Posted September 10, 2015
After seeing a post about this on BFG's facebook page, I did a quick search of our forum here and didn't find any threads.
For those that don't know, there is fan driven, BFG sanctioned effort to remake Overseer which is better explained here via the first production diary post from their thread over at BFG's forums -
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What is Poisoned Pawn?
Poisoned Pawn is both a revisit but also the next step in the Tex Murphy legacy. Yet again, both fans and newcomers alike will have the opportunity to experience the origin story of Tex Murphy. Yes, this is the third time this story will be told. That's why it's important to make the gaming experience unique and not just repaint something you have played. Essentially, this is a remake of Access Software's final (and perhaps most underrated) Tex Murphy adventure, Overseer.
By far, Tex Murphy: Overseer was the most noir of the 1990s Tex Murphy interactive movie adventures . The game adopted a cynical, hard boiled tone while eschewing many of the sci-fi elements that dominated Under A Killing Moon and Pandora Directive. The emotional gravity in the Overseer story is intense- second perhaps only to Tesla Effect. In addition to its excellent writing, the game also features outstanding performances from Michael York, Clint Howard and Henry Darrow.
Released in 1998, Tex Murphy: Overseer served as both a sequel and prequel to Under a Killing Moon and The Pandora Directive. The story is told contemporaneously to Chelsea from the perspective of Tex. However, it is here that similarities to Overseer's two predecessor's end because the story Tex tells is of his first ever case before coming to Chandler Avenue. Tex Murphy: Overseer was technologically groundbreaking for it's day, as with the two previous adventures. Not only was it one of the early titles to adopt what was then the latest CPU technology (Intel's MMX Processor) but was also one of the first games to be released on the DVD format, a technology which would eventually place the final nail in the VHS coffin.
Despite these innovations, in 2015 Overseer has not aged well due to compatibility issues with contemporary systems and their operating systems. This is where we come in.
Our mission is to remake Tex Murphy: Overseer in its entirety on the very recently released UNITY 5 engine. Along with the all the original cinematics, puzzles, conversations, story and settings, Poisoned Pawn will feature new and expanded settings, brand new puzzles and even more immersive gameplay. Hence, Poisoned Pawn is truly a step forward in the evolution of Tex Murphy in that it will take the lessons learned from 2014's Tesla Effect and build upon the technology which made that title a success. Best of all, the project has the blessing of BFG, including Chris Jones with a special thanks to Steve for initial support of the project.
An official fan project? How?
Yes, this is more than a mere fan project. It is a fully fledged release intended for the gaming market to build upon the exposure to Tex Murphy as achieved in Tesla Effect. Although classic films such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Casablanca and Raiders of the Lost Arc should never be remade, the same cannot be said for classic video games. Unlike films, games are aged and worn by time and technology. But, through the process of remaking, video games have the best potential for reinvigoration and to be made better than ever (unlike classic films). The timing for this project could not be any better. In the advent of upcoming fan remakes such as Super Mario 64, Black Mesa (a remake of Half Life), Deus Ex: Revision and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, both Big Finish and the small team working on Poisoned Pawn feel that Tex Murphy's origin story is worth retelling for both long term and newly arriving fans. If your first Tex adventure was Tesla Effect, then Overseer is ideal for you as this is the chapter that leads directly into the events portrayed in Tesla Effect and features two of Tesla's major characters in a substantial role.
<<<<<>>>>>
As someone who as struggled to play Overseer (and never finished due to a well known bug crash during the end of the game), I'm pretty excited to watch the progress of this project and hopeful eventual release.
If I somehow missed a thread on this already in the forum, I apologize for the double post - otherwise other Tex fans who were not in the know can rejoice!
For those that don't know, there is fan driven, BFG sanctioned effort to remake Overseer which is better explained here via the first production diary post from their thread over at BFG's forums -
<<<<<>>>>>
What is Poisoned Pawn?
Poisoned Pawn is both a revisit but also the next step in the Tex Murphy legacy. Yet again, both fans and newcomers alike will have the opportunity to experience the origin story of Tex Murphy. Yes, this is the third time this story will be told. That's why it's important to make the gaming experience unique and not just repaint something you have played. Essentially, this is a remake of Access Software's final (and perhaps most underrated) Tex Murphy adventure, Overseer.
By far, Tex Murphy: Overseer was the most noir of the 1990s Tex Murphy interactive movie adventures . The game adopted a cynical, hard boiled tone while eschewing many of the sci-fi elements that dominated Under A Killing Moon and Pandora Directive. The emotional gravity in the Overseer story is intense- second perhaps only to Tesla Effect. In addition to its excellent writing, the game also features outstanding performances from Michael York, Clint Howard and Henry Darrow.
Released in 1998, Tex Murphy: Overseer served as both a sequel and prequel to Under a Killing Moon and The Pandora Directive. The story is told contemporaneously to Chelsea from the perspective of Tex. However, it is here that similarities to Overseer's two predecessor's end because the story Tex tells is of his first ever case before coming to Chandler Avenue. Tex Murphy: Overseer was technologically groundbreaking for it's day, as with the two previous adventures. Not only was it one of the early titles to adopt what was then the latest CPU technology (Intel's MMX Processor) but was also one of the first games to be released on the DVD format, a technology which would eventually place the final nail in the VHS coffin.
Despite these innovations, in 2015 Overseer has not aged well due to compatibility issues with contemporary systems and their operating systems. This is where we come in.
Our mission is to remake Tex Murphy: Overseer in its entirety on the very recently released UNITY 5 engine. Along with the all the original cinematics, puzzles, conversations, story and settings, Poisoned Pawn will feature new and expanded settings, brand new puzzles and even more immersive gameplay. Hence, Poisoned Pawn is truly a step forward in the evolution of Tex Murphy in that it will take the lessons learned from 2014's Tesla Effect and build upon the technology which made that title a success. Best of all, the project has the blessing of BFG, including Chris Jones with a special thanks to Steve for initial support of the project.
An official fan project? How?
Yes, this is more than a mere fan project. It is a fully fledged release intended for the gaming market to build upon the exposure to Tex Murphy as achieved in Tesla Effect. Although classic films such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Casablanca and Raiders of the Lost Arc should never be remade, the same cannot be said for classic video games. Unlike films, games are aged and worn by time and technology. But, through the process of remaking, video games have the best potential for reinvigoration and to be made better than ever (unlike classic films). The timing for this project could not be any better. In the advent of upcoming fan remakes such as Super Mario 64, Black Mesa (a remake of Half Life), Deus Ex: Revision and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, both Big Finish and the small team working on Poisoned Pawn feel that Tex Murphy's origin story is worth retelling for both long term and newly arriving fans. If your first Tex adventure was Tesla Effect, then Overseer is ideal for you as this is the chapter that leads directly into the events portrayed in Tesla Effect and features two of Tesla's major characters in a substantial role.
<<<<<>>>>>
As someone who as struggled to play Overseer (and never finished due to a well known bug crash during the end of the game), I'm pretty excited to watch the progress of this project and hopeful eventual release.
If I somehow missed a thread on this already in the forum, I apologize for the double post - otherwise other Tex fans who were not in the know can rejoice!
