American McGee's Alice (Jewel Case)

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006G9SB
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,348 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

American McGee is best known for his work on shooters like Quake III, but he split off from id Software recently and his first effort is Alice, a twisted romp through his own version of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. The trick is that Alice, now older, is the lone survivor of a house fire that kills her family. She's stuck in an asylum and must regain her own sanity by returning to the madcap Wonderland she visited as a child. She's a darker person now, and, perhaps consequently, Wonderland is correspondingly dark.

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 is not an E-ticket Disney ride.--Bob Andrews

Pros:

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

Cons:

• High system requirements
• Very linear

Product Description

A fierce and nasty fight for sanity and control turns into a lethal struggle for survival! When Alice answers a distressed summons to return to Wonderland, she barely recognizes the befouled setting. From the fungal rot of the Mushroom Forest to the infernal chemistry of the Mad Hatter's Domain and beyond, Wonderland festers to its core.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crazy Alice, May 10, 2003

By 

A. Bennett "Will 'vouge' For Food" (New Hampsha) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American McGee's Alice (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous game with great atmosphere but VERY linear, August 8, 2002

By 

"jswendell" (Boone, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American McGee's Alice (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

I enjoyed playing this game quite a bit thanks to its engrossing graphics and great ambiant soundtrack but it ultimately amounted to the most linear shooter I've ever played. I tend to like pretty linear games but the gameplay in this one was just not compelling. Like every other shooter you basically just wander around killing monsters until you get to the end. There were some puzzles strewn about but they never required any real strategy or thinking.

Also the story was weak. From my point of view there really wasn't any story at all. The premise was interesting but there just wasn't any real plot to go with it. This game was disappointing because it could have been so much better. I wish more game developers would get smart and add a more RPG like experience to shooters.

Still, I enjoyed the game quite a bit in spite of its flaws and am sad to see it has become a bargain bin title so quickly. It deserved better. It really is an amazing visual experience. The levels (worlds) in the game are quite compelling and fun to explore. Considering the price I recomend that you check this game out unless you really just don't like shooters. Do keep in mind though that this game demands a decent system in order to take full advantage of it's gorgeous textures. It ran smoothly, though a little slower than I like, at 1024*768 on a Radeon 8500 and Athlon 950. Also it was a completely bug free experience.

I should also mention that the weapons in this game are quite a bit different than standard shooter fare and help make the game more interesting.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic return value!!!, June 1, 2004

By 

D. Knouse (vancouver, washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American McGee's Alice (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

4.5 stars. Really, the only negative with this game is that once you finish the game, that's it. If you return to this genuinely nightmarish realm of the gothic, surreal, and macabre the only variation is in the level of difficulty in the initial settings page. I played the "easy" level all the way through and Alice died countless times. With that in mind...feel free to save the game at any point, particularly after long sections of exploring or after theatrical scenes or you may have to go through it all over again. Besides that, there is so much to recommend about this game from an entertainment perspective. The game seems to go on forever, loaded with twisted yet familiar characters that may help or hinder Alice's progress, and the journey never becomes boring or tedious. The only times I found to be monotonous were when I forgot to save the game and had to run through the dark corridors battling the same foes once more. Also, there is a very good reason why the music for this game is available on CD. It is creepy and ambient and elevates the gaming experience to an entirely new level it would not have had otherwise. This game is constantly interesting...and oftentimes bloody! All in all, considering the hours I spent enthralled with this ten-dollar game, the return value was/is fantastic! Thank you.