Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

1. hannasazi

   May 8, 2014

   10

   I see dated and retro being used as a negative in a lot of reviews and let me just say these are totally positives. Todays games are filledI see dated and retro being used as a negative in a lot of reviews and let me just say these are totally positives. Todays games are filled with cut scene skippers and hand holding and linear story or gameplay. I grew up on these games Tex murphy, Black Dahlia, Spycraft, Blade Runner, etc, etc, these are an art form that was lost due to cost cutting measures and over reliance on cgi. sure its great when a game shows perfect synch with cg characters environments and voice actors but guess what, real actors already have realistic movements and facial features. Remember L.A. Noire I loved that game but it might as well have been a FMV game for all the special detail the new 360 camera process they used gave it. In short welcome back Tex we missed you pull up a chair and tell us many, many more stories.… Expand

   • 26 of 35 users found this helpful
2. erny

   May 11, 2014

   10

   Amazing game. Feels like you right back in the tex murphy universe. While the graphics are a bit dated, the story more than makes up for it.Amazing game. Feels like you right back in the tex murphy universe. While the graphics are a bit dated, the story more than makes up for it. Two thumbs up.… Expand

   • 6 of 10 users found this helpful
4. HenriBlanche

   Aug 7, 2014

   10

   It was just a thrill to play another Tex Murphy game. It might not be all that modern but I just see it as a true sequel to all the olderIt was just a thrill to play another Tex Murphy game. It might not be all that modern but I just see it as a true sequel to all the older games in the series. This is classic point-and-click adventure gaming at its best. Here's hoping they decide to make another one!… Expand

   • 2 of 4 users found this helpful
5. alefou

   May 9, 2014

   10

   All right , just finished the game. And well .... that's all I wanted . I had fear before playing, fear to be disappointed ... But you did it.All right , just finished the game. And well .... that's all I wanted . I had fear before playing, fear to be disappointed ... But you did it. you kept your promise. A lot of kickstarter project was a real deception. But not this one. Everything from a TEX GAME is here. Music, scenario, humour, acting, ambiance .... And everybody knows how it's difficult to satisfy FANS and to reboot feelings from old franchise (even George lucas didn't succeed lol) You succeed to recreate the feeling we all had when playing tex murphy. So for that, just thank you. I didn't believe it myself but what a job whit this budget. Can't wait for the next and be sure of my support for that :) Great job.… Expand

   • 11 of 20 users found this helpful
6. JazGalaxy

   May 28, 2014

   9

   Tesla Effect is a game where you play a detective who walks around looking for clues. It does this extremely, extremely well. It seems likeTesla Effect is a game where you play a detective who walks around looking for clues. It does this extremely, extremely well. It seems like most of the negative reviews for this game seem to focus around the complaints "I don't want to be a detective" or "I don't like looking for clues". It's hard to take those criticisms with much sympathy. I see the game criticized for having poor graphics, but this also doesn't make much sense to me. Games with beautiful environments that try to make their blocky puppet looking human characters emote often come across looking laughable or downright unsettling (Mass Effect). And yet this game uses fantastic looking video to portray real emotions and had less stellar environments and people say it looks poor. I'd much rather have the latter than the former. In any event, if you like Detective games and adventure games, this game will be adored by you. If you are looking for it to make you like a genre you hate, well... keep looking.… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
7. Poisoned_Pawn

   Jun 28, 2014

   8

   In my opinion, Tesla Effect falls somewhere around 7.5/10 (gave it 8 on here). I think this game will please Tex fans and newcomers alike,In my opinion, Tesla Effect falls somewhere around 7.5/10 (gave it 8 on here). I think this game will please Tex fans and newcomers alike, even if it isn't perfect. If you like a good story or adventure games, then check this one out. If you like it, I highly recommend trying out Tex's past adventures.
   
   Let me start by talking about what the game gets right. First is the story/cutscenes. Tex Murphy is definitely back and they hit the nail on the head, bringing the right balance of humour and drama to the story and protagonist. The story is a satisfying conclusion to the cliffhanger of Overseer and with multiple story paths and endings provides some good replayability. The characters in the game are mostly quite good, with some familiar faces returning to Chandler Ave, and a few new ones.
   
   The multiple paths and endings brings with it something new to Tex Murphy. Unlike The Pandora Directive, the path you choose will affect your ability to access several locations and will uncover different story elements. While these are all relatively small, most come with puzzles you won't get playing the game along another path. I just wish there was more of this: the gameplay is about 90% the same regardless of the path.
   
   The gameplay is what you'd expect from an adventure game: inventory and “logic” puzzles. While easier on this front than it's predecessors, it was still fun. The atmosphere in several of the locations is excellent, and manages to capture some of the atmospheric elements that made Pandora so good. The main musical theme of the game is also excellent.
   
   While the story is quite good, it can feel a bit rushed or disjointed at times. Sometimes you're thrown from one scene to the next with a bit of exposition in between – rather than returning control to you. You also can't visit locations whenever you want, even when there's no reason to disallow it – e.g. Why can't you return to the resort whenever you want, even if there is nothing to do there? This all gives the game a very linear feeling.
   
   While the characters are mostly good, one in particular stands out as not: Smart Alex. Your new PDA sidekick (voiced by Kevin Murphy) feels out of place in a Tex adventure and is rarely very funny. Instead of hearing Tex's inner monologue, we're too frequently left hearing Smart Alex – even durng death sequences. I miss Tex lambasting himself for violating PI rules, or calmly explaining that he was mauled to death by a pack of hungry coyotes. All in all, I don't think this hurts the game too much.
   
   While multiple paths are interesting, they seem to revolve exclusively around which woman Tex would like to romance. During the Kickstarter, it was promised that the three paths would be to find out what happened to Chelsee, uncover the truth about yourself, or find the people who were responsible for shooting you at the end of Overseer. While the Chelsee path is there, the other two don't seem to be. It would have been more satisfying if the woman Tex ended up with was caused by which path you're on, not the other way around.
   
   As I said earlier, the gameplay is a bit too easy. There are fewer logic puzzles in the game than in the past and not enough head-scratchers. Only for a few puzzles did I feel the need to take out a pen and paper. Objects are frequently too close to where they will be used. I assume this was to save players from wandering around, but to me that is part of what makes an adventure game. I want to feel stumped, even for a just a few minutes. With the full walkthrough system in the game, this would have been possible without frustrating players who just want to move on. It would have also been nice if the “Gamer” difficulty had some differences that made it more challenging than the Casual difficulty setting.
   
   The graphics are good (not great), but to me always take a back seat to everything else (unless they impact the gameplay somehow). That said, a few environments are a bit too empty, giving them an incomplete feel. Most notably are the sewers which are empty and boring. Even in the more complete feeling areas (which is the majority), there are so few things for Tex to look at. One of the greatest things about the previous games were Tex's humourous comments about mundane things, but almost every location has too many things that Tex can't comment on.
   
   Pros:
   -Good story, with plenty of Tex humour
   -Good cast of characters (mostly) with some excellent newcomers
   -Multiple story paths and endings provide replayability
   -Some good adventuring gameplay
   -Atmospheric locations come close to matching Pandora's and UAKM's
   
   Cons:
   -Some story feels rushed or incomplete in a few places (not enough to seriously affect enjoyment, though)
   -Story pathing relies too much on which woman Tex wants to be with
   -Gameplay is a bit too easy at times given that stumped players would have a hint system at their disposal
   -Some sparse environments
   -Too few items can be commented on by Tex
   -Smart Alex… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
8. Crimert

   Jan 16, 2021

   3

   If you are a fan of Tex Murphy Universe then this game might be for you. Nonetheless, this game made me got really bored. 1hr on record.

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful

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