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Tex Murphy: Overseer




  developer Access Software
  publisher Access Software
  designer Chris Jones, Aaron Conners
  released 1998
  genre Adventure Game
  modes Single Player
  ratings N/A
  platforms Windows 9x
  media 5 CD-ROM s, 1 DVD
  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 Keyboard , Mouse


''Tex Murphy: Overseer'' (1998) is the 5th installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games for the PC. In it, you play Tex Murphy, Private Investigator 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.


SETTING

Like all Tex Murphy games, ''Tex Murphy: Overseer'' takes place in post- 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.


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. ''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.


GAMEPLAY


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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