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X-Files: Resist or Serve Preview
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game: X-Files: Resist or Serve
posted by: Matt James
date posted: 09:10 AM Sun Apr 20th, 2003
last revision: 07:41 AM Fri Sep 23rd, 2005


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The X-Files had been on the air for three years before my backwater cable company picked up a Fox affiliate. I had heard of the X-Files and was chomping at the bit to watch it. The first episode that ran was season three\'s finale, and I was more than a little confused. Over the summer I watched the reruns. Then I bought the videos; soon I was addicted. In 2002, even though the quality had gone down and I paid little attention to the final season, I was sad to see my one-time favorite show go.

Lately I have found myself jonesing for a little Mulder and Scully action (mmmm Scully). Problem is, I have seen every episode a thousand times, give or take a few. There is another movie in the works, but who knows how far off that will be. Enter Black Ops. No, I\'m not talking about a secret government taskforce bent on world domination through the use of videogames. I\'m talking about the developers behind games such as Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Street Hoops. They intend to do something completely different than the first live action X-Files videogame. The result should be a game that will not only please X-Files fans, but survival-horror (i.e. Resident Evil and Silent Hill) fans as well.

X-Files: Resist Or Serve aspires to really capture the mood of the television show. Expect a lot of dark rooms and flashlights and a big helping of the television show\'s eerie soundtrack. Not only will Resist Or Serve borrow Mulder and Scully\'s likeness, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have lent their voices to the game, along with the actors who portray Agent Skinner, The Lone Gunmen, and Cigarette-Smoking Man (or CSM to the X-Files literate out there).

The game will feature two different perspectives for each of the three all-new episodes you are required to play through (that of Mulder and Scully\'s of course. This is the first time you will get to play as the show\'s leads). Each set of scenarios will play up to each of the character\'s strengths: Mulder\'s segment being more action oriented and Scully\'s more problem solving. As Scully, you will even get to perform an autopsy.

Black Ops could have taken the more traditional licensed game route and done the bare minimum. Instead of simply slapping an X-Files face on a Resident Evil game they are trying to do some innovative things with the genre. A major innovation is a new pinpoint healing system that allows you to heal (or neglect) certain body parts at a time. You must pay attention to the more vital parts of your body or you will die, but others will only leave you crippled if not healed. If done well, this should be interesting and add a whole new dynamic to the survival-horror genre.

They are also trying to amp up the combining feature seen in Resident Evil, by allowing more intricate combinations. I can\'t wait to see what kind of combinations Mulder and Scully can come up with. Heck they could probably take this aspect and make it into an entire game. One man, fighting the forces of evil by combining inane objects into handy gizmos. Anybody else thinking about a McGyver videogame? No? Well fine!

The game is set to take place in the seventh season. Fans will remember that as Mulder\'s last season. Our Agents are called to a small town to investigate strange happenings (hum, sound familiar?). Once they arrive they are met by zombies which eventually steam-roll into aliens, clones, and conspiracies, oh my! One can also expect to see all kinds of exotic locales including an alien space ship.

This game may be a little late. Many viewers tuned out a season or two before The X-Files demise but true X-Philes (the real X-Files fans) will want to check this one out. The game isn\'t expected for release until September and things are likely to change and hopefully keep getting better. If I am really lucky, I will get to play an early version (or at least see it) at E3 in May. Until then, I will have to be content with reruns on cable.