Vigilante 8: Arcade

Vigilante 8: Arcade is one of those titles that simply isn’t as fun as you remember it being. It’s not a bad game and it’s great as a novel piece of nostalgia, but the gameplay itself doesn’t hold up all that well.

Although Vigilante 8 Arcade for XBLA maintains the spirit of chaos and destruction of it's 1998 namesake, it lacks the polish one would expect from a game released for a 7th generation platform. However, if you and your friends have an insatiable urge to blow each other up in glorious vehicular combat but you don't want to throw down $60 each for GTA IV, this is certainly a viable alternative that could easily fill a few hours.

Vigilante 8: Arcade sets out to be an exercise in updated, nostalgic goodness, but ends up falling short.

To a jaded, seen-it-all gamer like yours truly, it seems like a good idea that didn’t get executed to enough of an extent. A completely redesigned Vigilante 8 game with next-gen graphics and physics would be super awesome, if you ask me. But probably not appropriate for Xbox Live. This one is definitely meant for those who truly can’t let go of their childhood.

Problems — like a confusing camera (which, for whatever reason, is significantly better in mega-fun split-screen play), slippery vehicles that clip through the ground, and a mere five arenas on which to destroy opponents — make Vigilante 8 a questionable $10 purchase. But competitive smack-talk-athons and co-op multiplayer are a blast thanks to the diverse array of attacks.

Although it's undeniably fun, the gameplay hasn't aged that well and after 30 minutes or so your eyelids will start to get heavy and fatigue sets in. [Issue#40, p.114]

Vigilante 8 may have been good for its time, but sadly not for 2008. There are much better racing games available on the Xbox LIVE Arcade though if you liked the original or enjoyed the trial, it may be worth the 800 Microsoft Points price tag.

Nostalgia-stricken fans of the original might be able to look past Vigilante 8's deficiencies and find some fun to be had, but those unfamiliar with the aged gameplay won't be won over by the slicker presentation.

Sadly, aside from the malaise-inducing offline modes, most of Vigilante 8: Arcade's issues are technical in nature. Framerate drops, floaty steering and physics, a shaky camera, and environmental clipping are all things you'd expect to be addressed by release (some are likely leftover from the earlier releases), and with just five total arenas available until the premium DLC comes out, it's hard to believe that gamers will stick around long enough to make Vigilante 8: Arcade an essential Live Arcade purchase.

What saves this title is the nostalgia factor you get from playing it. While the love for this genre is the redeeming factor, it still doesn't give it enough oomph to justify downloading it.

It's never going to be a game I'd recommend though, purely because fundamental elements like control and camera are so frustratingly unpolished.

A new coat of paint can't save this busted and broken remake.

A decent, mindless rampage online for the converted. [Feb 2009, p.104]