Intro

Developer: Rogue
Publisher: EA
Alice official page: http://www.alice.ea.com/main.html

More Alice resources

Alice in Wonderland. I've watched the movie a million times, played the game almost twice, and I still haven't managed to read the book. That's the way it goes in the U.S.; I guess I'm just an illiterate commie-stomper.

This new game comes stamped with the developer's name on it. The last game I remember that put the developer's name on the box left me quivering. We had an exceedingly brief in-office meeting, when Bob suggested I review it. Unanimously taking Jakub's silence to be his sign of acceptance in this duty, the review fell to him. Brave soul. This time around, that is not the case. American McGee's Alice is first and foremost one of the best looking games around. The sound is top notch, the levels are awesome, even the menu screen kicks some massive bootay. What could possibly go wrong?

Agua

Eep

The beginning

Aside from the usual stuff that comes with a game (i.e. the game, box, manual…), Alice comes with a tiny little casebook. The contents of which are Alice's diagnosis from her nurse at the Rutledge Clinic - the insane asylum. The read is entertaining enough to warrant glancing through it, you find out what random things the nurse injects her with. How she calls her a clever girl when Alice asks for a pencil. Most of all you find out how she communicates with the outside world, it's just as well she is in the asylum. After all, she is crazy.

Army ants!

Nice diaper.

Story

Alice starts out with the usual intro movie. Although the movie explains very little by itself, one line at the end sheds much light for the people who didn't read the pamphlet. I actually read the pamphlet after I had played through most of the game. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on by myself, although it didn't take very long. After watching the movie, I was expecting quite a bit more from the story. Aside from what you find out at the beginning there isn't too much else left in the game story-wise. No twists, no turns, the game and story are very linear.

She's crying.

Bug splat.

The story, within a breadbox - Alice's parents die in a fire, she manages to survive with severe burns, and a case of the comas. She lies in a rather catatonic state at the insane asylum, where the game begins. The backdrop for Alice all takes place conveniently within her twisted little mind, anything is possible - anything.

Some elements of the story line were really cool though. The dialogue that Alice maintains with the other characters is rather cryptic for the most part. There are very few lines in the game that are direct and to the point. All conversation with the Cheshire cat winds down to small riddles and quips. The riddles aren't very hard to figure out; most of the time he says things to help you out. Although, most seasoned game players won't need to listen to a word he says.