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beautiful but a little skin deep

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

More 2 and a half stars for everything; a grudging recommendation.

Usually I write pretty long reviews, but i suppose this game is getting a bit long in the tooth so I thought I'd try and dash a brief one out for the small group of people who might be interested. I mean, its not that outdated.

This game is pretty interesting in a few ways, namely graphics and design, but it unfortunately has a lot of problems that make it not entirely fun, and it has a sad tendency to let down in places where it could really shine. Here is a brief look based on things that are important to me.

Story: D, there is an opening cut scene, also a pretty brilliant concept about how Alice is older, had a horrible tragedy, is struggling with sanity, is back in wonderland as a kind of subconscious or unconscious struggle for her mind. it is set up well, like I said the concept is great, however, they neglect to actually have a story of any weight or interest to match- it's all just find this person, defeat this creature, get this thing. I found it quite disappointing on this score.

Graphics: A-, these are strange and beautiful and a high-water mark in gaming. The color, tone, and inventiveness are really fun to look at. While they lack some of the detail current games are now capable of they still hold up pretty well on that score. I think my minus is mostly for the way the game itself can actually detract from the wonderful world construction of the game, and, well, they really went a little too dark with it, both in tone and feel, which i wouldn't mind so much, just, it's so typical.

game play: D-, not very fun, this is mainly a weird kind of shooter with puzzles. the puzzles are mediocre. The weapons, while graphically full of the dark whimsy of the game, are not a pleasure to use. You use something and have to wait, tic tic tic, to use it again, and that kind of timing is irritating. You have to be patient and use timing and it just does not suit this sort of game. Also, as the game is purely about advancing it tends to have a breathless quality far too much more than an exploratory quality which is a waste of the lovely design. Boss battles are tedious (I must admit I find that so all too often in games) and mostly involve run, employ correct weapon correctly, run, employ... and so on.

Difficulty: B-, sorry, cant remember too well- did this have difficulty levels? (Something I feel strongly about). I just remember that playing it was not too too hard though not exactly easy- and some fights and puzzles are a bit of a pain for not especially good reasons (oh, I can climb that ledge? unlike these other 12?), but there is a lot of health around, and I do tend to like games to be easier.

Dreariness factor: C-, the game lacks much release, relief or joyful factors. it's a bit of a dark game for all it's whimsy. Time spent with friends in the game is brief.

Characters: B, pretty well done, but a little brief, Alice is pretty appealing to play as. Pretty good voice acting. of course, beautifully designed.

chore factor: C-, like I said, getting ahead is not hugely rewarding without a good story or real light spots and getting from point a to point b can be a bit tiring, especially when it's a sort of non linear maze kind of approach (not a favorite of mine).

Technical issues: I really cannot remember any problems at all, not even minor. Of course, that's all subjective to different systems, but this seems pretty stable, works fine on xp etc.

Game saves: B, many a mighty game has been brought low by a poor game save system. Alice allows for anytime saves which I feel is mainly how it should be.

Product materials: B-, again I am trying to do this one from memory, but I think there was some neat stuff in the box that set up the back-story. The how to play guide was less great, but something- if I am recalling correctly.

Ooops, I guess that was long. If computer games were as inventive and varied as they should be I would seriously not be recommending this game, but because the field is generally kind of weak I think there are some points of interest and hope in this sort of game, and it might really be worth a try especially at the low prices you can get it for these days.

What every game should aspire to be like in some way!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Aside from the sublime Half-Life 2, this game is my all-time favourite. I play it over and over again, just to savour the wonderfully bizarre atmosphere. This is the sort of game that just screams quality and depth. I didn't mind that the game basically consisted of run, jump, disembowel with knife. Overly complicated and/or convoluted gameplay always gets on my nerves, and I prefer something straightforward. By contrast, although it looked nice and had a good storyline, I found it impossible to play Max Payne because I couldn't get the hang of the controls. Maybe if I was more of a fanatic... but I digress.
I'm into literature, and there was something about Alice that, although it initially seemed to have very little to do with the books which gave it birth, to my mind preserved the very thing which gave life to Wonderland as it was in writing. Namely, it still contains that childlike whimsy and wonder, while giving it a dark and macabre twist that is distinctly Victorian. The riddles, the slightly bizarre declarations made by the characters (eg: 'In war, truth first! There's always time for lies later'- said by the White King), are all distinctly of the books.
The atmosphere, as many have already said, is one of the strongest points in the game. In one particular level - to wit, the Hall of Mirrors in the Mad Hatter's realm - I actually got physically scared and had to take a break.
'nuff said!

Very Intense Graphics, but boring

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: February 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Alice is very gritty and bloody. It's NOT the Alice in Wonderland you might think. Alice is in a sanitorium. Her parents were killed in a fire and she's gone mad. In her mind she's stuck in the altered and sometimes horrific former "wonderland". The doctors try to revive her using new, untested "potions". Some show progress but most make her condition worse. This information is all in a "journal" that comes with the game written by the doctor treating her. So once you read that you load the game... and WOW what graphics! Even the blinking of Alice's eyes frightened me. I played the first board...kind of "Earthworm Jim" style with level after level. It seemed fun at first running around with the Quicken movement and 360 degree line of sight...but soon the slashing and killing become boring. You pretty much just run and slash. The idea is that if Alice destroys the altered "wonderland" she will awaken and be sane again. If you get hurt too many times playing she dies and you have to start over. Sound too basic..yeah that's what I thought. Sorry all you fans..I did give it an honest try but I exchanged it for a better game.."The Longest Journey"...see my review on that.

Lewis Carroll would have loved this

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Way too many people connect Alise with Disney's shoddy "Alice In Wonderland" cartoon, which was miles away from Lewis Carroll's original story. The books "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There" are light and fluffy on the outside, but between the lines there are darkness and violence. This is what American McGee has put the emphasis on in this game.

Wonderland has turned in to a living hell, and it's up to Alice to save the game. Seeing that Alice has been in a mental institution for the past ten years doesn't make this game any less violent of course.

Although this is mainly an action game, you will find a lot of jumping puzzles and more adventure-like puzzles. The gameplay sort of reminds me of the late 80s, early 90s platform shooters, which is not a bad thing. There are a lot of interesting weapons which mostly are connected to the previous Alice books.

Graphically the game is amazing. It fits the Alice mood perfectly, and it's almost taken directly from the books. The music and voices are great also.

My only real complaint is that the difficulty level seem to be a little un-even. It goes from beeing very easy to being way too hard and back again a few too many times. Also the puzzles are a little on the simple side.

Overall though, the game is fun to play, and the storyline is carried on flawlessly. A must for all Alice fans.

Please stay with me Alice

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Sometimes, humans experience something that occupies their whole soul and heart. Something deep and emotionfilled, something so wonderful that time and place has no meaning.

Alice does that. The moment you start Alice, you know this is different. Alice is nothing like other games. Yes, its a 3rd person view, you control Alice, and you are saving Wonderland from the Evil Queen of Hearts, BUT. The way this is done is so overly beautiful it is hard to describe. The graphics are incredible. There isnt a SINGLE dead flat area in the game where there is just a clean color, there is detailed texture everywhere. On bookcases, clocks, doors, walls, floors, everything has a painstaking amount of details, still it runs so smoothly! Alice herself looks both gothic and haunted, yet you cannot do anything but love her, with her sarcastic but yet sad voice, her crying and helplessness and her will to do right.
The Chessire Cat is your companion, he has turned from the purple fat cat in Disney`s movie to a skinny, mangy cat with a evil grin and a dry voice. And YES, he is on the good side.
The graphics are absolutly stunning, and I have played the game so many times, just to experience Wonderland over and over again.
The Sound is awesome too! With a haunting soundtrack composed by Nine Inch Nails "Chris Vrenna", you will feel yourself living and breathing in Wonderland, and haunted by the wonderful music. The Voiceacting are absolutely marvellous, there is not a single bad voice in the game. Everything sounds right. Alice sounds both dark and sweet, The Chessire Cat is awesome and the bosses all got their special little conversation before the battle starts. I really liked the first boss, and the "two dumb guys". (Aint giving away spoilers).
Control. Why is everyone picking on the control? This game has so much control as you got control over your mouse and fingers. I have never experienced a death or a misplaced jump by the control, but it was rather a lack of judgement. The Control is very good!

To summarize this up, I`d say Alice is one of the best games after the Millennium. Probably the best. The mood, music, graphic, story and production value are so top notch, you will have a hard time leaving Wonderland. The only bad thing about this game, is that it ends.

A Darkness Carroll

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

One of the most engrossing aspect's of the Alice pc package hasn't even been mentioned yet. Included with the game is a small 20+ page booklet that is the journal of Alice's asylum doctor. It is a near daily record of the changes in Alice's condition, and the eerie happening's around her. I enjoyed reading it nearly as much as playing the game.

Alice, like most have said already, is a stunning game with gorgeous graphics. I have a 750 mhz processor, asus motherboard, and voodoo3 3d card, and it work's great. An occasional scratch on the skyline, and some in misty area's, but only for a brief second. If you have a geforce2 or better (it was made for geforce use) then it should work fine. A friend of mine says it works perfectly with his geforce2.

All I can really say is it's addictive. It has an opening sequence that peaks among the greatest of game start off's. Alice is asleap, while her house burn's around her in a flowing series of sharp montages. The voices are critical in gaming, and can make or break the way you feel about the character's. This is voice casting at it's best. The dasterdly British accent of the Cheshire is my favorite. "When is a croquet mallet like a billy club? The answer: whenever you want it to be." The disney-made preformed plushness of the original animated kitty is melted with a cross between the mange/anorexia. As much as I like the Disney classic, it was far too pretty for Carroll's ingeniously black vision of Wonderland.

Atleast now we have a chance to see it as it should be. Gore is present only when it should be, and isn't overdone. It's just enough to be effective.

Alice's poise when she speaks add's to her mystery. Her hand's are always crossed behind her as she keeps her back straight and head held high. She is unbreakable. Her voice is forged with a deep properness and gives hint's to her gothic wit.

When your computer is groaning to be pushed, and you enjoy atmospheric games with dark, intelligent character's, then by all means, order Alice! I am just mad with this game.

Great story & mood. Poor combat & puzzles.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Good:

The story of McGee's Alice is wonderfull, it's a great adaptation of the original story. When I first read the original stories, I always saw a very dark and twisted world that laid right beneath the one presented, such that any sane person would quickly succumb to the maddness. The only reason Alice didn't was because she accepted everything completely. This game plays as someone experiencing Alice's point of view, and she forces us to accept this very dark world.

The graphics are simply gorgeous. Everything from the level design down to the graphics are very detailed and varied, really setting a great mood for every level in the game.

Special bonus goes out to the best looking Cheschire cat I've ever seen.

Bad:

Missing from the game that I loved in the books is the twisted logic and puzzles. This game is all set and ready to be a great puzzle game, the only thing it's missing are the great puzzles. The few parts of the game that required thought were very simple.

Without good puzzles, we're left with the rest of the adventuring game to compensate. Oh boy.

The action itself is very repetative. The weapons are very fun to fool around with, but once you get past the creativity, they aren't that much fun to fight with. The enemy AI isn't anything to brag about. Combine all this with fairly simple areas to fight in, requiring minimal to no tactical considerations, combat gets boring fast.

Finally, the controlls can get fustrating. They aren't the most intuitive or consistent between aspects of gameplay, and don't have any creativity put into them.

Ending recomendation:
If nothing else, it's good to at least play a couple levels. If you enjoy creative and original graphics, you certainly won't mind extended extended play. If you love Carroll, you'll find a lot of enjoyment in this game. If you could care less about Carroll or the graphics, then this game probably isn't for you.

A fun ride through the world of Alice, with a dark twist...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game stands out, to me, because as a kid I have always been fascinated by the Alice in Wonderland story. It grabs your imagination and takes you away. Alice, the game, is faithful to the concept, but adds a few dark twists here and there (which don't detract from the Alice theme). Gameplay can be quite hard if you're not used to first-person shooters, but it's worth it to go through this whole game. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was left in awe at the graphics. Alice uses the Quake 3 engine, which should stand up to scrutiny graphics-wise for at least 5 more years. The price for this game is a steal considering the amount of gameplay within. It'll keep you busy for many many hours. If you're at all interested in Alice, buy this game and enjoy.

Fantastic return value!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

4.5 stars. Really, the only negative with this game is that once you finish the game, that's it. If you return to this genuinely nightmarish realm of the gothic, surreal, and macabre the only variation is in the level of difficulty in the initial settings page. I played the "easy" level all the way through and Alice died countless times. With that in mind...feel free to save the game at any point, particularly after long sections of exploring or after theatrical scenes or you may have to go through it all over again. Besides that, there is so much to recommend about this game from an entertainment perspective. The game seems to go on forever, loaded with twisted yet familiar characters that may help or hinder Alice's progress, and the journey never becomes boring or tedious. The only times I found to be monotonous were when I forgot to save the game and had to run through the dark corridors battling the same foes once more. Also, there is a very good reason why the music for this game is available on CD. It is creepy and ambient and elevates the gaming experience to an entirely new level it would not have had otherwise. This game is constantly interesting...and oftentimes bloody! All in all, considering the hours I spent enthralled with this ten-dollar game, the return value was/is fantastic! Thank you.

Good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Yeah, it's an older game now. But it has a great plot and it is visually beautiful and artistic. Okay, it's a little morbid too with children beating thier heads against the walls but it is a good play especially for the distrubed at heart.

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