61 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
61 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
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VIGILANTE
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VIGILANTE is a martial-arts arcade game from Data East. Based on the popular
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coin-op hit, VIGILANTE offers decent graphics and animation, five scenarios,
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joystick control, and copy protection. The Commodore 64/128 version is the basis
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of this review.
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As if VIGILANTE weren't boring enough sitting unopened on your desk, Data East
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includes an "invincibility" option. Play a game, make it to the High Score
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table, and enter the name that's spelled out in the instruction guide. This
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simple trick makes VIGILANTE eternal. Oh boy.
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The plot of VIGILANTE concerns the Skinheads (who have taken over "your town"),
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and the Devil's Dukes motorcycle gang (who have kidnapped "your woman" -- named
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Madonna). With karate and Kung Fu as your allies, you have to make your way
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through the five scenarios and save Madonna.
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The scenarios are called Main Street, Junkyard, Bridge, Downtown, and Rescue.
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Each offers attacking thugs, all of whom must be pummeled to death, and Skull &
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Crossbones, the boss of all thugs, who appears at the end of a scenario. Beat
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him and you'll move to the next level.
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The C64 screen display consists of the scenery of the current scenario, which
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scrolls to the right as you move your character. At the top of the action screen
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are high score, current score, timer, lives-remaining icons, and energy bars for
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both you and the boss. The bar shrinks as you get punched, kicked, knifed,
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whipped with chains, and shot; when the bar is devoid of energy, you lose one of
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three lives.
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Skinheads and punks come at you from front and back. When a thug wastes you,
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your character falls off the bottom of the screen, which is especially amusing
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when the bottom of the screen is supposed to be a sidewalk. The same thing
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happens to dead thugs.
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VIGILANTE is controlled with a joystick. With the stick alone, you can jump up,
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walk left and right, and crouch to avoid an attack or pick up the numchucks, the
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only weapon available other than your karate and Kung Fu skills. With the button
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pressed, the stick allows eight different kicks. I think you can throw punches,
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too; either that, or I'm confused about the difference between a foot and a
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fist. The game package comes with one copy-protected disk and an instruction
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guide.
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VIGILANTE looks okay on the Commodore, and there are no telltale signs of
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"advanced coding" (such as incessant screen flicker, disappearing torsos, or
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hundreds of sprites that stand around idle). Animation is smooth, and the game
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does play all right. It's best to point out, though, that VIGILANTE (apart from
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its title) is no different from all the other street-oriented, martial-arts
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games now clogging the racks.
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VIGILANTE's invincibility option gives you unlimited lives: Each time you lose
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a life, it is promptly reinstated; the scenario clock is reset, as well. What
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this means is that you can play VIGILANTE forever, or for as long as you can
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stand it, whichever comes first. The choice of "Madonna" as the name of "your
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woman" shows you how "with it" Data East is. Jeez.
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VIGILANTE is published and distributed by Data East.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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