The X-Files: Resist or Serve

"A muddled experience"

You've seen it before. Popular television/movies churning out the token game to cash in on the publicity craze. This usually happens when the interest in the subject matter is at a climax, so the appearance of an X-Files game, two years after the conclusion of the tv series, may have seemed quite odd.

This is not the first game to feature the alien busting Mulder and Scully. The first foray into video games was in 1998, with the release of The X Files. With a huge enthusiasm for the TV series, it was one game I made sure I played upon release. Remember the interactive movie genre? It was all the rage in the nineties when developers sought to realize the potential of full motion video. Remember D? Myst? No? I'm not surprised either. They looked stunning in parts but were ultimately limited by their stunted gameplay, linear storyline and muddy controls. The X-Files were no exception. Although messrs Duchovny, Anderson and company leant their considerable talents to the project, the game itself was a mess, and that was the last I thought we'd see of the x-files in gaming.

First, I'll confess. I am an X-Phile; recently watching the series from start to finish on satellite has made me appreciate the series once more and tempted me to take the plunge with this game. So it goes without saying that you can add several notches to any final review score for this game if the X files is under your skin.

So what has 6 years of consideration from the creators delivered?

Worryingly, the game has been once more published by Fox Interactive, who were behind the first game. The game has been developed this time around by Black Ops, who I remember were responsible for the sub standard James Bond games on the PlayStation. In fact, looking at their resume is like a Hollywood actors Filmography, with several movie to game adaptations in their portfolio, including the abject Terminator games on the PS2. Signs didn't look good.

First off, the ‘dead' genre of the interactive movie has been usurped in favour of a third person action adventure, in much the same way as Alone In The Dark, Resident Evil and latterly Silent Hill. The X Files leans heavily and borrows much from the front runners in the survival horror genre, from the inventory systems to the control methods and the overwhelming sense of suspense and unease, achieved by the gloomy visuals and heart pounding music, but to say Resist Or Serve rips off Silent Hill is wide of the mark; what we have are developers going down a tried and tested route by learning from the best of the best.

Resist Or Serve features all of the eye candy which made the infamous PSX game so alluring; Duchovny and Anderson are back, providing their likeness and vocal talent for the game. Also featuring are several side characters, such as the Smoking Man, Skinner, The Lone Gunmen and arch nemesis Krycek. Written and directed by the show's creators, Resist Or Serve has been designed to fit into the series' regular storyline and therefore has real significance to the timeline and therefore to the series fans. Fox Interactive have helped sweeten the deal by providing several behind the scenes features as added bonuses; there is no doubting it, Resist or serve is a real feast for X Files starved fans.

Playing as either Mulder or Scully, we begin with the duo arriving in a Colorado town called Red Falls, which begins as a routine case but follows an incredibly familiar path when it turns out the town's folk have been possessed by an alien lifeform, turning them into Blood thirsty maniacs. What follows is a survival horror adventure where you must investigate the source of this madness, whilst surviving and progressing through the game. Intermittently, you will be faced with some puzzle elements, but these are so limp and straightforward it is any wonder why they bothered; The simple nature of the game makes it very easy to play through and complete even on the hard difficulty. That said, although you can play as both characters, and thus you do have two different games, Resist Or Serve is not a very long game and could be completed by most novice gamers within 6 to 8 hours of dedicated play; even most boss enemies are easily dispatched. The game however is less forgiving to anyone who manages to get killed; the checkpoints from where you can restart are poorly structured, meaning if you lose the boss battle, you go back 15 minutes in gameplay and have to watch tedious cutscenes and ‘solve' simple, yet tedious puzzles once more; frustration is compounded by unnecessarily long loading times.

Graphically, this game is very dated. When you look at it against Silent Hill 3, released 1 year prior, it pales in comparison. The lighting is substandard, the characters look and are animated oddly and the environments, although detailed, leave little to the imagination. Mulder and Scully seem to run around with lead weights attached to their legs; they run around odder than Tanner from the PSX game Driver – it looks odd and feels uncomfortable. I was disappointed that there is no real variation to how each character plays, its easy to just say that you are playing with a different character model who speaks with a different voice.

I was disappointed with Resist Or Serve because it offers little to the survival horror genre that it hasn't seen before. Being used to playing the best (Silent Hill, Resident Evil), this games foibles can be easily spotted and scrutinized. As a game for an ardent X files fan, it's a great game to play for its novelty appeal and for the unbelievable sweetness of its authenticity, but as a stand alone game it falls down in its dated visuals, poor animation, frustrated gameplay and its lack of genuine challenge.

But hey, its better than an interactive movie!

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

Game Release: The X-Files: Resist or Serve (EU, 05/21/04)