American McGee's Alice

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant whirlwind of graphic artwork
Review: ...NEVER have I seen a game that has so totally moved me. From the graphics, to the incredible 3D rendering to the haunting minor-key music, this Victorian-Gothic fantasy come to life will literally keep you in awe. (No kidding -- I showed my friend last night and when I turned around to see her reaction her mouth was literally open and she was speechless.) The music, the scenery and the graphics play so much like a twisted dream that you can't decide if you'd rather watch or play -- great indication of a good game.

This game is made somewhat like Quake (in fact, it's by the people who made Quake,) and the storyline is supposed to be a third chapter of the "Alice in Wonderland" novel series, only this is more of a very dark twist. Technically, after rereading "Alice in Wonderland," I can see how McGee looked at it from an insane perspective for the story could be perceived that way. Alice is witness to the untimely deaths of her parents in a house fire and quite simply, loses it. She winds up in a Victorian insane asylum and your objective as Alice is to help her regain her sanity by defeating the red queen and rescuing Wonderland from the dark depths it has fallen into. VERY dramatic, very well done and very, very mind blowing.

From the concept alone I could write volumes, but American McGee (who is the designer of the game) literally captured the perception of insanity in this game with this fantastic imagination. From the furniture floating in space outside the windows as you run by, to the insane children punching themselves and giggling but being unaware of your presence, to the vast maze of mirrors that is simply that -- a maze of mirrors for you to find your way out it is literally DISTURBING, which makes it brilliant. True artwork intrigues the viewer and this is a masterpiece of the senses.

The game itself is chock full of adventure. There are puzzles and mazes galore as well as plenty of "weapons" to use against the baddies consisting of floating, screaming Boojums and cards of every suit with powerful weapons around every corner. The weapons that you find are toys with a diabolical twist (a jack-in-the-box that explodes, dice that conjure a demon to assist you and eventually a musket that blows anything away within the first 300 feet in front of you, let alone a bloody butcher knife that you begin with. But, this is NOT an easy game. As I said, there are plenty of mazes to start with, dodging the bad guys' weapons is difficult enough on the easy level, but throw in the Cheshire cat giving you clues in riddles in order to figure out what to do, let alone the mazes, and you have a game that is going to take you awhile to get through, but addicted to, nonetheless. Also, the controls, just like Quake, can be custom set to your own preferences. Plus, while working the game in the third-perspective, there are two helpful additions: first, there is a bright blue laser-type dot to help you lock on your target with weapons. Second, a pair of high-heeled transparent footprints show ahead of her to indicate exactly where she will land if she jumps. Very helpful. (Of course, if you're the impatient type, you can find the cheat codes on the internet.)

Probably the best part of the game would be it plays like a movie. The polite, but sarcastic conversation about butcher knives and killing between the Cheshire cat and Alice is wild and well written. There are specific characters she has to interact with in order for you to understand what you're looking for, clues that take figuring out and maybe a hint as to something nearby. If you're stuck, the mangy Cheshire cat, with a amazingly calm London British accent, pops up after pressing "c" on your keyboard and throws a hint or explains a new "toy" that you've found with dark sarcastic humor: "52 pickup is a staple of juvenile humor, but when the deck slices and dices, it's no laughing matter..." No kidding. Alice's insanity makes her quite sadistic for when she uses her butcher's knife as a weapon, she literally splatters blood--as well as body parts.

The design of the game's atmosphere is beyond brilliant. Keeping with the Victorian era, the game never steps out of that time period. Look around at any of the "machines" during this late 19th century game and you'll see that everything was thought through concerning the steam-powered machinery and tapestries -- I can't think of a moment where something "modern" was accidentally stuck in. Every bit of this is molded after this particular era giving a stepping-out-of-time feeling. You'll literally "shift" back to reality when you quit the game. :)

The downside to this game is that it is so incredibly high in graphics it needs high speed and high RAM requirements as well as high drive space; you need to have a system that is up to par. I just happen to buy a new system that I had been saving up for, so I had no problem. MAKE SURE you check the requirements because in order to get this type of quality you should have a little more than the minimum requirements or it might be choppy. Don't buy the game if you don't have the minimum requirements and then get ticked off because it doesn't work as well. Good excuse to upgrade your system, but bad idea if you don't have the money to do so.

Alice is quite simply, brilliant. This is a keeper of a game and has made such an impact that Alice's homepage has informed the fans that the rights to a movie have been sold...(I suggest you check out their web page for more graphics and demos as well as teasers -- I have no doubt that this will be considered a classic -- and somehow they'll think of a sequel. Wonderland will literally leave you in awe. I guarantee it. It is dramatic, beautiful, and creepy and will leave you speechless for I still am in awe of the beauty of this game. Top notch!

Rating:
Summary: For Lewis Carroll Aficionados
Review: I was interested in this game because I am interested in Alice in Wonderland, rather than because I am an experienced gamer--which I am not. And I have no regrets about becoming involved with the game, though the connection with the Alice books is not always direct. The atmosphere is certainly true to the underlying nightmarish quality of those classics. The graphics in this game are truly remarkable, and while the action is sometimes frenetic, it is exciting. It is well worth your while to learn to use the customizable features. Not only can you choose your game level and decide what key or mouse clicks you want to use to perform actions, but you can call up the console and enter code: If the fog is messing with your graphics, turn it off! If you can't figure out how to kill something, practice in godmode, where you are invincible! (Or cheat, and use godmode in order to move along!) If more than one person is playing the game over time, you can even save personal configurations so you don't have to change the settings each time. There is a large online community willing to help you learn to do these things and to give you hints if you are stalled. The game-saving feature is a little clumsy, but you can use quicksave and quickload to keep the action going. I have just enough computer to run the 64 RAM install; in fact I have only a 450Mhz processor and an 8 mb Voodoo graphics chip, but the game runs well anyway. (I did have to install the new drivers that are included on the CD.) I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who is interested and has a little time to put into it.

Rating:
Summary: Fun for wusses, too
Review: Okay, I'm not a typical gamer. I don't like things chasing and attempting to kill me - that's way too stressful. That being said, I do enjoy creative storylines, gorgeous graphics and clever characters.

When my dad recommended I play Alice, I was hesitant because I knew it was a little gory and violent and creatures would attempt to kill me. But then I discovered "God" mode, and all I can say is "Hallelujah!" Playing Alice this way eliminated most of the stress but still allowed me to enjoy the game and its puzzles. And you're not invincible - you can still fall off ledges on some levels causing your character to die. But the creatures in the game can't kill you, so that was the plus for me. For anyone like me who isn't into combat-style games but would like to give Alice a go, I recommend playing in God mode. Check out the Internet for directions on how to do this and good luck! You won't be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS!!!!
Review: Lets just get that out of the way eh? Yes I gave this game 5 freaking stars!!!!!!

Alice is put out by EA Games, the same people that put out Ultima Online, Allied Assault, Clive Barkers Undying, and Harry Potter Just to name a few...

This game is rated Mature and is reccomended for Ages 17+ for its animated violence and blood and gore.

From the back of the box:
Join Alice for a return trip to a wickedly deformed Wonderland. Confront the cruel Queen of Hearts and the revolting todies who enforece her evil with will. They're all mad! A fierce nasty fight for sanity and control turns into a leathal struggle for survival.

This game has a couple different levels. From easy to hard. I started the game on Easy (And it wasn't that easy)
And now I am going through the game again, but this time on the next level of difficulty. The graphics RAWK the sounds RAWK the game RAWKS!

The only ONLY complaint I have about this game, is that from time to time when you go to the next portal, the game has some talking scenes. They are kewl when you are just starting to play the game, but on your second + time around playing the game, you don't really need to see the scenes. To my knowledge you can't "skip" them, you just have to let them play through.

This is a good game to make time pass, or play if you have nothing else to do. It took me a week I think to get through the game, and that queen is NOT easy to kill! (That is the whole point of the game, to kill the Queen of Hearts)

Fun game, love the fighting, love the blood, love the graphics, love the premise of the game... Love it love it love it.

A definite MUST HAVE for anyone that likes Alice In Wonderland.

Rating:
Summary: It's awesome game
Review: The game had really good graphics. Enviroments are interesting, nice sounds and good music as well. I would say FOUR of levels are realy difficult. And each time I miss jumping I had to start over.Final boss looks awesome, I mean she's so scary, however, again I have to make her jump and jump. Ending cut scenes are little cheap. Overall, I had fun with this game, and I'm going to keep it.

Rating:
Summary: Clever, unique and a blast!
Review: American McGee's Alice is simply the best computer game I have played in a long time. The storyline is great and the dark twist on the plot made the game even more so interesting. The graphics are stunning as is the music. The controls were simple and easy to master and the "toys" were a clever idea. In fact, this entire game was one of the most clever games I've ever played. Jumping games can get rather tedious at times but there was always something new around every corner or through every door to keep you on your toes. I played the game on Medium difficulty which was pretty easy in my opinion but I was so tickled with everything that was going on in the game that the difficulty was never really an issue, plus you can play it at a more difficult level. Hooray for Alice!

Rating:
Summary: Just Ok...
Review: The only thing I liked about this game was the graphics. They were great, and the only reason that I wanted to keep playing.

Rating:
Summary: Off with her head!
Review: I have played "Alice" many times and all I can say is that it's the most brilliant PC game American McGee has ever created. Every element of the game has been carefully studied and designed specifically for the Victorian era, a time when mentally ill patients were shackled to the walls, locked away in padded rooms and drugged with strychnine. As said in the prologue, Alice has spent 10 years in Rutledge Asylum after her family was tragically killed in a fire. When the White Rabbit calls her back for help, Alice returns to restore both her sanity and the childhood dreamworld she visited years before. But when she gets there, it isn't the same Wonderland; it has been taken over by the Queen of Hearts. The heavily detailed graphics assemble a fantastic yet sinister world where mushrooms are as tall as trees, books float high in mid-air, and staircases are in-between ceilings and floors. Plus, Alice carries an array of toys that have now become destructive weapons: they include a sharp butcher knife, a deck of cutting cards, a croquet mallet and a Jack-in-the-Box that spews out explosive balls of fire. The dialogue and storyline are quite solid, so a player is always interested in what Alice will find around the corner, in the next round. The game, as a whole, has the feel of a Tim Burton production, with Alice facing creepy cariacatures of what her once-beloved dream companions have become: the Cheshire Cat has a toothy grin and a pirate's earring, the Tweedles have become grossly overweight bullies, the Duchess cooks and eats any living thing she can get her hands on, and the Mad Hatter performs mechanical experiments on the March Hare and Doormouse! If that wasn't horrible enough, the wicked Queen of Hearts herself lives in a castle made of bone, pulsating muscles and veins...as if her entire kingdom has become one gigantic parasite feeding off of Wonderland's life force! I would like to tell you more, but I don't want to give too much away, just buy the game and see for yourself. Right now, Wes Craven is directing a film version of this same game, with McGee as producer, and the movie will be around sometime this year or in 2004. It's supposed to be a live action movie with computer effects similar to "What Dreams May Come," and either Milla Jovovich or Eliza Dushku are rumored to be the starring role. If you don't believe me, it says so on American McGee's official website. Keep your fingers crossed!

Rating:
Summary: Creepy and decadent! Worth the price!
Review: Definitely one of the creepiest, most imaginative games I have ever seen!! Graphics are peculiar, ever changing demonstrations of the macabre. Not a game that should be viewed by children under about age 12 or 13. The challenges set forth are difficult to master, and of course, the challenge increases with the succession of levels. I did find the limited amount of sounds and grunts that Alice makes a bit annoying, but the amount of intrigue in the play makes up for the mundane noises.

Rating:
Summary: I played it twice! Very cool...
Review: I really enjoyed this one. Very imaginative, creative, full of suprises, very original and a bit macabre, as there is a bit of blood and gore. Humorous in places, as Alice has a bit of a "tude". :) The third person view was adjustable - you can place Alice further or closer to "you", and mouse movement and keystrokes are interchangeable. Three different difficulty levels, with the easiest still challenging enough to keep me interested. Lots of slots to save your game. Very entertaining - so much so, that I played it twice! If war games and "half life" are not your thing, and you want a bit less of a masculine approach to an action/adventure game, then this would be for you!