The game's two introductory videos (the ones that play in a tiny rectangle) have dark odd lines. Is the game supposed to be this way? Or am I missing some video codec?

the "odd lines" are an old FMV game feature that reduced the strain on the old computers back then.
here is what i did:
-enter game (actually starting the game so you can access the options menu) (hit esc button to skip the movies)
-click on the options icon (the big P i believe)
- go to video options and set to full screen
-click the more options button and set high quality video or whatever its called (removes the lines, but makes it look more pixelated)
- quit back to main menu and watch the intro and then start new game

Works wonders!

Thanks! This is another topic that needs stickying or something, it's very helpful.