Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive

Probably one of the best adventure games of all time. And as far as the FMV genre is concerned, also one of the best FMV games of all time. Like all 90s games, many of the puzzles are super unintuitive and nearly impossible without utilizing the hint system, but good news, there's a hint system that will guide you through everything in the game, if you need it. Beyond that, the story and gameplay are excellent. The nostalgia is off the charts. Despite the 90s graphics, it is an utterly mesmerizing and engaging game. Completely pulls you into its world. It has everything. Noir, mystery, sci-fi, mayan legends, alien lore, aliens, mutants, comedy, great acting, everything.

The most ambitious of the Tex Murphy games. This one is old school that way. Back in those days there were these things called video game stores with actual boxes with actual video game hardware in them. How I miss them! Somehow my buddies and I passed on this follow-up to "Under a Killing Moon" (Tex Murphy 3), which remains my favorite of the series. The design of the box on "The Pandora Directive" didn't impress me at the time, nor could I convince any of my buddies to "invest" in it. "The Pandora Directive" looked too serious and cheesy for us adolescent boys with very limited PC gaming budgets at the time. Finding the Tex Murphy games available on Steam is truly terrific and this one is a hidden gem for me as an adult many years later. The Pandora Directive represents the best example of an attempt at a high replay value detective/adventure game in the style of the early live footage PC games. Be warned, oh reader! There are numerous bugs and/or flaws, but deep down in my heart this is the Tex Murphy game I wished I hadn't passed on as an adolescent. This one is truly a worthy yet bugged follow-up to Under a Killing Moon. The humor is here, but the story is richer, darker, and far more complicated. The cast is different, but most worthy. Some strange dead ends and major bugs have held me back from finishing the game. There are some awkward controls that do make things a little frustrating when juxtaposed with contemporary adventure/mystery games. In terms of comedy, the Pandora Directive is a bit darker than other Tex games and has its moments, but the replay value of this game is top notch for the time, once measured against my love and epic experience with "Under a Killing Moon." The dialogue is more polished here and the budget idea is key. Many of the same characters from the previous game are here. It's kind of cool walking in Tex's shoes with such delightful realism as bills/bribes to pay and a girl to save/chase. Think Blade Runner and the Pink Panther's mad adventures in American Film/Mystery Detective Fiction, complete with flying cars, space alien conspiracies, mutants, and (of course) Tex Murphy.

An excellent FMV adventure game that is surprisingly approachable in 2023. The actors performance quality has a wide range, some are a bit stiff, some are delightfully camp, and a few are surprisingly excellent; but all are enjoyable in their own way. I'm in the middle of the game (about 8 hours) and am finding the noir story and interacting with all the characters delightful. However the choice to have so many characters with facial prosthetics (fake teeth, added wrinkles, etc.) is a bit odd. The story is also held back by some really uncomfortably sexist writing, with many of the characters objectifying the female lead. It's hard to tell how much of this is from noir genre convention or 1996 video game writing. The ui for dialogue interactions can also interrupt the flow of conversations, as you can ask everyone about everything, with no indication of what you've already talked about with each character, so sometimes the easiest way to progress is to ask someone about every other person and place in the game and hear their same canned "I don't know" lines 15 times. As far as gameplay the puzzles are your standard adventure game fare, with a few item puzzles, assembling pictures, and interacting with displays. I played on the "easy" game mode and found most of them fun (with the exception of a locked door puzzle). The biggest game design draw back is that some moderate pixel hunting is required to locate necessary items, which is made worse by the archaic ui. The game is a fully 3d world that you move around in with the mouse. You need to use the arrow keys to look up and down, and crouch and shift to stand up/crouch close to the floor. In short it's super clunky. I often missed key items because I was looking at something from the slightly wrong angle or wasn't at the exact height needed, or had looked at 10 other items around the item and got the same "eh, that's not important" dialogue. There is an in game hint system which I found extraordinarily helpful. However, the game punishes you every time you use it by lowering your score. Oh well, I didn't boot up Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive to be a pro gamer. If you're feeling that FMV game compulsion and manage your expectations, this game is perfect! Definitely worth 10 bucks, and a steal if you can get it on sale.

ah well by now everyone knows this is an all-time classic adventure game, I just played it a second time given the chronic lack of new quality FMV games (why would anyone enjoy detective games with animals as characters is beyond me) but I digress.....I remember when Pandora Directive came out, the glossy game boxes lined up in my local shop in upstate NY. Sadly at that time I did not have a PC fast enough to run the game....those were DIY times for the PC game community, graphic cards the Vederman on PC Gamer mag etc etc....but now we can enjoy this gem in its pixelated beauty though I am hearing a remaster is on its way. Would also recommend the Tesla Tex game what a hoot to see something new from them 20 years later

Almost 30 years on and still the best game I've ever played when it comes to storyline, characters, and that sense of living in a film noir detective story. 10/10

very early non linear interactive movie. how you play changes the outcome

I'm obsessed with the Tex Murphy series. It's classic gaming gold. This one and Under a Killing Moon are my favorites.