This was one of my multiplayer favourites as a kid, although playing it again now, and I remember this having more stuff than it actually does. It’s a more refined version of the vehicle fighting of Vigilante 8, with the biggest improvement being the levels, as they feel far more open, yet also more interactive. The AI also engages with you a bit more, instead of dashing to health the moment they get hit.

The singleplayer mode has been overhauled slightly, too, as each character now has a quest. For the most part, it’s playing all the levels and blowing up opponents, there are just some slightly different objectives like finding hidden objects.

That said, the number of characters and levels don’t quite feel like enough. It’s still a really fun game, it just feels the same as the first.

Fun

So, what we have here is a slightly tweaked version of an okay-ish game that we’ve all seen before. It appears that Activision are trying to offer more Vigilante 8 for your money, and fair enough, but shouldn’t they really have done that first time round? There’s nothing wrong with Second Offence as such, it’s just pretty average. And, as your Dad might point out, there’s no bigger crime than mediocrity.

Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #40. Review Score: 69%

Remake or remaster?

A remaster that combines everything from all the games would be great.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Vigilante 8: 2nd Offence.