1. American Mcgee's Alice Play Online
2. American Mcgee's Alice Xbox One
3. American Mcgee's Alice Free Download

The original DOOM (on which American McGee worked on) felt considerably darker because it inspired a sense of dread. The levels and character designs of Alice are infused with a sense of slightly morbid whimsy that owe a larger debt to Tim Burton’s vision of the afterlife in Beetlejuice—it’s all skewed angles and strange doorways. GAME IS EXTINCT, after hours of chatting with origin, The Original American Mcgees Alice did not come with the first product code which supposedly was already used. After chatting and getting Alice Madness Returns to work, it was brought to my attention that it was not the Complete Collection as advertised, but simply Alice: Madness returns.

American McGee's Alice is a third-personpsychological horroraction-adventureplatformvideo game released for PC on December 6, 2000.^[1] The game, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, is an unofficial sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice novels. It was designed by American McGee and features music composed by Chris Vrenna.^[2] The game was published in Japan by EA Japan under the title Alice in Nightmare (Arisuin'naitomea, アリス　イン　ナイトメア).

The game uses the id Tech 3 game engine. A PlayStation 2 port was in development and planned for a release sometime around 2001 but was canceled.^{[citation needed]} Set years after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the game features an older, more cynical and macabre incarnation of Alice. As of 22 July 2010, American McGee's Alice has sold over 1.5 million copies.

A sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released June 14, 2011. Downloadable ports of the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were also made to coincide with the sequel's release.

• 1Synopsis
• 4Related media

Synopsis[edit]

Setting[edit]

The game's setting presents a more macabre rendition of Wonderland than in Lewis Carroll's original portrayal. Wonderland, being a creation of Alice's mind, has been corrupted. Alice's primary objective is to save Wonderland, and in doing so, save herself.

Plot[edit]

Shortly after Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, at the age of seven, Alice Liddell witnessed the death of her family in an accidental fire that destroyed her home and killed both her parents, who were trapped and burned alive. Suffering from survivor's guilt, Alice lost her grasp on reality and was ultimately sent to Rutledge Asylum, where she is observed and treated by Dr. Heironymous Wilson for her catatonia. Alice's only possession in Rutledge is a stuffed rabbit.Ten years after Alice was committed to Rutledge, The White Rabbit summons Alice back to Wonderland, which has not only become a corrupted, twisted version of itself due to Alice's broken mind, but has also come under the horrible rule of the Queen of Hearts. The Cheshire Cat serves as Alice's companion throughout the game, frequently appearing to guide her with cryptic comments.

When Alice falls down the hole, she finds herself in the Village of the Doomed. This network of tunnels and caves is the home of the Torch Gnomes, and is patrolled by the Queen of Hearts' Card Guards. Beyond the subterranean village is the Fortress of Doors, where the main attraction is a school of insane children. Within the school lies an ancient book of recipes for magic potions, as well as the ingredients for one concoction in particular which will be useful to Alice.

Beyond the fortress and across a rough, uncharted landscape lies the Vale of Tears, where Alice's friends Bill McGill and the Mock Turtle reside, along with the Duchess. A giant river runs throughout the gloomy, mist-shrouded landscape, and another aquatic location is accessible through a well inside Bill McGill's house. The well is sealed until the Duchess is slain.

On the other side of the Vale of Tears lies Wonderland Woods, one of the largest regions in the game. The woods are initially filled by ponds, cliffs and jump mushrooms, but much deeper into the woods is a region of rock and magma. This section leads to several new regions including the Cave of the Oracle, the Pale Realm, the Jabberwock's Lair, and the Majestic Maze. The Cave of the Oracle is home to a wise entity that is revealed later to be the Caterpillar.

The Pale Realm makes a transition to the surface of a chessboard, as delving further into this area leads to the White Castle of Looking Glass Land, which is home to life-size chess pieces; the White pieces join Alice in the fight against the Red pieces, a deviation from her normally unhelpful 'allies' from earlier portions of the game. Alice is transformed twice into a chess piece herself to pass certain obstacles.

Following this is a distorted version of Rutledge Asylum (where Alice has been incarcerated since her parents' tragic deaths). It is run by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and also houses the Mad Hatter's laboratory.

The path to the Jabberwock's Lair leads into the Land of Fire and Brimstone, a volcanic region of Wonderland and a reminder of the fire in which her family died. It is here that the terrible Jabberwock—a semi-mechanized servant of the Queen of Hearts and the incarnation of Alice's guilt—resides, in the remains of Alice's old home.

The Majestic Maze ends on the road to Queen of Hearts Land, a region heavily guarded by card guards, boojums, and other members of the Queen of Hearts' personal army.

Queensland is the final province of Wonderland. In it lies the Heart Palace from which the Queen of Hearts commands. Tentacles and other repulsive appendages are seen protruding from every organic wall in this area, and numerous areas even resemble body parts, giving the impression that Alice is travelling through the Queen's body.

Ultimately, Alice confronts the Queen, a manifestation of her insanity, and in defeating her, overcomes her issues. Alice then awakens from her catatonic state, and Wonderland is 'reset' back to its previously-seen cheery, wholesome, and slightly quirky state, with the friends she'd lost along the way coming back to life. The game ends with a sane Alice leaving Rutledge's Asylum.

Characters[edit]

The game's characters are generally based on the inhabitants of Lewis Carroll's original novels, but they do not demonstrate the same identities. Many of them are warped incarnations of their conventional selves. The casebook^[3] of Heironymous Q. Wilson (a supplement included with the game and written from the point of view of Alice's doctor) suggests that many of the characters Alice encounters in Wonderland are symbolic of real life people who get through to the catatonic Alice in some way. Other characters within the game are metaphors for Alice's own feelings, and because she is unhappy, they have become twisted. Some people (Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit) help her; others (Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts) try to cause pain, first by taking away those she loves and then by taking her down with them.

Development[edit]

After leaving id Software, creative director American McGee was inspired to design a game that did not involve space marines, guns, aliens and outer space, which were the common themes in the Doom and Quake series.^[4] McGee stated that listening to songs like the remixed version of The Crystal Method's 'Trip Like I Do' (sampled from The Dark Crystal) and Rob Zombie's 'Living Dead Girl' helped to further inject tone into the story and characters as the idea formed.^[5]

Electronic Arts licensed Ritual Entertainment's Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² engine, which is in turn a modified Quake III Arena engine. The most notable changes in the engine include the use of the Tiki model system, which enables the engine to use skeletal animation among other things, the Babble dialog system which enables lip synching of audio with character animations, dynamic music system, scriptable camera, particle system and extended shader support.^[6] The changes implemented to the engine for Alice remained minimal however. The game's .bsp files even retain F.A.K.K.²'s headers, albeit sporting a different version number.

An early version of the game featured the ability to summon the Cheshire Cat to aid the player in battle. Though this feature was removed from the final product, beta screenshots of this version do exist online. In the final product, the player can press a button to summon the Cheshire Cat at any time, though he merely provides cryptic advice on the current situation, and does nothing to aid Alice if she is being attacked. An Alice port for the then-unreleased PlayStation 2 was also in development but was later cancelled, which caused Rogue Entertainment to shut down, another decision which angered American McGee and resulted him leaving EA in frustration.^[5] The game's retail release was also noticeably less gory than the demo that had been released earlier.

The game's box art was altered after release to show Alice holding the Ice Wand instead of the Vorpal Blade, and to reduce the skeletal character of the Cheshire Cat's anatomy. EA cited complaints from various consumer groups as its reason for altering the original art, though McGee stated the alteration was made due to internal concerns at EA.^[7] A third version of the box art has Alice holding the Cards in her hands instead of a knife or wand.

Alice was EA's first M-rated game,^[8] a rating which McGee fought to obtain, because he did not want an Alice product to be sold at Christmas time, since parents could be confused, thinking that the game was intended to be a gift for children. However, in a 2009 interview, McGee expressed regret for his decision, and said that the violence in the game did not warrant an M-rating and that consumers should buy products responsibly, after referring to the recommendations of the ESRB beforehand.^[9]

Alice has grown in value and become a collector's item since its release, with new copies selling for $100–200 on auction sites ^{[10][citation needed]} and used copies selling for close to $100. The earlier a particular copy of the game was published, the higher its market value. Demand is greatest for editions with the Vorpal Blade cover art; those with the Ice Wand follow closely; least sought-after is the comparatively-innocuous Hand of Cards version.

In 2010, a real-world replica of the fabled Vorpal Blade was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the game.

Music[edit]

All of the music created for the official American McGee's Alicesoundtrack was written and performed by Chris Vrenna with the help of guitarist Mark Blasquez and singer Jessicka.^[11] Most of the sounds he used were created using toy instruments and percussion, music boxes (in a short documentary about the making of the game that appeared on TechTV, the music box used appears to be an antique Fisher-Price music box pocket radio), clocks, doors, and sampled female voices were manipulated into nightmarish soundscapes, including instances of them laughing maniacally, screaming, crying, and singing in an eerie, childlike way.

The music lends an eerie and horrifying feeling to the world Alice is in. The Pale Realm theme, as well as the track 'I'm Not Edible', features the melody of the chorus of a popular children's song, 'My Grandfather's Clock'. In addition, there are many instances of the ticking and chiming of clocks being used as a musical accompaniment.

Marilyn Manson was originally involved scoring the music for the game.^[12] His composition has been described by American McGee as 'very cool' and having 'a very beautiful Beatles-in-their-harpsichord-and-Hookah-pipe-days-sound to it.' Manson's contributions persisted into the final product, notably the influence of alchemy and the character of the Mad Hatter whose adaptation was somewhat influenced by him; for a time Manson was considered for the voice of the Hatter.^[13] Manson has indicated that the same music may be used in his forthcoming film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

American McGee's Alice Original Music Score was released on October 16, 2001 by Six Degrees Records. It features all twenty original compositions by former Nine Inch Nailslive drummer and studio collaborator Chris Vrenna with vocals done by Jessicka Addams of Jack Off Jill and Scarling. It includes a previously unreleased theme as well as a remix of 'Flying on the Wings of Steam'.

Related media[edit]

Film adaptation[edit]

In December 2000, director Wes Craven signed on to develop a film adaptation of the game, with screenwriter John August hired to adapt the game for the big screen. American McGee had begun negotiations with Dimension Films 10 months before, with the studio committing to the project before Craven's signing.^[14] In September 2001, August explained that he had turned in a script treatment for Alice and was not attached to develop fuller drafts for the film adaptation.^[15] In February 2002, Dimension Films signed brother screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber to write the screenplay for Alice.^[16] In July 2003, the brothers announced that they had completed the script for the film adaptation.^[17]

In 2004, the project moved from Dimension Films to 20th Century Fox, but in 2005 Universal Pictures acquired the rights. As of June 2008, producer Scott Faye indicated the film was in 'turnaround' from Universal. He admitted that the script needed development, but would be used to attract the attention of a new studio.^[18] At one point the film rights were reported to have been owned by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a self-confessed fan of the game, who noted in 2008 that she's 'not giving up' on the film,^[19] but a few months later she was reported to have left the project.^[20]

In 2013, with the success of earning the funds to produce Alice: Otherlands, McGee stated his desire to continue to work on the possibility of adapting the series into a feature film on Kickstarter.^[21][22] On February 17, 2014, McGee announced that he and his team have secured a British screenwriter to write the film's script.^[23] On April 16, 2014, he assured fans that the film is still in production and is currently working with a producer in Hollywood who they have licensed the rights from, but has run into a few difficulties along the way.^[24]

On July 10, 2014, McGee informed fans that the progress on the feature film has come to a temporary halt. McGee stated that he has secured the rights only to develop the feature film's story and production, and must acquire the film rights completely before proceeding further. He is currently speaking with potential investors and financiers to gather the required funding, $400,000.^[25] On January 8, 2015, McGee stated that negotiations for the feature film have gone on a hiatus, and will not resume until May.^[26]

Animated short films[edit]

In June 2013, American McGee was given the opportunity to buy back the film rights which were originally sold several years prior. Through Kickstarter, McGee managed to fund the cost of the film rights ($100,000) and another $100,000 for the production of the shorts. In August, the project was successfully funded with an extra $50,000 (used to fund the voice acting of Susie Brann and Roger L. Jackson).^[21][27][28] The project has been titled Alice: Otherlands.

Reception[edit]

In the United States, American McGee's Alice sold 360,000 units by August 2006. At the time, this led Edge to declare it the country's 47th-best-selling computer game released since January 2000.^[43]

The game was ultimately released on December 5, 2000,^[1] receiving praise for its visuals; the graphics were very elaborate for their time. Many levels depict a world of chaos and wonder, some reminiscent of the inside of an asylum or a madhouse, visually linking Wonderland to Alice's reality. The exterior views of Wonderland show the Queen of Hearts' tentacles dipping out of buildings and mountain sides, especially in Queensland. Alice received 'favorable' reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[29]GameSpot said, 'While you'll undoubtedly enjoy the imaginative artwork, you might end up disappointed with just how straightforward the underlying game really is.'^[37]

In her article “Wonderland’s become quite strange: From Lewis Carroll’s Alice to American McGee’s Alice,” literary critic Cathlena Martin argues that the game “provides a reinterpreted version of Alice and the whole of wonderland that may have some players questioning which aspects are from Carroll and which are from McGee, thus potentially leading to a rereading of Carroll through the darker lens of McGee’s Alice. This reinterpretation of Alice shows the versatility and mutability of the story across time and discourse.” Martin also notes that the game is successful largely in part to the narrative structure of Carroll's tales, which are built around games - cards and chess - themselves.^[44]

Sequel[edit]

As the plans for the movie adaptation of American McGee's Alice started to take longer and longer, in 2007 interest at Electronic Arts rose in a remake of the game and work was started on a sequel.^[45] On 19 February 2009, EA CEO John Riccitiello announced at D.I.C.E. 2009 that a new installment to the series is in the works for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.^[46][47]

It was developed by Spicy Horse, who worked on American McGee's Grimm.^[48][49][50] Two pieces of concept art were released, depicting Alice and large allied birds fighting an oversized, semi-mechanized snail and its children on top of a lighthouse,^[51] and Alice swimming in a pond, with the Cheshire Cat's face in the background.^[52]

In November 2009, a fan-made video based on the Alice 2 announcement was mistaken by gaming websites as a teaser trailer for the game. In it, Alice is in therapy after a relapse nine months after the events of the first game, and appears to hallucinate an image of the Cheshire Cat in place of her doctor.^[53]

On 15 June 2010, EA filed a trademark on the name Alice: Madness Returns, the suspected sequel to American McGee's Alice.^[54] While the sequel was formally announced via press release on 19 February 2009,^[49] the sequel's title was confirmed during the EA Studio Showcase the following day.

The game was released on June 14, 2011, in North America, June 16, 2011, in Europe and June 17, 2011, in the United Kingdom under the title Alice: Madness Returns for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions came with a redemption code that gave the player a free download of American McGee's Alice.

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdLopez, Vincent (2000-12-05). 'American McGee's Alice'. IGN. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
2. ^New York Times
3. ^GameFAQs: American McGee's Alice (PC) FAQ/Walkthrough by Lsnake, chapter 7
4. ^Lapord, Leo. 'The Screen Savers - Leo's Interview with American McGee'. YouTube. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
5. ^ ^abMcGee, American (2011). The Art of Alice: Madness Returns. Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Comics. p. 6. ISBN978-1-59582-697-8.
6. ^'UberTools for Quake III v4.0'. ritual.com. Ritual Entertainment. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
7. ^Alice and moral panics?Archived 2008-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
8. ^Chris Kohler (2010-07-26). 'Q&A: American McGee Returns to Alice's Nightmare Wonderland'. Wired. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
9. ^Halpin, Spencer. 'Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat'. Spencer Halpin's Moral Kombat. Cinetic Rights Management. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
10. ^http://www.videogamepricecharts.com/console/pc-games
11. ^Chris Vrenna American McGees Alice MP3Download
12. ^'Dramatic New Scenes for Celebritarian Needs (archived by MansonWiki.com)'. MansonUSA (now defunct). 2005-11-03. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
13. ^'Manson on American McGee's Alice'. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
14. ^Brian Linder (2000-12-07). 'Wes Craven to Dark Wonderland'. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
15. ^Brian Linder (2001-09-25). 'August Talks Alice'. IGN. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
16. ^Brian Linder (2002-02-11). 'Scribes Pegged for Alice Game-to-Film Adaptation'. IGN. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
17. ^Brian Linder (2003-07-29). 'Games-to-Film Update: Alice, Oz'. IGN. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
18. ^'Status of American McGee's Alice'. darkhorizons.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21.
19. ^'Gellar Passionate About Alice'. mymostwanted.com. 2008-01-28. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.
20. ^http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/12709
21. ^ ^ab'Alice: Otherlands'.
22. ^'A Night at the Opera'.
23. ^'Progress and Possibilities'.
24. ^'Eyeballs, Tentacles, and Monsters'.
25. ^'Noble Pursuits'.
26. ^'Happy New Year 2015!'.
27. ^'They're Back..'
28. ^'Stretch Goooooal!'.
29. ^ ^ab'American McGee's Alice Critic Reviews for PC'. Metacritic.
30. ^Denenberg, Darren. 'American McGee's Alice (PC) - Review'. AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
31. ^Ardai, Charles (March 2001). 'Alice's Bad Trip (American McGee's Alice Review)'(PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 200. pp. 102–03. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
32. ^Edge staff (January 2001). 'American McGee's Alice'. Edge. No. 93.
33. ^Carter, Ben (2001-01-06). 'Alice (PC)'. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2001-01-24. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
34. ^Brogger, Kristian (February 2001). 'American McGee's Alice'. Game Informer. No. 94. Archived from the original on 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
35. ^Sean Molloy (2000-12-05). 'American McGee's Alice Review for PC on GamePro.com'. GamePro. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
36. ^The Mock Dodgson (December 2000). 'Alice Review'. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
37. ^ ^abWolpaw, Erik (2000-12-08). 'American McGee's Alice Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
38. ^Salgado, Carlos 'dr.angryman' (2000-12-19). 'American McGee's Alice'. GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2005-12-08. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
39. ^The Badger (2000-12-10). 'American McGee's Alice - PC - Review'. GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
40. ^Osborn, Chuck (February 2001). 'American McGee's Alice'. PC Gamer. p. 50. Archived from the original on 2004-10-28. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
41. ^Roberts, Josh (2001-01-25). 'Alice Review'. X-Play. Archived from the original on 2001-01-27. Retrieved 2014-05-06.Italic or bold markup not allowed in: publisher= (help)
42. ^Saltzman, Marc (2001-01-24). 'Alice's wonderland game disturbing, yet oddly fun'. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 2001-04-19. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
43. ^Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). 'The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century'. Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
44. ^Martin, Cathlena (2010). '10'. Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works. Jefferson: McFarland and Co. pp. 136–137.
45. ^Martijn Müller. 'Remake American McGee's Alice in de maak' (in Dutch). NG-Gamer. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
46. ^Crecente, Brian (2009-02-19). 'EA Announces New American McGee's Alice Title'. Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
47. ^'The Return of American McGee's Alice Set For PC, Consoles'. Kotaku. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2010-08-10.Italic or bold markup not allowed in: publisher= (help)
48. ^'DICE 2009: EA announces American McGee's Alice 2'. Joystiq. 19 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
49. ^ ^ab'EA and Spicy Horse Return to Wonderland for All-New Alice Title'. ea.com. 2009-02-19. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
50. ^Chester, Nick (2009-02-19). 'Sequel to American McGee's Alice coming to PC, consoles in 2009'. Destructoid. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
51. ^'The Return of Alice'. americanmcgee.com. 2009-02-20. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
52. ^'Hiring – Three for Art'. americanmcgee.com. 2009-05-04. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
53. ^'Return of Alice (Video Madness)'. 2009-11-04. Archived from the original on 2009-11-15.
54. ^'Latest Status Info'. tarr.uspto.gov. 2010-06-20. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.

External links[edit]

• American McGee's Alice on IMDb
• American McGee's Alice at MobyGames
• 'Down the Rabbit Hole'. Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2007-01-21.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
• 'Concept art'. Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2007-01-06.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)

Description of American McGee's Alice Windows

Not living happily ever after

Ever wondered what it would be like if Lewis Carroll's infamous Alice were to revisit Wonderland several years after the original tale ended? Me either, but that's precisely what has happened in EA's latest release, American McGee's Alice.

All is not well as we first meet our heroine in the stylish FMV introduction; lying comatose in a mental asylum bed, poor Alice has been traumatized by the death of her family in a house fire, which only she escaped alive and was then forced to stand back helplessly and listen to their final screams. Clutching at her last shred of sanity, Alice appears to have journeyed back to a very different Wonderland, deformed and macabre. Old friends, the white rabbit and Cheshire cat, are pleading for her help -- can she rescue her familiar yet altered fantasy world from the evil Red Queen's clutches and perhaps save herself along with it?

Intriguing plot, wouldn't you say? Dreamt up by ex-id Software level designer, American McGee (yes, his real name), he and Rogue Entertainment(creators of several successful Quake/Q2 mission packs) chose the 3rd-person action/adventure format to tell this exciting new chapter based on the Alice in Wonderland story.

He's still late

As you begin the game, Alice finds herself once again chasing after the white rabbit -- he's no longer the adorable bunny people will remember from the Disney cartoon. His face crinkled menacingly, ears bent back behind his head and an overbite that looks like fangs is just an example of how things in Wonderland have been skewed. It's Alice's job to traverse the 15 massive environments, jump some platforms, pull a few levers, and fight the hazards of the land and Red Queen's minions once again.

The controls and interface are pretty much as standard as they come -- seasoned gamers can dive right into the customization screen and set up their mouse/keyboard combination, just how they like it, in no time at all. Alice has little in the way of special controls -- just an alternate fire option for certain weapons and a key to call on the Cheshire cat's (enigmatic, and usually quite useless) advice when you need it.

Most noteworthy is the very well designed aiming system, which can often be a pain in the unmentionable bits for most 3rd-person games. Whenever you carry a ranged weapon, a targeting reticule is always visible to show you where you're aiming; more importantly, when you manage to get it over an enemy, it circles around them to denote Alice has locked in on the target, so the issue of preciseness and never knowing exactly what you're aiming at is not a problem. Another smart feature involves when you look towards the ground -- footprints will appear to help you anticipate where Alice is likely to land if you jump forward from your current position. This is immensely helpful for tricky platform hopping, which was also a common frustration with the 3rd-person viewpoint.

Fundamentally, gameplay remains pretty conventional for the genre. In true Tomb Raider fashion, your underlying objective is to always push linearly forward, find the exit, and possibly trip upon a few secrets/bonuses along the way. As Alice enters a new area, you'll usually get a helpful camera pan of the nearby environment -- it'll often show you the exit you need to reach, which isn't much of a spoiler, because it's getting there that's the real challenge. With a few exceptions, puzzles remain simplistic enough; agility (ie. jumping) and exploration are the keys to progressing.

Original

But wait - Alice is far from being easily dismissible. It's obvious that in the early developmental stages, instead of the traditional focus being on gameplay with a half-baked story tacked on at the end, the Alice universe is so finely and professionally crafted, it doesn't just mask what is essentially generic gameplay.. it makes it completely irrelevant. The story, characters and overall attention to detail in the many wondrous environments is the driving force behind what is otherwise a tried-and-tested gameplay formula, and that's why Alice is a significantly more exciting title to play over other offerings in the genre.

So, what makes it special? Firstly, Alice utilizes the Quake3 engine in probably the most stunningly impressive way to date. Technically, everything about the graphics is first-rate: beautiful crisp textures, highly detailed characters, great animation etc. But it's the creative side of things that makes you literally gawk at the screen. There are not many action games where you'll find yourself wishing some sections weren't so fast paced, because you really just want to stop and take a look around. The endlessly unique and inventive level designs are constantly a sight to behold, and what better theme is there for levels like these than a warped Wonderland? From the floating 'fortress of doors' to the colorless chess land, to the looking glass hall of mirrors, the environments almost make the levels in MDK2 seem common and dull! Combine these fantastical locations with an absorbing plot and characters, and Alice keeps you pressing on just to see what happens next.

I rarely pay attention to in-game music but in Alice's case, the ambient soundtrack possesses a fantastic chilling quality that perfectly complements the dark and sinister atmosphere of the game. While there are no real scare moments, the chorus of young voices and creepy instrumentals in the score (all originally composed by former Nine Inch Nails member, Chris Vrenna) keeps tension levels high. Sound effects, on the other hand, do not have as much presence and the voice acting could have been much better - it's not that the characters sound wooden per se, but you can tell each of the actors recorded their lines separately and the dialogue doesn't flow smoothly.

The minions

There are quite a number of enemies vying for Alice's blood, mostly from the Red Queen's army of card guards that chase you throughout; they get tougher and wield more powerful weapons as the game goes on. You also spend a good portion of the game shrunk down in size to only a few inches tall (much of the game parallels the original Alice in Wonderland story), and so come up against many enemies of the insect variety, such as huge bayonet-carrying ants and mutated ladybugs. You also have to be careful of the hazards in the environment itself -- flowers will pop up and spit spikes at you, and mushrooms come alive trying to suck you into their fang-filled orifice.

As in any action-adventure, you can expect to find your share of boss creatures to deal with too. Many of the bosses are also twisted incarnations of the characters from the original story that the rather snobby Alice didn't get along with, including the Mad Hatter and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. The Hatter's lair is actually one of the most depraved environments, as he's turned his home into a factory that manufactures automatons from living creatures. And what of the Hatter's companions, the hare and sleepy dormouse? You can find out their horrible fate if you delve far enough in.

On the weapons side, things remain just as imaginative and bizarre. Alice starts with a rather standard, but icky, blood-stained kitchen knife (or 'vorpal blade'); but from then on, she finds much more interesting contraptions to fight with. These include the playing cards, which you can rapidly hurl; the mallet that serves as a club and a way of lobbing fiery Croquet balls at the bad guys; the Jackbomb that's a Jack-in-the-box which can explode like a timed bomb or rotate while breathing a stream of fire; and don't forget the toy 'Jacks', which home in on targeted creatures and pummel them to death.

Conclusion

Admittedly, underneath the incredible level designs, absorbing original storyline and constantly delightful visual assault is your standard 3rd-person action/adventure, with a few of those familiar frustrations, like having to reload ad nauseam when you keep missing that required perfectly-timed jump. But what makes American McGee's Alice stand out is that it's the sort of game that you don't play for the usual satisfaction and ego-boost of completing the last level; you play because, like any expertly-crafted tale, you want to know what happens next and see more of the fascinating, seemingly alive world of Wonderland in its new, depraved form. If id were having any problems selling their Q3 engine license, this would be the game to showcase that anything in your imagination can be magnificently crafted onto the screen. The new variation on the Alice theme is obviously intriguing enough to attract attention from the mainstream crowd outside of gaming, as it was recently announced that Nightmare on Elm Street creator, Wes Craven, has signed up to direct a movie based on this game.

Alice is suffering and she needs help out of her dementia -- and even if you can't save her, you still get to venture forth through an obscenely twisted Wonderland. It's really a no-lose situation.

Review By GamesDomain

External links

Captures and Snapshots

Screenshots from MobyGames.com

Comments and reviews

Rod2019-09-280 point

Works perfectly on my Windows 7 notebook. It seems very interesting!

Pc2019-09-080 point

Hi I have a question is this safe to download because I don't want a bunch of virus invading my computer

Sud-Ita-fan2019-08-220 point

Molte grazie myabandonware! tana per il coniglio!

Stelios Samos2019-08-100 point

thank you so much! , its time for me to play it for the 1st time!! ;)

guest2019-07-310 point

thank you for make it work. keep going.

ElsieIsAGamer2019-07-210 point

Every time I start the game and begin to play when I get to a loading screen the game freezes and doesn't allow me to force quit. I really want to play this game and I can't afford a physical copy so it would suck if I can only play the introduction but not progress pass that. I don't know what to do and would love some help.

karma2019-06-090 point

fun fact from when I played this on my own copy: type god in console to activate godmode, just remember to do it when you load in a level as it doesn't carry over :)

karma2019-06-090 point

I had this game as an actual physical copy and played the hell out of it as a kid, but now it doesn't work on my Windows 10 laptop, so this is really helpful. Thanks for bringing back one of my favorite games :)

blackdahlia422019-02-105 points

tried to install and run Alice and the window essentially holds my mouse hostage - I can't tab out of the game whatsoever once I start it. The only way to leave the game is to quit and close it down. Any ideas if this can be fixed?

TheNiclas2019-01-101 point

Nostalgia..

The Corgi2018-12-045 points

Thank YOU!

admin2018-12-044 points

All right, back online then! Thank you

The Corgi2018-12-043 points

'This version only made available through pre-order of Alice: Madness Returns or purchasing The Complete Collection on Origin, both of which are no longer available.'
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/American_McGee%27s_Alice_(2011)

The Corgi2018-12-043 points

I bought Madness Returns on Origin. It does NOT include the original game.

admin2018-12-030 point

According to Wikia, the sequel is bundled with an enhanced port of American McGee's Alice, featuring widescreen resolution and slightly updated character texture models.

The Corgi2018-12-021 point

It says this is available for purchase on Origin but it's not. You can only buy the sequel on Origin.

Steven2018-11-200 point

Here's a guide to install the HD version of Alice with updated textures. Taken from Alice Madness Returns Special Edition (Origin). Needs Steam or Origin version of Alice 2 Madness returns.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=645862676
Mod that updates skins, bug fixes etc.
https://www.moddb.com/games/american-mcgees-alice/addons/american-mcgees-alice-hd/#3275129

Übertools Expert2018-11-070 point

If the game crashes after cinematic, this is probably related to the high frame rate.
If you limit the frame rate via console command, the game will run stable:
seta com_maxfps 140
Open console while in main menu by pressing one of the following keys on your keyboard, the console will appear then:
~ or ^ or ´
Type now the following command chain into the console and press enter after you are done:
seta com_maxfps 140
If this does not work for you try 60 instead of 140
The reason for this problem is that modern computers can handle more frames than the engine/game can process. It will crash if you hit a few hundred frames or even go above 999.

ToughOrc212018-11-040 point

@ADMIN how about you not be a little bitch boy over someone asking a question? FFS..

my2018-09-080 point

Think it's a damaged file? Isn't unzipping in WinZip or WinRar.

Elite_Evil2018-08-280 point

This game is cool.

Darkpaladin2018-07-081 point

Installed fine, but crashes right after intro cinematic. Anyone, Help?!

Cameron2018-06-241 point

Every time i load up the game, it crashes after the talk with the Cheshire cat for the first time. Can somebody please help me because i really wanted to play this game forever now.

freestew2018-06-191 point

American Mcgee's Alice Play Online

I can't alt tab from the game.

Motley2018-02-202 points

been having trouble getting the launcher running.
been getting this error.
American McGee's Alice win-x86 Nov 13 2000
----- FS_Startup -----
Current search path:
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICEbasepak4_english.pk3 (44 files)
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICEbasepak2.pk3 (71 files)
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICEbasepak1_large.pk3 (3369 files)
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICEbasepak0.pk3 (5341 files)
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICEbasePak3.pk3 (9 files)
C:UsersAdminDownloadsALICE/base
----------------------
Config: config.cfg
execing default.cfg
couldn't exec menu.cfg
execing config.cfg
couldn't exec localized.cfg
couldn't exec autoexec.cfg
..detecting CPU, found Intel Pentium III
------- Input Initialization -------
Initializing DirectInput..
Couldn't set DI coop level
Falling back to Win32 mouse support..
Joystick is not active.
------------------------------------
----- Client Initialization -----
----- Initializing Renderer ----
----- R_Init -----
Initializing OpenGL subsystem
..initializing QGL
..calling LoadLibrary( 'C:WINDOWSsystem32opengl32.dll' ): succeeded
..setting mode 3: 640 480 FS
..using colorsbits of 16
..calling CDS: ok
..registered window class
..created window@0,0 (640x480)
Initializing OpenGL driver
..getting DC: succeeded
..GLW_ChoosePFD( 16, 16, 0 )
..35 PFDs found
..GLW_ChoosePFD failed
..GLW_ChoosePFD( 16, 16, 0 )
..35 PFDs found
..GLW_ChoosePFD failed
..failed to find an appropriate PIXELFORMAT
..restoring display settings
..WARNING: could not set the given mode (3)
..shutting down QGL
..unloading OpenGL DLL
..assuming '3dfxvgl' is a standalone driver
..initializing QGL
..WARNING: missing Glide installation, assuming no 3Dfx available
..shutting down QGL
----- CL_Shutdown -----
-----------------------
GLW_StartOpenGL() - could not load OpenGL subsystem
if anyone can help, that would be great.
this is a game i have wanted to play for some time and even owned once. however, i uninstalled it and well, i don't have the manuel code or the other disk for it. so this is the best i can get for now.

kmo9112018-02-010 point

many of alice games has a block and crach out. even with full version and no crack you were trowed out of game and jumpi was aoufull. you had to turn on codes and then it crased all and --///-- over again. dx drivers was unstable. 3dfx support ? voodo 2 3 4 5 on win 98 se-xp

Lithium2018-01-090 point

@TENBEAT
I was actually talking about the 600mb file, since that is the size of the 2011 cut re-release. But I downloaded this one and when unziped it's over 800mb so my bad, it is the original 2000 game.

Tenbeat2018-01-070 point

(@Lithium)
The 79MB shown is one of the three files available for download, specifically a demo for the game that has a special level. The actual full game is 613MB.

Lithium2017-12-181 point

Judging by the size this is the inferior (cut content, cut sounds) 'HD' re-release, not the original.
You should change the year to 2011, it's misleading.

Matyas2017-09-2812 points

I recommend playing it in FullHD, it's awesome :-)
just open console by '~' key and type:
seta r_customwidth '1920'
(enter)
seta r_customheight '1080'
(enter)
seta r_mode '-1'
(enter)
vid_restart
(enter)
and it's done. Enjoy! (of course you can use other resolutions too, depending on your monitor)

CC2017-09-26-1 point

Thank you so much! I've the original cds but on W7 I've problems with launcher mode. If someone is interested to play it with the original cds and you haven't XP anymore, I know that it works with VirtualBox (Xp), but it's not perfect (I've problem with the mouse in Load/Save section).
With this download I've no problem, fortunately!!
I confirm it works perfectly on W7, guys! Extract zip file, clic on Alice.exe and voilà..! The game starts!

Harley2017-08-250 point

I have a xp and every game ive tried works perfect btw use winrar or winzip to open it

shikz2017-08-22-3 points

how do i download it on a mac air i really want to play

Guy2017-08-181 point

One of my favorite games

Darkness-within992017-08-171 point

This will be my first time playing this and I excited let's just hope my computer doesn't crash, unlike the first time I tried to download this..

ray2017-07-161 point

it really works?

thanks2017-07-080 point

been hearing this is a great game just built me a retro pc and now i have to try it out

Nate2017-07-040 point

Introduction works fine on windows 10 but it crashes as soon as I get to pandemonium making it unplayable for me.

alan973202017-04-281 point

on windows 10 / 7 runs smoothly and perfectly but just to make sure update the driver before playing this game

lunalen2017-04-250 point

GoodDay, I'm downloading this game today. Hope it will function very well in my pc. huhu. I really miss this game a lot! hahah.
..downloading 30%..
God Bless. :)

vina2017-04-140 point

works just fine :) thanks!

bastwren2017-03-260 point

It runs fine on Vista, no problems. Thank you so much for this! Still one of my all-time favorite games.

smilez3132017-03-230 point

Awesome download! I have Windows 10, and all I had to do was unzip the file and open it. Easy! Thanks!!!

Cork2017-02-180 point

American Mcgee's Alice Xbox One

A real treasure in this website!
Runs perfect in Windows 7

Dobby2017-02-100 point

A great find! It's one of the few games from this site that I managed to get working just fine.
I'm using Windows 10 for this, but have a Macbook Air, too. The only games I can get working for that are some of the old DOS games through Boxer.

abubu2017-02-041 point

does the download actually work?

mile2017-01-292 points

great game!

Statocon2017-01-110 point

I haven't had any problems with the game since download. Running Win 10. All runs smooth, good sound quality, scanned with multiple anti-virus programs and came up clean. (That is not to say there is no chance of harmful programs, just that Avast, Iobit, and Advanced System Care 10 didn't find any.) I think it's a clean program, and super fun! Thank you for the game!

win10disgrace2016-12-300 point

I'm running the game on windows 10 with administration rights and in compatibillity with windows xp; no problems with the game whatsoever, it runs really smooth and the gameplay is fantastic.

M2016-11-220 point

the game is nice and easy to control. But it has no sound.

admin2016-11-211 point

@Randall: we do not provide game support, read the contact page FFS..

Randall2016-11-200 point

got ur download weeks ago andf cannot open it to play--askedf then how to start play and never got an answer. u have a strange idea about answering within 24 hours. still can't open the game to play it, even after unzipping--cannot find the .exe. file

Mr. Derpy Kitty2016-09-17-1 point

Is it safe??

CopGeneral2016-06-060 point

The Text goes by way too fast to read it please help

vampy2016-04-171 point

im currently playing alice madness returs hope i like this one

jasonvoorhees3.02016-02-042 points

this game looks very very promising, I only spent about
10 minutes with it but it could be a winner, only downside
so far has been some random choppiness in framerate
on my windows7 pc but I will play around with the graphic options.
the visuals are pretty nice but the models in the game look very low
poly count, I have a feeling it could be a winner though.

iKonatai2015-12-291 point

The MSI i-Charger is a Windows resident program capable of revising the power supply mode of your USB port to become more powerful. The stored data does not only have backup and upgrade function, moreover it can also be seen as a portable BIOS chip which is actually able to boot up your PC.Features- Backup/Restore Your BIOS to/from Any USB Flash Disk- Avoid Unnecessary Repair Due to Accident Failures During The Upgrading Process- Earn more BIOS Lifespan by Reducing Unnecessary Rewriting ProcessUSB SafeguardUSB Safeguard can prevent motherboards and USB devices from being damaged by short-circuit and ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) with Anti-ESD chips built-into the motherboards. End-users can install and run the Live Update 5 software on their computers with the companion CD or downloading the app from the MSI website.Features- Automatically Detect the BIOS/Driver/VGA/Utility Update- Support Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7 32BitM-FlashCompared to common motherboard which need extra BIOS chips, MSI’s M-Flash has a double advantage which doesn’t need extra components and secondly, all your BIOS data will be saved in the USB drive. However, many ordinary personal computers cannot charge some of these devices, making it difficult to stay connected. Once your phone or tablet is connected to your USB port, the i-Charger sends a signal to initiate its charging circuit, making it a really smart and convenient charging solution for mobile computing needs.Features- Automatically Detect & Charge Your Smart Phone or Tablet- Support Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7 32BitLive Update 5MSI Live Update 5 is a powerful and useful application for updating the latest BIOS and Drivers, saving you time and lowers the risk of updating.

Awesome game!

American Mcgee's Alice Free Download

Josu-e2015-11-140 point

I DON´T HAVE SOUND!!

Al2015-09-14-1 point

Cool game! But how do you install the game when you have the files? There was no instruction included.

nate2015-09-111 point

i got this from a different website, but where do you open it?

JayDee2015-06-042 points Windows version

cool game,but the crew who cracked it may have added an extra program,as when you start the game it tries to connect to the net.strange for a single player game.so you might want to block net connections for this game.

Cancerkills2015-05-242 points Windows version

I owned this game back on 2002, but my computer sucked so bad that it barely ran it. I'm happy to see it here, which means i can beat it now. WIN!

rfxcasey2015-03-164 points Windows version

Simply amazing.

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