For fans of the Vigilante 8 series, the wait has been long and painful. V8, for those who are too young too remember, was a vehicle-based combat title where you battled your way through opponents using all kinds of creative and destructive weaponry in arena-based deathmatch warfare.

Originally released on the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in 1998, Vigilante 8 exploded onto the scene with fresh gameplay and exciting multiplayer carnage that made it stand out from the pack of other Twisted Metal clones. After a less successful sequel, the series went into a decade-long hibernation.

However, it looks as if blue skies are ahead for fans of vehicular combat as Vigilante 8: Arcade finally slams its way onto Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday for 800 MS Points. V8: Arcade jams in eight different combatants, each with a stylish ride that can be outfitted with a ton of explosive weaponry, five newly-designed arenas, a single-player Quest mode, a cooperative mode, split-screen mutliplayer for up to four local players, and eight-player Xbox Live play.

V8: Arcade is a remake of the original title, but features plenty of new content to bring back fans of the classic games. The game will feature unspecified DLC during the first month of release, supports the often-forgotten Xbox Live Vision Camera to send and receive video feeds during online play, and packs in some great unlockable bonuses, including the original PS1 car models made up of a whopping 800 polygons each.

Stay tuned to TGR for more coverage of Vigilante 8: Arcade, including a full review.