Tex Murphy: Overseer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tex Murphy: Overseer
Developer(s) Access Software
Publisher(s) Access Software
Designer(s) Chris Jones, Aaron Conners
Platform(s) Windows 9x
Release date 1998
Genre(s) Adventure game
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) RSAC: V2: Humans killed
NS1: Revealing attire, Passionate kissing
L1: Mild expletives
OFLC: MA 15+
Media 5 CD-ROMs, 1 DVD
System requirements 133MHz Pentium Processor (233MHz with a software MPEG decoder for DVD version), Windows 95, 16MB RAM (32MB for DVD), 2MB Video RAM, 16-bit soundcard, 4x CD-ROM drive or a DVD drive, 35MB hard drive space, Keyboard, Mouse, speakers
Input methods Keyboard, Mouse

Tex Murphy: Overseer (1998) is the 5th (and as of now, the final) installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games for the PC. In it, the player controls Private Investigator Tex Murphy as he recounts the story of his first case to his girlfriend, Chelsee Bando. Overseer combined the use of Full Motion Video (FMV) with 3D environments.

Contents

[edit] Setting

Like all Tex Murphy games, Tex Murphy: Overseer takes place in post-World War III San Francisco. After the devastating events of WWIII, many major cities have been rebuilt (as is the case with New San Francisco), though certain areas still remain as they were before the war (as in Old San Francisco). WWIII also left another mark on the world: the formation of two classes of citizens. Specifically, the Mutants and the Norms. Since Overseer is told as a series of flashbacks, it actually takes place in two different time frames. The current year is 2043, shortly after the events of The Pandora Directive and as such tensions between the Mutants and Norms have begun to die down. However, the flashbacks take place in November 2037. The Crusade for Genetic Purity is beginning to gain momentum, and tensions are building between the two groups. The Mutants are usually forced to live in the run-down areas of cities such as Old San Francisco. Tex lives in his new apartment on Front St. in New San Francisco. He has just been kicked out of the Colonel's Detective Agency for reporting the Colonel's unethical practices, and has now gone into business on his own.

[edit] Plot

Tex Murphy: Overseer starts out with Tex going on a date with Chelsee Bando. Worrying about Tex's ability to commit to a relationship, she confronts him about how he still wears his wedding ring from his ex-wife, Sylvia Linsky. This leads Tex to recount the story of his first case. Tex is hired by Sylvia Linsky to discover the truth behind her father's suicide. She believes he was actually murdered, but the police have already closed the case. With no one else to turn to, she goes to Tex for help. Tex becomes involved in a plot involving implants and mind control, and must do what he can to stop it, before it's too late. The story which Tex recounts to Chelsee is essentially the events of Mean Streets, the first game in the series. There are however several notable plot differences between the two.

Tex Murphy: Overseer continues the Tex tradition of using some well-known actors to portray major characters, such as Michael York (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery), Henry Darrow (The High Chapparal), and Clint Howard.

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] The Virtual World

Tex Murphy: Overseer is the third game in the Tex Murphy series to use virtual world technology. For Overseer, Access Software created a new virtual world engine designed for use in Windows 95/98. Along with the new engine came a slightly modified control system, which was not widely liked. Despite this, the virtual world still allowed for full freedom of movement and allowed you to search for clues in every corner, which by this point had become a staple of the Tex series.

[edit] Conversations

Tex Murphy: Overseer continued the use of the Tex series' unique method of dialogue selection. Instead of providing you with a list of responses showing the exact words that Tex will say, each dialogue choice is given an adequate description. Never knowing exactly what Tex will say when you select an option helped to keep the dialogue surprising, and often funny.

[edit] DVD or CD

Overseer was one of the first games to utilize DVD technology. The game came on 5 CDs or 1 DVD, packaged in the same box together. The advantage to the DVD version was the absence of any disc swapping and the higher quality video files used. Other than on those key points, gameplay remained identical in the two versions.

[edit] Entertainment or Gamer Modes

Overseer provided two difficulty settings: Entertainment mode and Gamer mode. On Entertainment mode, hints were available and you could bypass certain puzzles in the game. A total of 1500 points were available on Entertainment mode. In Gamer mode, no hints were available and puzzles could not be bypassed. However, you received bonus points if you solved certain puzzles within a set amount of time. A total of 4000 points were available on Gamer mode, though due to a glitch with one puzzle, only 3900 of these points are actually attainable. Unlike its predecessor, The Pandora Directive, Overseer didn't have any other changes to gameplay between the two modes.

[edit] End of the Series

Overseer is the final installment of the Tex Murphy series. This had not been the intention when the project was developed. In fact the game ends with a cliffhanger since it was intended that a sequel (Chance) would be published quickly. Overseer was developed because Intel had wanted to bundle a new Tex game with one of its new hardware products. Due to a very quick turnaround Intel initially required there wasn't time to produce, and write a new game for the series. As some players might notice Overseer is not a "new story", but rather a retelling of Mean Streets. Intel reportedly paid for the entire production but decided to cancel the software bundle anyway. Access released the game through normal channels in 1998. After the completion of Overseer it was intended that 2 more games would be produced and Aaron Conners the writer for the series had basic outlines ready for Chance and one other Tex game (Polarity). However Access was sold to Microsoft shortly after 1998 and any mention of a Tex sequel was put on permanent hold. This is due partially to the merge, but has more to do with declining sales of the series and Adventure games as a whole. Since Overseer was published no other game work has begun. Some time around 2004 Microsoft sold the rights to Take Two who then shut down the old Access development house. The rights to the series were then transferred to Indie Built a small developer. However in 2005 Indie Built shut its doors as well. Since "Overseer" Conners and Jones have tried to give fans some hints as to where the story was headed, these included Flash Animations and a series of "Old Time Radio" episodes. However all further animations and radio episodes have been cancelled and as of spring 2007 the series is completely dead.

[edit] Cast

  • Chris Jones as Tex Murphy
  • Michael York as J. Saint Gideon
  • Rebecca Broussard as Sylvia Linsky
  • Henry Darrow as Sonny Fletcher
  • Richard Norton as Big Jim Slade
  • Clint Howard as Larry Hammond
  • Suzanne Barnes as Chelsee Bando
  • Joe Estevez as John Klaus
  • Roger Davis as Robert Knott
  • Silvanna Gallardo as Eve Clements
  • Monique Lanier as Wanda Peck
  • Howard Mungo as Arnold Sternwood
  • Emmett Grennan as Jorge Valdez
  • Micaela Nelligan as Delores Lightbody
  • John Gavigan as Frank Schimming
  • Jim Cash as Harry Rice
  • Aaron Conners as Greg Call
  • Ron Ross as Carl Linsky
  • Doug Vandegrift as Bosworth Clark
  • Kevin L. Jones as Mac Malden
  • Adrian Carr as Dalton

Directed by: Adrian Carr

[edit] Other Tex Murphy Games

[edit] Related links

The Tex Murphy series
Products Mean Streets • Martian Memorandum
Under a Killing Moon • The Pandora Directive • Overseer
Tex Murphy Radio Theater • Chance
Characters Tex Murphy • Chelsee Bando • Louie LaMintz • Rook Garner
Clint • Nilo • Mac Malden
Creators Access Software
Aaron Conners • Chris Jones