Tex Murphy: Overseer

Unfortunately it really was the last on the series. Sort of a remake of the first game, Overseer takes us back to the case of Mean Streets, following a series of flashbacks (Tex is narrating the case do Chelse). With two versions, CD or DVD for superior video quality, this game is a bit different than Under a Killing Moon and The Pandora Directive in the interface design. It is more "clean" and less cluttered with menus, which are hidden on the edge of the screen, leaving space to investigate everything at ease. Even those who played the first game should really visit this one. Tex really went away with a bang!

This was my introduction into the Tex Murphy series. I had heard it was a remake of the original Mean Streets and that it was a better version so I thought that I would begin here. I had played many FMV games, owning a Sega CD, and I am a huge point-and-click adventure gamer but I was really not prepared for this type of game. What I enjoyed most was the witty dialogue and well-acted scenes but I found the gameplay to be formulaic and a little uninteresting. The plot was what you might call a "classic" detective story ripped off of old noir movies which is what this series is based on. The interface is way too clunky when in 3D and will require you to use both your mouse and keyboard to navigate properly. Movement, strictly with your mouse, is slow and painful--much too imprecise for the object hunting that you will mostly do when in this mode. Most of the puzzles will be of the find-object, ask the appropriate people, and be prompted to figure out the jigsaw puzzle. This is the usual pattern for a good part of this game, but I was intrigued by the dialogue so I stuck it out. The video quality is very grainy and full of blocks, which really shows its age. I believed that this game was a worthy buy for 5.99 but 10 dollars is a little much for a game this old, but I think that may have something to do with the download size. I think this is one of those games that you had to have grown up with to truly appreciate its design.

The day and age of Adventure gaming has come and gone with the genre all but disapearing. What was once the leader in multimedia entertainment and video games has moved on to be a niche' market. The time has passed since you could walk into your local computer store and pick up the latest Sierra or LucasArts adventure. Before joining GOG.com the only game in the series I had played was Under a Killing Moon, one of the biggest heavy hitters in the classic adventure arena. I had always wanted to play the other games in the series but where was I gonna find them? The Tex Murphy games take place in a post World War III America. Things like a deep red sky and radiation forecasts are common place and the country isn't what it used to be. The people are also divided into two classes, mutants and norms. I'm a sci-fi nut so I knew I would eat this stuff up but I had never really read a detective novel before and I didn't know if I would enjoy the story telling as much as the enviroment. Well you know what I learned from playing the entire series? I love detective novels and the whole game is presented in the classic film noir style. Overseer is a retelling of Tex's first case and that makes it a great place for people new to the series to start. The world is seen in first person and maybe the most technically impressive part is that the visuals are all polygonal, texture mapped and rendered in real time. Unlike adventure games with pre-rendered visuals this game has full freedom of movement, but even more amazing is that this game has visuals on par if not surpassing the likes of Myst or The Journeyman Project. And your going to need the freedom of movement because you need to look into every nook and cranny to find items, evidence and clues to give you a lead. Adventure games like this are also heavily reliant on FMV to progress the story, so it's good news that the story is extremely interesting and the actors are the finest I have ever seen in a video game. Chris Jones is a natural actor and his charm and humour help carry the game to greatness as well as make Tex extremely likable and relatable. He's an everyman, hopeless with women, a bit of an idiot and he has a nack for getting himself into trouble and saying the wrong thing. But he's resourceful like any good adventure game hero and with the games incredibly realistic presentation and Chris Jones' performance you help but feel like you are Tex Murphy. The games puzzles are alot more logical than othere games in the genre. You'll find the solution to most of your obstacles easily but if you are having trouble the Tex Murphy series features the best hint system to ever be integrated directly into an adventure game. Any time you occomplish anything you are given points and you can open the hint system and spend the points on answers to your questions. This helps keep the pace of the game moving without it feeling like it's giving it away. And because of this you'll probably play through the entire 10-15 hour game in one sitting. This series is one I'm sad to say I missed back in the day, playing through all the games in the past month has me excited for a possible sequel. Overseer is my favourite game in the series and you owe it to yourself to play it. Everything is perfect from the gameplay and pacing to the story and presentation. Buy it today.

Neither following forum advice nor GOG support can get this relic working.