I'm depressed...

Yeah...I can't say I enjoyed that path very much. While very well done in its own right, it violates who I think Tex was established to be in UAKM, and hence rings a bit false. If there had been no UAKM and only Overseer, in which Tex's darker emotions were exploited very well, I might buy it a little more. But, like I said, if only the Boulevard existed in the TM world, it would have been perfectly believable.

On the other hand, a lot of its poignancy comes from our knowing Tex so intimately. It's largely because of UAKM and the other PD paths that the Boulevard was so heart-wrenching.

I can't remember if it was on this board, or maybe another gaming board I posted on. But there was a discussion about how you see yourself in relation to the game character when you're playing.

The way I play first person games, like the Tex Murphy series, I am the main character. I *am* Tex when I'm playing Tex Murphy.

My trouble with the Boulevard path did not have to do with violating who I think Tex is. The problem was with who I am because when I'm playing, Tex is me. I must say, it made me *very* uncomfortable to do some of the things that are required in order to stay on that god-foresaken path. I do not like it one bit. I'm not even sure if I ever finished it.

Strictly as a spectator, I wouldn't have any problem watching someone else direct Tex down that path. But when I'm playing Tex, I can't do it.

Ok, well, except for that scene with Regan. I didn't mind playing that one over and over.

Yeah, I disconnected myself from the Tex character. I didn't see myself with Tex's character, but more as though I were reading or even co-writing Tex's character as an author. The Access boys had already written it - it was there on my CDs. Only because I was able to think of myself as reading about a fictional character was I able to not feel too badly about myself.

I found the path to be angst ridden but very powerful. True, it wasn't Tex's traditional side, but I was swept up in the possibilites of what could be. And let's face it, any of us could see the worst of ourselves and the consquences that can come to past because of it. I love Pandora (and the boys behind it) because they had the balls to actually do something like that. Take a walk on the dark path, you won't like where it leads. But I did.

Funnily enough, it was much harder to be Mr Nice guy, and took you away from the game more if you tried to follow the mission street path, comapred to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams path.

I too enjoyed it and it contained the kind of atmospheric, down trodden atmosphere that really gave the game a unique flavour. Having multiple endings and paths in a game is the greatest innovation ever... its a shame you don't see it around these days.

-Cub. =o)

If it's any consolation I'm working on a pretty long-term project now, a movie as a matter of fact, but it'll be interactive with multiple story paths and multiple endings. A thriller, perhaps even inspired a little by you-know-who ~ don't know if it'll be feature length yet, with parallel paths the mere amount of footage builds up exponentially and I only have a limited amount of time. But I'll definately keep everyone posted - even though it probably won't be finished for at least a year, maybe two.

Bests, Rockefeller

I hate Bouleuvard of Broken Dreams! Mission Street only! I am not a good guy in real life, but I never betrayed anyone. Not in the real life, not in computer games. So, Bouleuvard of Broken Dreams is NOT for Alex!

Actually I think the endings were pretty tame. The paths were brilliant though. When I first played this game, I had no idea that it had different paths.. I only recently discovered this and was SHOCKED by the broken dreams path. I love seeing tex wake up with a hang over. Poor Emily died

I like em all, but the endings were sucky. (but there are actually 3 endings, the other 4 endings are GAME OVER screens where tex dies and says the same crap about being a Jerk )

mr_cyberpunk wrote:Actually I think the endings were pretty tame.

Blasphemy! While I can agree the paths were great, I personally don't agree that the endings were tame. The ending sequences were a good chunk of the amazing reward you were hanging out for during the course of the game.

I remember watching the UAKM ending way back when (UAKM was my first PC game)... and it took about 10 minutes before my jaw came back up to join my skull again. Of course, that set a very high benchmark for games ever since... and Pandora has been the only other game to surpass that benchmark... and the ending sequence was the icing on the cake!

Games today are a total dissapointment when it comes to endings, and the only games which have has memorable endings (onces which I have played) in my opinion were Grim Fandango and Mafia... and for a console game Halo's ending was pretty good, the whole sequence both interactive and video!

-Cub. =o)

"Dinner with Chelsee" is the best ending. Real date is better than Holo-date, Cub.

I was shocked when I saw Archie Ellis die in TPD. I never thought to go warn him the first I played, but my second run through I saved him. Did anyone think to save him right off?

I did not think to remind him either. Of course, I think is party due to the fact that i think we were not used to such a dynamic storyline for which we could influence events as much as we could.

Second time though, like you, I found a significant number of loose ends tp tie up, once I got used to the amount of variations one could employ during the course of the game.

-Cub. =o)

Archie Ellis - is that the UFO enthusiast who Tex practically runs away from after being threatened with hours of in-depth alien talk?
Actually, I'm not sure I even knew you could save him... But I usually left quite a long time between play-throughs so it may of been that I forgot the sequence of events. I'll have to do that next time though, I like happy endings.
Although I will have to make use of those save files that were distributed and see the other endings soon, I'm not sure if I have yet.

Save Archie Ellis? Shoot! I'd pay real money to see him die!

All kidding aside, BOBD should be played from time to time. When we consider that any of us at any time could inadvertantly take that path in real life, well, then Tex could too. Besides, there were some scenes that were truly creative, socially unacceptable and uniquely emotional that could touch our hearts in one way or another. Also, we would never hear Tex's Lament by Richie Havens (unless we had the CD).

So, play it once in a while and let reality touch our life - it keeps us humble.