Vigilante 8 taking aim at Xbox Live

Console gamers looking to vent a little road rage can prepare to be caught in the combination of headlights and crossfire once again, as Activision this week announced Vigilante 8: Arcade for Xbox Live Arcade. The series has been up on cinder blocks for some time, as this game will be the first new title in the Vigilante 8 franchise since 2000's Nintendo 64 port of Vigilante 8: Second Offense.

Billed as a remake of the original 1998 PlayStation vehicular combat game, Vigilante 8: Arcade won't be a straight rehash of the original. Designed from the ground up to take advantage of today's more powerful hardware, the game will feature four-player split-screen play, online multiplayer matches for up to eight players, and an assortment of downloadable content, some of which will be free.

Vigilante 8: Arcade is being developed by Isopod Labs. While the name might not be familiar to fans of the series, the startup studio's pedigree will be. Isopod Labs was formed in early 2007 by Adrian Stephens and Peter Morawiec, cofounders of original Vigilante 8 developer Luxoflux.