Tex Murphy: Overseer
Encyclopedia
Tex Murphy: Overseer is the 5th (and as of now, the final) installment in the Tex Murphy
series of adventure game
s 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.
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 Mutant
s and the "Norms".
Since Overseer is told as a series of flashback
s, 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.
The game continues the Tex tradition of using some well-known actors to portray major characters, such as Michael York
, Henry Darrow
, Richard Norton, Joe Estevez
, and Clint Howard
.
, 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.
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 was not time to write and produce 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 two 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. In October 2004, Microsoft sold Overseer developer Access Software and rights to the game to Take-Two Interactive
who then renamed the studio to Indie Built
. However, in 2005 Indie Built shut its doors. After Indie closed the rights to the series transferred to a group of former Access employees including Aaron Conners (2009). 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 2008 the series appeared to be completely dead.
Directed by: Adrian Carr.
Tex Murphy
Tex Murphy is a series of five adventure games from Access Software, designed by Chris Jones. The games feature the titular character, performed by Chris Jones himself...
series of adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s 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
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
(FMV) with 3D environments.
Setting
Like all Tex Murphy games, Tex Murphy: Overseer takes place in post-World War IIIWorld War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
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 Mutant
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
s and the "Norms".
Since Overseer is told as a series of flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s, 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. 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.The game continues the Tex tradition of using some well-known actors to portray major characters, such as Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
, Henry Darrow
Henry Darrow
Henry Darrow is a prolific Puerto Rican-American character actor of stage and film. Darrow is probably best remembered for his role as Big John Cannon's teasing brother-in-law, and Buck Cannon's favorite ranch hand, and best friend, Manolito Montoya, in the 1960s television series The High...
, Richard Norton, Joe Estevez
Joe Estevez
Joseph "Joe" Estevez is an American actor, director, and producer.He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez.-Early life:...
, and Clint Howard
Clint Howard
Clinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
.
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
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 five CDs or one DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, 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
The game 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 1,500 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 4,000 points were available on Gamer mode, though due to a glitch with one puzzle, only 3,931 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.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 cliffhangerCliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
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 was not time to write and produce 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 two 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
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
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. In October 2004, Microsoft sold Overseer developer Access Software and rights to the game to Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
who then renamed the studio to Indie Built
Indie Built
Indie Built, Inc. was a Salt Lake City, Utah based video game developer founded in 1982 by Bruce Carver as Access Software.They are popular for creating the golfing Links series and also for creating the video game detective series based on the character Tex Murphy.In 1987, Access announced The...
. However, in 2005 Indie Built shut its doors. After Indie closed the rights to the series transferred to a group of former Access employees including Aaron Conners (2009). 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 2008 the series appeared to be completely dead.
Cast
- Chris JonesChris Jones (Access Software)Christopher Jones is a videogame designer and finance professional. He is most famous for his series of interactive movies starring the hard-boiled, out-of-his-time gumshoe Tex Murphy, played by Jones himself, a private investigator that lives in the San Francisco of the middle of the 21st...
as Tex MurphyTex MurphyTex Murphy is a series of five adventure games from Access Software, designed by Chris Jones. The games feature the titular character, performed by Chris Jones himself... - Michael YorkMichael York (actor)Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
as J. Saint Gideon - Rebecca BroussardRebecca BroussardRebecca Broussard is an American actress and model.-Private life:She was born in Louisville, Kentucky and has two children with actor Jack Nicholson: Lorraine Nicholson and Raymond Nicholson .-Filmography:...
as Sylvia Linsky - Henry DarrowHenry DarrowHenry Darrow is a prolific Puerto Rican-American character actor of stage and film. Darrow is probably best remembered for his role as Big John Cannon's teasing brother-in-law, and Buck Cannon's favorite ranch hand, and best friend, Manolito Montoya, in the 1960s television series The High...
as Sonny Fletcher - Richard Norton as Big Jim Slade
- Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Larry Hammond - Joe EstevezJoe EstevezJoseph "Joe" Estevez is an American actor, director, and producer.He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez.-Early life:...
as John Klaus - Roger DavisRoger DavisRoger Davis may refer to:*Roger Davis , American actor*Roger Davis , American actor in television series Dark Shadows and Alias Smith and Jones...
as Robert Knott
Directed by: Adrian Carr.
Other Tex Murphy games
- Mean Streets (1989)
- Martian MemorandumMartian MemorandumMartian Memorandum is a dystopian cyberpunk/noir PC adventure game that was originally released in 1991 for PC. It was developed and published by Access Software. The game is the second in the series of Tex Murphy mysteries; its immediate sequel is Under a Killing Moon...
(1990) - Under a Killing MoonUnder a Killing MoonUnder a Killing Moon is the third installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games produced by Access Software. In Under a Killing Moon Tex again fights the forces of evil as he tries to stop a dangerous cult from destroying the world...
(1994) - The Pandora DirectiveThe Pandora DirectiveThe Pandora Directive is an adventure game for the PC. It takes place in the world of Tex Murphy, hero of Mean Streets, Martian Memorandum, Under a Killing Moon, and Tex Murphy: Overseer....
(1996)