Area-51

No doubt about it. I can hardly get through that place. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to rush.

That part of Pandora makes me nervous, too. In fact, the security droid at GRS and the security droids in Overseer make me nervous as well. I like that though. The moving/time enemies in the Tex games are some of the most revolutionary and intriguing puzzles I have experienced in a game. The fact that these enemies scare us is a great complement to the Access crew, and is just another example of how the Tex games involve the player.

I remember the alien at Roswell gave me chills, but I shizzle you not when I say that the GRS droid thingy scared me. I was frickin' terrified of the thing and would hide until I KNEW it was gone.

At the time of the droids on Alcatraz in Overseer I wasn't that disturbed anymore by such things, but both the Alien and the GRS-area in UAKM was a testament to the brilliance of adventure gaming and it's ability to affect you in ways you didn't expect.

And that's why I love the genre to bits.

-Fred

Oh my lordie, the body language I used when Ducking and covering around that blasted GRS robot. My pulse was pounding...followed by an awwwww sheeit, it got me again! I could never hide fast enough.

I actually had to put PD aside for awhile after landing at Roswell, my video card couldn't keep up around the laser beam fence and I died all the time. But by the time I got another computer powerfull enough for it to shine, there was no stopping me. The suspense kept me jumpy.

What a great game!

I hear ya on the Roswell portion of the PD...but the part of the game that always keeps me on the edge of my seat is the damn Mayan Fireball chamber...oh my god you wanna talk about being frantic. Jesus!

Oh, and also..I may be alone on this one...but does anyone else find the corridors to the Mayan temple to be absolutely eerie. They are as plain as can be but so terrifying...as if something is about to jump out at you at any given moment....I love it.

I rush through the Roswell thing every time... Bypassing all kinds of stuff until I get the Alien out of the way... Then I take my time and look over every nook and cranny...

It's amazing how parts of games can have such an effect. I start to get a little anxious just remembering Area 51. ^^

Absolutely agree. Infact I even said so direct to Aaron in one of those old live chats that I was impressed how creepy they were able to make it. He said as writer/developer of the game he doesn't get that same affect obviously but was glad to know it had the desired affect

When I played this game I was probably only about 11 years old too. So you can just imagine.
I didn't want to go back in there for a long time after.

adninsreaction wrote:Oh, and also..I may be alone on this one...but does anyone else find the corridors to the Mayan temple to be absolutely eerie. They are as plain as can be but so terrifying...as if something is about to jump out at you at any given moment....I love it.

I've actually been holding off on replaying Pandora Directive as I'm gonna introduce it to a friend and want to watch them play it with less memory of things, so I can't quite remember. But the anasazi ruins in Overseer had a similar effect on me. I was always expecting something to come out at me. Especially when you're in the secret control room, knowing/watching what happened in there and that the culprit might come back with no way out if they do... creepy!

On my list of creepy places is also the abandoned cabin (I think the one in Pandora Directive is the one I'm thinking of, although the other one is suspenseful in its own way but I think the Directive one was bigger)

I am with all you guys... Roswell creeped me out! It was not only the visuals, and the race against time, but the music! I cannot bring myself to listen to that track on the PD soundtrack because of the chills it sends up my spine! It is a brilliant piece though, containing parts of the Pandora main theme in the tune, very subtle though.

But you know what Doc... I am exactly like you! It took me a few days to gather up the guts to go in there. And the whole elevator bomb part was pretty freaky in itself once you go inside. Also, the parts where you have to walk amongst dead bodies staring at you when looking for things.... gives me the heebie jeebies!

G.R.S was another part of UAKM which took me days to gather up the nerve to play... the dang thing would always be hiding around some corner.

The Mayan chamber was not as bad, but it did have en eerie mood, mainly because the soundtrack had similar thematic elements to the Roswell theme. Which meant I knew it was trouble.

Phenomenal atmosphere!

Cubase wrote:G.R.S was another part of UAKM which took me days to gather up the nerve to play... the dang thing would always be hiding around some corner.

I think what added even more to the suspense was the sound the thing made. That sort of vacuum cleaner noise would fade and then become louder again so quickly, and you knew when it got loud you could be in trouble.

I agree. I can't calm down once I've entered Area 51 in Pandora until I've taken care of the alien entity.

One thing about the alien entity and the race against time that I've noticed:

When I first played the game, I didn't know the entity was going to get me and I searched around very casually and for a looooong time. Yet I was still able to survive. I think the entity's progress is triggered by particular events instead of time. Meaning, you can actually take your time with the alien entity as long as you are careful about the items you pick up.

But when replaying the game we know the alien is there, and have a tendency to try and vanquish it ASAP. Sometimes, I think the rush to vanquish the alien makes the solution more difficult and you also miss some of the clues that are scattered around in the process.

It might be an interesting challenge to try to see how long you can drag it out before containment, without getting killed.

Why spoil the illusion and ruin the great feel of a great scene in a top-notch game?

-Fred