed and a lot of time was put into making it near perfect.

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Controls

Controls are pretty decent in this game. Analogs respond very well which make everything run smooth and buttons do not lag so you shoot when you hit the triggers. The only time there might be some issues is when you want to do the special tricks with weapons, as they take numerous buttons to press in a certain manner, almost like a cheat-code. It may also take some time to get used to how to change what weapon you want to use and fire. The game itself does not tell you how to use these weapons nor does it show you how to play. Unfortunately, you'll have to read the manual if you want the easy way out.

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Ratings

Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Controls: 8/10
Overall: 9/10