5/26/2004 11:33:05 AM
X Files: Resist or Serve PlayStation 2 ReviewBy Zach Rosenberg
Black Ops Entertainment, probably the most unfortunate developer of 2003, is back with a Vivendi Universal-published addition to the "X Files" franchise. You might remember a few of Black Ops' 2003 releases: "Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror," and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." The public was NOT pleased. With "X Files: Resist or Serve," Black Ops now adds to a long list of games based on television and movies...that is, games that people hate. "Resist or Serve" isn't ALL bad, but the bad parts are tough to mask with the good parts.
I almost want to feel sorry for Black Ops. It feels like they are always struggling to making today's games with yesterday's technology. Even when they tackled the "007" franchise back on the Playstation 1, their games would have felt more appropriate on the Nintendo 64. So here we are on the PS2, and "Resist or Serve" feels like it should be on on the PS1. The game runs into all of the problems that "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill" ran into back when those franchises first got going: most notably, muddy controls and uneven gameplay. And while there are a few things that Black Ops and Vivendi scored with, such as the sound design and fan-minded inclusions, they are largely overshadowed by the game's problems.
The story is set somewhere during the actual television show's timeline (in season seven, for you X-philes). This means that unlike the last "X Files" game, you'll actually play as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. You'll also encounter show character favorites like the Cigarette Smoking Man, Assistant Director Skinner, Alex Krycek, and the Lone Gunmen. It's no coincidence that "Resist or Serve" includes so many of the show's characters--the game's story was written by one of the show's writers. Unfortunately, the game doesn't have as much room for character interaction as the series did, mostly because it was pigeon-holed into the survival horror action genre: the survival horror elements are flattened out into frequent gun battles with zombies, broken up by the occasional picking-up of an item off of a desk. It seems like the "Resident Evil" puzzles are on vacation, and the "Silent Hill" action is lifeless (no pun intended).
The actual story is more monster lore than government conspiracy, which will immediately alienate some fans. There has been a string of murders in Red Falls, Colorado, and the two suspects are witchcraft-slangin' twin sisters. Unfortunately, the sisters disappear before agents Mulder and Scully can arrive on the scene, and before they know it, they have major zombie problems. It'll take both Mulder and Scully to solve this mystery...which works out nicely, since you'll play the game as one (of your choosing) and then interact with the other contextually during the game. For example, if you choose Mulder, you'll go off on your own adventure, tracking down some evidence, but meet up with Scully at a certain point and have to provide cover fire for her while she does her doctorly duties on a corpse. So, theoretically, you can finish the game with one character, then play through with the other character, experiencing slightly different gameplay. Problem is, you might not want to; the controls are muddy and the gameplay is uneven. Sometimes you'll end up in a dead-end with zombies coming at you from all sides, other times, you'll go from one end of the town to another without encountering anything. Sometimes I wouldn't know where to go, and would wander around town trying to get in doors until I ran into some environmental trigger, or until I figured out how to use some odd item I'd picked up (or, more likely, until I had looked up on the internet where to go next).
All of the potential action is hindered by the controls, which in many ways are standard, but also go that extra mile to be uncomfortable. You've got an inventory button, a weapon toggle, a melee/molotov button, and the ubiquitous action button. You'll also have the shoulder buttons pulling triple-duty so that they can do things like run, aim, fire, switch targets, and reload weapon. The left analog stick will move your character, and the right stick is an incredibly worthless free look (when you've got the flashlight in your hand). Otherwise, you'll just use the aim button and forget the right stick. And how will you know when to press the action button? Well, there's a little "X" logo that will appear on the screen when you can interact with the environment, pick something up, etc. This frustrating gameplay element feels like the early 90's full-motion video games that had to give you an "interactivity cue." Let's face it, if a game is intuitive enough, you'll know what you can use, pick up and commit actions upon. Even "Resident Evil Outbreak," which has excellently detailed environments, makes interactive elements simple to find without being offensively helpful. I can't help but think that if "Resist or Serve" utilized more of the shiny-item method employed in "Resident Evil" games (they do from time to time, but just not enough), the gameplay would feel a little better. Still, some problems are set deeper into the game's engine: the set camera angles are fine for the view, but create controller chaos in some of the transitions. Sometimes, you'll be holding the analog stick up to run to the top of the screen, but then on the next screen, the camera will be facing you, so that you have to run down to advance...but if you stutter-step, you'll have to swing the analog stick down to run downward. Got it? No? Well, that's exactly the problem, if I can't explain it simply, it ain't simple.
Oh...and guns. You'll get a bunch of guns, most of which Mulder and Scully never touched during the series. Does Scully even know how to fire an AK47? Well, she must have learned, because she's doing it here with incredible proficiency. I'm sorry to be such a downer, but you've got to understand that "X Files" fans are some of the most rabid and detail-oriented people out there! In addition to your AK, you'll have a few other weapons, including the standard issue handgun, and the molotov cocktail, which I can't seem to figure out how to use correctly. And is there a reason why cats and zombies offer up gun ammo when I kill them?
The graphics are a little behind the curve. There's nothing terribly special about them, though there are very brief and surprising spots where things look above average. The characters are instantly recognizable, but I can't decide whether it's because they are well-established characters or because Black Ops crafted them well. In any event, they lose all similarity to humans when they move. The backgrounds and environments are low-resolution and unimpressive. That's critical, because the survival horror genre relies on creating a scary environment in which the player operates, and this game simply doesn't achieve that. And today's games in the genre have a hell of a lot more character than this one. Sad.
The sound, however, goes above the average stew. Authentic voice-acting, done by the actual characters, makes the dialog sound like it is coming straight out of the series, and the music was composed by Mark Snow, mastermind of the series' music. So, if you must, get a friend to play the game while you sit back and close your eyes. The sound effects, though, are standard, and seem almost disappointing next to the superb music and voice-acting. It's just another element that's missing from the game.
The one area in which this game does excel is stroking the fans. Even "Simpsons" franchise games pale in comparison to the inside-jokes and fan-winks you'll find in this game. Streets are named after episodes, posters depict episode titles, clocks read 10:13 (creator Chris Carter's production company), and the original crime in the story ends up linking to tons of different episodic stories including the Black Oil problem, the Cigarette-Smoking Man's involvement in government conspiracies, and even the abduction of Mulder's sister. Fans will get a kick out of just spotting all of the little "X Phile" elements in the game. And for that, the game is commendable. With the good comes the bad, thoug--zombies? Humorously enough, VERY few "X Files" episodes included zombies, presumably because zombies are not very interesting. The show was packed with so many interesting monsters and enemies, it makes me wonder why zombies were chosen. Was it so that a town could be easily populated with things to shoot at? C'mon guys...we're smarter than THAT.
So if you're a fan of the "X Files" universe, you may want to give "Resist or Serve" a whirl, if for no other reason than to find all of the little references to the series. However, I can't help but feel that this game is five years late in gameplay and graphics. While "Resist or Serve" is, in fact, the "best" game in the "X Files" franchise right now, there's still a lot of room to grow. Hopefully, if another title goes into development, the developers will put as much time into the actual game as they do the sound. In the meantime, "Resist or Serve" made me miss the series, so I'm inviting my friend to come over tomorrow. I'm going to make him play this game while I close my eyes!
Ratings (1-10):
Graphics: 5. Believe me, you've seen better.
Sound: 7. With the real voice acting and authentic music, the sound design shines.
Gameplay: 5. Muddy controls and guesswork gameplay frustrate the player.
Story: 6. The many in-jokes for fans of the show are better than the story.
Replayability: 4. First you'll have to convince yourself to play it through once.
Overall: 5 (not an average). Not the worst game out there...probably.
X Files: Resist or Serve PlayStation 2 Review
