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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.

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.

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.

A good game but still falls short.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 25 / 26
Date: January 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The main reason I bought this game was because of the Alice in Wonderland theme. I must admit, I'm a sucker for anything dealing with Lewis Carroll's classic story. Plus, I do like playing games--especially computer games.

So the question is did Alice live up to the hype? Yes and no. Is it as good or as bad as people claim? Well, both.

The object of the game is simple: save Wonderland. Alice returns to Wonderland--a more dark, twisted Wonderland than she knew before. It is now ruled by the evil Queen of Hearts. Alice must destroy the Queen and bring Wonderland back to it's natural glory.

I found McGee's vision of Wonderland fantastic. I think the best adaption I've seen. Way better than the fluffy Disney verison. The characters are even more mad than they were before. Instead of just "harmless" madness, it's now to the point where the madness is just...well, murder. We meet farmilar characters such as the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Dum, the Catepillar, and even the beloved With Rabbit.

The graphics and sound are superior. Nice, dark jingles that run through the game as you discover Wonderland. And the graphics...whoa. What can I say? Wonderful! At times you just have to look around and enjoy the view. Maybe even Carroll would approve, eh?

But where there are pros, there are cons. I must agree with the the people and critics that say this game is too linear. And this is from a person who prefers linear games! But...at times I do like to rack my brain, get lost, or have to think of a way out of a sitution. In this game you don't do that. You go here, you go there. A to Z. You don't have to really think as you progress. There are no secrets worlds, no extra places to go, no extra weapons/objects, no altnerative endings or paths, none of that (or very, very little of it). Once you finish Alice, that's it. Nothing else to do. Nothing else to see. Put the game in the drawer.

The game boasts puzzles on the box and hinting on a challenge but I found none. The very few puzzles they had were average at best. This is if you don't include jumping puzzles--which are a pain in this game. Not as bad as Tomb Raider but bad enough. Let me tell you a secret: you will die more often falling off cliffs than you die in combat.

Basically, it's your choice. If you're looking for this game to be revolutionary with hours and hours of fun gameplay, it's not. If you're looking for a game with good graphics and sound that presents you with a fun, creative adaption of Alice in Wonderland, this game for you.

It's a toss up.

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" ...

Visually Stunning

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: December 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Although powered by the Quake III Arena engine, American McGee's Alice isn't a 3D "shooter" or anything like Quake and it's predecessors. It is a romp through Wonderland as we've never imagined it: Hitchcock meets Disney with Timothy Leary producing. Unlike so many games that use dimly lit scenes to portray a mood, Alice excels in the area of graphics. Swirling vortexes, surrealistic skies, even a level in black and white where Alice and an item or two are the only color to be seen. The game is linear in fashion, like Carroll's novels. This is an interactive story that moves along as you (portrayed as Alice) solve problems and puzzles. The cut scenes move the story along as well, and provide clues as to what to do next, and the mine train ride will steal your breath. The background sounds include a soundtrack by Chris Vrenna (former Nine Inch Nails drummer) which adds much to the disturbing mood of the game environment. The elements in this game create enough "suspension of belief" to submerse the player in an incredible fantasy world closer to Carroll's than any movie depiction we have seen. The "M" rating is questionable: the violence here is hardly that of a Quake or Duke Nukem, but the general mood of the world is depressing indeed, and the image of insane children is disturbing. All the more reason to defeat the Queen of Hearts and set things aright (I do love a happy ending.)

Crazy Alice

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: May 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First off, for this price I would definately recommend buying the item. But for all of you who might need a little more than a vague statement, here's the deal. "American McGee's Alice" is a beautiful and addicting game; the art and visuals are breath taking and you just might spend most of your time staring at your screen in delight. The designers went well out of there way creating an atmosphere that makes "Alice" unlike any game that I have seen. Twisted and bizarre, the locales are also witty and enchanting. Alice herself, is a well voiced and fun character, with a new found penchant for violence and brutality. Anyone who has read the original Wonderland/Looking Glass stories will not doubt find this version of Alice much more akin than that of certain other sources, and American McGee shines in their complete understanding of the source. What the game does suffer from is some erratic controls and (in certain places) a rushed feel. In general, Alice control fairly nicely, and most certainly in the beginning most players shouldn't be too paralyzed by her movements. However, there are some areas of the game that require controlled movement that Alice isn't capable off. The designers did include a handy "foot" marker that can help Alice pinpoint (to a degree) where she will jump. But on moving objects it is usless. Ms Alice also seems to suffer from some sort of foot malady, as she has the tendency to continue to move after she lands, thus leaving you tumbling into lava, water, or nothing at all. This can be frusting and lead some players to the same level of insanity that Alicer herself is facing. As for being rushed, the ending was a bit short sided, and some of the sequences didn't make much sense and felt a bit choppy, for instance the sequence from the Red Realm into Mirror Image has still left me totally in the dark. But those can be overlooked in favor of the outstanding satisfaction that the game provided. Each level is something to be seen, and I have found myself replaying areas just to revisit a particularly fun area. Again, at this price "you'd be crazy" not to try it out...ha ha...sorry darlings; bad joke, I know.

A brilliant whirlwind of graphic artwork

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: May 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

...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!

An incredibly beautiful game with emphasis on the surreal

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: December 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The initial concern I had with this game is the potential controversy this title could generate. On the cover you're seeing a bloodstained little girl wielding a knife and lately the game companies have been churning out FPS games that rely more on excessive gore and satanic references than anything else. Fortunately, I can say this game is a creepy enough to deserve the "M" rating (definitely not for small children), but the emphasis is on the surreal and the violence is not terribly overdone. Other reviewers report bugs. Visual glitches? Haven't seen any. I have a P266 with 128MB RAM and a Voodoo3. With the settings down to a minimum the game runs fine with the exception of some of the fight scenes where the framerates get choppy. I may have to break down (finally) and upgrade. I think the system requirements Amazon listed are incorrect. I wouldn't suggest getting it unless you have at least a P350, 128MB RAM and a fast video card (3DFX or NVidia).

Visually, this game is chock full of eye candy. Clocks sway back and forth, steam churns out of the chimneys of mushroom houses, and Alice makes her journeys through giant gardens, castles, outer space, and swirling tunnels and passageways reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. Lots of color and lighting effects - I'm going to go out on a limb by saying it's the most beautiful game I've seen yet.

The gang's all here - from the white rabbit to the cheshire cat to humpty dumpty, everyone's been rendered and animated in painstaking detail. Most of the game's characters (and maybe their programmers) have spent less time eating and more of their time in the clubs, tattoo parlors or on drugs as hinted at by the game's L-oad S-ave D-elete screen. The voice acting is well done and the music, infused with a combination of bells, xylophones, and children's wind-up toys, is especially atmospheric. Another nice feature is the super-quick quicksave which easily allows you to return to where you last left off.

The gameplay, on the other hand, is remarkably normal. I spent the first part of the game jumping around on all these places I wasn't supposed to be and tried hacking my way into mushroom houses or into caves and passages I thought I could fit in. Eventually I realized the game plays like your basic linear FPS. The only difference? There's a madness meter that drops based on how much she uses her weapons. If she whacks too many people and it drops to zero, Alice is reduced to just using her knife for reasons I'm still unclear about. There's a sprinkling of puzzles here and there, mostly platform jumping or switch flipping, but nothing too difficult (good!) Overall, I'd have to say the gameplay is probably the weakest point of the game. There just isn't much to do. Quake or Unreal players wanting fast action are going to be disappointed. Instead, you more or less wander from place to place, checking out the scenery, defeating whoever is in the room, then figuring out where to go next.

That's not to say it's not fun to play - at the time of this review it is still one of my top picks and good enough to deserve 4 stars. It's just not one of those games that's going to keep you up all night like Half Life, Civilization or Command and Conquer. Perhaps that's a good thing?

If you want the eye candy, get this game. If you're more into gameplay, check out No One Lives Forever. Hope my review helped!

Welcome back, Alice...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: December 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

American McGee's twist to the Disney classic is delightful. How fascinating to see the world of Lewis Carol in the manner that he might have actually intended it.

Built on the idSoftware's Quake3 engine, the graphics don't disappoint even with a mediocre 3D video card. Often, I find myself stopping to take in the scenery which is odd because, folks, this is a video game -- not an art project... right? right?

From a game play standpoint, Alice has occasional glimpses of brilliance that actually reminded me of my first impression of the classic, Prince of Persia. This is not a shoot-em-up Quake style game, it's puzzles... it's platforms... it's the Cheshire cat with an earring.

Unfortunately, playability quirks also can make the game annoying. Being trapped underwater and have no clue why you can't move up will frustrate you endlessly. In some of the high-pressure sequences with the "bosses", Alice often did something completely nonnutritive when she shouldn't... Also, I often found myself simply running in circles in an effort to avoid these baddies... I'm not sure if this was due to my incompetence or a lack of tactical imagination of the designers.

Lastly, this is definitely not for the kiddies. There's a reason Alice has blood smeared on her dress.

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