The Pandora Directive

Seven years after the release, a game which stands so well, despite of the 6 discs swapping needs, must be a really great one. I've played -and finished- TPD last week for the very first although not the last time (considering the game features seven different endings). Recent adventure hits like Syberia or Runaway never reached TPD overall quality level for me, and the explanation is pretty simple.

First, we find well crafted movie sequences which are not fillers at all, but necessary links within the story. Virtually interacting with Kevin McCarthy or Tanya Roberts is a divine pleasure for cinema freaks (and what about that gorgeous mutant beauty played by Suzanne Barnes?).

Second, the 3-D engine works pretty well; you can walk, run, tilt, slide freely in any angle, like in modern first-person shooters; objects are pixel-level detailed and characters look alive even when they are in the background. Back in 1996, this may have seemed a true miracle.

Third, the plot is superb, suspenseful and addictive, not just the average last-minute excuse; talking about Roswell, NSA and Mayan heritage, mentioning Eco's Foucault's Pendulum or Majestic-12... one even wonders if this game is actually revealing something which finally drove it into commercial deletion - not to talk about Big Brother Microsoft having the rights of the Tex Murphy whole series.

Fourth and last, the playability is great; the things to do are pretty logical, you don't ever need to figure out absurd combinations of actions and objects since you never get stuck in too absurd situations, which otherwise is the handicap in most adventure games.

This game well deserves a re-release, a good chance to implement MPEG-4 video, environmental sound, cast, shooting and bibliographical extras and full language support in one or two discs (DVD). 9,5 out of 10.