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[Baloonatic]

Yes, I know. That's my point

I was curious if it was possible to buy them. It'd be kinda shitty considering every copy of the game comes with all the files already, but so far as I can tell there's not even a system in place to make it possible

Same thing happened with Dead Space 2. Couldn't buy any of the DLC weapons and rigs but you could unlock them by messing around with the game files.

 

[Router]

Fuck. I need to build a PC

And I have to replay the first Alice.

 

[The M.O.B]

Invisible walls are a complete non-factor in this game. I got tricked by invisible walls maybe 3-4 times throughout the game. (3-4 in 11 hours is nothing)

Considering the best 3d platformers of all time (Mario 64, Mario Galaxy) have no turn around animation, don't see why you would want that in any serious platforming game.

Can't comment on pop-ups since i'm on the PC version and there are none.

I can agree that the game is simple though, it doesn't reinvent the wheel with anything, but solid platforming mechanics, solid non-frustrating combat, and amazing art style will always tickle my fancy.

 

[B-Dex]

Sorry Gaf, but I think you may have hyped this game a bit more than it deserves. It really does play like a game from 2003, and for all the wrong reasons. The complete lack of turn around animation for Alice, lots of pop ups, many invisible walls, and simple gameplay make this a game thats is carried by its art style and not it's refined game play.

There were only 2 times I ran into invisible walls and that was trying to take a shortcut to do something through a crevice, or between two objects off to the side not on the "main" path. Not sure why everyone uses invisible walls as a negative.

 

[Carnby]

Wow, I'm glad I don't care about all of this minor stuff =/ invisible walls in a platformer, color me shocked :lol. An old school platformer is exactly what this game is, and that's why everyone in this thread is loving it.

This game has many more flaws. I held back because I was trying to be polite. But honestly, this game wouldnt even be considered good in 2003.

 

[LocoMrPollock]

This game has many more flaws. I held back because I was trying to be polite. But honestly, this game wouldnt even be considered good in 2003.

Thanks for enlightening us.

 

[Knux-Future]

No game is perfect but if small shit like invisible walls and a lack of turning animation are the biggest issues then It's fine by me.

Too me if a game is fun, then it's worth it. all the other shit is extra.

I will say the fact that there just isn't that many pure platformers left anymore probably makes this game a lot better to me than normal.

This is my goty so far.

sorry if you don't think the same.

 

[Carnby]

Thanks for enlightening us.

You`re welcome.

 

[plagiarize]

This game has many more flaws. I held back because I was trying to be polite. But honestly, this game wouldnt even be considered good in 2003.

i'm glad you are posting in this thread, because finally we have found someone who seems to have played the same game the reviewers played.

none of the things you talked about so far addressed the gameplay. i'd appreciate hearing what you don't like about that.

yes, lack of a turning animation was kind of shocking to me too, but it sure helps make the controls tight as can be.

 

[Yurt]

You`re welcome.

Why's that apostrophe floating in between like that :O invisible walls ?

Fuck. I need to build a PC

And I have to replay the first Alice.

I never played it And by reading the recap in the Extras I don't think I missed much story-wise. Not that I care about the story as long as I get batshit insane levels till the end

 

[Vampire On Titus]

What invisible walls? I'm on chapter 5, have been for a while cause I've been generally busy. I haven't run into any invisible walls yet in "Madness Returns", it's not as if just listing "invisible walls" regardless of noting context or implementation is enough to be a worthwhile criticism anyway.

But I mean whatever, to me the game is dripping with imagination, the combat is anything but simple, the platforming controls are some of the best in class. Also, the fact that "lack of a turning animation" is one of the "flaws" (especially in a demanding platformer with tight controls) that made it to the list of things you mentioned. I find quite hilarious.

I'm playing on PC and there is pop-in I've noticed so fair point, there. Standard Unreal Engine stuff, textures come in fully after the fact, sometimes. I've had worse things happen to me in games I love.

 

[Lissar]

What invisible walls? I'm on chapter 5, have been for a while cause I've been generally busy. I haven't run into any invisible walls yet in "Madness Returns", it's not as if just listing "invisible walls" regardless of noting context or implementation is enough to be a worthwhile criticism anyway.

I've seen quiiiiite a lot of invisible walls (and a few platforms I could fall through, but I don't think I was supposed to be jumping there anyway.) It doesn't bother me though, for me it's a minor issue that doesn't really detract from the game.

 

[frequency]

Sorry Gaf, but I think you may have hyped this game a bit more than it deserves. It really does play like a game from 2003, and for all the wrong reasons. The complete lack of turn around animation for Alice, lots of pop ups, many invisible walls, and simple gameplay make this a game thats is carried by its art style and not it's refined game play.

Hmm... I have to disagree. Strongly.
Yeah, it's not a technically perfect game. But none of that stuff is particularly bothersome to me. I only ever ran into invisible walls maybe 2 or 3 times, and it was never rage inducing or anything. Those don't bother me, so I'm sure I'm forgetting instances or something. But whatever. Turning animation is just... well... nitpicky.

The base gameplay is pretty simple, but it is in pretty much every platformer. Simple doesn't mean it's boring or bad. Many of the battles are still quite difficult, with the combination of enemies they throw at you. The platforming can be tight, but is never frustrating. I think the gameplay is quite good. "Easy to learn, hard to master".
Look at Mario for example. The prime example of a platformer. The base gameplay in any Mario game is simple, but that doesn't keep them from being entertaining.

The art style does play a major role in this game, but it's not like it's the only thing holding this game together. I suppose if you're the type of person who can't look past minor technical flaws, and if you have a particular aversion towards platformers, this may not be the game for you. But that's okay - not every game is for everyone. I'll enjoy my Alice while the rest of the world plays their Call of Duty's and Battlefields. Everyone else can make their own decisions on whether to give this game a shot based on what has been said in this thread. No one has been misleading about what this game is and is not.

 

[Grisby]

Finished!

Game was a platforming extravaganza set over an epic journey. Hot damn, that was a long game.

The ending was dark. Far darker then I though it would be. Bravo.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

I've seen quiiiiite a lot of invisible walls (and a few platforms I could fall through, but I don't think I was supposed to be jumping there anyway.) It doesn't bother me though, for me it's a minor issue that doesn't really detract from the game.

Oh, I don't doubt they exist. Just that I haven't run into any, as of yet. Can you recall some specific points where they had come up?

 

[LocoMrPollock]

Oh, I don't doubt they exist. Just that I haven't run into any, as of yet. Can you recall some specific points where they had come up?

It's more like obstructions that you should be able to squeeze into or jump on, but instead hit a wall.

At least, I think that's what they are talking about.

 

[Ricker]

Wo now I remember why I never finished the first Alice...pretty awful controls plus there`s like no tutorial on the 360...what`s the blue meter on the right for again? I stopped at the same place I use to quit for a while on the PC back then,in that room trying to reach a warp with one of those wasps flying around...game is so hard,especially compared to Madness return...it looks ok still after all these years but the combat is so awful.

 

[Lissar]

Oh, I don't doubt they exist. Just that I haven't run into any, as of yet. Can you recall some specific points where they had come up?

There was nothing so huge that it was particularly memorable. Mostly just in out of the way places that you really have no reason to go to. I just run through everything for the sake of exploration so I probably notice more than other people.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Oh I know what you guys are talking about! So like when there's a random clumping of debris off in a corner, somewhere. With a gap or some such thing you think you can shrink under, but cant?

That's what this guy is talking about? As a legitimate flaw? This whole conversation is silly!

 

[frequency]

Wo now I remember why I never finished the first Alice...pretty awful controls plus there`s like no tutorial on the 360...what`s the blue meter on the right for again? I stopped at the same place I use to quit for a while on the PC back then,in that room trying to reach a warp with one of those wasps flying around...game is so hard,especially compared to Madness return...it looks ok still after all these years but the combat is so awful.

The blue meter is mana. Everything other than the vorpal blade needs it.

It's not essential to play through the first one to enjoy the 2nd. You'll appreciate Madness Returns more when you recognize characters and stuff, but even as a fan of the first one, I don't see myself being able to go back to it.

Unless you really care about trophies and achievements, I'd skip it. If you don't want to miss out on references, just youtube a playthrough or something. You can skip the combat sections to make it a quicker watch.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Wo now I remember why I never finished the first Alice...pretty awful controls plus there`s like no tutorial on the 360...what`s the blue meter on the right for again? I stopped at the same place I use to quit for a while on the PC back then,in that room trying to reach a warp with one of those wasps flying around...game is so hard,especially compared to Madness return...it looks ok still after all these years but the combat is so awful.

I played it a bit at a friends house yesterday, The controls seemed weird, until I realized I wasn't really moving the camera as much as this blue dot on the walls. The camera controls started to make more sense. Things started clicking.

I didn't play it back in the day, and wasn't playing on an xbox. But the combat seemed pretty cool. To be fair I stopped playing around the time you get that horse-head croquet mallet type thing. So I wouldn't know if it gets supper frustrating later on. It looks really cool when the cards slice in half, and you've gatta be really aware of the all enemy's at play, which reminded me of Madness Returns.

It's definitely not the type of game to hold your hand. I was doing a puzzle where you had to flip switches that corresponded with musical notes, played previously, to open a set of doors. It didnt tell me what the "use" key was so I had to go to the controls menu. Things like that don't really bother me but I can see how it'd be frustrating.

The blue meter is ammo for ranged weapons as far as I can tell, btw

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I didn't play Alice 1 and I'm having no problems understanding 2.

I'm just up to Chapter 5 now. I'm so in love with this damn game, warts and all. I love it when something comes out of nowhere and it as fantastic as this.

 

[scorpscarx]

The ending was dark. Far darker then I though it would be. Bravo.

Moves Alice MR to number one on Steam wishlist.

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

Ok, I found a few posts for tweaking the game on PC. I have no idea if they actually work I never tried them but I'll post them anyway

All credit goes to SA forum.


And "NachoPiggy" posted this in another forum


We need "BoobPhysics101" in this thread lol he set The Witcher 2 performance thread on fire with his tweaks.

Where can I find Aliceengine.ini?
I looked all over the folders of the game but the only filename that comes close would be the DefaultEngine.ini and that doesn't include the texture options from your first quote.

EDIT: But at least I was able to remove the 30fps lock.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Where can I find Aliceengine.ini?
I looked all over the folders of the game but the only filename that comes close would be the DefaultEngine.ini and that doesn't include the texture options from your first quote.

EDIT: But at least I was able to remove the 30fps lock.

Use windows search?

(it's in documents>my games>alice madness returns>alicegame>config)

 

[Nekrono]

I just got this game out of all the impressions in this thread, messed around a little bit and got out of the starting area into the next one skipping everything and doing different settings tests to see what kind of performance I could get, so far it's:

- All maxed out, 8x MSAA 16x AF (RadeonPro), Physx on low = 60fps everywhere.

- All maxed out, 8x MSAA 16x AF, Physx on medium = ~30fps starting area and ~45-50fps on the next one.

Physx on high rapes my pc so it's not an option which is fine since I have an AMD HD6950, It's a bit of a dilemma at this point since It's either 60fps which is quite nice or Physx on medium with cool effects like the flowers on the double jump, I think I'm gonna have to sacrifice some performance to have them enabled since the game looks kinda bland without them.

Anyways, I'm about to start the game for real I hope I'm in for an epic ride like GAF claims this game is, I definitely like what I've seen so far!

Btw the difference between 30 and 60 FPS in this game is night and day! I felt I was playing a different game when I removed the cap, you notice it even from the main menu.

 

[Yurt]

I have the same card and I'm playing with Physx on Medium too. Every weapon, except for the knife, creates a Physx effect. so you'll notice a slight fps dip if you use them. It's fine though, fuck you Nvidia I'm not gonna turn it off.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Just finished. Buy this game, people.

 

[burgerdog]

How do I remove the 30fps cap?

 

[The M.O.B]

How do I remove the 30fps cap?

Alice Madness Returns Framerate Fix – 60 FPS Tweak
Open Alice.ini in text editor, you can find the file located here:

\Documents\My Games\Alice Madness Returns\AliceGame\Config\AliceEngine.ini

and Set these to your desired values for framerate boost:

MaxSmoothedFrameRate=60

/

 

[burgerdog]

/

Good stuff, going to try this now.

 

[leng jai]

Just finished. Buy this game, people.

Already did 3 days ago bro.

 

[Zeal]

haven't been in this thread for a bit.

thank GOD this game is getting the praise it deserves. the amount of secrets and re-playability is amazing (reminds me of classic gaming), and the art direction is hands down the best in probably 10 years. fuck every single negative review, the game is a gem.

bravo to the gaf community for getting the word out.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I think the art is hurt by some major "UE3-ee-ness" (like Batman), but yeah, there's so much variety, it's insane.

 

[jaundicejuice]

One of the things I like about Alice's little jaunts through reality is that I feel like I could be walking through a set for The Corpse Bride.

 

[RadioHeadAche]

I'm certainly intrigued, but a combination of being an incredibly cheap person and being very unfamiliar with these games makes me shy away from spending that $60.

 

[Zimbardo]

i'm interested in this game, but i'm just wondering if my pc will be able to handle it with PhysX on High, max detail @ 1080p, 60fps ...here's the main components:

i5 760 quad core @ 3.8ghz
2 nvidia GTX 470 in sli
8 gig ram

does anyone have something similar to that and could tell me how it runs? or what i could expect for performance? thanks.

 

[leng jai]

i'm interested in this game, but i'm just wondering if my pc will be able to handle it with PhysX on High, max detail @ 1080p, 60fps ...here's the main components:

i5 760 quad core @ 3.8ghz
2 nvidia GTX 470 in sli
8 gig ram

does anyone have something similar to that and could tell me how it runs? or what i could expect for performance? thanks.

I don't think anyone in this thread is playing with max Physx and getting a constant 60fps in combat.

 

[Zimbardo]

I don't think anyone in this thread is playing with max Physx and getting a constant 60fps in combat.

ya it'd be interesting ...i was thinking that i could use 1 gtx470 dedicated to physx, and the other to just render the regular stuff ...and with that i might be able to pull it off, but maybe not.

 

[mileS]

Hate to be this guy but I'm wondering what kind of performance I can expect with these specs @ 1080p with some AA-
i5 750 @ 2.67GHz
4gb ram
5850 1gb

I was reading earlier that you can only set PhysX to low (can't completely turn it off?) That's one of the main things that has me worried. Any other game I've tried in the past with PhysX has been really bad performance wise (sometimes I regret going with ATI/AMD)

 

[leng jai]

Should be able to max out the game, but if it not turn off AA - you don't really need it. AFAIK Physx on low = none.

 

[DarkFlow]

Just watched my g/f play this for the last week, she just now beat it. She loved it and is now trying to beat the game on nightmare. I'm not much of a platform kind of person, but the game looks interesting. All and all I would say people should at least give this game a go, it seems worth a look.

Also we have it on PS3.

 

[iPewPew]

Just gonna throw my 2 cents in there for anyone else on the fence about picking up this game:

When I heard about Alice, I literally had no clue what it was about. I watched the GameTrailers review about the day it came out and decided I probably wouldn't end up playing it because they gave it a pretty bad review (for GameTrailers, a 7 something is terrible). But I was intrigued enough from the visual aspect of the game to push back the bad things I had heard and gave this game a whirl of my own.

And needless to say, it's some of the best $50 I've ever spent. I've got about 4-some hours under my belt so far and I am absolutely in love with this game. The combat is incredibly quick and intuitive. The platforming is endless fun. And the visuals... well let's just say they created one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever seen. The diversity of the art is just insane. And 'dem hair physics... never seen anything like it.

In my opinion, it is not a "2003" game at all. This fully lives up to the quality of a 2011 AAA game release. So don't let other people put you off for this purchase; it seriously is a wicked awesome game.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Man, everyone's shitting on 2003. I feel bad for Beyond Good & Evil and Panzer Dragoon Orta.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

The combat really is amazing. I never got sick of it. Controlling a space in this game with your complete set of weapons is so rewarding.

 

[Myriadis]

Man, everyone's shitting on 2003. I feel bad for Beyond Good & Evil and Panzer Dragoon Orta.

As if any game that is older than 3 years is automatically bad.Seriously,what.

 

[overcast]

The combat really is amazing. I never got sick of it. Controlling a space in this game with your complete set of weapons is so rewarding.

The combat is really that good? For some reason I didn't expect that. Good to know that.

 

[leng jai]

The combat is really that good? For some reason I didn't expect that. Good to know that.

I wouldn't say its amazing but its better than what you would expect, and quite varied.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

It isn't, you know, Bayonetta, but it never gets old, always feels dynamic and, despite the aforementioned, you always feel in control of the space around you.

There's some great enemy types that they keep throwing at you up until the last chapter, which helps.

 

[leng jai]

Maybe this is a mild case of COD syndrome but the game seems to have pacing problems for me. Chapters are extremely long and there seems to be a strange disconnect between what you're doing at times and the actual story.

The visuals are quite inconsistent with the peaks being incredibly good. If Alice had the visual density and consistency of say an Uncharted 2 or Witcher 2 it would be mind boggling. The art is simply some of the best I've encountered my last 10 years of gaming and the variety is second to none.