The Pandora Directive
Encyclopedia
The 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
.
After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games on July 2, 2009.
San Francisco in April 2043. 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 Mutants and the Norms. After the events of Under a Killing Moon
, tensions between the two groups have begun to diminish. The end to the Crusade for Genetic Purity was a turning point in the relations between Mutant
s and "Norms". Tex still lives on Chandler Ave., which recently underwent a city-funded cleanup. The events of WWIII still left the planet with no ozone layer
, and to protect their citizens many countries adopted a time reversal. Instead of sleeping at night, and being awake in the day, humans have become nocturnal, in a manner of speaking. Though Tex lives in what is considered a Mutant area of town, he himself is a "Norm".
The game has a large cast of characters ranging from the deranged to deadly. Several well-known actors starred, including Kevin McCarthy
, John Agar
, Barry Corbin
and Tanya Roberts
.
The "best" Mission Street ending is an Easter Egg in that two conversation paths have to be followed exactly earlier in the game.
Directed by: Adrian Carr
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
game for the PC. It takes place in the world of Tex Murphy
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...
, hero of Mean Streets, Martian Memorandum
Martian Memorandum
Martian 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...
, Under a Killing Moon
Under a Killing Moon
Under 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...
, and Tex Murphy: Overseer
Tex Murphy: Overseer
Tex Murphy: Overseer is the 5th installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games 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...
.
After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games on July 2, 2009.
Setting
Like all Tex Murphy games, The Pandora Directive 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 in April 2043. 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 Mutants and the Norms. After the events of Under a Killing Moon
Under a Killing Moon
Under 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...
, tensions between the two groups have begun to diminish. The end to the Crusade for Genetic Purity was a turning point in the relations between 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 "Norms". Tex still lives on Chandler Ave., which recently underwent a city-funded cleanup. The events of WWIII still left the planet with no ozone layer
Ozone layer
The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 97–99% of the Sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to the life forms on Earth...
, and to protect their citizens many countries adopted a time reversal. Instead of sleeping at night, and being awake in the day, humans have become nocturnal, in a manner of speaking. Though Tex lives in what is considered a Mutant area of town, he himself is a "Norm".
Plot
In The Pandora Directive, Tex is hired by Gordon Fitzpatrick to find his friend, Thomas Malloy. Tex quickly discovers that Fitzpatrick isn't the only one who is looking for Malloy. Tex is dragged into a dangerous situation. With few he can trust, Tex must try and unravel the mystery surrounding Malloy, and along the way he'll learn the devastating truth behind the greatest government conspiracy of all time.The game has a large cast of characters ranging from the deranged to deadly. Several well-known actors starred, including Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (actor)
Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
, John Agar
John Agar
John George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
, Barry Corbin
Barry Corbin
Leonard Barrie Corbin, known as Barry Corbin , is an American actor with more than one hundred film, television and video game credits.-Early life:...
and Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts is an American actress best known for her roles in Charlie's Angels, The Beastmaster, A View to a Kill, Sheena and That '70s Show. Roberts was groomed as a Hollywood sex symbol during the early 1980s.- Early life :Blum was born in The Bronx, New York City, of Irish and Jewish descent...
.
The virtual world
The Pandora Directive is the second game in the Tex Murphy series to use virtual world technology. Using their own 3D engine, Access Software developed a 3D world that the player could fully explore - something very rarely seen in adventure games of its time. In this virtual world, you control Tex searching for clues that will lead you to find Thomas Malloy.Conversations
Another thing The Pandora Directive does differently from other adventure games lies in how it handles conversations. Instead of providing you with a list of responses showing the exact words that Tex will say, the game designers chose a different route. You still have Tex choose from a list of possible responses, however only descriptions (often humorous in themselves) of the responses are given. This is another element that helps make the Tex Murphy franchise unique among adventure games.Multiple paths and endings
The Pandora Directive was one of the first games on the market to take interactivity to the next level by offering multiple game narratives and endings. The player could take Tex down "Mission Street" where he takes the high road and wins the love of his long time crush, Chelsee Bando. Mission Street has three possible endings. Down "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Tex is a selfish and cynical jerk worrying only about the big payoff. Boulevard of Broken Dreams leads to four possible endings. If the player chooses neither path, Tex will go down "Lombard Street". On this path, he's not really a nice guy, but he's not mean either. Lombard Street leads to two possible endings, both of which are common to Mission Street.The "best" Mission Street ending is an Easter Egg in that two conversation paths have to be followed exactly earlier in the game.
Entertainment and Game Players modes
The Pandora Directive provided two difficulty settings, Entertainment and Game Players mode. On Entertainment, hints were available and you could bypass certain puzzles if you so chose. Some minor objects and video scenes were available on this setting that were not available on Game Players mode. A total of 1500 points were available on Entertainment mode. On Game Players mode, no hints were available and puzzles could not be bypassed. Bonus points were available to those who solved certain puzzles in an allotted time or within a certain number of moves. In addition to this, extra in game locations and puzzles were available on Game Players mode that weren't available on Entertainment mode, making for a more challenging game playing experience. A total of 4000 points were available on Game Players mode.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... - Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthy (actor)Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
as Gordon Fitzpatrick - Tanya RobertsTanya RobertsTanya Roberts is an American actress best known for her roles in Charlie's Angels, The Beastmaster, A View to a Kill, Sheena and That '70s Show. Roberts was groomed as a Hollywood sex symbol during the early 1980s.- Early life :Blum was born in The Bronx, New York City, of Irish and Jewish descent...
as Regan Madsen - Barry CorbinBarry CorbinLeonard Barrie Corbin, known as Barry Corbin , is an American actor with more than one hundred film, television and video game credits.-Early life:...
as Jackson Cross - John AgarJohn AgarJohn George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
as Thomas Malloy - Nicole Tindall as Emily Sue Patterson
- Suzanne Barnes as Chelsee Bando
- Bill Bradshaw as Archie Ellis
- Sterling Brimley as Elijah Witt
- Cat Hammons as Lucia Pernell
- Kevin L. Jones as Mac Malden
- Randall Edwards as Louie LaMintz
- Doug Vandegrift as Rook Garner
- Steve Barnes as Clint
- Curley Green as Zack Williams
- John Timmons as Nilo
- Chris Conners as Gus Leach
- Wayne Brennan as Crazy Gary Lee
- Pearl Leidy as Garden House Landlady
- Marcia Dangerfield as Glenda
- Aaron Conners as The Black Arrow Killer
Directed by: Adrian Carr
Novelization
A novelization of the game was written by Aaron Conners in 1995. It differs slightly in details from the game, but the overall story is the same.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) - Tex Murphy: OverseerTex Murphy: OverseerTex Murphy: Overseer is the 5th installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games 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...
(1998)