The X-Files

"Atmospheric and scary, but not for everyone"

The X-Files is, well, we all know what The X-Files is! Also on PC, the Playstation version of the game was released late 1999. Since then, it has rapidly dropped in prices, meaning it probably has not sold a single copy. I can see why, since video games based off of movies suck (with the exception of Goldeneye and Die Hard), same should go for TV shows. And The X-Files pits itself right in a bad time. It's a point and click game. A dying genre also happens to be one of my favorites, but most people think these games are slow and don't have any killing. Well...they don't.

The X-Files is all about atmosphere, though, and atmosphere it has. It takes a while to get going, but it's great the whole way. Read on...

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Design Elements
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Visuals/Graphics
The entire game is made of FMV (Full-Motion Video, with actors and real environments) and photographs, explaining the four discs. It is fast, too. No sudden freezes or anything you would expect. Click on an area, you're there. The FMV is very smooth and clear, also. Tons of cutscenes, including the X-Files introduction. It's actually quite amazing for the Playstation, despite the load of discs.
Rating: 10 (Incredible)

Music/Sound
Lots of original music here, and some new tunes, but they aren't quite as memorable. The music gives off a creepy vibe, and paces up at all the right times. The end credit music sucks, that's my only complaint. The sound effects are very realistic. The gunshots sound loud and echo through walls, and you can hear footsteps coming down hallways in some of the scarier areas. The voices are quite clear, and the acting is quite good. Whoever plays Craig Willmore kind of sounds the same, whatever he says, but there are plenty of lines he adds emotion to.
Rating: 8 (Great/Very Good)

Acting
The acting is done very well by the X-Files veterans, while some other characters are a bit plain. Like I said before, the man who plays Craig Willmore has little emotion in some of his dialogue. The character Mark Cook sounds believable most of the time, especially when he gets paranoid near the end of the game, but several lines of his, like on Disc 2 when he's attacked, are quite plain. Fortunately the veterans have lots of emotion and excitement, which makes the acting overall good.
Rating: 7 (Good)

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Gameplay Elements
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Control
The point and click gameplay is very responsive. The game doesn't support the mouse, but the analog and directional pad work fine. Note that the directional pad doesn't work if the analog button it turned on during gameplay. Works on menus, that's it. Turn the analog button off, directional pad is on.
Rating: 9 (Excellent)

Story
The story is good, but takes a while to get going. It starts with David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson, as of course Mulder and Scully, entering an abandoned warehouse. After Mulder points out some black powder, they are attacked. Scully is shot, and a light flashes through the warehouse. Enter Craig Willmore, you're character. Walter Skinner (everyone is in this game, huh?) assigns you to find Mulder and Scully, who recently went missing. Lots of familiar characters appear later in the game to help (or maybe try to kill) you in your search. For a while, the story has to do with smugglers and radiation, with some paranormal things going on. It takes a while to get that out of the way, but soon the usual monster/alien conspiracy comes along. If it didn't take so long to get the paranormal things in the mix, it would have been excellent. The old characters help. Note that this game was made before it's Playstation release date and takes place April 1996.
Rating: 7 (Good)

Gameplay
Point and click is a genre where you control your character by clicking on an area, and he or she will move to it. The X-Files is in first person letterbox, so you can't see your character, but it adds to the atmosphere. While it may seem boring, several scenes involve shooting. Okay, just a couple. But if that's not on your mind, you'll love The X-Files. The branching story line on the back cover in unfortunately, pretty much a lie. Pretty much. You can gain respect from characters, or make them hate you, by what you choose to say. There are two endings in the game, that don't make much of a difference. Depending on how nice you are to a certain character, some lines will change, that's about it. Various Game Over screens in the game, though, which include from getting shot a couple times to being gutted like a fish, depending on how you died/what you did. I like that kind of freedom. Wait, there's more! This game is as scary as hell. Daytime, nighttime, doesn't matter. This game will make you jump and hide under you bed. Even when you know it's a safe area, the music is eerie and environment is dark, and it gets even darker. One part that haunts me is on a destroyed ship, when you turn to a wall and suddenly see ghostly images behind layers of rust. The fourth disc is as frightening as it gets, because it rooms you can hear footsteps slowly following you, and rooms filled with dead mutilated bodies. And that's just from playing it during the evening. I couldn't really even last on the first disc at night, but I'll update you on that soon enough (it's getting late...). This is the high point of creepiness on the Playstation.
Rating: 8 (Great/Very Good)

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Final Scores
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Good Points
It's the high point of creepiness on the Playstation. Lots of original X-Files characters, David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson are great actors. Made up of photographs and full motion video.

Bad Points
Fans of shoot-em-ups will be very disappointed. Story takes a while to get going.

Final Score
The X-Files may not be quick, and may not be violent (though a bit gory), it's interesting and very atmospheric. Fans of point and click games will dig this up.
Rating: 8 (Great/Very Good)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/00, Updated 05/02/02