Men in Black: The Game: Difference between revisions

| developer = Gigawatt Studios<br />[[The Collective (company)|The Collective]] (PS1)

| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]]<br />[[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]

| genre = [[AdventureSurvival game|Adventure]], [[Puzzle video game|puzzlehorror]]

| programmer = Robert Knaack<br />Dan Cotton<ref name=Credits/>

'''''Men in Black: The Game''''' is an [[Adventure game|adventure]] video game developed by Gigawatt Studios for [[Microsoft Windows]] in 1997. Although it is an officially licensed game based on the 1997 film ''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]],'' the plot is unrelated and it is a [[survival horror]] game as opposed to being a comedy. It is most likely an homage to the original ''[[The Men in Black (comics)|The Men In Black]]'' comic book created by [[Lowell Cunningham]] with its dark aesthetics and 2D cinematics that resemble comic book panels. The game was ported to the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in 1998 by [[The Collective (company)|The Collective]].

The player's character can jump, kick, punch, examine items, and dodge attacks. The player must find key cards, deactivate security systems, and read messages to proceed through each level, while fighting enemies that include [[grey alien]]s, large bugs, and spore frogs. EightNine weapons are featured in the game, 2 are earthling weapons including a [[M1911 pistol]](Only used by J.) and [[Sawed-off Shotgun]] and while 7 are alien weapons such as the [[neuralyzer]]. andDe-Atomizer Pistol, Series 4 De-Atomizer, [[Noisy Cricket]], bothCarbonizer, Single-barrel Plasma Gun and Tri-barrel Plasma Gun: all from the film. Only one weapon can be used for each level though a cheat code can allow players to carry all the weapons at once.<ref name=CGW/> Fist fights against enemies occur frequently due to a limited amount of ammunition. The Windows version does not support the use of a [[gamepad]].<ref name=CGW/><ref name=GS/>

All cutscenes are shown in 2D animation in a style of a comic book. Aesthetically, both PC and PlayStation versions are identical except for the saving system; the former allows players to save manually at any point in the game whereas the latter can only be saved when accomplishing mission objectives.

In his first MIB meeting, MIB head AgentChief Zed briefs Agent J alongside K and L that they have lost contact with the MIB division located in the Artic and is sending one of the agents to investigate (in which the player gets to choose to be Agents J, K or L). After realizing the people there are suffering from delusions and a weird flu, the player discovers a secret alien lab located underneath the Artic base filled with the brains of the missing MIB agents, along with their suits in preservation tanks. A self-destruct sequence is initiated and the player manages to escape in time.

Back in the MIB HQ, Agent Zed sends the player to the Amazon, where there's been a report of bizarre occurrences and the mine workers claim of being attacked by non-humanoid beings. Upon arrival, the player finds an informer who confirms the report is true and that several workers have lost their sanity due to the shock. The player enters the mine and discovers several aliens inhabiting the area, including an alien bug that acts as their leader. After eliminating the threat, the player returns to base.

In a new briefing, Agent Zedthe explainsplayer thatlearns the mining company is connected to Skip Frales, a computer mogul who lives in a remote island.<ref name=Game-Rev/><ref name=CDM-Rev/>. Agent H was sent there to investigate but he has not been heard since. On the island, the player finds a secret alien underground base where Frales is hiding. Using alien technology, he builds a mech suit to eliminate the player, in which he fails.

After rescuing Agent H, Agent Zed grants all agents who are involved in the operation a well-deserved 48 hour [[R&R (military)|R&R]].

SouthPeak launched the game with a shipment of 100,000 units.<ref>{{cite web|title=Now Shipping|url=http://www.pcgamer.com:80/news/news-1997-11-10.html|website=PC Gamer|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980218070412/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-11-10.html|archivedate=February 18, 1998|date=November 11, 1997|access-date=March 31, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In the United States alone, the computer version of ''Men in Black: The Game'' sold 4,883 copies and earned $200,989 by November 30, 1997.<ref name=wsjsales>{{cite newspapernews | archiveurl=https://archive.today/20180419005812/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB885323376490522500 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB885323376490522500 | title=Has Game Maker Found The Secret of Siliwood? | date=January 21, 1998 | author=Muto, Sheila | newspaper=[[Wall Street Journal]] | archivedate=April 19, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> Between January 1998 and July 1998, it sold another 49,520 copies in the region, which drew an additional $1,423,382 in revenues.<ref name=pcdata1998>{{cite journalmagazine| author=Staff |title=Letters; Mys-Adventures |date=November 1998 |issue=172| journalmagazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | pages=34 }}</ref>

Steve Poole of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' criticized the Windows version for its short length, its "strained attempts to duplicate the film's humor," and its lack of gamepad support. Poole wrote, "Serious gamers will be dissatisfied with the lack of depth, and casual gamers lured by the movie tie-in will be left cold by the game's average graphics and lethargic voice-acting."<ref name=CGW>{{cite webmagazine|last=Poole|first=Steve|title=Extraterrestrial Ennui: SouthPeak Can't Cover Up Men in Black's Basic Flaws|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_164.pdf|accessdate=August 16, 2017|workmagazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|date=March 1998|page=141}}</ref>

Lauren Fielder of [[GameSpot]] criticized the game's [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|artificial intelligence]] and poor controls, and wrote that the game might have been more fun if "you could at least run quickly." Fielder also criticized problems involving the player's ability to perform certain actions: "Unless you are lined up directly in front of your object, you can't act. And jumps are quite improbable even once you align yourself; for example, you can't hop up on a box unless you're right in front of it." Fielder concluded that "it's quite obvious the time and energy went into set design and mediocre character animations, not into actually making the game work." Fielder noted that the sound effects in the first level were "fairly interesting," but that "it too goes downhill, with your character's insistent one-liners and the endlessly looped 'climaticclimactic moment' music churning in the background."<ref name=GS>{{cite web|last=Fielder|first=Lauren|title=Men In Black: The Game Review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/men-in-black-the-game-review/1900-2542531/|accessdate=August 16, 2017|work=[[GameSpot]]|date=December 10, 1997}}</ref>

Calvin Hubble of [[Game Revolution]] noted the poor artificial intelligence, but praised the character animations for bearing resemblance to their film counterparts, and wrote that the graphics were "decent enough to pass." However, Hubble noted that each of the game's menus and loading screens "have an extremely simple, bold, solid-color font. […...] I could have made a better interface given [[Photoshop]] and about a day."<ref name=Game-Rev>{{cite web|last=Hubble|first=Calvin|title=At least it's better than Will Smith's rapping|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/games/pc/adventure/mib.htm|work=[[Game Revolution]]|date=November 1997|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041126222932/http://www.gamerevolution.com/games/pc/adventure/mib.htm|archivedate=November 26, 2004}}</ref> Kim Randell of ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' called the game's first level "incredibly pedantic," and wrote, "The combat system is fiddly, and the murky backgrounds sometimes make your grasp of the scene less than complete. Later on it looks and sounds cool, but with a continuing frustration factor."<ref name=CVG>{{cite web|last=Randell|first=Kim|title=Men In Black: Super Moss Bros come to the Earth's rescue|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com:80/article.php?id=8157&skip=yes|work=[[ComputerAndVideoGames.com]]|date=August 15, 2001|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328085150/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=8157&skip=yes|archivedate=March 28, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>