Access Software

[Desmond]

It seems that when I read threads about favorite adventure games, I never see Access Software mentioned -- just Monkey Island over and over.

This disappoints me, because my favorite adventure games were produced by Access Software, namely Amazon: Guardians of Eden, and Under a Killing Moon.  (Although I own a copy of Tex Murphy: Overseer, I can't get it to run on my system.   )

I personally loved the story in Amazon, especially.  Even though the narrative and presentation was reminiscent of a B-movie serial, replete with powerful and sexy warrior women, the quest to find Allen was very interesting.  I also liked the sense of helplessness, or of being stranded, that the game conjured up once Jason reaches the jungle.  I'll never forget the airplane scene... "Step to the door, pardner.  You're gonna be divin' like a condor to a corpse."

Oh yeah, and the lovely adventure gaming jab: "The ladder fits snugly into your back pocket."   

I also liked the story and atmosphere in Countdown, though the premise is now cliche.  That game was really difficult, though; I need to go back to it someday.   

(As an aside, Amazon was how I found and settled on AGS... I wanted to make an adventure game, and started searching for engines.  A lot of them were out there... but I saw AGS, and saw that Chris Jones was developing it.  Where had I seen that name before...?  Access Software.  I didn't have to look at anything else.  One of the developers of my favorite adventure games had built and released a freeware engine -- what else needed to be considered?)

So, to try and get to "what makes adventure games great," what did you like or not like about the Access Software titles?

[m0ds]

Under A Killing Moon really appealed to me. I only ever got to play the demo as a kid, I saw it available in Toys R Us when I was about 15 but then when I wanted to buy it, it had gone, and wasn't even available through catalogue order. So that was a shame, I missed out and will definitely have to find a copy on Ebay when I can afford it.

That was the only Access software game I remember, and I know a lot of people here really do love the Tex Murphy games - so don't feel you're alone! I get the feeling that Tex was a little less mainstream than MI, and thats the reason why more people here will mention MI over Tex...

Chris Jones is an amazing man! But sadly, despite all the jokes I could make here, he isn't the same Chris Jones that worked for Access. That is just simply one of the coolest coincidences we'll ever come across.

[Desmond]

Awww, you ruined my fantasy!   

[m0ds]

Heh! Sorry Well would it help if I told you my name was actually Murphy, first name Tex?

Look, I even have the ladder to prove it

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Oh okay, that's just another myth.

I do live in a dumpster, though.

[xenogia]

Access Software definetly produced some of the classics for me.  Recently I found Under A Killing Moon at a Gametrader store, and cause my computer isnt that fast and Dosbox cracks the shits because of it.  I created a dos boot disk to play it, I just had to find an old ISA sound card so I could get dos sound drivers working correctly.

My latest game Illusion of Murder is heavily influenced by the Tex Murphy series and Amazon.

[biothlebop]

The best thing about under a killing moon was when he fumbled his gun in the beginning.

[Tonik]

Don't forget Pandora Directive. 

[Desmond]

The best thing about under a killing moon was when he fumbled his gun in the beginning.

On a similar note, one of the outtakes at the end...

"So YOU'RE Tex Murphy..."  *pulls a gun, points at camera, reels, cackling maniacally*
"That was great, but, uh, you don't shoot him."
"Oh!"

I liked Martian Memorandum, too, but it had a few puzzles that could trap you and make the game unwinnable... which always strikes me as bad design.  (I'm thinking in particular of digging up the one spot in the jungle -- if you don't get that item before getting to Mars, you can't backtrack and get it again.  Bleh.)  I think Overseer is supposed to be a remake of Mean Streets or Martian Memorandum, but in the style of UAKM?  I wish I could run it...!

[xenogia]

I wish I could find Overseer in Australia, I can't find it anywhere.

[sergiocornaga]

I found a copy, and I'm in New Zealand so it shouldn't be that hard... although honestly I much preferred The Pandora Directive (which I own two copies of for some dumb reason  ). By the time it was released, the 3D with 2D objects/characters technology was getting pretty stale... although there are some pretty funny lines in it. It's set in the past, and looking around your office reveals a younger, less washed-up Tex...

[Gilbert]

Well I have Mean Street 1 thru 4. That's all I can say:

MS1 - Great graphics, great sound (REAL sound!), average controls, not-very-good game design (well, that's what you could expect at that time, when you have the address to the final scene, you won...), good gameplay (if you play it fair and like taking notes)
MS2 - Average graphics, poor sound (moving from PC speaker to adlib/sound blaster didn't necessarily improve stuff), average controls (just generic point&click), not-very-good game design (not as good as the "mainstream" adventures like the Sierra&Lucasfilm ones), bad gameplay (just click-click-click boring to me)
MS3 - CRAPPY graphics (awful 3D the whole game could be done without), average sound (good quality, I'm never a Jazz fan though). CRAPPY controls (foolish choice of mouse controls and mode switching, c.f. Normality which was much better), EXCELLENT game design and gameplay (the puzzles were good, and multi-storyline was good too)
MS4 - CRAPPY graphics (did improve a little bit from 3), average sound (same as 3). CRAPPY controls (did improve a little bit), EXCELLENT game design and gameplay (same as 3)
Overseer (supposed to be remake of MS) - never played, since it's a window$ game


But you don't need to judge ehe games or take any of these seriously, because:

ANYONE WHO IS CALLED CHRIS JONES SIMPLY RULEZ!1!

[xenogia]

You don't use Windows, what is your system?

I love the series, Access Software are a very under-rated company well until Microsoft bought them out that is.

[Gilbert]

Well I do use windows, but just that Overseer was a window$ game was a good enough reason for me not to buy it.

Oh, stick to topic anyway.

[xenogia]

For me the screenplay to all the games was well written, Chris Jones is an excellent screenwriter.  And the games were written on screenplays he was going to use for movies before he founded Access Software.  I remember reading at some point, that Hollywood was even going to make a big budget film out of the series.  But that fell through due to the fact that Microsoft bought them out mainly for their Links game technology which then went onto being called Microsoft Golf

[Toefur]

I always get confused about who wrote what.

Didn't Chris Jones write the origial games, but Aaron Connors actually wrote the screenplays [and novelisations] for the FMV games?

[xenogia]

ahh yes correct .. Chris Jones did the first two games and Aaron Connors did the others.