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Alice: Madness Returns |OT|

P

Poona

Member
surly said:
Is anyone playing this on 360 with the game installed to the hard drive? The game boots, then when it gets to the Spicy Horse logo, the disc spins up and it stays that way from that point on. It's fucking annoying.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... hope that's just temporary or at least not the case with PAL copies.

I've just ordered one from the UK (but live in Australia - it is cheaper to import than buy locally), and installing games on my 360 is the only way I play them. Otherwise I get the bonus sound effects of a jet engine, very loud disc reading/grinding and slow loading.

PS3 I have but chose the 360 version as it seems there are some effects in a forest (grass?) missing amongst some other things in screens I've seen.
 
T

The M.O.B

Member
Dead said:
So apparently there are a ton of unlockables and side stuff to do in this game?

Im thinking about getting it, but Im just wary of paying full price for a game if its just a short solo game with barely any side stuff
Click to expand...

The story is at least 15 hours long, there are 6 chapters and the first two chapters have taken me 5 hours to get through. It pays to find secrets because they can lead to items to help power up your weapons.

Extras are rather basic, there is an art gallery with about 8 pieces of art per chapter, a cutscene viewer, character profiles, enemy profiles, and a history of what happened in the previous game.
 
L

Lissar

Reluctant Member
In the middle of chapter 3, still loving this game. I particularly like how what she sees in London affects the landscape in Wonderland.
Like how sailors and the docks make her go under the sea. And seeing all the Asian stuff in Radcliff's house creates an Asian setting. I also like how London and Wonderland began to get confused together at the beginning of chapter 3, when at first you think you are still in London until gigantic mushrooms seem to be springing out of the ground.

I really like the shrinking aspect of the game mechanics, though I wish they had made a larger variety of puzzles using it.
 
L

luka

Loves Robotech S1
I'm actually kind of surprised there are no real boss fights in the game. It was kind of hilarious at the end of chapter 1
the hatter ends the fight before it even starts
.

I guess they had the common sense to realize that if they can't come up with bosses that are really fun to fight, it's better not to have them at all. It's clear that they put all their focus into the platforming and level design.
 
L

Lissar

Reluctant Member
luka said:
I'm actually kind of surprised there are no real boss fights in the game. It was kind of hilarious at the end of chapter 1
the hatter ends the fight before it even starts
.

I guess they had the common sense to realize that if they can't come up with bosses that are really fun to fight, it's better not to have them at all. It's clear that they put all their focus into the platforming and level design.
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah,
I was totally expecting to be able to fight that huge robot, and then it just fell apart. I was like, uh... well, that was... easy?
Oh well, I'm enjoying the game well enough as it is.
 
S

Samurai Penguin

Member
surly said:
Is anyone playing this on 360 with the game installed to the hard drive? The game boots, then when it gets to the Spicy Horse logo, the disc spins up and it stays that way from that point on. It's fucking annoying.
Click to expand...

I have it installed on my HDD and it seems to load fine. PAL copy btw.
 
L

Lime

Member
Alice 1 works surprisingly well. The FOV is automatically fixed for widescreen and a 360 gamepad works right away. I haven't compared my old copy with the new one in terms of textures - as of now it seems smoother though.

Truant said:
Will this be on Steam?
Click to expand...

That depends on EA's future decisions regarding the service. As of now, it looks pretty bleak, considering the removal of Crysis 2.
 
T

Truant

Member
Alright. Caved in and downloaded Origin. I'm probably gonna rot in hell for this.

Does the game support the 360 pad?
 
C

CaseyTappy

Member
I played this a for about an hour or so at a friends place yesterday and am going to order it myself today .
I was expecting total shit but I really liked the setting , it reminded me a little of Kameo once I arrived at Wonderland , the platforming felt really good and combat was enjoyable , what are these goddamn reviewers smoking ?
 
E

Erasus

Member
The video reviews give it a low score but it looks solid. The complaints seem to be invisible walls and bad textures and thats it. So PC version it is, when there is a sale :3
 
L

luka

Loves Robotech S1
CaseyTappy said:
I played this a for about an hour or so at a friends place yesterday and am going to order it myself today .
I was expecting total shit but I really liked the setting , it reminded me a little of Kameo once I arrived at Wonderland , the platforming felt really good and combat was enjoyable , what are these goddamn reviewers smoking ?
Click to expand...
Well, the game has a very, very slow pace. Meandering even. If you need something exciting to happen every 10 minutes you're going to lose patience quickly. The game is loooong too.
 
N

Ninja Moomin

Banned
CaseyTappy said:
I played this a for about an hour or so at a friends place yesterday and am going to order it myself today .
I was expecting total shit but I really liked the setting , it reminded me a little of Kameo once I arrived at Wonderland , the platforming felt really good and combat was enjoyable , what are these goddamn reviewers smoking ?
Click to expand...


OK - you broke me. THe thread had me teetering on the brink but this pushed me over the edge.

I just caved and ordered it... if it's shit and I can't afford to eat at the end of the month... I'll be very dissapoint.
 
C

cleveridea

Member
that IGN video review is ridiculous complaining about invisible walls. the game is HUGE and the times that is an issue is...0 really.

combat is insanely fun in this game
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
Fuck it, I'm gonna buy this on ShopTo right now. It'll be here tomorrow. Game best be good y'all, or I'mma find out where you live and throw eggs.

Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever. Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever. Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever.
 
.la1n

.la1n

Member
This is the reason we need to put some life back into the GAF review thread. Gaming journalism in it's current state offers nothing of value. This game is amazing, fantastic platforming, varied environments and creatures, interesting story. There isn't a huge amount of combat but what is there feels right. You will not regret buying this if you've missed the 3D platformers / puzzle games of old.

(playing PS3 version)

edit: no big improvements on original alice but it does look quite nice on the PS3. Other versions may vary. Haven't had a chance to play the PC /360 versions yet.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Acquiescence said:
Fuck it, I'm gonna buy this on ShopTo right now. It'll be here tomorrow. Game best be good y'all, or I'mma find out where you live and throw eggs.

Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever. Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever. Please be better than Duke Nukem Forever.
Click to expand...
i'm playing both at the moment. it sure is objectively better than Duke Nukem Forever, though i'm not sure which one i'm enjoying more.

the worst I can say about Alice is that it's gameplay mechanics aren't anything special.
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
.la1n said:
This is the reason we need to put some life back into the GAF review thread. Gaming journalism in it's current state offers nothing of value. This game is amazing, fantastic platforming, varied environments and creatures, interesting story. There isn't a huge amount of combat but what is there feels right. You will not regret buying this if you've missed the 3D platformers / puzzle games of old.

(playing PS3 version)

edit: no big improvements on original alice but it does look quite nice on the PS3. Other versions may vary. Haven't had a chance to play the PC /360 versions yet.
Click to expand...

I have a few publications whose opinion I feel I can trust, or respect at the very least. Certainly more so than some stranger on NeoGaf.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
The Giant Bomb QL might have just sold me on this. I really liked the Bayonetta-like focus on defense rather than offense when it comes to the combat.
 
A

AwesomeSauce

MagsMoonshine
.la1n said:
This is the reason we need to put some life back into the GAF review thread. Gaming journalism in it's current state offers nothing of value. This game is amazing, fantastic platforming, varied environments and creatures, interesting story. There isn't a huge amount of combat but what is there feels right. You will not regret buying this if you've missed the 3D platformers / puzzle games of old.

(playing PS3 version)

edit: no big improvements on original alice but it does look quite nice on the PS3. Other versions may vary. Haven't had a chance to play the PC /360 versions yet.
Click to expand...

Seriously this game is pretty fantastic so far.

I've only played about 40 minutes worth and the platforming and combat so far have been pretty great. I've been itching to play something like this and this game is scratching that itch perfectly.

Also the lock on targeting reminds me of Zelda games.

Anyone looking for a great mix of platforming/combat with a dark twist should look no further.
 
PooBone

PooBone

Member
Threw this in yesterday, it's a rental so I didn't have an Alice 1 download code and decided to wait and see if I loved this one before I make the plunge and go back.

Anyway, I am not very far in, I just got to
Hatter's Domain
but my early impressions are:
1. Gorgeous game art-wise even though some textures are kinda muddy and some of the effects look PS2-ish.
2. Best looking hair in a game.
3. Really good voice acting.
4. The soundtrack is AAAAAAMAZING!
5. The camera control feels too slick, I am constantly moving the camera further in one direction than I meant to, and this happens while aiming with the pepper grinder as well.
6. The combat and platforming does feel like I've done it before, but it's not anything I loathe. I happen to love a good double jump, the platforming in this game reminds me a lot of Psychonauts.

So I'm definitely gonna stick with it and see where it goes. That opening video with the rabbit was completely insane btw.

EDIT: While I am enjoying the game, I can also understand the review scores. It isn't amazing or AAA and isn't going to appeal to everyone. I've also yet to see how repetitive the mechanics and/or environments and objectives get.
 
R

Ricker

Member
I`m at a spot now at the end of chapter 2 where the platforming is a little annoying,and it`s something you don`t have a choice in doing...still good enough so far and even though I can`t progress for now because I can`t do this section,I have to return the rental and i`m buying the 360 version for sure now.
 
T

Truant

Member
Runs at a locked 60fps whenever I'm not in combat. As soon as I kill enemies and particles start flowing, the game drops to 20-30 even with physX on medium.
 
D

D2M15

DAFFY DEUS EGGS
Glad other people are digging it. It's just about everything I wanted from a new Alice game, and while I won't argue too hard against the lowballing it's getting at review, I'd take a dozen slightly janky action platformers with rampant art direction over one more OCD-polished cover shooter.

Well, realistically I guess I'd take the cover shooter too.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Truant said:
Runs at a locked 60fps whenever I'm not in combat. As soon as I kill enemies and particles start flowing, the game drops to 20-30 even with physX on medium.
Click to expand...
what hardware do you have?

D2M15 said:
Glad other people are digging it. It's just about everything I wanted from a new Alice game, and while I won't argue too hard against the lowballing it's getting at review, I'd take a dozen slightly janky action platformers with rampant art direction over one more OCD-polished cover shooter.

Well, realistically I guess I'd take the cover shooter too.
Click to expand...
if people still made games like this, i think Alice's scores would be easier to take, but since this is a rare breed, and since there's nothing really *wrong* about it (even though there is a lot that could be a lot better), Alice is one of the best action platformers of this style in a good while.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
I had the PC version preordered from Origin but just downloaded it yesterday. Looks fantastic and is a good bit of fun so far. I have not bothered to go in and unlock the framerate yet, but it seems to run perfectly at 30 on my 4870.

Just curious, most of the videos of the console versions have a picture that is washed out looking. Is that the case or is it just the video capture.
 
D

D2M15

DAFFY DEUS EGGS
plagiarize said:
if people still made games like this, i think Alice's scores would be easier to take, but since this is a rare breed, and since there's nothing really *wrong* about it (even though there is a lot that could be a lot better), Alice is one of the best action platformers of this style in a good while.
Click to expand...

Yeah. The worst thing about this week's brief late '90s-early 2000s PC action game renaissance is that there isn't a FAKK3 to round it out.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
D2M15 said:
Yeah. The worst thing about this week's brief late '90s-early 2000s PC action game renaissance is that there isn't a FAKK3 to round it out.
Click to expand...
of course, the best thing about it, is that it happened :)
 
.la1n

.la1n

Member
Acquiescence said:
I have a few publications whose opinion I feel I can trust, or respect at the very least. Certainly more so than some stranger on NeoGaf.
Click to expand...

I respect that. To each their own. I'm not saying I can't take something of value from a few sites and/or publications but to completely base a buying decision around it? Nah. I trust most of GAF to give me a better opinion. Stick around long enough and you figure out who has similar taste.
 
A

AEREC

Member
Im so tempted to get this but Im still working on LA Noire/Infamous 2 on the PS3...AssBro on the 360 and The Witcher 1 on PC.

I really need to learn patience when it comes to buying games and I know the price will drop soon on Alice.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
I no doubt love this game. Not too much combat but the platforming really shines. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner. So far there has been one or two less impressive areas but other than that the environments are fuck awesome. This is how I always picture through the looking glass/Alice in Wonderland is meant to be. Best Treatment of the universe i know of.. then it gets me thinking about that shit movie that just came out and the rumors years ago that Marilyn Manson was going to play thh Hatter.

I think with a better engine this game would really shine. I definitely see the arguments regarding some of the textures and such. However that's not the point.

What am I saying. It really doesn't matter because the visual design and conceptual side of this game is beyond Impressive. Must have been a great team.
 
Tokubetsu

Tokubetsu

Member
Yeah, I'm really glad I got it as well. Definitely floating my boat. Not too much graphical complaints on the PC side. Game runs well and looks amazing but UE3 games were always a bit better on PC.
 
D

darkressurection

Banned
So I hate to be "that guy" but does anyone know how long the game is? I played the first bit at my friends and thought it was awesome, but I am low on cash so any games that I buy at the moment have to last me a while.
 
Tokubetsu

Tokubetsu

Member
darkressurection said:
So I hate to be "that guy" but does anyone know how long the game is? I played the first bit at my friends and thought is was awesome, but I am low on cash so any games that I buy at the moment have to last me a while.
Click to expand...

You're looking at 12-15 hours.
 
J

JohngPR

Member
I told myself I'd finish Alice 1 before I played Madness Returns, but I don't know if I can hold out. Alice 1 is pretty rough for today's standards. Her jump is pretty bad. :(

I love the art direction and like the voice acting in it, but man oh man. Thank god you can quick save.
 
PooBone

PooBone

Member
AEREC said:
Any chances on this coming to steam...it's on every other DD service out there?
Click to expand...
Is the game on Origin? If so I'd put money on it not coming to Steam. You know how EA is positioning their store.
 
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