Games

The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1
Author: Calin Leafshade Resolution: 320x200 at 32-bit color Downloaded: 5406 times (39.3 Mb) Genres: Contemporary, Horror, Original Length: Short games
Added on: 29 November 2009 Website: http://www.thethoughtradar.com Content advisory: Occasional, mild  None  Strong Ratings: AGS Panel: (what is this?) Player rating: 79% Awards won: Best Player Character 2009 Best Animation 2009 Best Sound Effects 2009 Best Voice Work 2009 A film-noir inspired, supernatural detective story. Rick McCarthy is a private detective marred by a secretive and destructive past. He is pulled into a world of blood sacrifice and invocation. Can he hide his past, solve the crime and get the girl? Controls ---------- Left click to move, Hold the left button to interact, Move the mouse to the top of the screen to access the inventory. Notes ----------- The McCarthy Chronicles is quite processor intensive due to all the visual effects used. Do no run the game in a higher resolution than necessary. 320x200 is ideal though some LCD monitors may require 640x400 to avoid non 1:1 pixel mapping (Change it to 640x400 if the image appears blurry) Ensure 'Enable Alternate Letterbox Resolution' is enabled. The McCarthy Chronicles does not support Directx9 acceleration. Use Direct Draw mode Download Now (if the download doesn't work, try Right Click, Save Target As)
User ratings for The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1:
From 48 peoples votes so far: (vote here) Visual: 83% Immersion: 83% Puzzles & Pacing: 68% Overall Enjoyment: 79% You can see a detailed breakdown of the votes.
The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1 was brought to you by:
Arj0n  Testing azureva  Voice Acting Calin Leafshade  Writing, Scripting Mordalles  Character Sprites and Animation
Other games by Calin Leafshade:
Hope (Short games)
AGS Panel review for this game:
The AGS Review Panel has left a comment about this game: This is a very dark, depressing and story driven game. Very well acted and production values are high, although the game lacks substance when you remove all the dialogue, which lowers its rating. This is a very impressive first game and a great start to a series. If you are looking for a very atmospheric, visual, story driven game then this perfect for you, if you are looking for a challenge then look elsewhere.
User comments about The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1:
Posted by straydogstrut on 2010-06-23 at 15:50 (IP logged): Absolutely outstanding game with very high quality in all aspects. I'm personally not a huge fan of monotone backgrounds (it's so hard to see stuff), but they served their purpose in this game. Particle effects and animations were very well done, and the voice acting was superb. Couple of minor typos and inconsistencies, but nothing game-breaking. Dialogue overall was very well done - very poetic but a joy to read/hear. Very atmospheric overall, I was completely immersed. Keep up the good work. Eagerly awaiting Episode 2=) Posted by Anagram-Daine on 2010-05-02 at 10:01 (IP logged): I just finished it and I want to play the sequel. Posted by Dualnames on 2010-03-23 at 23:29 (IP logged): Forgot to praise what I liked most, and to complete my point on my just previous comment. Some may say that it feels like an overpoetic world. Some may say the graphics are okay and just look good because of the particles. Even if the world McCarthy is may seem ugly to some, you'll feel like you're totally in it. And that's where the game excels. Atmosphere. Posted by Dualnames on 2010-03-23 at 23:26 (IP logged): A really nice attempt, but well, it makes me wonder really. When does the game start and when does the interactive movie end. The writing is really nice, but some may find it too much after a while. What actually wins everyone that plays the game is the ending. But to ask of something, what if not the ending? Posted by Valentijn on 2010-03-23 at 16:38 (IP logged): Hi Harg. I thought my first paragraph was pretty positive: the atmosphere is great, and the graphic & sound effects that made for the atmosphere are very, very good. The sound quality of the recordings is better than I've ever heard before in an adventure game, with the sole exception of one voice being too soft in the mix (=the brother/owner of the house). I definitely enjoyed exploring the creepy environment and uncovering the story piece by piece. The voice intonation, the prose & the small gaps in the logic do keep me from rating the game as highly as I'd want - but overall, I certainly liked it. Posted by Harg on 2010-03-22 at 13:28 (IP logged): Valentijn, so you liked the game but most of comments are negative. Can you write and the positive things? Posted by Valentijn on 2010-01-29 at 15:25 (IP logged): Great atmosphere with some really creepy moments. Loved the water effect outdoors, also with the change in walking sound. The quality of the sound & the voices is very good (one of the voices is a bit too soft, though). Some things are a bit illogical. "She died recently, it's very personal to me... here's the key to her room." The poetic writing is sometimes overdone. The voice of the main character is clear and pleasant, but it's also disturbingly calm and void of emotion, and with the way he poetically describes the sinister things he comes across... I kept feeling that I was playing for a psychopath and everything only happens in his head! Posted by fairyhedgehog on 2010-01-20 at 21:29 (IP logged): My only complaint was that I would have liked it to be longer. I really hope there is a sequel. It's a very atmospheric game. Posted by WQZarn on 2010-01-13 at 15:00 (IP logged): Great Atmosphere. This is what all "Film Noir" inspired games should aspire to be. Overall the game's mechanics and puzzles feel a bit light, but these take a backseat to the storytelling. Posted by Anonymous on 2010-01-08 at 11:43 (IP logged): nice atmosphere Posted by bicilotti on 2010-01-07 at 02:24 (IP logged): Solid game, I especially liked the dialogues and writing (baroque at times, but mostly enjoyable). Gameplay-to-plot ratio is way low, hence this looks more like a short story than a game, but I feel it's fair for an introductory chapter one. I have great expectations for the next releases, good luck! Posted by ashmc2 on 2010-01-05 at 22:49 (IP logged): I was very peased with this game. I am excitedly looking forward to the next installment. I can tell due to his game thread comments that he took a lot of critiques to heart and will use that as fuel for a well-thoughtout and executed sequel. Posted by Taeyang on 2010-01-02 at 11:26 (IP logged): One of the better AGS games I have played in this span of months. Well backed and well thought of storyline. Greatest Kudos I would say goes to the unbelievable voice-acting. A good game becomes perfect with good and accurately placed voice-acting. This game, if the other episodes in the series live up to this episode, will be able to rank up to classics like the Chzo Mythos and King's Quest. Keep up the excellent job! Posted by Taeyang on 2010-01-02 at 11:22 (IP logged): Good storyline, good voice-acting. Overall, enjoyable. Posted by JayBTV on 2009-12-24 at 15:31 (IP logged): Still playing but this is the first game in a while that made me want to keep going. Great visuals and voice acting. Thanks! Posted by Cogliostro on 2009-12-14 at 19:38 (IP logged): This game has more atmosphere than anything else produced in AGS. Posted by Snarky on 2009-12-12 at 22:51 (IP logged): Enjoyable supernatural/horror detective mystery with nice graphics and good voice acting. Biggest problem is the writing, which tends to get very flowery and over the top. It's only the first episode, so game is very short and ends on a cliffhanger. Hope to see the story continue in future episodes. Posted by AndyfromVA on 2009-12-08 at 23:13 (IP logged): I really liked the dialog. The excellent writing helped to convey the wonderful noir atmosphere. I also thought the voice acting was very good. However, I did have a problem with the visuals. They looked pretty good - those I could see. I understand why a dark, shadowy atmosphere was important to the story but it was just too dark for me. Also, while the story was interesting I felt much of the story was left hanging. I wanted to know much more about the three female characters. I hope there will be a sequel. Posted by scythale on 2009-12-06 at 22:52 (IP logged): It's a really good game. The use of grey scale is really immersive and the scenario is really promising. The only problem I found was the puzzles were really too easy. I hope the second episode will come out soon. Posted by Ewianes on 2009-12-06 at 13:55 (IP logged): wow - one of the best games here on ags i´ve ever played. unbelievable atmosphere. Alex from Germany Posted by misterspooky on 2009-12-05 at 06:56 (IP logged): To the game's writer: You've got something here, keep it up! I definitely see (and like) what you're going for with the mood. I don't want to discourage you, but the prose seemed to just slightly miss the mark in some places, though it certainly improved as the game went on. If I understood this game correctly, it is meant to be very focused on the narrator's world-weary comments and descriptions of what he's experiencing, which I am fond of, reminds me very much of a gritty detective novel. With some more practice I think you will get this feeling exactly right. Please don't mind my criticism...I went to the trouble of registering just to post in hopes that you will continue this series. I like where it's going. Full voice acting is always a plus, the music is perfect, and the graphics definitely get the job done (A+ on the girl at the bar), but the writing is the strongest point here (key to a good adventure game). But, like I said, the writing does fail in some spots. You nailed it in other spots. Keep it coming and I know we will have a very enjoyable series on our hands. Posted by Jake Jackson on 2009-12-04 at 00:10 (IP logged): Amazing game and storyline, it keep me hooked as soon as I started from the intro. The best bit was the window haha loved it ;) WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT LOL ;) 10/10 Posted by Charles on 2009-12-02 at 12:03 (IP logged): VOICE ACTING and immersion are amazing. This is an amazing game, it's only flaw being you want more. Go play it. Posted by Sauyadav on 2009-12-01 at 03:30 (IP logged): Very Good game with nice graphics, excellent voice acting and interesting story. I will give it 4.5 on 5 scale. There are some little errors like sometimes dialogues don't match subtitles. I especially like the atmosphere. Also controls are intuitive. I hope you are releasing new game soon. Posted by Helme on 2009-11-30 at 13:51 (IP logged): A beautiful, creepy and sort of depressing game. The voice acting might be the best I've heard in an AGS-game so far. Highly recommended if you're in the mood for a dark adventure.

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