My cousin and I played this game a lot when we were teenagers. I first rented it from Blockbuster, really liked it, and ended up buying it when Blockbuster went under. I still have my old PS1 disc. I was completely enamored with the story. Branching paths, multiple endings, hidden mechanics, and a cast of interesting characters and mechs made this game unforgettable for me.
It failed commercially back in the day, which is tragic. Relatively few Human Entertainment games ever made it to the West, and much of Working Designs’ work wasn’t heavily advertised either. A lot of gems like Vanguard Bandits were simply overlooked and unnoticed at the time.
I would love for more people to experience this game. Has it aged well? I honestly couldn’t say, I haven’t played it in a very long time. But the fact that I still remember the characters and story decades later says something about the impact it had on me.