American McGee's Alice

The Good
I always enjoy it when someone takes an otherwise harmless children’s story and exposes all the grotesque potential that lies underneath, which is what Mr. McGee has done with Alice In Wonderland.

Using an updated Quake III engine and 3rd-person perspective, to say that this game is disturbing would be a dreadful understatement. Wonderland has become a dark, malicious, and misshapen land, which now makes even less sense than it did when Alice went there the first time. The vibe given off by the scenery in the game is not unlike that of Clive Barker’s Undying; very little light and a seemingly never-ending night. All of the characters from the original story are present (even the Mock Turtle), and it was a joy to roam around and see how they had changed due to Alice’s insanity (the Cheshire Cat now even sports a large earring). Also, gamers in my age range (20-25) may find a few things to remind them of console gaming in the late 1980’s. The gameplay itself was quite retro in many respects, and reminded me very much of the old side-scrolling jumping games like Super Mario Bros. or The Lost Vikings, except rendered in 3D. This game could’ve easily come out 15 years ago on the original NES.

The Bad
I honestly don’t have any real complaints about Alice, other than there were times that I thought it was too easy and helpful almost to a condescending level. So even if you’re fairly new to gaming, I would still advise you to play it on the hardest difficulty setting, since you’ll find the most challenging gameplay there. Also, the replay value is virtually nonexistent, but for a game like this it’s to be expected.

The Bottom Line
Many people have complained that this game is devoid of replay value (true), has wonky control (true), is too easy most of the time (true), and is a throwback to old console gaming (true yet again). My advice is to check your brain at the door, and take this game for what it is; a twisted and creepy good time in a familiar setting. And since it is now priced between $7.99 and $9.99, it’s a very good deal.

Now, will someone please make this into an animated movie?

The Good
The artwork and twisted imagery of the game is wonderful. It really brings the world to life. The characters range from the amusing to the terrifying. The level design is great. The Quake 3 engine is perfect and the graphics are extremely good. The soundtrack as well is haunting and operatic, making it absolutely perfect for this game.

The Bad
It could have been so much more though. Despite the gloss and style, it's just a platform game. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that you understand. But it could have been something really amazing if the game measured up to the presentation. Falling off the same damn ledge the same damn time really can annoy you. Make sure you're good at platformers. The game also gets repetitive pretty quickly, And the voice acting is varies from great to lame. Alice is OK, the turtle is diabolical, The Chesire Cat is very good. But it's a pity they couldn't all be good because it's a serious game really

The Bottom Line
Glossy, beautiful, imaginative game made by experienced programmers. Although far too shallow to compete with the best games, still enjoyable. Just don't expect Deus Ex or anything.

The Good
When I first started the game I did not know exactly what to expect. First I was impressed by the graphics. Not only they are technically good, but the artists in this are awesome. Especially the menu background image of Alice in the mental hospital is awesome. Awesomely disturbing. And that is the best word to describe the whole game. Everything you see is sick, perverted, twisted, warped or otherwise odd. Mr McGee must be at least a LITTLE mad to do something like this. Weapons in the game are totally different than any normal point-shoot weapon ordinarily seen. And the music is excellent. It fits perfectly in the game. Also the voice acting is, for a change, good.

The Bad
The voice acting, while it is good, is clearly recorded a line at a time. You never get a real feeling of a conversation. And there is a certain part where you just keep getting the feeling that you are playing "a bug's life" with your little brother. The plot is also very linear, making replay value nonexistent - especially when there is no multiplayer option.

The Bottom Line
This game is pretty much different from anything else. So weird it makes Silent Hill feel sane and so twisted that Undying looks like a cute childrens game. Definitely worth a look - if you are up to it.