American McGee's Alice

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
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  1. GameSpot
    73
    While you'll undoubtedly enjoy the imaginative artwork, you might end up disappointed with just how straightforward the underlying game really is.
  2. Adrenaline Vault
    70
    The action falls short of amazing because certain elements, such as the poor A.I., do not hold up their end of the bargain, but Alice is still a fascinating trip that is well worth the tumble down the rabbit hole.
  3. Yahoo!
    70
    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.
  5. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    When you take the game as a whole you realize that the stunning art direction writes checks the gameplay can't possibly cash. Playing Alice is a stunningly average experience.
  6. Evil Avatar
    50
    If you're dead set against cheating, or if you're looking for something deeper than mind-blowing graphics, stay the hell away from this game. It will drive you out of your mind with boredom and you'll end up like one of the enemy cards, running around in circles wishing you were somewhere else.

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best PC Game of 2000
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2000
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2000

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 236 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 171 out of 236
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 236
  3. Negative: 23 out of 236
  1. ChaosHydrA
    Nov 2, 2014
    3
    A game that has aestethically aged well but thats pretty much all there is to Alice. The games biggest asset is the great amount of detail toA game that has aestethically aged well but thats pretty much all there is to Alice. The games biggest asset is the great amount of detail to the levels, great voices for the most part and probably best a amazing soundtrack here 14 years later.

    The games gameplay and core mechanics however feels like something from a bygone era and since its based on the engine for some of the Quake games it feels quite similar aswell in both its explosions and jagged level design.

    The problem with this game is 2 of the most important aspects:

    1. The combat is absolutely atrocious, after about 5-7 of the areas most of the combat you are pretty much underpowered in battle for the rest of the game even on Normal which i played it through with. Your weapons and quick switch system simply doesnt work well with the enemies movement patterns and amount of health. 95% of the time you will find yourself constantly charging up weapons or readying the preferred one ready before entering a area filled with enemies. having to constantly wait for your throwable knife to spawn which is the only weapon in the game that doesnt use your blue "mana" bar turns the combat into a complete chore where you will throw it once and then retreat so you can get it again after a while, and with most enemies requiring about 4-5 hits with the throwable blade it makes even the mundane 1on1 enemy battle a 1-1½ minute borefest since all your mana weapons deplete way too quick pretty much after 1-2 enemies max. Going into combat with more than 1 enemy around is also ppretty much suicide with the weaker weapons as the later enemies can manage to not only deal alot of damage but push you off the many ledges the level design consists of with their blasts. Theres about 5 boss battles in the game and all of em feel trivial where you just spin around the level and keep your distance to them while using your weapons.

    2. The Jumping/Platform mechanics. This game has alot of platforming besides combat, sadly i would have preferred more weight on puzzles while there are some they all feel shallow and easy. The platforming however in this game is even worse than the combat, simly due to outdated sluggish movements that can be best described as the jumping in the old early Tomb Raider games. The game has alot of narrow ledges and alot of em are shaped in triangles which makes it frustrating to navigate your jumps perfectly and often throws you into pits, combine this with some of the later enemies that can make you bounce around from their hits and you got yourself a really annoying platformer thats reminiscent from the early 3D/platformer attempts of the 32-bit/PSX(1) era.

    Overall the game has a good atmosphere that holds up pretty well even in 2014 but its a game thats best left as a relic nowadays, i cant recommend it due to the poor gameplay mechanics simply outweighing the other parts like the great music. The game simply feels like a chore and dull to play, it might have been a amazing experience playing it on the release but its hard to see what alot of people were thinking considering how bad the core gameplay is like. I was hoping this was a PC gem i had missed out on, i tried it a level or 2 about 5-6 years back and enjoyed it, and the feeling was similar on my playthrough this time but as soon as youve made a couple levels into it it starts to detoriate very quickly with non developing simple gameplay and a story told in small amounts of dialogue every now and then without and good build up like you see in more modern games nowadays.

    Rating: 5.0 /10    … Full Review »
  2. Steeldude
    Aug 25, 2015
    4
    Horrible controls (I mean it) and brutal difficulty make this game super annoying to play.
    Also, if you were looking for a pure platformer,    Horrible controls (I mean it) and brutal difficulty make this game super annoying to play.
    Also, if you were looking for a pure platformer, you made a wrong choice, as this game is full of action and almost feels like a shooter a lot of times, you even use the mouse to aim and shoot stuff at enemies.

    Nah, cannot recommend this game. Still looks decent but unless you are a fan of Alice's world, you will not get any satisfaction from the experience found in this game. Even as far as 3D action adventures go, there are far better choices, such as the first Harry Potter game or even Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, keep in mind that both of those games are not that great either, but still better.    … Full Review »
  3. TG
    May 11, 2005
    10
    Still looks fresh today. atmospheric levels and great weapons.
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