Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense

"Forget racing games! Cars now have a new way to play!"

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to fight to death in a car? Did you also wonder how it feels like to drive a car installed with machine guns? Well, if you say YES to all the above, Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is the game for you.

Vigilante: 2nd Offense is a game which give players the chance to control the vehicle of their choosing in order to destroy other vehicles. Before you even ask, you cannot go out of your car or hijack other people's cars. This game is completely in a car's point of view. Every car has it's own weaknesses and strengths, so don't expect to find any car which is better than the rest.


Story: 8/10
Yes, this game has a story. It is really hard to believe, but the story of this game is actually quite good. The story goes as Clyde Drexler, the villain of the game, wanted to destroy his archrival robot, nicknamed Palmino XXI. In order to do this, he made a car rumble event so Palmino XXI can become a much more vulnerable target. Vehicles poured in the event in attempt to destroy each other. The winner is granted the gift of fighting Palmino XXI himself so they can get the respect of Clyde. Every car has its own story so you should play the story mode with all the cars first before you play a free match. Some drivers are good, some are evil. They may help the evil Clyde or wish to be with the heroic Palmino XXI. So what is my conclusion of the story? I like the story of Twisted Metal better, but Vigilante: 2nd Offense's story is not far behind.


Gameplay: 10/10
If new players have played a game called Twisted Metal, then they would know that Vigilante: 2nd Offense has exactly the same style of gameplay. You take control of a certain vehicle and use it to destroy rival vehicles. Why I say "vehicles" instead of "cars" is because there are not only cars in this game. There are trucks, trailers, and even bikes! Also, this game consists of more than 12 vehicles each with their own story. Don't even think of getting bored fast when hunting Palmino XII. Each car has their own special moves which can be obtained by driving through green crate pickups scattered throughout the map. There are also brown crate pickups which can be obtained by they only give the player's vehicle normal weapons like machine guns, flamethrowers, etc. Each car has their own stats and you may see the car's appearance evolving as it gets better. The AI in this game are rather challenging to so players may expect a fair amount of challenge. In the game, you have a HUD which shows the health of your car and the ammo in the current weapon attached to your car. You can always explore the game to see the different kinds of weapons available in the game.


Graphics: 8/10
For a PSX, the graphics of this car - combat game is actually pretty good. There are maybe some pixel shadings shown clearly within the game, but overall the graphics are fine. The vehicle designs are probably one of the most fascinating aspect of the game. They are not boring old looking cars like you see in the streets. Some have jets, some have more than 4 wheels, and some even use skis! The arenas of the game are also a creative part of Vigilante: 2nd Offense. All of them are different from the rest so players can use their time to explore each map.


Controls: 9/10
Driving is really easy in this game. Think of it like any other games which require driving. The shooting button is also assigned very well so it's easy to shoot while driving your vehicle. Stopping is also rather easy in this game so players can do a emergency stop casually. The drifting is rather stiff in this game so you can't powerslide often. Turning, well, nothing wrong with it.


Replayability: 10/10
So you finish story mode. End of the game, you may ask? The answer is really simple: NO. The story is only a small part of the game. After your done with it, you can do tons of stuff. First, you can always tell a friend to grab the 2nd controller and play with you in a free match. This can easily last up to 100 hours or more. Bored already? Well here's another thing to do. You should increase all your car's stats until maximum. Enjoy the new appearance of your car after that!

Overall, Vigilante 2nd: Offense is a game not to be missed out by gamers, especially if you like Twisted Metal or a huge fan of cars. Don't bother if this game is really old, just borrow it from someone who has it and try it for yourself! You won't regret it!

Also remember, Racing Games aren't always the best car games out there!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/08

Game Release: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense (US, 10/31/99)