One of the most beloved vehicular combat games, Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, is back on the menu with a PC port.
Do you remember the time when everyone was jumping on the bandwagon of vehicular combat games? It was the key to success during the late 90s, slapping guns onto your car, adding a post-apocalyptic scenario and the game would climb up the charts, doesn’t matter how well or badly it was made. There was this one title, however, that caught more attention than others due to its themes and characters: Vigilante 8. Made by Luxoflux and published by Activision, this vehicular combat game stood out more than its rival Twisted Metal for some people due to its better pacing, better theming, and overall better presentation.
The vehicular combat genre died off quickly and paved the way to more arcade and linear racing games where your car was the weapon, not the weapons attached to it. Around the late 2000s, Activision actually revived the Vigilante 8 name by creating an Xbox Live Arcade version of Vigilante 8 with upgraded graphics on Xbox 360, then the game never appeared in any storefront, until now.
Currently, the whole vehicular combat genre seems to be defunct, but thanks to an ongoing semi-official project, Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense has risen from its grave and ported to PC with the Unity Engine. The game looks fantastic while keeping the engine and the graphics true to its original releases in PS1, Dreamcast, and N64.
You might think there is a problem with porting a classic to Unity Engine as it might cause some problems. The most recent example is 3D era Grand Theft Auto games being ported to Unreal Engine to give a graphical boost and better gameplay. As we know, both Rockstar and Grove Street Games failed to bring an enjoyable experience, and even further tarnished the reputation of GTA. Do not fret, as Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense on the Unity Engine is completely playable and the same as you remember, and kudos to their efforts, it is exactly as we remember.
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense’s PC port provides a lot more than the original version by actually including an online portion. This means people all around the world can take part in the battle in the ever-lasting desert, streets of Casino City, or the forgotten mineshafts. One other thing that was added to the game is the maps from the original Vigilante 8, though old characters and their iconic cars missing. It would be best if developers also included the first game’s content.
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense’s PC port is currently free to download and play, though the online portion could take some tries to get into as it is hard to determine if there are players currently searching for matches. If you are having a problem getting into the online matches, the fully customizable arcade lobbies and the entire story mode are available from start to finish too.
