Vigilante 8 (1999). Play online

Summary

I first picked up Vigilante 8 on Game Boy Color and was surprised by how much arcade‑style combat it packed into a handheld. Each car arrives with a machine gun, but I can customize three out of five power‑ups—mines, auto‑cannons, rockets, mortars or homing missiles—plus a vehicle‑specific special weapon. By pulling off fighting‑game gestures on the pad I can unleash amplified attacks and even total a wrecked opponent, while chaining up to six "Whammies" for extra flair. Scattered wrenches let me patch damage and the zigzag lines temporarily scramble enemy homing missiles, adding a layer of tactical chaos.

The GBC version condenses the console’s five iconic arenas—Casino City, Hoover Dam, Oil Fields, Ski Resort, Valley Farms—into five bite‑size levels, all reachable through the Road Trip story or quick‑play modes with three difficulty settings. A two‑player link lets friends battle head‑to‑head, and the cartridge even includes tiny force‑feedback vibrations to mimic the consoles’ rumble. Though the environments don’t crumble, the digitized voices and sound effects keep the vehicular brawl feeling loud and lively.

Storyline

Vigilante 8 takes place in an alternate 1975 where the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime (OMAR) hires Australian terrorist Sid Burn to wipe out competing U.S. oil companies and seize a national monopoly. Burn leads the mercenary gang known as the Coyotes, who raze commercial sites across the Southwest. When news of the devastation reaches a good‑natured trucker named Convoy, he assembles his own crew, the Vigilantes, to fight back.

The Vigilantes consist of Convoy, his rebellious niece Sheila, Las Vegas high‑roller John Torque, playboy Slick Clyde, alien‑obsessed hippie Dave and FBI agent Chassey Blue. The Coyotes include Sid Burn, disco‑loving Boogie, unstable test pilot Loki, brain‑washed Houston 3, irradiated beekeeper Beezwax and juvenile thug Molo. A hidden character, Y The Alien, can be unlocked for a surprise cameo.

Each character finishes with a unique ending that ties into a larger narrative, showing how the struggle between the Vigilantes and the Coyotes can end in many different ways.