"Resist or Serve" is a thourougly entertaining, thoughtful and at times chilling foray into the X-Files universe.
"Resist or Serve" is a TPS (third-person shooter) loosely billed as a lost Season 7 ep, and because of an excellent plot and realistic gameplay, you'll definitely buy into that. This game takes Mulder and Scully (together again!!!) to the sleepy little town of Red Falls, Colorado, to investigate the murder of two teenage girls...girls who just happened to be practitioners of witchcraft *cue x-files theme*.
This three-ep arc (written by the talented Spotzie and company, and you can tell) crafts an intriguing and engaging set of episodes that will please fans--as well as survival horror aficionados--with the taste of some good, old-fashioned alien conspiracy. (Uh, but didn’t I just say it was about witches? ) .
Let's talk about aesthetics. First of all, "ROS" looks good graphically, although at times the color of Red Falls is a little bit muted and flat (and, much like the first five seasons of TXF, it’s raining ALL THE TIME, LOL). The likenesses of Mulder and Scully and virtually all the appearing characters (yep, the gang's all here!) are very well done, great attention was paid to this and it shows. The voice acting is great too; all of the original actors contributed and it makes all the difference in the world. The gameplay itself is great…play is challenging, fun and completely addicting. There are two paths in the game, you play as either Mulder or Scully, and as a result (because we know the dynamic duo are always getting separated, right?) you have different experiences. For this reason alone, gameplay for with both characters is extremely varied and exciting. Because of this delightful feature, "Resist or Serve" is essentially two games in one. And did I mention the extras, like behind the scenes dialogue recording, matte boards and the like? You unlock those as you advance through the game. There are roughly 3-4 boss enemies that must be destroyed down each path at various points in the game (but sometimes more than once). Suffice it to say, each character has a rough time of it. The finale with Mulder, in which five bosses must be defeated with no saves and little ammo is at times both strategic, exhilarating, and completely frustrating. That being said, I would say that it is Scully that has to take the brunt of the dirty--She must perform autopsies as zombies attack from every angle, scramble to find the cure for a deadly virus before it is too late (great puzzle solving here) and face some pretty hefty combatants on her own. This is not to say, however, that Mulder doesn’t get to flaunt his manliness, because he does; he just gets kidnapped and stuff. And STUFF. LOL.
The sound is where this game really shines. As I mentioned earlier, due mostly to the fact that the original TV show cast members all reprised their roles here, from David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson on down. Dialogue in the game flows extremely naturally, keeping all of Mulder's quick wit and Scully's dry forbearance, and the main cast all sounds great. Scully gets some great jabs, and Mulder is just Mulder, which is perfect. Much of the music in the game is recycled from the show, so you'll be hearing a few key pieces most often. This is not a bad thing…the music rox, it's moody and rhythmic, and creates a few thrills in some tight spots (dum-da-dum dum!!!). Some of the sound effects themselves are also very nice. Specifically, the deep crunching sound of a rib cage being cut during an autopsy is good for a shudder, so is the padding of footsteps through the snow, or the gutteral moan of encroaching zombies and those slow, lumbering steps.
There are a variety of weapons in ROS, the AK-47, the trusty Sig Sauer, a shotgun, some cutie molitoff (sp?) cocktails you can whip up with available ingredients, a stiletto when appropriate, and a flamethrower. The last is kind of so so as the fuel runs out very quickly, and refills are hard to come by. Personally, I love the Ak-47...it can whip tail with ammo to spare, and it's great when disposing bosses. It might also be important to note that M and S can kick or punch an assailant to death, though it takes a LONG time. But it does save on ammo .
All in all, "Resist or Serve" is a more than satisfying experience for the X-Phile and game guru alike…and what a deal at only $29.95! Also for Philes are little shout-outs throughout the game, like Craddock Marine Bank, Wetwired Video, etc. etc, and numerous Mytharc references. You’ll see them and appreciate the continuity! My final score is an 8 out of 10...If you have a PS2 (unfortunately this great game is only available in this format), and you want desperately to experience this game for yourself, then I suggest you run out and buy it--you won't be dissapointed!