In this review, we take justice into our own hands as we play the Playstation game Vigilante 8. We find out how well this vehicular combat game plays.
This game was released in 1998 and is the original Playstation version of this game. We’ve already earlier reviewed the N64 version, so we decided to focus on the differences in this review.
One of the big differences is the cut scenes. There is actually a full blown cinematic intro in this version. Also, each character has a short video ending. In the N64 version, each character has an ending that involves a slideshow with text. On the surface, that sounds like the Playstation version is superior. The problem is that the videos don’t have text. As a result, some context is lost. In one example, you see Dave humiliating the alien in checkers. In the N64 version, you find out that Dave is one victory away from taking the ship. How this difference impacts the ending varies from character. Unfortunately, it, at best, is just a good in the N64 version.
While the unlocking tree is largely the same, there are differences. In this version, you can ultimately unlock Y the Alien, but for arcade mode only. In the N64 version, you can play him in quest mode and get a full-fledged ending with him. In addition, the N64 version has one additional map that is absent from this game.
Beyond this, if you’ve played the N64 version of this game, then you’ve played this version of this game. There are no real significant differences in gameplay.
Graphically speaking, the graphical differences are, at best, nearly non-existent. Given the graphical limitations of the Playstation, this actually speaks well for this version because the Playstation has less horsepower than the N64 in this area. It is even harder to notice the limited draw distance because of how this game handles distant objects. So, thumbs up, here.
The audio has some pretty big differences. The most noticeable is the music. The Playstation version has a completely different soundtrack then the N64 version. I would say the Playstation version has a much more mixed bag of music quality. It ranges from the practically epic track 7 to the rather bland track 1. What’s a real shame here is the fact that the tracks aren’t even named. While the music is not as good in this version, the voice work is improved. It is still to hear what some characters say, but you get a voice sample at the end depending on if you win or get destroyed. The N64 version had a special win or lose fanfare track. So, in this respect, the Playstation version is a little bit superior. So, great stuff all around.
Generally speaking, if you had a choice between the N64 version and the Playstation version, I would recommend the N64 version. You simply get more gameplay content overall in the N64 version. If, however, you are stuck with the Playstation game only, you are still in for a great time. The music is a bit more of a mixed bag, but the voice work is better here. Better than Twisted Metal III in my view.
Overall
Furthest point in game: Beat the game on unleaded. Beat Chassey Blue in Super Unleaded. Beat Dave on High Octane difficulty, but died on the last stage of Chassey Blue.
General gameplay: 21/25
Replay value: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Audio: 4/5
Overall rating: 84%
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
