Video games - The Pandora Directive

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	Video games - The Pandora Directive

The Pandora Directive (1996) is an adventure game for the PC. It takes place in the world of Tex Murphy, hero of Mean Streets, Martian Memorandum, and Under a Killing Moon.

Setting

Like all Tex Murphy games, The Pandora Directive takes place in post-World War III San Francisco. After the devestating 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 Mutants 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 Pandora Directive takes place in April 2043.

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 devestating truth behind the greatest government conspiracy of all time. The Pandora Directive has a large cast of characters ranging from the deranged to deadly. Several well-known actors star including Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure), and Tanya Roberts (View to a Kill, That 70s Show).

Gameplay

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 you could fully explore - something not often done in adventure games. 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 humourous 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. You 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 2 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 4 possible endings. If you chose 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 2 possible endings.

Entertainment or Game Players Mode

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 alotted 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 slightly more challenging game playing experience. A total of 4000 points were available on Game Players mode.

Cast

Chris Jones as Tex Murphy
Kevin McCarthy as Gordon Fitzpatrick
Tanya Roberts as Regan Madsen
Barry Corbin as Jackson Cross
John Agar 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

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Pandora Directive ]

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