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Gorgeous game with great atmosphere but VERY linear

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: August 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed playing this game quite a bit thanks to its engrossing graphics and great ambiant soundtrack but it ultimately amounted to the most linear shooter I've ever played. I tend to like pretty linear games but the gameplay in this one was just not compelling. Like every other shooter you basically just wander around killing monsters until you get to the end. There were some puzzles strewn about but they never required any real strategy or thinking.

Also the story was weak. From my point of view there really wasn't any story at all. The premise was interesting but there just wasn't any real plot to go with it. This game was disappointing because it could have been so much better. I wish more game developers would get smart and add a more RPG like experience to shooters.

Still, I enjoyed the game quite a bit in spite of its flaws and am sad to see it has become a bargain bin title so quickly. It deserved better. It really is an amazing visual experience. The levels (worlds) in the game are quite compelling and fun to explore. Considering the price I recomend that you check this game out unless you really just don't like shooters. Do keep in mind though that this game demands a decent system in order to take full advantage of it's gorgeous textures. It ran smoothly, though a little slower than I like, at 1024*768 on a Radeon 8500 and Athlon 950. Also it was a completely bug free experience.

I should also mention that the weapons in this game are quite a bit different than standard shooter fare and help make the game more interesting.

EYE CANDY!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: December 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have been looking forward to the release of this game for while, but I had no idea it was going to be this visual. The screenshots on the website are great but the movement and gameplay are unmatched by any game I've EVER played.

The requirements are a little steep (the review says 200mhz and 64mb ram but the retail box says 400mhz, 64mb ram and 16mb 3D video card), but if you have the system, and you like third person adventure games, you will be completely immersed in this game. I'm only on chapter one and I'm sucked in beyond belief.

The environments are an acid trip to say the least, so not only are you looking forward to the next level and new enemies, but you are also looking forward to what sort of strange, dream induced hallucinations American McGee has come up with.

Again if you like 3rd person adventures, and can handle Alice in Wonderland on crack and a ouija board, this game is for you.

A Problematic Game to Consider

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: March 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

McGee's Alice is a unique recasting of the Alice in Wonderland mythos into a game context. I'm sure the reader is already aware that this Alice, and this Wonderland, is horribly twisted by Alice's inability to deal with the tragic deaths of her parents. Alice follows the white rabbit once again and finds herself faced which the terrible task of cleansing and healing the world of Wonderland.

The task is made harder because, in order to heal Wonderland, she must heal herself. To do that she must conquer fear, guilt and anger. In Wonderland's terms she must slay the Red Queen, who is really the reflection of Alice's own pain.

The game interface is smooth and transparent. The disturbing artwork is truly superb. All the characters have lost their innocence and appear as distorted caricatures of their originals. The world itself is incredibly fantastic, rich in imagination and detail. The game may be worth its cost simply as eye candy.

To me, the game's really serious flaw is that it's story and action is on a very adult level, but the level of challenge it offers is low. Now, I am not a regular hack and slash player, so the ease and linearity of Alice's challenges were really welcome and allowed me to enjoy the visual and narrative parts of the game. But experts used to Deus Ex and Quake Tournament will find the game too simple. Levels are completely linear, and the weapon set is limited in features and utility. The only challenge is keeping a big enough supply of 'will' (the game's equivalent of ammo) to keep shooting. Despite the violence and traumatic plot, the game would work best for a 7 to 9 year old. Actually the violence the game offers is really only moderately graphic. I'm not sure that the mature player warning is completely justified.

Still, most collectors will want to own this game. And most players will find it enjoyable. The storyline itself is very touching, with a strong, positive ending. As American McGee's first solo effort it promises much for his continued career. I'd recommend buying it even with its flaws.

Highly reccomended.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: October 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okey, the graphics are now somewhat dated. A lot can change in 6 years, but they're quite tollerable & very fun to look at. When I read previews for the upcomming Bioshock & old reviews on Grim Fandango; they reminded me of this. It's part 3ed Person Shooter & mostly adventure. There really aren't enough AI to stand in your way earlier on. You biggest & moct consistant danger throughout the game is falling to your death. Latter you'll have to deal with drowning, being eaten, & being squished by gigantic projectiles. Unlike most fighting games, the environment is you're worst & most challenging enemy. Despite limited exploring you may still become lost. If you play RTS games & find smothering same-looking enemies over & over to become boring, don't worry; this can be ammusing & strategicaly stimulating.

The scenery looks so awesome & unique it almost puts the Harry Potter games to shame. The voice acting is excelent & well suiting, though Cheshire's dialogue is vague & a bit cheesy, but the use of riddles stays true to the book. The flame effects are still realistic, there are all sorts of amusing & interesting things to watch like the insane children in the fortress & traveling through an anthill. You get a limited number of weapons but they're unique & each has a basic & a secondary attack, but if you jump, aim at the floor, or point up, you create new attacks that are not only very fun to watch, but can be terribly ammusing. It's reccomended that you develop a strategy using particular weapons against particular enemies or groups vs individuals. Alice will also interact with weapons differntly when left idol.

There are 8 levels, but they can last for days even with it's moderate difficulty (like I said, falling/drowning/being crushed/eaten are your biggest threats & you will likely die again & again). The soundtrack & sound effects are 2 more kudos to the game. Take the time to listen to them. Also, the cut-scenes are watch-worthy, so don't skip over them.

I most reccomend this game to girls, fans of twisted fairy tails, fans of Alice in Wonderland/Looking Glass Land, people who are just starting PC gaming, people who want a soft taste of a shooter game, or someone bored with combat & modern-realistic graphics who just wants a fun game with a good story.

Cons: Bad save; if you die, you'll be jettisoned to the begining of the chapter (thankfully not the begining of the level). While higher levels have more & more difficult enemies; the rose garden maze isn't as fun & challanging as it could have been had it 2 or 3 times as many apponants. Like Dungeon Siege 2; restricted wandering. It'd have been fantastic to explore wonderland with the freedom of traveling off the destined path & becoming hopelessly lost.

American McGee's Oz was sadly scrapped, but look forward to the episodic series; American McGee's Grimm on GameTap by Spicey Horse. If you like the level designs but want to do more shooting, I recommend Serious Sam II; which is a very ammusing game. If you like the uniqueness of the music, I recommend the Tragic Treasury by the Gothic Archies.

Alice rocks!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Ok, I'll admit that I am not a serious gamer. I don't have a whole lot of time and energy to invest in games. But when I saw Alice on the shelf there, with the 'M' rating, I knew I had to have it. I'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland and I have been extremely pleased with this game. I agree with whoever said this was probably a lot closer to what Lewis Caroll had envisioned than Disney's rendition. The scenery is surreal and I just wander around looking at stuff. This was definately worth buying.

a word from a less experienced game player

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: February 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Since I am not experienced at Quake or any of McGee's other games and have scored little success in the past with most of the other problem solving yet aesthetically beautiful games on the market I wanted to add my two cents to the review poll. I wanted this game because I love Alice In Wonderland and am a sucker for beautiful graphics. I was not disappointed on either level. I must admit however, that I am feeling fairly inadequate reading all the reviews that tell me this is a really simple game to play. For me, even though I bought the accompanying strategy guide I've had to do and redo each scenario until I got it right, even now days later I am still on level three and am desperately trying to move forward...last night I had poor Alice running in circles as she catapulted across windy chasms. It would not have surprised me if she hadn't turned around, looked at me and screamed "enough already" as she wielded her knife angrily in my direction. The most frustrating thing as a novice is having to listen to the characters speeches again and again as I try to get it right...I'm wondering if there's a way around that too. Still I am drawn to this game. I am anxious to work my way through the levels, solve the puzzles and see the rest of the graphics in this game. I am envious of the game-players who have found this game easy, predictable and "ho-hum" average because of it's linear capacities. ... ... ::::shrinking away in a level of self-pity and inadequacy::::

I DO Want To Go Among Mad People

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I recieved this game only a few days ago and have been playing it non stop. I love the characters, Alice's attitude, the cat, the enemies. I also love the animation and scenery, worth just pausing to take a look at. This game reminds me a lot of Quake, in the way it's played and it the graphics, although Alice is on a much higher, better level. My only complaints are in the controls, using w/s for walking is hard to get use to, and using the mouse for weapons sometimes puts you at a disadvantage, because may not always have your hand ready. I was able to fix those things for myself using the game settings, which made everything easier. Also, as other reviers have noted jumping can be a pain, and sometimes the 3rd person view is a hindurance, but these things do become easier as you continue to play. One last thing, I will probably replay this game on the higher difficulty levels, but I don't see myself playing it over and over all the way through if there isn't going to be anything new or surprising to discover the second time through. But, this highly addictive and pleasing to the eye game is enough fun and challenge to keep me up all night. To those of you worried about the 'M' rating, I personally have never played a game with that high a rating before and I found this game no more violent or bloody than shooters of the lower ratings. But I wouldn't suggest it to most children, but teenagers will probably get a kick out of the warped take on the Carroll classic. I know I did.

Good game with some detractions.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Alice" is a very intriguing game, with an equally interesting story-line spun-off from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass". Basically, Alice's parents are killed one night in a house fire, several years after the events recorded in the Lewis Carroll novels have transpired. Alice is the only survivor from this house fire. She goes crazy with guilt as the lone survivor, ends up in an institution, and ultimately back in a Wonderland that is very different from the one she once knew. She must fight her way through all kinds of enemies to a climatic battle with the Red Queen to free herself from the guilt.

There are many positives to "Alice". For one, the graphics are pure eye candy, especially if you have a descent video card and processor. The voice acting is superb, as well as the flow of the story. The weapon variation is amazing - some really unique ones are to be found here. As I've already said, the story is superb, with an excellent ending.

Now for some detractions. While the violence is not too severe, it is still present. Unfortunately, some parts are down right gross. This brings up some concerns since I believe, personally, that the game could have been just as good without the added gore/violence. Other problems would include the massive system requirements. A Pentium II 400 mhz is *required* (translated: you need at least a P III 600 for it to run adequately.) I would not recommend running this on anything less than that. My computer is a P III 750 mhz with 128 mgs of ram and there were many occasions when the game play became quite slow, so much so that it was difficult to maneuver.

All in all, worth a look if you're a Lewis Carroll fan.

Going back down the rabbit hole

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When I first tried playing American Mcgee's Alice, I began to worry I was tumbling down the wrong rabbit hole. It turns out that I was wrong.

American Mcgee's Alice, known to some as the third chapter in Alice's life, revolves around a nightmarish Wonderland taken over by the monstrous Red Queen. Driven insane by being the only survivor in a fire that claimed the lives of her parents, Alice resides in an asylum with a battered stuffed rabbit - the only remainder of her past life. But when a tragic cry from the rabbit summons Alice back down the rabbit hole, she's forced to work her way through the former fairytale-land and return Wonderland to its original state.

For a game purely about the mythical world of Wonderland, the effort and creativity put into the game has to be tremendous. Fortunately, Alice does just that. The beautifully designed backgrounds and detailed characters really put you into the game (Even six years from its release date!) and sometimes caused me to stop and look out the window, just to ensure I was still in the real world and not in Alice's dream. Staying true to the speech of the original books, the characters of Alice speak just as they would have a few centuries ago, which was rather a nice touch. And each character was uniquely designed - Alice, your friends, and your enemies...which brings me to the next topic.

A game like Alice simply can't do without its weapons. Fortunately, you have ten weapons and three power-ups to fulfill your needs. Each weapon is designed like a toy (though there are few who would consider a butcher knife a toy), and each causes devastating damage to your enemy. Controlled purely by Alice's willpower, these toys will surely turn battle-time into playtime.

As you navigate through the game, you will often be surprise-attacked, or forced to solve a small jumping puzzle or two. It's true that the game is slightly linear and can get dull at some points, but the creative eye-candy put into the game more than makes up for the lack of original gameplay.

Alice, though a dated game, is easily worth the little money you can pay these days to get your hands on a copy of it. If you're ready for a new, warped Wonderland, get ready to go back down the rabbit hole. It may be the most curious adventure on your computer you'll ever have.

In defense of the game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: December 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Level design is unparalleled.... Gameplay could be stronger, but serious gamers should play on the hardest level.... Lesser difficulty will be more than challenging for anyone who doesnt devote their life to playing games.

From what I hear, anyone who complains about glitches and crashes is playing an illegal, pirated, "warez" version of the game and gets what they deserve. I had no such problems with my payed-for version.

Bottomline -- its a lot of fun, which is what a game should be!

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