First look: X-Files: Resist or Serve

At a press event in Berlin this week, Vivendi Universal showed a playable version of its X-Files adventure game for the first time. Both the PS2 and Xbox versions were on display, and, although we didn't get to play the game ourselves for very long, we did get to watch a demonstration by one of the producers.

The first level of the game that we saw took place in a dimly lit diner, which agent Fox Mulder was exploring using a torch that lit up all of the objects in the room in a way that was totally convincing. When confronted by what appeared to be a zombie waitress, Mulder drew his gun and assumed his trademark pose of using both hands to hold it directly below his torch so he can see what he's shooting at. Aside from the torch, the controls are basically the same as those found in the Resident Evil series, as are some of the puzzles in the game, if the find-and-use-object puzzles we witnessed are anything to go by.

The second part of the demonstration saw agent Dana Scully exploring a morgue and then moving to examine one of the bodies, at which point the screen switched to a close-up view of the body and presented us with a series of different tools with which to perform an autopsy. This basically appeared to involve little more than matching the correct implements with the correct parts of the body that were to be examined, but this relatively simple puzzle was a nice (if somewhat gory) addition to the level.

The full game will feature three TV-style episodes that have been created by the executive producers of the show, and it will allow you to interact with popular characters from the series including Skinner, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, and The Lone Gunmen. Both versions of the game are currently scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2004. For more information, check out our previous coverage using the links to the right.