American McGee's Alice
by Electronic Arts

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Product Summary

• PC Gamer [with CD] (1-year)

Video Game Reviews of American McGee's Alice

Customer Review: A brilliant whirlwind of graphic artwork
Summary: 5 Stars

"Oh, you can't help that... we're all mad here..."

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!

Description of American McGee's Alice

The Queen of Hearts cruelly rules the land, the White Rabbit is tattered, the Cheshire Cat sports a pirate earring and a mangy, emaciated look, and the Mad Hatter is even madder than before. Alice, armed with her characteristic politeness, athletic ability, and a large knife, must venture through this dark Wonderland righting wrongs while thwarting the Queen and her army of playing-card guards.

The game itself uses an over-the-shoulder perspective and has Alice running, jumping, and swinging from ropes like a younger and primmer Lara Croft. Controls are easy to use and aside from difficult jumping puzzles and an odd problem where Alice slides on surfaces, the game is easy to play. Wonderland here is dark, like a Tim Burton film, but still easily recognizable to fans of the classic novel. If anything the game is woefully linear--there's only one path and therefore no need to replay the game after you've finished it. The result is a game that feels more constrained and conservative than its source material should have allowed, but the atmosphere makes for an exciting action-adventure nonetheless. Mature subject matter is strewn throughout, so always remember that this isn't an E-ticket Disney ride. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Gorgeous, wicked graphics
• Excellent use of Carroll's famous characters

• High system requirements
• Very linear

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