History VideoGame / TexMurphy

** The first instance is in ''Mean Streets', where the possible passwords are anagrams of chess terms. In the same room where you find the encoded passwords is a chess set with a bishop missing.

* FilmNoir

* InformedDeformity: Chelsee is considered to be one of the mutants, but whereas all other mutants we meet are obviously physically deformed in some way, Chelsee not only looks totally normal but is very beautiful. Lampshaded in universe in that it's mentioned a few times nobody but her knows what her mutation actually is.

** ''Tesla Effect'' is going to have multiple endings too.

At least two additional games were planned, but they were spiked when Microsoft bought Access in 1998 and sold it to Take Two Interactive. Take Two eventually shut down Access, apparently killing the Tex Murphy franchise. However, the original developers have since formed Big Finish Games, acquired the rights to the series (via a clever loophole, thanks to the novelizations that series creator Chris Jones had written), and teased fans with the announcement of "Secret Project Fedora".

After years of speculation they finally confirmed that Fedora is indeed a new Tex Murphy game, scheduled for release in fall 2013 after a very successful [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251414413/tex-murphy-project-fedora Kickstarter project]]. The game got [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BABcn4RMLqo its first trailer]] on July 10th, will be called "Tesla Effect", and will also be published by Creator/{{Atlus}} in addition to the Kickstarter backing.

In the meantime, you can get the Tex Murphy games at [[http://www.gog.com/en/catalogue#all_genres/search/access%20software/ GOG.com]].

* ChessMotifs: Pops up everywhere in ''Overseer''. Both John Klaus and J. Saint Gideon are avid chess players, though only Gideon goes as far as to decorate his entire mansion with chess motifs [[spoiler: and use chess-related code names for each aspect of the STG Project]]

* BigBad: Under A Killing Moon: [[spoiler: Lowell Percival]], The Pandora Directive: [[spoiler: Jackson Cross and Regan Madsen]], Overseer: [[spoiler: John Klaus]]

* ShoutOut: A trenchcoat-wearing detective in a dystopian, near-future city in California, with monolithic buildings and flying cars? [[Film/BladeRunner This seems familiar...]]

* BlahBlahBlah: Used as a dialogue option in Martian Memorandum.

* DialogueTree: In Martian Memorandum, only [[TrialAndErrorGameplay one path]] in the whole tree is useful. Don't worry, you get [[WelcomeToCorneria multiple tries]].

* HilariousInHindsight: The NSA renaming itself the National Surveillance Agency seems almost prophetic in light of recent news revelations.

* BatmanColdOpen: The first day of ''Under A Killing Moon'' involves Tex catching a serial burglar with no connection to the main plot of the game.

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: The cryo tank puzzle at the end of ''Under A Killing Moon'' is this. In a hilarious subversion, Tex will complain to the Great PI In The Sky during the HaveANiceDeath sequence how unfair it is, and then receive a second chance without needing to reload a save game.

After years of speculation they finally confirmed that Fedora is indeed a new Tex Murphy game, scheduled for release in fall 2013 after a very successful [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251414413/tex-murphy-project-fedora Kickstarter project]]. The game got [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BABcn4RMLqo its first trailer]] on July 10th, and will be called "Tesla Effect".

After years of speculation they finally confirmed that Fedora is indeed a new Tex Murphy game, scheduled for release in summer 2013 after a very successful [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251414413/tex-murphy-project-fedora Kickstarter project]]. The game got [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BABcn4RMLqo its first trailer]] on July 10th, and will be called "Tesla Effect".

--> ''"Look, prophecies aren't in my job description [=OK=]? I'm just a humble [=PI=] trying to save the world as we know it."''
--> '''Tex Murphy''', ''Under a Killing Moon''

At least two additional games were planned, but they were spiked when Microsoft bought Access in 1998 and sold it to Take Two Interactive. Take Two eventually shut down Access, apparently killing the Tex Murphy franchise. However, the original developers have since formed Big Finish Games, acquired the rights to the series (via a clever loophole, thanks to the novelizations that series creator Chris Jones had written), and teased fans with the announcement of "Secret Project Fedora". After years of speculation they finally confirmed that Fedora is indeed a new Tex Murphy game, scheduled for release in summer 2013 after a very successful [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251414413/tex-murphy-project-fedora Kickstarter project]].

These games contain examples of:

The final three games were, as mentioned, notable for their "interactive movie" quality. They featured solid writing, sharp acting and some surprising celebrity appearances. (Russell Means, Margot Kidder, JamesEarlJones, Barry Corbin, Tanya Roberts, John Agar, Michael York, Richard Norton, Joe Estevez, Brian Keith and Creator/ClintHoward)

* BigGood: The Big P.I. In the Sky, played by JamesEarlJones. Steers fate in Tex's favour during the events of Under A Killing Moon, and berates him during the HaveANiceDeath sequences.

The final three games were, as mentioned, notable for their "interactive movie" quality. They featured solid writing, sharp acting and some surprising celebrity appearances. (Russell Means, Margot Kidder, JamesEarlJones, Barry Corbin, Tanya Roberts, John Agar, Michael York, Richard Norton, Joe Estevez, Brian Keith and Clint Howard)

At least two additional games were planned, but they were spiked when Microsoft bought Access in 1998 and sold it to Take Two Interactive. Take Two eventually shut down Access, apparently killing the Tex Murphy franchise. However, the original developers have since formed Big Finish Games, acquired the rights to the series, and teased fans with the announcement of "Secret Project Fedora". After years of speculation they finally confirmed that Fedora is indeed a new Tex Murphy game, scheduled for release in summer 2013 after a very successful [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251414413/tex-murphy-project-fedora Kickstarter project]].

* InformedDeformity: Chelsee is considered to be one of the mutants, but whereas all other mutants are obviously physically deformed in some way, Chelsee not only looks totally normal but is very beautiful. Lampshaded in universe in that it's mentioned a few times nobody but her knows what her mutation actually is.

* DaChief: Mac Mulden comes off as this.

In 1989, Access Software developed and published ''Mean Streets,'' a noir adventure thriller for several different platforms. The game starred Tex Murphy, who represented the epitome of an old-fashioned, black-and-white noir private detective.

Access would go on to make five games; The sequel to ''Mean Streets'', ''Martian Memorandum'' (1991), was released strictly for the IBM PC and was not terribly revolutionary. The third game, ''Under a Killing Moon''(1994), was a whole different ball game: it introduced a 3D virtual world and made extensive use of full motion video cutscenes. The fourth game, ''The Pandora Directive'' (1996), included the same system and was Access' most ambitious effort. Number five, ''Overseer'' (1998), was essentially a replay of ''Mean Streets,'' but brought into the modern video game era with Access' usual movie work.

The plots of the five games can generally be summarized thusly: Tex is down on his luck, has no money and is largely reduced to eating dog food. A client appears and offers him a relatively simple job: Find a {{MacGuffin}}, track down my friend, etc. In the course of his investigations, Tex discovers that he is a pawn in a plot to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. He then saves the world, making sardonic quips along the way.

* AffectionateParody: Every plot element from old-school, black and white, noir private eye films are lovingly re-created and mocked.

* BlahBlahBlah: Used as a dialogue option in Martian Memorandum.

* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler: The entire plot of The Pandora Directive began with the supposed UFO crash at Roswell in 1947.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: The player can make Tex a glaring example of this if he chooses the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" path in ''The Pandora Directive.''

* LimitedWardrobe: The classic depiction of Tex (established in Under A Killing Moon) is that his entire wardrobe consists of a dress shirt and tie, pants, overcoat, Fedora hat and sneakers.

* OneManArmy: Tex single-handedly saves the world in UAKM and TPD.

* ShoutOut: A trenchcoat-wearing detective in a dystopian, near-future city in California, with monolithic buildings and flying cars? [[BladeRunner This seems familiar...]]

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: In both ''Under A Killing Moon'' and ''The Pandora Directive,'' Tex has to prevent this.

* ShutUpHannibal: An unusual case where this is delivered ''retroactively'': In ''Overseer'', once Tex is done telling the story in flashbacks, he comments how the game's WellIntentionedExtremist "was probably right". Chelsea's response: "[[ThisIsSparta "NO. HE. WASN'T.]] ''You'' were!"