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…