Vigilante 8
Encyclopedia
Vigilante 8 is a vehicular combat
video game released on June 4, 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64
, and Game Boy Color
. It is a spinoff of the PC game
Interstate '76
, and features several concepts (auto-vigilantes, the 1970s time frame, and specific fictional vehicle companies) carried over from that title.
Vigilante 8 was developed with a team of only five people (Peter Morawiec, Adrian Stephens, David Goodrich, Jeremy Engleman, and Edward Toth), a seemingly impossibly small team size for developing a PlayStation game, when most development teams for such a console ranged around 20–30 people in the 1990s.
The developer of the two Vigilante 8 games, Luxoflux
, produced a game very similar to Vigilante 8 using the Star Wars
licence (and the Vigilante 8 game engine
), titled Star Wars: Demolition
, and has since produced the Grand Theft Auto
-inspired True Crime: Streets of LA
.
Vigilante 8 is also very similar to the Twisted Metal series, but with improved graphics and more realistic physics. Vigilante 8 and Vigilante 8: Second Offense were innovative in the degree of level interaction, weapon design and combo systems. It should also be noted that, in the PlayStation version of the game, you may switch the Vigilante 8 disc with any audio CD to replace the game's soundtrack; the game will continue to play without the game disc.
Unlike other game titles where numbers denote sequels, Vigilante 8 was a pun on V8
.
OMAR hired Sid Burn, a professional terrorist, to push the U.S. economy over the edge. Sid began to organize his troops in the remote areas of the southwest. Calling themselves the "Coyotes," they began to target oil refineries, commercial installations and other vital industry throughout the region. With the law enforcement in the cities, some desperate civilians began to take the law into their own hands. Led by a trucker named Convoy and referred to simply as the "Vigilantes," this oddball group soon became a major hindrance to Sid.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government, feeling more vulnerable than ever, was intensifying its research and development of a new military arsenal. The most advanced weaponry, rumored to be based on UFO technology, was located at Site-4, a secret facility at Papoose Lake. This information was not lost on Sid, and the Coyotes ambushed the facility. However the Vigilantes unexpectedly appeared to stop them and as a result, both parties found themselves in possession of the world's most advanced weaponry.
What followed were no ordinary skirmishes. Auto clashes ensued all over the land, from Colorado's Rockies to California's farmlands, only to culminate in a battle like no other. To this day the events which took place are only a matter of speculation.
early in the system's life cycle, but no further information or game was ever released.
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.
Vehicular combat game
Vehicular combat games are typically video or computer games where the primary focus of play concerns automobiles or other vehicles, normally armed with guns or other weaponry, attempting to destroy vehicles controlled by the CPU or by opposing players...
video game released on June 4, 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, and Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
. It is a spinoff of the PC game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
Interstate '76
Interstate '76
Interstate '76 is a vehicular combat video game for Windows. It was developed and published by Activision and released in March 1997.-Gameplay:...
, and features several concepts (auto-vigilantes, the 1970s time frame, and specific fictional vehicle companies) carried over from that title.
Vigilante 8 was developed with a team of only five people (Peter Morawiec, Adrian Stephens, David Goodrich, Jeremy Engleman, and Edward Toth), a seemingly impossibly small team size for developing a PlayStation game, when most development teams for such a console ranged around 20–30 people in the 1990s.
The developer of the two Vigilante 8 games, Luxoflux
Luxoflux
Luxoflux was an American video game developer. It was founded by Peter Morawiec and Adrian Stephens in January 1997, and was based in Santa Monica, California.-History:...
, produced a game very similar to Vigilante 8 using the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
licence (and the Vigilante 8 game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
), titled Star Wars: Demolition
Star Wars: Demolition
Star Wars: Demolition is a vehicular combat game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was released on both PlayStation and Dreamcast consoles. The game was released on PlayStation on November 12, 2000 and on November 19, 2000 for Dreamcast....
, and has since produced the Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
-inspired True Crime: Streets of LA
True Crime: Streets of LA
True Crime: Streets of LA is an action-adventure video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in November 2003 and the first game in the True Crime series...
.
Vigilante 8 is also very similar to the Twisted Metal series, but with improved graphics and more realistic physics. Vigilante 8 and Vigilante 8: Second Offense were innovative in the degree of level interaction, weapon design and combo systems. It should also be noted that, in the PlayStation version of the game, you may switch the Vigilante 8 disc with any audio CD to replace the game's soundtrack; the game will continue to play without the game disc.
Unlike other game titles where numbers denote sequels, Vigilante 8 was a pun on V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
.
Synopsis
The game's storyline is built around an alternate history, in which there was a worldwide oil crisis in the 1970s and the U.S. was on the verge of an economic breakdown. Strikes, riots and crime were rampant, and all available law enforcement were brought to the cities leaving the outlands vulnerable. A foreign multinational oil consortium, Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime (OMAR), was determined to monopolize the world oil trade. The U.S. was the last country that stood in their way and they were prepared to go to any length to bring the U.S. to its knees.OMAR hired Sid Burn, a professional terrorist, to push the U.S. economy over the edge. Sid began to organize his troops in the remote areas of the southwest. Calling themselves the "Coyotes," they began to target oil refineries, commercial installations and other vital industry throughout the region. With the law enforcement in the cities, some desperate civilians began to take the law into their own hands. Led by a trucker named Convoy and referred to simply as the "Vigilantes," this oddball group soon became a major hindrance to Sid.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government, feeling more vulnerable than ever, was intensifying its research and development of a new military arsenal. The most advanced weaponry, rumored to be based on UFO technology, was located at Site-4, a secret facility at Papoose Lake. This information was not lost on Sid, and the Coyotes ambushed the facility. However the Vigilantes unexpectedly appeared to stop them and as a result, both parties found themselves in possession of the world's most advanced weaponry.
What followed were no ordinary skirmishes. Auto clashes ensued all over the land, from Colorado's Rockies to California's farmlands, only to culminate in a battle like no other. To this day the events which took place are only a matter of speculation.
Gameplay
The game includes a variety of weapons, most of which are picked up during gameplay. Every vehicle is equipped with the Mosquito Machine Gun by default (which is relatively weak on its own, but has infinite ammunition).Reception
Sequels
A sequel was produced, titled Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, released for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64 December 1, 1999. A third game in the Vigilante 8 series was announced for PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
early in the system's life cycle, but no further information or game was ever released.
A remake for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, titled Vigilante 8 Arcade
Vigilante 8 Arcade
Vigilante 8 Arcade is a vehicular combat video game developed by Isopod Labs and published by Activision. It was announced February 14, 2008 and released on November 5, 2008 for Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. Isopod Labs was formed by three former members of Luxoflux, developer of the original...
, was created by Isopod Labs, an independent company formed by the founders of Luxoflux
Luxoflux
Luxoflux was an American video game developer. It was founded by Peter Morawiec and Adrian Stephens in January 1997, and was based in Santa Monica, California.-History:...
. 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
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on November 5, 2008.