Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
When Under a Killing Moon debuted in 1994 it was a marvel, the first story-based adventure game to incorporate both 3D first person movement and FMV (Full Motion Video). When it showed up on Steam at a bargain price I decided to replay it and see how it held up against the recent spate of indie-made story games that I’ve been playing. The verdict - it’s still pretty amazing.
Sure, the graphics are pixellated and the controls are a little…odd. But the production values are stellar - great sound, acting, writing, and game design. The mouse-based movement control took a little getting used to, but actually worked much better than the fidgety controls in recent games like Edith Finch and Stories Untold, which just about drove me mad.
– Real player with 23.0 hrs in game
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Trawling through the relics of adventure gaming’s past can often be more frustrating than fun, but I’m happy I gave Tex Murphy a chance! Under a Killing Moon tells a great tale set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic world, done up in the most advanced tech 1994 could muster. Even if – unlike myself – they don’t see beauty in jerky live-action videos so low res they contain weird rainbow blotches, everybody who enjoys adventures will find something to love in the silly-serious narrative, and especially in the character of Tex Murphy: a down-on-his-luck, fedora-wearing PI torn straight from the pages of a Raymond Chandler novel. Some of the actors are pretty good, some are so bad they’re good, and some of them are just straight-up bad – tough, yet affable, yet goofy ol' Tex, though, is consistently played to perfection (perhaps that’s because he’s portrayed by Chris Jones, who is also the series' head designer). It’s easy to see why this character picked up such a cult following!
– Real player with 16.8 hrs in game
Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition
Where do I even begin with the remastered edition of one of my all-time favorite games? Playing this took me back to the mid 90s… back to the days of Mortal Kombat and video game magazines. I was somewhat surprised to realize I still know by heart way more of the dialogue than I should. I kinda wished I still had my old notebook from 1994 that had all of the trap times written down, painstakingly collected from hours upon hours of gameplay. They’re widely available on the internet now, but it’s really not the same, now is it?
– Real player with 23.9 hrs in game
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Still too buggy. I had previously recommended this game after being able to finally playthrough it after it launched with a game breaking which caused the game to not be completable. It also had many other bugs. The updates have fixed quite a bit but I now have a bug where I can’t get a perfect game and unlock Scene of the Crime. At 6:30 the possible counter increments by two even though no trapable augs appear. There is a red light which indicates when a trapping opportunity is missed. That light never turns on indicating that I missed any augs. I haven’t tried to play to the end but I’m guessing that I’ll be at least two short even if I capture all augs. I know some people have 100% the game but I think that was prior to the 2nd update. In addition there are still audio issues, cams not updating, and crashes.
– Real player with 19.3 hrs in game
Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh
My friend and I have recently gone down the rabbit hole of these fmv games. I’ve learned a lot on the way, and we’ve both lost even more. With this unique experience however, comes the perfect tool set to judge these games.
We started with harvester and there couldn’t have been a better game to get our toes wet. 5 hours later we became the kidders we need to be to take on phantasmagoria 1. Harvester’s story direction (or lack thereof) really made phantasmagoria 2’s story shine through. The acting was mostly good or at least good enough to not take us out of it and the characters were well written. Trevor please email me. Phantasmagoria 2 is nothing like it’s predecessor. It starts you as a white dude named curtis but the real main character, blob, is introduced quickly. A story filled with weird physics and entertaining emails, this game will take you on an mindboggling journey. Walkthrough is highly recommended especially at the end where the game crashes if you don’t do the puzzle right..
– Real player with 48.8 hrs in game
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I see a lot of reviews that try to compare Phantasmagoria (1) with Phantasmagoria 2. And then the reviewer draws a conclusion that one is better than the other. My take - they share the title and they are both point-n-click adventures. That’s about where the similarities end. I think this is why so many critics loved the first and disliked the second. They weren’t letting both games stand apart.
Phantasmagoria 2’s horror is more focused on the cerebral… an analysis of insanity. Although there are a few bloody moments, the story focuses on Curtis' psyche and how it affects his relationships. Because of this, there is a distinct focus on interpersonal exchanges between Curtis and his friends/co-workers. You come to know each character fairly well and it’s easy to love some and hate others.
– Real player with 22.6 hrs in game
Phantasmagoria
I think Phantasmagoria surprised me the most out of the FMV games I’ve played recently, partly due to the fact that it was always reviewed as “meh” compared to other classics like “The Beast Within”. It did appear to be pretty mundane at first glance and I didn’t like the idea of puzzles in spades as I’m no good at them. I actually played Phantasmagoria 2 before this one and, though I did have a blast with it, it’s a joke in comparison to this one. The 2nd one just seemed to be a vehicle to show off the technology of the time with a ridiculously goofy story that insulted B movie horrors. This isn’t actually as campy as I expected (with the exception of a couple of ridiculously overacted scenes in the final act, it’s actually quite a serious horror). This is a dark game. Found myself feeling a bit freaked out at various points throughout and the musical score is tremendous.
– Real player with 126.8 hrs in game
So I might be a little bias to this game given that it was one of the very first point and click adventure games from my childhood and I’ve always had very very fond memories of this game.. Now that I’ve gone back and played it a bit, I remember why I loved it as much as I did when I was a kid.
To start off this is a point and click adventure game that features a actors over a green screen in a 3D rendered background. It’s got a strangely charming feeling when I go back to play this game at nearly anytime with the way the actors need to interact with the enviroment around them.
– Real player with 11.1 hrs in game
Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive
Tex Murphy is one of those things you either had to grow up with or which you’ll probably never get.
That being said, it remains one of the least worst FMV series in existence. Some would even go as far as to call all of them a masterpiece. Personally, I won’t but there’s definitely historical merit to them and the story is indeed actually quite cool.
The acting is not as cringeworthy as the old C&C in between mission movies and has its moments, but all things considered this age pretty terrible.
– Real player with 126.2 hrs in game
Truely awesome game. Had this back in the day but forgot how good it really was. The story line is great and the puzzles are devious but not un-doable with a little logic. All in all, it took me 38 hours to complete. ( although that includes time spent going off to make a cup of tea while I thought about where to go next) . Some of you may find that the initial scenes, discussions and traveling a little tedious at first but the game does become more exciting as it goes on.
The Tex Murphey games are the leaders in this genre. IMO.
– Real player with 71.4 hrs in game
Harvester
At first glance, this game looks awful. It’s easy to dismiss it as just another zany product of the failed FMV phase of video games, especially with the game proudly and shamelessly wearing its exploitation label like a medal. “The goriest game of all time!” It says, sometimes coupled with screenshots that appear to show more gore-for-the-sake-of-gore. This is just the most obvious basis one can use to write Harvester off, but if you’re willing to venture beyond that, you’ll find many more.
It’s pretty meta, because Harvester throws the player off constantly. This in itself is one of the entire points of the game. The bizarre characters, the seemingly unclear satire on violence in video games, it’s all there for a reason, and it took me several playthroughs to get the full meaning. The first time through it’s just plain-old bizarre and enjoyable, though I recalled being intensely disappointed by the final act, especially the endings. Up to that point I had loved it in a purely “interactive B-movie” sense, but the game decided to throw even that away at its conclusion. Bundled with the atrocious combat system, it seemed like a wasted opportunity.
– Real player with 65.5 hrs in game
Before I start this review please be aware that this game features cannibalism, suicide, senicide, pedophilia, child abuse, molestation & all sorts of other fucked up subjects so if your sensitive, squeamish or a curious minor please keep your eyes/fingers off this game. (I might SPOIL some parts of the game or more so don’t read if you hate spoilers)
The best way I can describe Harvester in my opinion is the perfect serial killer simulator because of the bizarre atmosphere of the town of Harvest, the unsettling NPCs of this small town like Mr. Pottsham (obsessed with meat) who is a molester & a pervert who likes watching Stephanie 24/7 (I don’t blame him Stephanie has nice cur…… errr let’s continue) or Steve’s “mother” who is an extreme BDSM enthusiast (That bitch has all sorts of other issues which I won’t mention) & don’t forget the stages of a serial killer which you can read here http://www.criminalmindsfanwiki.com/page/Psychological+Phases if you wish.
– Real player with 26.0 hrs in game
MegaRace 1
Wow. This brings me back. Instant-buy.
For 3 bucks I could relive a major part of my childhood without fussing with getting my really old copy to run, just launch and go - with controller support (ish)
It’s great. So many great memories and Lance is just too funny. Even today it still plays well.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
So for the positives the game does have rebindable keys, and works well with a 360 controller. And the game is at least playable but you can really tell this is the first in the series as it feels like a collection of half finished ideas.
Really it’s more of an on the rail shooter than a true racer, as you only ever 1v1. Add in some bad power up balance as well as limited tracks and cars to unlock.
So although it’s not totally awful and it is at least playable, I would only recommend you pick this up as part of the megarace pack and not on its own as the limited content will quickly wear thin.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
MegaRace 2
WORKING CHEATS on Steam =)
To use cheats in this version, go to \Steam\steamapps\common\MegaRace 2 and then find file name “dosboxmegarace2.conf” open it with ‘‘notepad’’ in that file go to very bottom, you will see line called megarace.exe
type for example “megarace money speed.exe” (without “")
to get 99,999 in-game dollars and make your car go faster.
speed - makes whatever car you choose faster.
money - gives you $99,999.
map - shows a map of the track while racing.
game - skip the intro.
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
Two dollars to revisit my childhood.
If you have issues launching: Restart your PC OR make sure you pick the second “MegaRace 2” from the options when you start it.
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game
Realms of the Haunting
Wow! What an amazing game! I’ve never played it before or back in the day so this was a first impression. It’s such a huge 20 chapter adventure of FPS, scares, puzzles, cutscene movies and story, that you get so engaged in it, it really feels like you are controlling a character in a movie.
The graphics are impressive for the time, the mapping especially is so well thought out and designed that I was always amazed whenever I arrived at a new location. It’s not all hallways and darkness, there’s such a variety of fantasy like locations that it never gets dull.
– Real player with 25.7 hrs in game
This game took me about 20 hours, I wouldn’t say it necessarily earns all of that length. You should know before you get into this that this is not really a horror game, it’s an adventure game where the first half has heavier horror elements than the second, which leans more into the surreal cosmic world that it builds up.
Most people’s gripe is with the controls, but honestly it only took me a little bit to adjust to the antiquated first-person movement, although you SHOULD absolutely read the manual before playing to get an idea of how to play.
– Real player with 19.8 hrs in game
D: The Game
As a fan of the late Kenji Eno (R.I.P) and the now defunct WARP Studios games, I was really happy to see that D (WARP’s first game to be released outside of Japan) is now easily accessible on Steam.
D was originally made for the short lived 3DO in 1995 and was ported to the Sega Staurn, PS1, and MS DOS (which is this version). The gameplay is akin to 1993’s Myst, with the entire game being an fmv. Yet, unlike Myst, everything is fully animated. So if you want to get somewhere, you are going to have to walk there using a pre-set path. It’s kinda slow, but it really helps build the atmosphere.
– Real player with 4.8 hrs in game
I own this game on Playstation, 3DO, Saturn and now on Steam, and I don’t regret paying for it again, even though it hasn’t aged well, and even though this is a fairly mediocre DOSBox port.
D is an on-rails horror-suspense game from the 90s. You play as Laura Harris, daughter of Dr. Richter Harris, a famous physician who, for some reason, has suddenly decided to murder everyone in his hospital and disappear inside the building. You have two hours (in real time) to figure out why, with no saving, interactive movie-style.
– Real player with 4.1 hrs in game