1. The original American McGee's Alice! I never had the pleasure to play it back when it was released, but the HD remake was a welcome surprise! Now here's an important note: If you purchase Alice:MR new, you get a redeem code that gives you the original Alice, free of charge. Without this redeem code (assuming you purchase used), it is 800 MS Points ($10) on the Xbox 360 Marketplace.
2. Graphics! They were beautiful in this game, all you have to do is google the images, and you'll see what I'm talking about! Think animation kind of sorta (but not exactly) like The Incredibles, it's exaggerated and "cartoon-ish" (for lack of a better word). The only oddity about the graphics is sometimes the textures appear "muddy" due to not fully loading quickly, but that's not a negative and in no way impacts the game! It was just obvious... >_>
3. The environments were stunning, from a beautiful forest, to menacing castle, and even the streets of London! Most games stick to one theme, such as being dark and scary to the end, or bright and happy, etc. Alice: MR had instances of gorgeous and serene, contrasting to the dark and ominous. They were the things of a beautiful, daydreaming nightmare! :D
4. Story! Ok, so this isn't going to win any awards for most ground breaking storytelling ever, I get that... But! Alice: MR investigates the tragic fire Alice survived. It's like one big mystery, one that only Alice can solve, whilst her mind slips further into maddening doom! At the climax of the story, I found myself in a "WTF, no way?!?!" moment. Great stuff O_O
5. Alice! I loved this version of this beloved character. She's so gloomy yet spunky! The odds are incredibly stacked against her, yet she's got that "I'm kicking ass one problem at a time" attitude! She's tormented, broken, and struggling to survive. Despite this, she has a so much personality, it was very much an enjoyable experience! Not to mention the sexy "swish swish!" of the Vorpal Blade, and she has a great assortment of dresses, lol. She's definitely not the dead persona Tim Burton had in his recent film adaptation... Just an opinion >_>
6. Enemies! Overall, they were pretty freaking sweet! LOVED the Card Guards in this game, very Hellish. The "Ruin" enemy gets a little repetitive, but, I really started to dig the possessed dollies, lol! I'll be having nightmares about those for a while, lmao! Oh, and two words... "Bitch Babies" xD (Note: That's really the name of an enemy in the game, so please don't punish me Amazon, I'm speaking truth! T-T)
I can go on and on, but it comes down to saying, this game was AWESOME, lol! 2 games to play made it a lengthy adventure. Now I should talk about gameplay before I end this. The fighting basically comes down to hack n' slash type of play. Depending on how you like your games, that might mean something. It's not a deep strategy kind of game. If you've played Devil May Cry, then I should say it's not going to be a difficult game to play. You don't need immense skill to get past enemies (on normal anyway, I can't speak for Nightmare difficulty). It's a good game for the casual gamer, because there isn't a learning curve. It's linear, as well. You can go off the beaten path and find collectibles and goodies used to upgrade weaponry, but this isn't an experience like, say, Dragon Age. Linear is not a bad thing though! For a hardcore experience, I dare you to play American McGee's Alice on Nightmare. That should be enough to drive someone insane... Damn those unfair deaths T-T
There will be plenty of combat opportunities, a plethora of platforming, and some puzzle solving. The puzzles are nothing complex, just little distractions. It's like doing a super easy crossword, but it totally makes you feel smart when you finish it, lol.
The game is rated Mature by the ESRB. Take that as you will, because you are the best judge on what you allow your kids or yourself to play. Personally, if I had a 10 year old (I don't have kids, so don't comment my parenting, lol), I don't think I'd let them play this, but then again, I've been online and heard kids playing M rated games like Gears of War and GTA IV, so what do I know? :P
MINOR SPOILER (I think >_O): Do you hate leveling your weapons and collecting stuff all over again? Well not to worry! Alice: MR has a "New Game +" option when you finish! So there is no worries about having to recollect and upgrade your weapons, nor do you have to re-increase your health meter! This all carries over to different difficult settings, as well! Neat :D
As far as the running of the game, Alice: MR ran smooth. I have the Xbox 360 version, and I always install my games (not 100% sure if that makes a BIG difference). Not once did I experience the game crashing or freezing, etc. The load times were acceptable and combat was often fluid without loading hiccups, which was nice :]
That about wraps up my review! Not everyone will love this, beauty is in they eye of the beholder and all that jazz. Fans of Alice in Wonderland type of stuff will enjoy this. I LOVED IT!!! lol! So if this review convinced you any, give it a shot! It's definitely a game that should be experienced first hand! I apologize in advance for anything I may have left out, but happy gaming on your mad journey through Wonderland! ~_^
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I've been waiting for this game to release since I first heard news of it last year and now that I'm playing it, it didn't disappoint. This is a platforming action game and both aspects are done really well. It's visually rich with tons of detail and the camera work is done well. The backgrounds vary from vivid and serenely beautiful to dark, gritty and gory. Even the costume changes as you make it to new locations are nice little touches that add to all the attention to detail that was paid to the graphics. Even when you fall and die it looks cool. Standing out are the parts with the motion comic-like cutscenes that are dark and violent. Sort of like reading rainbow on a very bad acid trip.Platforming feels solid. Double jumping not only looks beautiful with a cool graphical flourish but the "float" ability that allows you to glide and string multiple double jumps together is useful and cool to look at. The fighting is also done really well. I like dedicated melee and ranged buttons that allow the combat to flow seamlessly instead of constantly switching weapons back & forth as the situation and enemies demand a major improvement over the first. Theres also a dodge/dash ability that's both very useful and is awesome to look at. Locking on to enemies to and being able to change to another target during battle is very useful and also an upgrade from the first game.
Exploration is rewarded and encouraged which I love. It's not just a straight road through the game. There are items & memories to find if you go off the beaten path. Your first power is "shrink sense" which is sort like detective mode from Batman Arkham Asylum. It lets you shrink down in size to access new paths that only your smaller size allows you to access, but also gives everything a UV glow so you can see hidden signs and platforms you normally would have missed. Collecting teeth to upgrade weapons, finding other items and snouts to unlock hidden paths feel very rewarding. You can go into first person mode for more precise aiming to take out enemies or to aim at pig snouts to unlock new paths.
This game is everything I wanted from the first one and more. I bought the original when it first released and I'm on my second copy I just loved it so much. My only problem with the original was I"m not a PC gamer and using a keyboard and mouse was something I'm not use to. Being able to play the new game with a console controller and getting a free download of the original to play on my xbox with a controller is amazing.
Best Deals for Alice: Madness Returns - Xbox 360
For the original American McGee's Alice fans out there, this game not only lives up to our high expectations, it far surpasses it. We all know it has been rumored for at LEAST five years, and it's been painful waiting for news.I preordered this a few months ago for both PC and XBox, and have experimented with both for a few hours each.
The graphics are art; nothing more. How refreshing it is to have a game that isn't attempting to make everything look like the real world. This is pop surrealism at it's finest. American McGee has created a stunningly beautiful and often times creepy world for Alice to play in.
I'm rather shocked to hear that this game has received negative reviews from websites. Even if I were unbiased, I still view this game as an incredible journey. The gameplay itself is smooth and easy to pick up on. Weapon upgrades customize the experience while keeping with the basics. The NPC's are challenging, though you have four options of difficulty to choose from when you begin the game. The focus fire is magnificent, the dodge is not only easy to use but also a lovely graphic, and Alice shrinking for a different view of the world is quite clever.
It's impossible for me to find any draw backs. A previous reviewer could only find that he didn't like the pepper shaker, and that was the worst he had to say. The pepper shaker is a weapon from the duchess in the first game and also appears in the book, so that made sense for a weapon based on Alice.
Truly, a remarkably beautiful game, and for all of us American McGee fans, it's what we've been waiting for. You won't be sorry. :)
Honest reviews on Alice: Madness Returns - Xbox 360
I don't like Game informer magazines for their "reviews" they could never be more off on games then they are... apparently game informer gave this game a 6.75 and Play station magazine gave it a 5 (both out of 10). And I really don't understand why? (this review is me playing it ½ of the game in one night..i had to go to sleep as I had work in the morning....sad face)I give this game a 4.5/5 I got it last night at midnight when I went to get my copy of Duke Nukem Forever (apparently they are allowed to do that now haha game stop never let me do that before). My faith was never altered with the so called "bad reviews".
Graphics: I'm impressed NO of course they are not "L.a. Noir" graphics... is any game like that but it?? It gave me the story book feel. ALICE is a STORY, remember there's a book called Alice in wonderland? So I really like how they used that approach better then super realistic, yes her eyes are big but that's how the original Alice was in "American McGee's Alice." I like how her skirt flows when she moves how her hair is not stiff the characters in the real world look a lot more creepy then in wonderland. Wonderland when first going in there I was like "whoa it's a lot brighter and more colorful then I remember." And then I remember the begging of the game she is getting therapy to repair her broke mind (so its half color have creepy). So yes wonderland doesn't start out as desolate and creepy as the original Alice but it is wonderland after all.
Game play: this is where all those professional reviewers bitched.... WHY? What was wrong with the way the game is played?!? She runs smoothly its not a stiff camera you can control where she looks. The jumping/gliding is all smooth. I did not have an issue, is the PS3 version not as good as the xbox (I doubt it). Dodge is fine all the buttons once pressed do as they are suppose to do... What was wrong with it? The fighting is simple, and you can target on enemies by holding down LT, and then attack with your weapons. So... what was the issue with game play? Oh right it has PUZZLES in it... im sorry I thought they were professional game reviewers apparently they never played a game where you had to jump around from plat form to plat form before.... (I had no issues with ANY of the puzzles and I don't mind jumping though when I started out I failed at gliding haha... it was late...) its and action game with puzzles. If you don't like puzzles then don't play this game. Sorry its not a FPS.
Story: So far I like it its interesting it's pretty much questions the events that happened when Alice's family was killed in the fire, was it really the cat? There's and old woman at the begging of the game who's apparently black mailing Alice. Throughout the game there are sliver objects that Alice can pick up to recall memories, a house is her family, a needle is a doctor and the glasses is the psychiatrist that you live with. I don't mind them I think they are cool however they are BIRGHT shinny sliver (to stand out) but it clashes with the world a little bit. I think they could have been a little more original with these items. *Small spoiler* you meet the duchess again.... And sadly she is hardly as creepy as she was in the original... she ask for your help you help then carry on... why was I not allowed to kill her again shes so hella creepy...
Weapons/and upgrades: you get weapons of course one is her famed knife, the second weapon you get is the pepper shooter. I love the knife... but the pepper shooter...? It's a gun that shoots pepper... is it just me or dose anyone else see that pepper is not a good weapon? Slight complaint but I LOVED the weapons in the original game and all the witty things the chesar cat said when you got them. The upgrades are simple, you collect teeth and when you have enough teeth then you put points in the weapon easy as that. Makes then stronger. (why teeth I don't know haven't figured that out yet)
Original Alice download: I mean really that's AWESOME, a free game with a game. It's a complete start to end game on whatever system you buy it on. So if you don't like the game for whatever reason you still get a free game. I love the original Alice and I'm very excited to have it on my Xbox.
But it impressed me with all this negative talk I always kept my hopes up and I was right it's a fun game but if you are still unsure then RENT it. And if you don't like puzzles where you have to JUMP don't play this game because there are puzzles and you will have to jump around. IT IS NOT COD or any other FPS game. Its story based but the fighting is not bad, I found it smooth and not clunky at all. I really don't know what version of this game the reviewers were playing...?
Give it a shot you are your own best reviewer not some guy behind a desk who doesn't even want to play the game but has to in ordered to get paid... and when did game informer EVER have and clips or articles on Alice? They gave me the impression they never cared about the game in general. Sorry its not GTA5 yet calm down. I really only get game informers now because they are free with my GameStop membership..
Over all great game can't wait to finish it will update review if anything else life changing happens in the game. (like I jump around to much I hate it?)
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Alice: Madness Returns - Xbox 360
the graphics are good and the levels are imaginative, the combat is slightly repetitive but thats ok the story is pretty demented even by my numbed by south park standards. I'd say this one is more of a rental and it comes with the original american mcgee's alice which is a big plus you can play the first(which i reccomend) then jump right where the first leaves off. All in all not terrible but not the best platformer ever.
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