Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon

I really wanted to enjoy that one. I really did. Especially because this game is considered to be cult classic by adventure game fans. It's not that the graphics are bad. Back in 1994 it definitely was impressive (please remember that at that time most of 3D games were sprite based: Wolfenstein, Doom, Blood). Controls were awkward but I got used to them quite quickly. Next thing I faced was Looney Tunes kind of humor used in this game - to give you example: some character ruining through wall leaving hole in shape of his body ... You get the picture). I prefer more subtle or more absurd kind of humor but well, it didn't bother me that much. But ... here comes another thing ... acting. In contrast to general opinion I think it was bad, especially female cast. Oh well, this is not some AAA Hollywood flick so it's fine ... I guess. As for the puzzles ... I got really annoyed by searching through drawers over and over again. Also how the heck did they manage to squeeze pixel hunting into first perspective 3d game ??? Still I could live with all things mentioned above (and still give the game 5 star rating) if the ploy was really good. But it was so-so. No real twists, straightforward ending, flat characters (especially female ones). On plus side the game had great setting (post-apocalyptic world with mutants, racial segregation and noir type detective in the middle of all this)

Having been sorely disappointed by the first two games in the series (I found the user experience really burdensome, and the wasted time/fiddly mechanics simply pushed me away from them). This however, is a really enjoyable adventure. It's effectively a point and click adventure with 3D environments to explore. The movement/exploration is still a bit awkward (not nearly as bad as the early games), but the puzzles are nice, the acting and writing manage to create several genuinely funny moments, and for the most part it avoids the pitfalls of its predecessors. The puzzles are usually not too obtuse, and the game also provides a built-in hint system, to ease the bumps in difficulty. Not everything is perfect, and some of the gameplay which involves the 3D environment can be annoying, but overall the gameplay gets a positive rating from me. The interface is not perfect, but the cast of actors is charming, and I fould myself looking forward to hearing more one-liners coming from Tex, or meeting the next "weirdo" to advance the plot. The story is more than a little absurd, but since the tone is often humorous, and the actual story beats not contrived for the most part (and when they are, it feels tongue in cheek, so it doesn't feel like you are being lead on), it manages to entertain for its entire duration. The midi music is good (especially if you set up Roland emulation) with a handful of brilliant tunes. The voices are clear enough, and overall the sound department doesn't have any glaring flaws. All in all, I am glad I gave this one a try, despite not liking the first two games in the series, It's an old game, with some questionable UI choices, but if you can get past it, you can find a funny, and interesting world with a goofy yet charming story to tell.

Loved it since Christmas 1994!

A game that in no way shape or form takes itself serious. If you do the same you will have a blast.

Lucky Me my biased may be too involved but growing up in Bountiful UT, I found myself and all the other kids being mesmerized by our neighbor creator/writer/actor Chris Jones AKA Tex Murphy. Along side the adventures Access created Bruce Carver (who passed away just a few years ago) I found myself with free copies of all their great games. The Tex Murphy series was my first real introduction to what a well scripted game should be like. Much of what I see in games like Mass Effect and Skyrim along with many 3D Action Adventure RPG's must be at sometime influenced by Games like this. There were many failed games of this type which Out of pure likability of Adventure games I played them such as X-Files on the original Playstation. But I always found them subpar and lacking in originality and conception of plots. With Chris's "Project Fedora" Reaching It's goal in june 2012 I look forward to finding out what happened to Tex after the pivotal cliff hanger of Tex Murphy: Overseer. Unfortunately at the time Microsoft was busy doing what they do best...Buying out game companies and throwing out projects they didn't find profitable. This was the day Access was bought and the long awaited sequel shut down. This is why you should support indie games as much as possible especially Tex Murphy. The abbility have creative control is what makes for good game Like I said I am biased But I have more than a good damn reason to be.