Interview

X-Files: Resist or Serve

Developer: Black Ops
Publisher:  Vivendi Universal / Fox Interactive
Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform:  PS2 & XBox
Release Date: TBD

Preview/Interview by Randy Sluganski

According to Fox Interactive’s press release, X-Files™: Resist or Serve is set in the show’s seventh season and begins as agents Mulder and Scully travel to the small Rocky Mountain town of Red Falls to investigate a string of unusual murders linked to ghost sightings, the undead, and other paranormal phenomena. They must then pursue an inhuman killer to a secret research facility in the Siberian wasteland and finally into the depths of a buried alien spacecraft. If they survive, they will unravel the mystery of the black oil and prevent the alien colonization of the planet...for now.

The X-Files™: Resist or Serve is a 3D survival horror game that will contain three interwoven episodes created by the Executive Producers of The X-Files and features unique DVD-style bonus material containing exclusive commentary and interviews.

Just Adventure readers may be familiar with a previous incarnation of The X-Files - a 1998 point and click adventure done completely in full motion video. Gamers weren’t able to play as either Agent Mulder or Agent Scully, though both characters did make brief appearances.  Contrary to popular belief, this adventure title actually sold very well in North America on both the PC (215,000 sold) and the PSX (190,000 sold). Internationally, it sold through 305,000 units on PC and 282,000 units on the PSX.

An interview with the X-Files team is as mysterious as the television series as a taped recording directed me to a secluded, empty warehouse where a cheap, plastic chair was situated in the center of a cavernous, desolate room. As the recording ended, a solitary light glared from above making it impossible to identify my hosts. Interview questions echoed off the walls of the lonely confines of the warehouse and to my surprise were soon responded to by a mysterious, disembodied voice:

JA - During what season of the television show does the game take place?

Mysterious X-Files voice - The game takes place during season seven.  It's right after the first two episodes, which were entitled The Sixth Extinction and The Sixth Extinction II.

JA - Does one need to have been a viewer of the television series to understand the game?

Mysterious X-Files Voice - No.  The game has its own unique storyline that stands up well on its own.  Anyone new to the series will be introduced to all of the main X-Files characters as the game progresses and even have access to character biographies that will tell their back-stories. 

 

JA – Will there be any plot twists in the game that further explain events in the series?

Mysterious X-Files Voice - Yes.  Fans of the show will recognize plot threads from the series that are further explored in the game, including the Alien Black Oil and Mulder's connection to it.  Fans will also find hidden X-Files references in the game environments.

  JA - Who wrote the story for the game?  Mysterious X-Files Voice - A writer from both "The X-Files" and "The Lone Gunmen" series, Tom Schnauz, wrote the story for the game.

  JA - Would you recommend the game more for action or adventure players?

Mysterious X-Files Voice - The game combines elements of both and varies depending on which character you play.  Mulder's gameplay is more action-oriented as he encounters more of the boss enemies.  Scully's gameplay is more adventure-oriented as she solves more puzzles, performs autopsies, and creates antidotes and biotoxins.

JA – Did anyone from the television series lend their talents to the game?

Mysterious X-Files Voice - Yes.  We had all of the main actors from the show come in to voice their characters in the game, including David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, Nicholas Lea, and James Pickens, Jr.   X-Files veteran producer, Paul Rabwin directed all the voice over sessions.  We've also been working closely with Ten Thirteen productions on the look and feel of all the environments, cut scenes, and gameplay in the game.

 JA - Is X-Files™: Resist or Serve meant to be the first game in a continuing series?

 Mysterious X-Files Voice - That's a good question.  You'll have to stay tuned...