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One of the best games of the year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 82 / 88
Date: December 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have to admit, before I played this game, I really didn't think that much of it. Good third-person games on the PC are few and far between. Sure, we have MDK2, F.A.K.K. 2 is alright, and Rune is a nice title, but there aren't many great third-person games on PC. All of this changes with Alice.

Alice has a winning combination of great graphics (thanks to the power of the Quake 3 engine) and wonderful gameplay. I'll start off with the graphics. The textures are highly detailed, and perfectly fit the atmosphere of the game, which is dark. However, what really makes this game shine is the originality and detail of the levels. Each level is much different from any other. You'll walk on huge chess boards rendered in black and white, where you Alice will be the only thing of color on the screen. You'll go through castles that have clocks that sway from side to side. Other places will have tables flying and twirling all about. No other game has levels quite like Alice, and no other game has the originality of Alice. I suppose the best way to describe it would be a 3D Castlevania game done right.

Now onto gameplay. The problem with most third-person games is that many leaps of faith are required. Jumps become tiresome and just plain hard. Alice avoids this with a very nice "lock-on" jump system. You'll land right where you want to. It is a great addition, and jumps never seem tedious. The combat is quite a bit similar to Rune's. Most weapons are melee, but there are some projection weapons. All weapons have a secondary fire, which usually projects something. The game also has a "lock-on" system for combat, which avoids the frustration of continually missing an enemy.

Alice also has quite a few nice touches that make the gameplay more enjoyable. There is a cat character (the one on the cover, standing right next to Alice) who helps you out on your journey. He only speaks in riddles, which gives him a nice personality. The sound is quite nice, and you're in for a real treat if you have a Soundblaster Live! card. The music is great, and perfectly fits the game.

Another thing that makes Alice great is its atmosphere. If you just look at the pictures, you'd think that the game tries to induce nightmares. This is very wrong. The atmosphere is more...well, it is hard to describe, but you should have no problem playing it with the lights off. I guess you could say that the game really "feels" like Wonderland. Great job by the developers there.

The game run's nicely on my middle of the road P3 500 MHz with 128 megs of RAM, and a now outdated TNT card.

The bottom line: this game does to third-person action/adventures what Half-Life did for first-person shooters. Get it now. If you can't get it now, make sure it is the first thing on your want list for the Holidays.

Even Better Than We Hoped...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 37
Date: December 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I will keep this simple. This review is based on the demo released December 2. The graphics are unbelievable and just what were promised in the trailers and screenshots. You can do so much with the Quake 3 engine, and this proves it. The music is creepy and sets a perfect mood. This is similar in atmosphere to Sanitarium, released in 1998, but the gameplay is smoother and the story much more inviting. The weapons are minimalist, but effective. This is not a place for rocket-launchers and railguns. The Cheshire Cat is your smarmy guide, perhaps a bit bitter. You already know these characters, and though the twist that has afflicted Alice and Wonderland is severe and dark, it is not beyond probability. Alice has to grow up. Wonderland did not cease when she left. The Red Queen didn't rest easily. Go. Look at the box, it practically says "BUY ME" ...

Go ask Alice

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 36 / 39
Date: December 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have recently downloaded a demo of this game and spent several hours in a wonderland. That is precisely where the game begins, and even from the load screen, it looks marvelous. It is set in the third person perspective using the Quake III engine, which must have had major changes made to it because it runs perfectly ~ the movement and views available are fluid and easy to negotiate, covering a 3D spectrum.

The look of the game (through the first few levels, anyway) is completely psychedelic and beautiful. Gardens with iridescent mushrooms, GIANT leaves of grass, and creeks that wind mysteriously through it all. The interiors are just as detailed ~ with grandfather clocks that sway, 'liquid' floors and ceilings, and a pastel design. I actually found myself pausing at each new scene just to take it all in, and after advancing, I wanted to go back to view it all over again.

But, of course, it isn't all sugar and spice. The inhabitants of this colorful world are well drawn, and, being enchanted by the evil Queen of Hearts, are basically out to kill you. But, Alice seems to have a few tricks of her own as she arms herself with toys that turn into weapons. This isn't the tame little fairy tale that Disney popularized per se, but is enhanced with subtle creepy elements that Lewis Carroll would probably be proud of.

Another impressive aspect of the game is the sound. From what I heard, the ambient music works well, providing an eerie foundation which borders on nightmarish at times. The effects samples are diverse and add to the experience without overloading it. (There are also some interesting 'old toy' sounds in the game.)

Game play itself is smooth ~ a combination of action (run and shoot) and adventure (puzzles and secret paths), but don't think Tomb Raider exactly. There seems to be just enough problem solving in the journey to keep it interesting, but not so much that will bring headaches. Alice is mostly an action game, and the adventure portion breaks up the fighting elements nicely.

Basically, American McGee's Alice looks like a good 3D action game. There is a nice variety in level design, a clever lot of weapons, and even a good game options screen providing many video/sound choices.

I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys playing action/adventure games, as it brings the genre to a new standard ~ it's the next best thing to reading the book.

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.

Absolutely engrossing.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: December 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

A masterpiece. Every aspect of the game - music, sound, graphics, mood, gameplay, story - is top notch. American McGee has captured Alice's insane wonderland and made it that much more so. The quake 3 engine has never looked so good. Move over Lara, Alice is here.

Beautiful but annoying

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 21
Date: December 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The character and landscape models and textures are beautiful, no doubt. But the AI is often brainless, the character movement is awkward and sometimes gets stuck, the character animations are avg to stiff, visual glitches are more common than they should be, and overall gameplay is just disappointing. Looks like another product was rushed out the door for those infamous Christmas sales figures, and quality be damned.

If you're expecting what the Alice theme implies.. clever puzzles, witty prose, novel adventures, and so forth... look elsewhere. The *idea* of this game is excellent, as is the artwork, but the gameplay is no better than a pointless B-grade 3rd person shooter.

Disappointing, because I really had such high hopes for this game.

A good game w/ great graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: December 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have to say that I am judjing this game from the demo. This game has some of the best graphis that I have ever seen. The fire looks great and the swaying clocks look extremely real. One thing I just have to bring up is that I do not think that it is all that viloent, and it recieved a "m". Another wierd thing its that whenever you kill a card it always gets cut in the same place, no matter where you attack it. I is also cheap how when your your enemies die they shrink and dissapare. The sound is great and the music is scary. Overall it is a good game.

This game begs to be played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 44 / 47
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I was stunned that American McGee announced the game a while back. I've been waiting anxiously for months for this game to be released and here it is! The story takes place after "Through the Looking-Glass". When Alice returns from Wonderland, no one believes that she has been there and is placed into an insane asylum (exactly the same thing that happens to Dorothy from OZ). It's not long before the White Rabbit pays her a visit and tells her she must return to Wonderland because the Red Queen has taken over again. So back down the rabbit hole she goes but, to Alice's surprise, Wonderland is no longer the same place she remembers. It's darker and more dangerous than before. Cheshire returns to accompany Alice on her trip (Cheshire actually acts like a Dæmon, similar to a witch's black cat) and gives her tips. And like Wonderland Cheshire's health is in question, skin hanging off of his bones, nasty tattoos, a pirate's earring and bad teeth makes Cheshire one very nasty looking cat. Of course the rest of the characters have fallen on hard times as well. Mad Hatter sports gears in his body, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum look like they've been dead for a few days, White Rabbit looks like he should be in the asylum. Wonderland also sports several new funky characters like giant oversized Ants, nasty fire Imps, and flying Jabberspawn (don't ask).

The game sports very nice dark brooding graphics suitable to Wonderland. The controls are very nice and solid given time to get used to the unusual third person view. (This is the same view and control found in Rune and MDK2) The levels are nice and detailed, however, I wonder why better use of curved surfaces is not utilized, since the Alice engine is based on the fantastic Quake 3 engine. Interestingly enough, the same curved surfaces are in use during the "Psychedelic" levels with twisting and warping backgrounds and what not. (I recommend a bucket next to the PC if you suffer from motion sickness.) All of these special effects require hefty PC power.

The PC requirements are bit steep, but no worse then when Unreal was first released. Follow them like the bible since fine tuning Alice is very difficult. I'm also severely disappointed that the advanced features are poorly documented and that some of the advanced command issues do not work (strangely enough). And worse, Alice does NOT come with a level editor, this alone shortens the life of Alice down to mere months. A very unusual move since American McGee did work at ID software and knows the value of throwing in the editing package along with the game. (look at games like Doom, Quake I, II, III, Half-Life, Unreal, and Rune)

The minor drawbacks do little to outweigh the game as whole, get the game or "borrow" your friend's. You'll certainly enjoy the game. If not, well . . . You're too old to be playing games. You should be sitting on your couch reading the media's latest attack on violent games and how it causes the youth of America (snicker) to be violent.

2 for graphics

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 20
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard of this game, I was looking forward to it. By the time I had played it, I was really disappointed. The AI is horrible, and there are glitches all over. There's not much else to the game but the graphics... probably the best use of the Q3 engine yet, but graphics can't carry a game. American McGee should have stuck with level design, he's obviously way over his head here.

Excellent 3rd Person Title

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Generally third person action titles have some serious gameplay problems, but to my surprise Alice avoids these and as a result is one of the best single player experiences I have had since Half-Life and System Shock 2.

THE BAD: To get straight to the point, Alice is a fun game that I recommend for any FPS or 3rd-person Action/Adventure fan. So why didn't I give it a 5? First off, I for one have become used to great replay value on PC titles through multiplayer, something that Alice lacks. Half-Life was a 5 even if it had no multiplayer, Alice isn't quite that good. My other big problem with Alice is that, even though as I said earlier it generally avoids the gameplay problems 3rd person games usually have, it doesn't avoid them entirely. The auto-jump feature is nice but not practical during combat or for longer jumps, which can sometimes turn jumping into a chore. There were also a few level-specific gameplay problems none of which are worth mentioning alone, but combined take away a little enjoyment from the game. Also, the enemy AI is no better than average.

THE GOOD. Alice has a pretty good storyline which is a logical extension of the classic story, and the help of the Cheshire Cat was a nice touch. While the animation is only OK, I really liked the artwork, textures and models in this game. The surreal Wonderland environment is great as are its denizens, and the level design is perhaps the best thing about this game. With few exceptions the levels are very original and well-designed. Alice is about adventure just as much as (probably more than) action, and the weapons were designed accordingly. No railguns or rocket launchers here, but instead magic items with two firing modes for some variety. All the weapons use the same type of magical ammo (mana?), which is another nice touch to distinguish this game from the pack.

As for system requirements, Alice uses the Quake 3 engine and performs very similarly to that game. The minimum system requirements on the box, 400mhz/16mb RAM/16mb video card, are probably a little higher than necessary except in the RAM department. Of course you will have to turn the resolution down to 640x480 and turn the texture detail down if you want to play Alice on a computer close to the minimum requirements.

Basically, if you don't mind putting down some cash for a good single-player only action/adventure game, then Alice is for you. Go get it.

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