The X-Fools Explained

The X-Fools
Publisher:Palladium Interactive
Released:October 1, 1997[1]
Programmer:WayForward
Director:Steven Horowitz
Producer:Stacey Rubin
Composer:Chronic Music
Platforms:Windows, Macintosh

The X-Fools: The Spoof Is Out There is an interactive comedic 1997 video game developed by Parroty Interactive. It is a parody of supernatural television series The X-Files, which ran from 1993 to 2018. Released on the Mac and PC, it was the company's third game after Myst parody Pyst, and Star Warped which lampooned Star Wars, and would be followed by Microshaft Winblows 98, a parody of Microsoft Windows 98. The game was distributed throughout North America by Mindscape.[2]

Plot and gameplay

The game centres around two ex-FBI agents and skeptics named Mully and Scudder (parodies of X-Files protagonists Scully and Mulder) who encourage the player to undergo training as a new recruit. As such, the player is "subjected to a deprogramming regimen" according to Business Wire, which consists of a series of games, quizzes, and skits. The gameplay experience is essentially a series of minigames thematically linked to the television show The X-Files. For instance, Conspiracy Computer sees the protagonists analyse popular conspiracies, and Run, Agent, Run! sees the player evade aliens and villains from The X-Files.[3] Kill Screen described the style of the game as "distractionware" and an "interactive MAD Magazine."[4]

Development

Palladium's vice president of marketing, Rob Halligan, explained that the success of Pyst paved the way for The X-Fools,[5] and noted that the game was being released at a time rife with interest in the supernatural: the news was buzzing with the 50th anniversary of the Roswell incident, the Mars Pathfinder mission, and the impending premiere of the fifth season of The X-Files.[2] Artist Tom Richmond, who had an ongoing professional relationship with Parroty Interactive, provided some of the game's illustrations.[6] Michael Donovan did voice work for the game.[7]

Release and promotion

The game's official website went live on September 16, 1997, and allowed players to access additional content, while providing a free demo for those yet to purchase the title.[8] The website held a "Conspiracy Quest Contest" from October 31, 1997 to July 17, 1998[9] where players solved riddles relating to the concurrently airing fifth season of The X-Files,[10] with prizes (a digital camera, 2,000 acre real estate plot on Mars, and a Palladium Gift Pack) being awarded to multiple winners.[11] It also allowed players to send "X-cards",[12] and offered players the opportunity send in X-Files questions for the developers to include in the title's trivia minigame entitled Trust No One.[13] Game modules from The X-Fools were added as bonus features on the Special Edition of Pyst in October 1997. The X-Fools uses Shockwave as its game engine.[14]

The game received mixed reviews from critics upon release; Positive reviews from MacHome's Tamara Stafford and Roy Bassave of The Seattle Times suggested fans of the original series would enjoy The X-Fools.[15] Detractors included PC Gamers Richard Cobbett, who negatively compared the game to Parroty's previous title Microshaft Winblows 98 (1998);[16] and Wojciech Kotas of The Mac Gamer's Ledge, which found The X-Files' self-referential humor better than the "lukewarm," limited, and uninspired parody of the game.[17] In 2011, The Sydney Morning Herald ranked the game 79th on its Re-Play: 100 worst games ever list, writing that it "couldn't be unfunnier".[18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: X-Files Spoof on CD-ROM. Staff. October 1, 1997. PC Gamer. https://web.archive.org/web/19980218070456/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-09-29.html. February 18, 1998. dead. December 5, 2019.
  2. Web site: Newest Parody – The X-Fools – Takes Comical Look At Little Green Men And Government Cover-ups.. Naify. Robert. October 1, 1997. Business Wire. 2017-07-06. 2017-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112340/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Newest+Parody+--+The+X-Fools+--+Takes+Comical+Look+At+Little+Green...-a019801945. dead.
  3. Web site: CD-Rom – The X-Fools. Bassave. Roy. November 9, 1997. The Seattle Times. 2017-07-06.
  4. News: A few things I learned from the late-90s game about nerds, Star Warped. Kotzer. Zack. December 16, 2015. Kill Screen. 2017-07-06. en-US.
  5. Web site: Parroty Interactive Launches PYST Special Edition; New Special Edition of PYST Includes a Module of Driven, a Sneak Peak Parody of the Eagerly Anticipated Riven – Sequel to MYST.. Naify. Robert. October 21, 1997. Business Wire. 2017-07-06. 2017-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112956/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Parroty+Interactive+Launches+PYST+Special+Edition%253B+New+Special...-a019903274. dead.
  6. Web site: Illustration Throwback Thursday- Star Warped!. Richmond. Tom. October 27, 2016. Richmond Illustration. 2017-07-06.
  7. Web site: Main Page. Donovan. Michael. 2000. Botsmaster. 2017-07-06.
  8. Book: Spy. March 1998. Sussex Publishers, LLC. en.
  9. Web site: Conspiracy Quest Official Rules. June 29, 1998. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/19980629170753/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/ConspiracyQuest/contestlegal.html. 1998-06-29. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  10. Web site: Conspiracy Quest. June 29, 1998. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/19980629170211/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/ConspiracyQuest/conspiracyquest.html. 1998-06-29. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  11. Web site: Conspiracy Quest Winners. March 4, 2000. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/20000304202627/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/ConspiracyQuest/conspiracyquest.html. 2000-03-04. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  12. Web site: X Cards. March 1, 2000. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/20000301141937/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/XCards/xcards.html. 2000-03-01. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  13. Web site: Trust No One. November 16, 1999. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/19991117100930/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/TrustNoOne/submit.html. 1999-11-17. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  14. Web site: X-Fools Abduct This. 29 February 2000. The X-Fools. https://web.archive.org/web/20000229183407/http://www.xfools.com/XFOOLS/AbductThis/abductthis.html. 2000-02-29. bot: unknown.
  15. Web site: The X-Fools. Stafford. Tamara. January 1998. MacHome. https://web.archive.org/web/20000106083852/http://database.machome.com/action.lasso?-database=reviews&-layout=search&-response=%2Freviews%2Fdetail.html&-recid=33450&-search. 2000-01-06. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  16. News: Saturday Crapshoot: Microshaft Winblows 98. Cobbett. Richard. February 5, 2011. PC Gamer. 2017-07-06. en.
  17. Web site: X-Fools Review. Kotas. Wojciech. December 2, 1997. The Mac Gamer's Ledge. https://web.archive.org/web/20000606062315/http://macledge.com/Reviews/xfools/xfools.html. 2000-06-06. bot: unknown. 2017-07-06.
  18. News: Re-Play: 100 worst games ever. March 17, 2011. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2017-07-06. en-US.

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