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Game Info

Cover art of Vigilante 8
Platform
Game Boy Color
Genres
Vehicular Combat
Player Perspective
Top-down
Developers
Vicarious Visions
Publishers
Vatical Entertainment
Release date
December 15, 1999

Summary

Vigilante 8 on the Game Boy Color squeezes the series’ over‑the‑top vehicular combat into a handheld format without losing its signature flair. The cartridge packs five distinct arenas—Casino City, Hoover Dam, Oil Fields, Ski Resort, and Valley Farms—each lifted straight from the console versions, and a single “Road Trip” story mode that strings them together while offering three difficulty settings. I can pick from five standard weapons—mines, auto‑cannons, rocket pods, mortars, and homing missiles—and each driver also carries a unique special weapon, all layered on top of the default machine gun.

Combat feels surprisingly deep for a tiny screen: by pulling off fighting‑game‑style button combos I can unleash amplified attacks, total a wrecked car, or rack up six‑hit “Whammies.” Scattered wrenches patch damage, and yellow zigzag lines temporarily jam opponents’ homing missiles, adding a tactical layer to the chaos. The GBC version skips destructible environments, but it makes up for it with digitized audio, voiceovers, and even force‑feedback built right into the cartridge.

Multiplayer is a breeze with a Game Link Cable, letting a friend jump in for head‑to‑head mayhem. Completing hidden objectives in Road Trip unlocks secret characters and extra stages, rewarding the extra effort with fresh chaos on the go.

Storyline

Vigilante 8 takes place in an alternate 1975 where the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime (OMAR) hires Australian terrorist Sid Burn to wipe out rival oil firms and secure a national monopoly. Burn leads the mercenary group known as the Coyotes, who are tasked with destroying commercial installations across the Southwest.

In response, a good‑natured trucker named Convoy assembles his own band, the Vigilantes, to protect law and order. The Vigilantes consist of Convoy, his rebellious niece Sheila, high‑roller John Torque, mysterious playboy Slick Clyde, alien‑obsessed hippie Dave, and FBI agent Chassey Blue.

The Coyotes’ roster includes Sid Burn, disco‑loving Boogie, disturbed test pilot Loki, brain‑washed Houston 3, irradiated beekeeper Beezwax, and juvenile idol Molo. A secret unlockable character, Y The Alien, also appears. Each character receives a unique ending, weaving together multiple outcomes for both the Vigilantes and the Coyotes.

Edited by Maya Carter

Game Screenshots

  • Screenshot 1 of Vigilante 8
  • Screenshot 2 of Vigilante 8
  • Screenshot 3 of Vigilante 8