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[Vampire On Titus]

Errr hes actually pretty much right. The combat is alright but its very repetitive and the platforming is nothing special. The fact of the matter is that the game is just far too long - almost half the game felt like it was filler. Chapter 2 almost made me give up it went for so long.

The art is simply incredible and I especially loved the chapter transitioning that took place in old England. Don't forget about the best hair physics of all time.

I disagree strongly, the jumping controls are great, you have an incredible amount of control over your trajectory with the float and twirl mechanics. The game has a ton of different enemy's that it throws at you in various different combinations that switch up the combat puzzle. Up until the last levels its, introducing new dudes to fight. The sense of weight and contact to the fighting is superb because of how good the animation is. It also looks great and there's a variety of various interesting styles to look at, even within a single chapter.

The game isn't without fault, but it's by and large a great game. I had a ton of fun with it, especially going back to play it through nightmare. People regard the chapters as if they're single levels meant to be beaten in one sitting, it's a little odd. None of them are terribly long. The game is 6 chapters and lasts about 10 or so hours if I recall correctly.

I played ti'll I was content, closed it then later played it some more, looked great, great controls, really cool levels, great combat, tons of collectibles, had a blast with it. I don't feel like going into super detail about how much I like the game again, 20 pages later, but yeah I had a great time with it.

I mean if you disagree fair enough, right? But my main point was that most people in the thread thought the game was really good anyways.

 

[leng jai]

I disagree strongly, the jumping controls are great, you have an incredible amount of control over your trajectory with the float and twirl mechanics. The game has a ton of different enemy's that it throws at you in various different combinations that switch up the combat puzzle. Up until the last levels its, introducing new dudes to fight. The sense of weight and contact to the fighting is superb because of how good the animation is. It also looks great and there's a variety of various interesting styles to look at, even within a single chapter.

The game isn't without fault, but it's by and large a great game. I had a ton of fun with it, especially going back to play it through nightmare. People regard the chapters as if they're single levels meant to be beaten in one sitting, it's a little odd. None of them are terribly long. The game is 6 chapters and lasts about 10 or so hours if I recall correctly.

I played ti'll I was content, closed it then later played it some more, looked great, great controls, really cool levels, great combat, tons of collectibles, had a blast with it. I don't feel like going into super detail about how much I like the game again, 20 pages later, but yeah I had a great time with it.

I mean if you disagree fair enough, right? But my main point was that most people in the thread thought the game was really good anyways.

According to Steam I played for 17 hours. As I said before I finished the game and enjoyed it quite a bit - I just don't think its going to appeal to people who don't value art design that much. I was already burnt out on the game after the first play through and had zero inclination to play it again anytime soon. Theres nothing inherently wrong with the game but by and large the main appeal of Alice is the beautiful environments they create. Without that aspect of the game its decidedly mediocre and wouldn't be given a second look by GAF. The combat isn't particularly deep and although the platforming is solid I don't think its good enough to carry the game.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

This includes the original game right?

 

[Vampire On Titus]

According to Steam I played for 17 hours. As I said before I finished the game and enjoyed it quite a bit - I just don't think its going to appeal to people who don't value art design that much. I was already burnt out on the game after the first play through and had zero inclination to play it again anytime soon. Theres nothing inherently wrong with the game but by and large the main appeal of Alice is the beautiful environments they create. Without that aspect of the game its decidedly mediocre and wouldn't be given a second look by GAF. The combat isn't particularly deep and although the platforming is solid I don't think its good enough to carry the game.

No, I get what you're saying, I just disagree. I think the game-play was just as important as the style and tone to me. Went back and found my exact completion time, it was: 12hr 37min 85% completion

This includes the original game right?

I think it comes with a PSN code for it.

 

[leng jai]

No, I get what you're saying, I just disagree. I think the game-play was just as important as the style and tone to me. Went back and found my exact completion time, it was: 12hr 37min 85% completion




I think it comes with a PSN code for it.

We can agree to disagree. If I had the same view on on the gameplay as you this would be one of my favourite games of all time :/

 

[TheGuardian]

Am I missing out on anything if I play this game with an ATI card? Do I still get the cool hair and stuff like that or are they PhysX only?

 

[toddhunter]

We can agree to disagree. If I had the same view on on the gameplay as you this would be one of my favourite games of all time :/

I think along much the same lines and agree with the negative points.

However I still recommend buying it, especially at the price. I could certainly see how some people would really enjoy it, and it has enough "moments" to make it all worth while (assuming you have some idea/attachment to the original story).

 

[Card Boy]

So according to the OP you had to buy the Collectors Edition off Origin to get the Orignal Alice game? But its no longer for sale?

Well that kind of sucks doesn't it?

Anyone worked out a tweak for the Steam version to get it? I wanna buy it but i might give it a miss if it doesn't include the original.

 

[leng jai]

I think along much the same lines and agree with the negative points.

However I still recommend buying it, especially at the price. I could certainly see how some people would really enjoy it, and it has enough "moments" to make it all worth while (assuming you have some idea/attachment to the original story).

For the current asking price on Steam its definitely worth it. I paid full price at launch and I don't regret it which is a testament to how good the art is. I bought the artbook straight away and its one of the best ones I've had the pleasure of reading.

 

[Trent Strong]

Great game. Level 3 is amazing.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Am I missing out on anything if I play this game with an ATI card? Do I still get the cool hair and stuff like that or are they PhysX only?

The hair is PhysX-independent, it's built into the game.

 

[Parham]

So according to the OP you had to buy the Collectors Edition off Origin to get the Orignal Alice game? But its no longer for sale?

Well that kind of sucks doesn't it?

Anyone worked out a tweak for the Steam version to get it? I wanna buy it but i might give it a miss if it doesn't include the original.

Unfortunately, the "complete collection" was only available on Origin for about a week following its release. As far as I know, it cannot be unlocked in the Steam version.

 

[mantidor]

There's an entire thread of opinions counter to this guy's points. This thread in fact, he's very wrong.

Maybe I wasn't clear, but just because the gameplay was somewhat lackluster doesn't mean I'm not recommending this game, everyone should buy it at the price it currently is at Steam, is a steal.

But the gameplay is repetitive, there's no much to do about it, however that doesn't mean the game is an unplayable mess, is decent enough. The game is buggy though, I had a hard time configuring the bindings for keys because I'm left handed and I change the whole configuration, but if you are ok with the usual wasd default you are good to go.

 

[codhand]

The game is buggy though

first I heard

 

[RadioHeadAche]

You won't miss much if you don't play the original Alice. Madness Returns is superior in every way.

 

[Joe Molotov]

So according to the OP you had to buy the Collectors Edition off Origin to get the Orignal Alice game? But its no longer for sale?

Well that kind of sucks doesn't it?

Anyone worked out a tweak for the Steam version to get it? I wanna buy it but i might give it a miss if it doesn't include the original.

There's a INI tweak that restores the menu option to launch Alice 1, but the actual Alice 1 files are missing from the Steam version. The only way to restore them is to copy the files over (from your legally purchased Origin copy of the game) into the proper Steam folder.

 

[Apdiddy]

I finished this game yesterday and it might be one of the best games I've played this year.

The story is a lot more satisfying for me than Batman: Arkham City was. If there is ever a third Alice game, I hope it has more of an Metroidvania feel and side quests like in Batman: AC. The only slight I can make about the game is it's a little long and a little bit 'samey' after awhile. I don't get where the bad reviews for this game are coming from -- did reviewers try to play this game or did they rush through it to make a deadline or was there not enough of a marketing push by EA for the reviewers to give it a decent review?

And as mentioned, Chapter 4 is GLORIOUS and one of the most beautiful sections of a game ever.

The ending was ambigious though.

Spoiler

Did Alice imagine the confrontation with Dr. Bumby or did it really happen? Is the whole game in Alice's head or did she really experience it?

 

[Combichristoffersen]

The ending was ambigious though.

Spoiler

Did Alice imagine the confrontation with Dr. Bumby or did it really happen? Is the whole game in Alice's head or did she really experience it?

Spoiler

The confrontation with Bumby happened, but whether Alice's 'Londerland' is a sign of Alice going completely nuts and being unable to tell reality from fantasy, or whether she's cured and the Wonderland reality actually merges with the London reality is up in the air. Personally I think she finally went completely nuts, yet at the same time she's able to act sane and rational despite her madness.

The happenings of the game are imaginary, as they happen in her head, but the characters she meet in Wonderland are reflections of characters from real life, like the Walrus and the Carpenter performing in a show in London, Tweedledee and Tweedledum being wards at the asylum where Alice is kept, the Dollmaker being Bumby etc.

 

[WanderingWind]

I am so, so sorry I didn't buy this when it first came out. I am part of the problem....this game is bloody FANTASTIC!

 

[Kolgar]

So according to the OP you had to buy the Collectors Edition off Origin to get the Orignal Alice game? But its no longer for sale?

Well that kind of sucks doesn't it?

Anyone worked out a tweak for the Steam version to get it? I wanna buy it but i might give it a miss if it doesn't include the original.

I just started playing this, and it's everything I wanted it to be.

Buy it and be glad you can no longer get the original game. It has not aged well. I played some of it back in the day on PC and just tried it again the other night. Blech, I seriously had to quit after a few minutes due to the primitive visuals and horrible, floaty controls.

 

[-PXG-]

I just got the artbook today. If you love the game or an artist, it's definitely worth picking up.

Anyway, looking at the concept art, it's funny, odd and unsettingling that Alice looks a lot like my most recent ex-girlfriend. Just thinking now, how great it would have been to see her cos as her, for Halloween.

Damn

 

[Lain]

Yeah, the artbook for this game is really great. I've had it since before the game launched if I remember right, some of the art in it is just beautiful.

I was wondering, is there any deals for this game on PC? I bought it for my PS3, since I didn't have a good PC before (I was using a P4 2.40 until the 20 of December or so) but now I do and I wouldn't mind getting it again for my PC, if the price was low enough.

 

[Des0lar]

Yeah, the artbook for this game is really great. I've had it since before the game launched if I remember right, some of the art in it is just beautiful.

I was wondering, is there any deals for this game on PC? I bought it for my PS3, since I didn't have a good PC before (I was using a P4 2.40 until the 20 of December or so) but now I do and I wouldn't mind getting it again for my PC, if the price was low enough.

You missed the giant Steam Winter Sale thread that is on the first page since a week?

You missed it as a daily deal (7.50$) but it can happen again on the last day.

 

[JaseC]

Yeah, the artbook for this game is really great. I've had it since before the game launched if I remember right, some of the art in it is just beautiful.

I was wondering, is there any deals for this game on PC? I bought it for my PS3, since I didn't have a good PC before (I was using a P4 2.40 until the 20 of December or so) but now I do and I wouldn't mind getting it again for my PC, if the price was low enough.

It was a daily deal on Steam a few days ago. There's a slim possibility of it showing up on the last day of the Winter sale, as there's a recap of the more popular items.

 

[Lain]

You missed the giant Steam Winter Sale thread that is on the first page since a week?

You missed it as a daily deal (7.50$) but it can happen again on the last day.

I didn't have nor have ever used steam (because of my old PC, except for WoW I didn't play on it), so I didn't even enter that thread. Guess I'll have to look at it from now on (and hope for that last day deal).

 

[Neuromancer]

You won't miss much if you don't play the original Alice. Madness Returns is superior in every way.

Yeah I'm kind of bummed that so many of the achievements for Madness Returns are tied to the old game; I have zero interest in playing it.

 

[Totobeni]

I am so, so sorry I didn't buy this when it first came out. I am part of the problem....this game is bloody FANTASTIC!

Too late...Apologies won't do anything, Spicy Horse is now iOS/Web Social gaming only developer and PopCap's bitch.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Too late...Apologies won't do anything, Spicy Horse is now iOS/Web Social gaming only developer and PopCap's bitch.

Bloody tears running down my cheeks ;_;

 

[Des0lar]

Yeah I'm kind of bummed that so many of the achievements for Madness Returns are tied to the old game; I have zero interest in playing it.

You guys are crazy! I played the original just last year and I loved it. Everything's a bit "old" of course but still very enjoyable.

 

[Respawn]

Errr hes actually pretty much right. The combat is alright but its very repetitive and the platforming is nothing special. The fact of the matter is that the game is just far too long - almost half the game felt like it was filler. Chapter 2 almost made me give up it went for so long.

The art is simply incredible and I especially loved the chapter transitioning that took place in old England. Don't forget about the best hair physics of all time.

I agree with this. I might play through a second time after updating my video card. Shit it's the holidays I have the time.

 

[WanderingWind]

Too late...Apologies won't do anything, Spicy Horse is now iOS/Web Social gaming only developer and PopCap's bitch.

So sad. What a beautiful game. I'm enjoying it immensely, and if it being "too long" is the major knock, well that's not really a valid complaint to me. I never felt the need to rush or power through games, especially ones like this.

 

[ArjanN]

So sad. What a beautiful game. I'm enjoying it immensely, and if it being "too long" is the major knock, well that's not really a valid complaint to me. I never felt the need to rush or power through games, especially ones like this.

I don't think it's too long, it's just that the pacing isn't that great. Especially on the early levels.

 

[Neuromancer]

So sad. What a beautiful game. I'm enjoying it immensely, and if it being "too long" is the major knock, well that's not really a valid complaint to me. I never felt the need to rush or power through games, especially ones like this.

I don't mind that the game is long, I mind that the levels are extremely long with no real good stopping points. It's not that much of a knock against the game really, it just means each one of my play sessions is kind of unsatisfying.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

I don't mind that the game is long, I mind that the levels are extremely long with no real good stopping points. It's not that much of a knock against the game really, it just means each one of my play sessions is kind of unsatisfying.

It checkpoints often, any point is a good point to stop. The games actual "levels" are pretty short, the chapters are longer. An entire chapter is not meant to be taken as a single level.

 

[Totobeni]

I don't mind that the game is long, I mind that the levels are extremely long with no real good stopping points. It's not that much of a knock against the game really, it just means each one of my play sessions is kind of unsatisfying.

You can stop your session at the "door" and the memories "flash back" halfway each level if you want good stopping points instead of the random checkpoints.

 

[Neuromancer]

You can stop your session at the "door" and the memories "flash back" halfway each level if you want good stopping points instead of the random checkpoints.

That's a good idea I may do that.

 

[Nocturnowl]

So i'm not really feeling this game at all, just got smashed by the colossal ruin in the underwater chapter who trapped me against a wall and knocked the crap out of me which I figure makes for a nice checkpoint.
I'm not sure I can hold out much longer here, while the art is certainly something the game itself feels very pedestrian. Fetch quests, too many enemy encounters with a merely okay combat system, platforming that gets the job done but nothing more, sound quality that fluctuates all over the place and timed switch "puzzles" galore.
So does the game take a dramatic twist for the awesome soon or is this just not up my alley at all? I want to see the often praised chapter 4 but the game really feels like a slog right now.

And what are all the bottles i'm picking up for?

 

[mantidor]

bottles are for extras, you have to pick them all to unlock the galleries of each chapter.

And yeah I felt the same, maybe you can try an easier difficulty level, I don't remember if you can change it by that chapter though. The famous level four is indeed amazing but don't get overhyped because you may get disappointed, the game does not take a huge turn to the better but there are some interesting sections in the next chapters that I think are worth the annoying parts of the earlier chapters.

 

[Nocturnowl]

bottles are for extras, you have to pick them all to unlock the galleries of each chapter.

And yeah I felt the same, maybe you can try an easier difficulty level, I don't remember if you can change it by that chapter though. The famous level four is indeed amazing but don't get overhyped because you may get disappointed, the game does not take a huge turn to the better but there are some interesting sections in the next chapters that I think are worth the annoying parts of the earlier chapters.

Find them all in each chapter? I don't think that will be happening which is a shame because I imagine there's some nice artwork. I'm not sure what difficulty I actually went with, though that's not really the problem, colossal ruin is my first death so far but I can't say the enemy encounters do anything for me.
Guess i'll give it another shot later, we'll see if chapter 3 can hold my interest, well I assume I must be close to it at this point.

 

[KKRT00]

Guys, what AA are You using in this game?

And is there any solution for eliminating letterbox?


Ps. I'm surprised how fluid this game feels in 30 fps [i havent change ini yet] with motion blur and whats important dont have any input lag issues.

 

[icecream]

Been playing this game recently, and it's definitely one of the best full-titled platformers in recent memory not named Mirror's Edge. The environment and art are truly fantastic for each level, and definitely convey the feel of Wonderland.

This was certainly a series that had great justice done by reappearing in the current generation.

 

[mantidor]

I love this game, but do you people have ever played games like Mario Galaxy? DKCR? kirby games? saying is "one of the few platformers this gen" only means you really need to expand your horizons.

 

[Maffis]

Just got the game on PS3. Just completed chapter 1.

My only issue so far is the graphics. It is really inconsistent. Some times it's like playing a N64-game (looking at you, lava), but sometimes it looks amazing. This is probably just a PS3-problem I guess (unreal engine has never been particular impressive on ps3 except for Batman). The game has very good art, but that damn UE3 engine just sucks.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I love this game, but do you people have ever played games like Mario Galaxy? DKCR? kirby games? saying is "one of the few platformers this gen" only means you really need to expand your horizons.

Those are Wii exclusives, and unless you own a Wii, Alice really is one of the few good platformers for the HD twins/PC this gen.

Mario Galaxy is great though.

 

[Box of Bunnies]

As I was unlucky enough to discover this morning, there's a glitch in chapter 5 where if you pull the lever to open the door to the maze under the glass, go into the maze, come back out, complete the Radula Room that's in the area nearby and quit, upon restarting the game will think that the lever hasn't been thrown (it'll be glowing, but still in the "pulled" position) and an invisible wall blocks entry to the maze, halting progress and meaning you basically have to play through all of chapter 4 again just to be able to start over on chapter 5.

I was rather enjoying the game up to this point (even given the padding), but I'm not going to replay that much this soon just to continue. Nice game if you can avoid that mess, but it's going on my shitpile unfortunately.

 

[duckroll]

I got this during the Xmas sale, and I beat it a few days ago. Took about 12 hours or so. Overall I enjoyed the experience, but there were things I enjoyed more than others, and things which I also disliked.

The first and most striking thing about the game is the art direction. It is a fucking good looking game. The colors really pop out, and each chapter has a distinct style and look to the areas which makes it really cool to keep playing. The hair animation for Alice is also pretty goddamn amazing.

The combat is pretty simplistic, but not offensive. At least not most of the time. Beating up enemies with the right weapon feels satisfying, although the range weapons feel a bit loose in terms of control compared to the melee weapons. There are combat issues later in the game though, where the camera decides to do stupid shit, and the lock-on doesn't work as well as it needs to when facing several enemies at a time - especially flying enemies. Those encounters can be a bit of a hassle.

The platforming is by and large a fun experience, although it is designed more to be about exploration and secret areas rather than actual platforming challenge. The floaty nature of the jump/double-jump/float mechanics mean that there isn't a lot of actual platforming challenge that can be satisfying, so it's a good thing that they opted not to make the penalty for failure too harsh.

Unfortunately, I have simply no love at all for the story and narrative presentation of the game. A lot of the "dark fairy tale" and "gross looking visuals" is really not for me. It's a bit of a turn off, and the in-between scenes during chapter intermissions is just dumb imo. It tries to feel dark and gloomy, but ends up feeling silly and exaggerated in terms of "twisted fantasy" instead. Like some piece of crap written and directed by an emo teenager. Oh well.

The game has pretty awesome level design though. Definitely some of the better ones in a 3D action adventure game in a while. Yes, the stages tend to be long and drag on for a while, but at least they continue to look different as you progress and it feels like 1-1, 1-2. 1-3, etc. The main fault of the stages imo, is that instead of putting cool boss battles to break them up, they use silly minigame segments instead. Gimme bosses yo!


Other things I liked:
- costume changes in each chapter
- weapons look different when upgraded
- some minigames were fun

Other things I didn't like:
- the time attack or survival arena areas suck
- some minigames are not fun
- some areas have camera problems beyond just combat, including the chapter 5 minigame

 

[RadioHeadAche]

Yeah I'm kind of bummed that so many of the achievements for Madness Returns are tied to the old game; I have zero interest in playing it.

Fortunately you just have to play through the game. There's really nothing to collect outside of weapons, anyway. Still, there are some incredibly frustrating sections of the game and I got a nasty audio glitch which forced me to mute my tv for a while.

 

[SparkTR]

Yeah I'm kind of bummed that so many of the achievements for Madness Returns are tied to the old game; I have zero interest in playing it.

If you like Quake 2 era shooters and some mindfuckery then Alice is well worth playing. Plus there's some awesome music in the game.

 

[Turnstyle]

I finished the game last night.

I really enjoyed Alice. I hadn't played the first one, so didn't really have any expectations going in.

When I first started playing the game, I found the combat pretty intimidating. You can't just hack and slash enemies and hope for the best (ok, some you can, but not all). Every enemy has an attack pattern that you need to learn and respond to. Once you figure out what you're doing, the fighting mechanics are a real joy. It's a very rewarding feeling to finish off a room full of enemies without taking any damage.

The artwork is fantastic, and there were some moments when I had to stop and take it in. One stand out moment for me was the 'card castle' level. Quite a simple design really, but it just looked so impressive, and was very different from what you'd seen before. In fact, the surprises keep coming through out the game, with no two levels looking the same. Even within levels, there are different elements. The

Spoiler

2D levels were great, and the giant level

really took me by surprise (and was so much fun).

The platforming was perfect, and did get more difficult as the game progressed. It's never really all that challenging, but there were moments when I had to stop and work out what I needed to do.

Another plus for me was the story. The way it was told, and elements of it intergrated into the world were really well done. It was pretty dark (for a video game at least), and the final confrontation was really satisfying.

In terms of negative points…well, I felt that the levels were just too long. I couldn't believe it when after playing the game for over 2 hours, it popped up 'Chapter 2'. I like natural stopping points when playing a game, and although the save points are fairly regular, there were occasions when I was playing the game longer than I wanted to, because I wanted to finish a level. I didn't like leaving halfway through.

Some of the mini-games weren't great. I liked them overall, and it was a nice diversion from the platforming, but…I really hate slide puzzles.

Despite this, I really got a lot out of this game. I'm considering another playthrough on Nightmare (I finished it on Normal first time around). After my first playthrough I've got the combat down, and with the extra costumes and advanced weapons, it should be a breeze (right?!?).

 

[mantidor]

Those are Wii exclusives, and unless you own a Wii, Alice really is one of the few good platformers for the HD twins/PC this gen.

Mario Galaxy is great though.

Yeah I know, thats what I mean, if you like platformers you really can NOT not get a wii, is the platformer console of this generation.

Something that I just remembered, Miyamoto mentioned in some interview that the idea of mushrooms in Mario to make you grow comes from Alice in Wonderland, is interesting to see this come full circle.

The game, while not without its flaws, is a nice platformer, and I certainly would love for this franchise to be revisited in the future, hopefully we won't have to wait a whole decade again.