Vigilante 8

by Air Hendrix
January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST

Overall, Vigilante 8 is worth a test-drive rental for fans of the genre. If the controls had spent more time in the shop, V8 could have been one topnotch lean, mean driving machine.

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Vigilante 8 injects some high-octane visual excitement into the combat/vehicle genre, but it falls short of the Twisted Metal hall of fame due to faulty controls. That�s a real shame, because V8 has some of the best graphics and level designs of any vehicle shooter for the PlayStation yet: Pop-up and clipping problems are kept to a minimum, huge explosions fill the screen, and the interactive stage elements will make you blink in disbelief. The airplane graveyard, for instance, has vintage B-52 bombers you can chase down the runway and blow to pieces as they try to take off.

Even though V8�s graphics scream, sluggish and inaccurate controls frequently stall the fun. Taking tight high-speed turns is a chore, and peeling around 180 degrees is almost impossible. It�s also easy to get hung up on a tight incline or in a corner where all you can do is helplessly scream "Move!" at the screen.

V8�s minimal plot pits Vigilantes (the good guys) against Coyotes (the bad guys) for control of the country�s oil reserves. You choose from one of eight crazed drivers and their specialized muscle cars, including a Cleopatra Jones�ish cyborg in a �75 Palomino and a beauty queen turned F.B.I. agent in a �67 Rattler.

Overall, Vigilante 8 is worth a test-drive rental for fans of the genre. If the controls had spent more time in the shop, V8 could have been one topnotch lean, mean driving machine.