While the story is nearly as threadbare, V8 is what the original Twisted Metal could've been with some refinement.
Clearly inspired by Twisted Metal, Vigilante 8 ups the ante a little by adding to the straightforward car combat genre. Taking place in the glorious disco-filled '70s, rather than merely fighting and winning, you're also given simple objectives to complete in the single player quest mode. Picking either Vigilantes (who have to defend something) or Coyotes (who must destroy something), the missions play roughly the same--survive. In truth, defending something generally just means "don't be an idiot and destroy it yourself" as you're almost the exclusive focus of attack from your enemies. Playing the right combinations of combatants eventually unlocks more combatants, and completing their missions unlocks more arenas for the more free-form arcade and split-screen two-player modes. There's no real ending to speak of, though each character's quest mode completion does generate a short video sequence, though it doesn't always make much sense. Playing through the quests really is just about opening up more for multiplayer.
The best aspect is the wide open levels. Compared to Twisted Metal, which seemed intent on hemming you inside tight urban areas, the vast farm, aircraft graveyard, and Las Vegas casino district are all more allowing of some exploring and maneuverability. The speed at which the game runs impresses, and the faster movement means the spacious levels still generate lots of action as the tighter, but slower, Twisted Metal. Both the variety of cars (non-licensed , but recognizable rip-offs) and characters (fun 70s stereotypes) are a joy to play, though a few more verbal sound bytes would be nice. From a massive school bus or semi-cab, to tiny dune buggies and AMC Gremlin-style sub-compacts, there's something for all to enjoy.
While having objectives is great, you're never told if you've completed it or not. This rankles especially when you play as the 'destroying' Coyotes, as once you eliminate all enemies, the level ends. If you missed an oil pump or a silo or a whatever, you're stuck doing the level over, never mind the idiocy that if you eliminated the enemies, you could wipe things out at your leisure (suit). There are a number of odd glitches, most namely that slamming into a wall in just the right way may send you careening high in the sky, and if you fall to the same spot it rockets you right back up until the glitch works itself out; this leaves you a sitting duck to homing weapons. The single-player quest mode also becomes repetitive and very easy as you progress; while you can play the characters in any order, since they're mostly the same, the difficulty never increases, while your own skill does.
Steering is very forgivable, even allowing mid-air turns, befitting a game with a fun, arcady feel. The controls mostly work well, though pulling off some special moves occasionally proves difficult. When not glitchy, the graphics are very nice, with great lighting effects. The soundtrack is one of the better you'll hear, taking you right back to the era of disco, cheesy sci-fi, and blaxploitation films. For any fan of Twisted Metal and other car combat games, this is a worthy opponent in the battle for genre supremacy.