Alice The Madness Returns

[Fiach]

American mcGee rides again!

I want to preface this with some background, before getting into the review itself.

I was interested in this game, until I saw some gameplay movies and read some reviews, both of which conspired to write this game off as.... ummm.... a bit crap. It wasnt until a mate of mine kept bugging me to get it, in the end, I relented and I am glad that I did. Firstly the graphics are very well done, you really need to see/play the game, a video of the game running will not do it justice, It starts in Victorian London, very dismal looking, it really immerses you in the period, but the character models are so detailed, its seldom I actually strafe around a NPC just looking at the incredible detail on their faces, they actually look kind of 3D (I dont have a 3D TV), on the other hand, in Wonderland, vibrant colors and details abound, from the plants to even statues, prompting you to stop and look at them.

The videos of the combat made it look stilted, but in game its very slick, smooth and responsive. The weapons in videos looked clunky, but make a weird kind of sense in the game.

The sequel to American McGees Alice, continues the story of the Wonderland girl, comes with the caveat, never invite a psychotic girl to a party, this is again a homage to the great Lewis Carrolls drug fuelled vision.

For those that have not played the original, early copies of the game come with a DLC code, which allows the download of the 1 gig original. I'm lucky enough to still have the original and it is, even now, still a sweet looking game, But now I can play it from an armchair on a WS TV, so thats pretty cool.

Alice TMR is at heart a platforming game, so whether you like or loathe them, will decide if this game will be of any interest to you. The platforming is top notch stuff, with the usual bouncy, sliding platforms etc. But the game also introduces invisible platforms, these can be seen when you "shrink" Alice, she gains a different perspective of the world and can see/access passages, platforms and chalk drawn hints on walls. There can be some frustrating jumps, but invariably, this is due to the players "timing", but sometimes (quite few) it can be the games mechanics.

The game is also combat heavy, using an assortment of bonkers weapons (the Vorpal Blade, a knife is the only recognisable weapon on show), eg. a Pepper Grinder as a machine gun. The melee combat is straightforward, the ranged combat is similiar to any other shooter, with "snap to" aining. There is a "dodge" button that can be use on the ground and while jumping, making it probably the most useful doge button I have seen so far. The enemies are quite creative looking too, drawn as they are from denizens of the books.

If this game has been on your radar, I suggest you give it a shot, dont dismiss it, like I did initially.

BTW, the free game that you download, cannot be played unless you have the Alice TMR disc in the tray, I have seen some people buy the game and on completion sell the game and are gutted that they cannot play the original anymore. For me the game is a keeper anyway.

Fiach : Playing games that you should too :)

[Art Blade]

sounds like you had/have lots of fun with it  ^-^ :-X

[Fiach]

Yes, I'm really torn, finish the new game first or replay the first one first.

I even went and bought Tim Burtons Alice on Blueray today lol :)

[Art Blade]

I love the excitement of a new game, particularly when I realise that I'm really enjoying playing it -- so, have fun and enjoy, mate :)

[mandru]

Thanks for the heads up on this one Fiach.  I loved the characters and story to that one as well as taking that game apart like I have FC2 but in Alice the command console allowed cheats to be directly toggled on and off.  :-X

I still have the discs for Alice here near my computer and have considered loading it up several times over the last year.  I am hoping that this new American McGee game with its return visit to that dark Wonderland will be available for the PC. 

[Fiach]

Its on PC mate afaik. :)

It (the original game) runs on Win 7 for me, doesnt need compatibility mode either. I have the 360 version of the new game, so there are no cheats on that, I'm pretty sure there will be cheats on the PC version though.

One thing I have noticed though is the game is very forgiving. I have on a few occasions muffed a jump and died (self inflicted btw) and the game has reloaded afterwards, as if the jump has completed and I am on the next platform. I dont know if this is intentional, but it does take the pain out of platforming, if you are having a bad day.

Combat can get a bit hectic (not difficult, just busy) with a few different enemy types on screen, making you have to shoot with the gun til an enemy is stunned, run up and stab the crap out of them with the knife, while dodging bees and using an umbrella to reflect bombs back at another enemy, you can also drop bombs and leave them there to detonate remotely when an enemy walks near them, its just really good fun. It never gets too difficult as enemies drop health and there are usually breakable containers laying around with health flowers.

Your dresses change as you progress, They have very nice detail and you can even see the textures of the different materials used. You can then choose what dress to equip at the Menu, before loading your savegame,You can also buy DLC of dress upgrades and weapon upgrades, i'm kinda sorry I bought them (only about 1.80€) as there wasnt much of a description as you dont really need them, but maybe Ill use them on future play throughs, just for a change, they do things like increase ammo, double your damage, reduce damage you take etc. So I guess they are kinda like cheats. :)

[Jim di Griz]

This is another game that I found very interesting during thew build up, mostly because I played the original on PC. Anyway, I bought it back when AMR came out but have only recently had the chance to start playing it  ::)

I love the atmosphere portrayed throughout, though I'm only just past the end of the first, very long chapter, in which the levels have changed quite a bit throughout. You're right Fiach, the gameplay is very smooth and absorbing - I like.

Good review and background details.