American McGee's Alice
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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American McGee's "Alice" (Original Score)
- Artist: Original Score
- Release Date: October 16, 2001
- Total Time: 73:52
- Type: Soundtrack
- Genre: Soundtrack
Review
Before Chris Vrenna parted company with Trent Reznor, he was the perfect drummer/programmer for Nine Inch Nails. Vrenna was always very musical, and Nine Inch Nails is among the more musical and melodic outfits in the industrial field -- while some industrial bands have thrived on brute force for the sake of brute force (Skinny Puppy and Throbbing Gristle, for example), Nine Inch Nails offered melody and harmony as well as aggression. Not surprisingly, many of the alternative rockers Vrenna has worked with as a producer or programmer (Marilyn Manson, Hole, Rob Zombie, among others) have a strong sense of melody. This 2001 release, however, isn't alternative rock. Best described as instrumental electronica, this CD is the soundtrack to American McGee's Alice (a video game that is based on Alice in Wonderland). Those who associate Vrenna with alternative rock might find it surprising that he would compose instrumental music for a video game, but then, Vrenna has been a flexible musician/producer. And in one sense, this soundtrack isn't unfaithful to his history -- like a lot of the alt-rock that he has been a part of, American McGee's Alice is a perfect example of his obsession with the dark side. The melodies that he wrote for this soundtrack are quite dark and eerie -- in fact, they are downright creepy. No one will accuse Vrenna's Alice score of being bright and cheerful. They will, however, acknowledge that the CD is extremely memorable and well-executed; Vrenna obviously put a lot of thought into these melodies. One need not be a fan of video games to be impressed by this soundtrack and feel that it is among Vrenna's finest accomplishments. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi| American Matador (2000 Album by Buddyrevelles) | |
| American Me (1992 Album by Original Soundtrack) |
AMG AllGame Guide:
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American McGee's Alice
- Platform: IBM PC Compatible
- Release Date: December 06, 2000
- Genre: Action
- Style: Third-Person 3D Action
- Similar Games: Oni (IBM PC Compatible), Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (IBM PC Compatible), Devil May Cry 4 (IBM PC Compatible)
Game Description
The third-person action adventure game American McGee's Alice, by Rogue Entertainment and Electronic Arts, runs on an enhanced version of the Quake III Arena engine. American McGee is famous for his brilliant Quake and Quake II level designs. Those same talents make Alice a dark, spooky, even macabre experience that takes us back to Wonderland to remind us how terribly exciting and marvelously scary Alice's adventures really were.Perhaps the classic Lewis Carroll story enjoys such enduring appeal because it's a children's book that adults can also enjoy. American McGee's Alice takes a decidedly more grown-up approach to the tale. The game contains some graphic violence and mature subject matter that may not be suited for children (or adults, for that matter, who aren't prepared to be a little frightened).
~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
American McGee is not well. Anyone who takes the surreal, twisted world of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and turns it into an even more surreal, twisted version of itself can't be sane. But, whatever is going on inside his head, one can only hope it never goes away because that cranial cart wheeling has created one of the most unusual and spectacular games ever.Although some detractors may feel the game's environment took all the developer's time at the expense of gameplay, one can contend that the environments provide a unique and original space necessary to experience the game. In case you haven't heard, American McGee's Alice was developed by Rogue Entertainment, best known for the Quake expansion pack Dissolution of Eternity and the Quake II mission pack Ground Zero. The game, based on Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass, is published by Electronic Arts and uses the Quake III engine, two facts that only close inspection will reveal. The Quake III engine has been bent and twisted in such a way you won't even notice it since you'll be so engrossed in the environments it has created.
The game begins with an intro of a peaceful Alice asleep in her bed, clutching her stuffed rabbit (that rabbit is important, as those familiar with the story already know). Her real cat, skittish as cats tend to be, knocks over an oil lamp during a nightly romp and, before you know it, the house goes up in flames. Alice manages to escape, but only after failing to save her parents from the inferno. Things take a turn for the worse as we find Alice's new home is inside an asylum. She's still clutching her rabbit, but stripped of all emotion and severely damaged emotionally by her inability to save her parents, her demeanor has taken a downturn. Something or someone calls her, asking her to save them. She has no choice, and leaves the asylum to begin a journey to cleanse Wonderland of the evil plague induced by the Red Queen.
You control Alice from a third-person perspective and the beginning of the level serves as a pseudo-training period, beginning with Alice falling through a swirling maelstrom and landing right smack in Wonderland. The White Rabbit is there to greet her and beckons her to follow. Of course, he's in a hurry and can shrink to fit into a mouse hole. Unfortunately, Alice can't, so her options are limited, setting up her first task -- find a way to follow him.
Before embarking on your quest, take some time to look around -- the architecture is immediately spectacular with Tim Burton-esque angles and buildings. The attention to every detail is apparent from the hopping rooftops of the mushroom houses, to the giant, lazily rocking castle floating in space. From the chessboard universe where Alice spars with evil red pawns and knights and is helped by malevolent white ones, to the textures used to bring them all to life. Every item in the game world, whether large or small, has personality that significantly adds to the immersion factor. Grandfather clocks sway back and forth, and whole rooms stretch and fall away, floating in violent, swirling vortexes and chessboard universes hovering in space. For those who take the time to notice, little surprises are everywhere -- the gate you looked through is seen from the other side as the entrance to the castle. The game never gets boring and always surprises and amazes with attention to detail. There is some minor puzzle solving, but nothing more than a pedestrian challenge.
None other than the Cheshire Cat guides you along, complete with a grin that makes you expect to see an empty birdcage and a feather sticking out of his mouth. He appears suddenly, offering cryptic and arcane advice at certain points throughout the game, then disappears just as quickly before you get the chance to ask him what the hell he's talking about. In fairness to the feline, what he meant usually becomes apparent right after he fades. You will meet several other friendly characters, an aspect that makes you feel as though the world is actually inhabited, not simply a wave of bad guys constantly attacking for no apparent reason. Speaking of bad guys, unique is the only way to describe the playing-card soldier baddies of lore who are playing cards with a head, arms and legs; flying militant ladybugs that drop bombs; floating, screaming, robe-wearing skulls (for lack of a better name); and chess pawns with eyes. Even on the medium setting, these guys are no slouches and you'll want to keep a close eye on your health.
The sound is spectacular yet subdued. If you are familiar with the soundtrack that accompanies Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, you'll have an excellent idea of what awaits you here. A brooding, haunting melody (created by former Nine Inch Nails member Chris Vrenna) escorts you throughout the levels. You'll probably find the soundtrack eliciting a more visceral response than the game itself. Sound effects are no different; used sparingly makes them so effective. The creaking of the rocking castle. The hissing of the gas collecting esophagi. The slow, deliberate ticking of the grandfather clocks. Every sound adds as much to every object and environment as the architecture.
The control scheme, familiar to those who have played Quake III or Unreal Tournament or any of about a hundred other similar games, defaults to the "WASD" control scheme and works well. Control is smooth and responsive with the only exception being jumping and climbing. Alice tends to have a delayed response when jumping and that leads to plummeting into a swirling vortex.
Additionally, climbing up from a hanging position is somewhat of a chore with repeated key-presses required to get Alice to perform the action. You can't shoot when hanging, but you can be hit, so get to a standing position fast. Climbing and swinging on vines, on the other hand, is easily accomplished using the "Enter" key for climbing and the W and S keys to swing back and forth.
Weapon selection is as unique as the game itself. Alice picks up a knife early on, but soon comes across a staff that shoots bolts of energy, playing cards that can be hurled individually or in groups of four, dice that emit a deadly gas, a watch that stops time and, my favorite, jacks that assault enemies with multiple hits. Even the knife is a very effective weapon; the alternative fire throws the knife to hit distant enemies without using your magical energy, important since taking them on exclusively hand to hand will quickly put you down. Other weapons have an alternate fire option that uses some magical energy. Since Alice has only a limited supply, you'll want to pick up more of it when you get the chance. Defeating your foes and collecting their meta-essence regains health and energy. Get all you can -- the longer you take to collect it, the more it decays until it disappears altogether.
Unfortunately, multiplayer isn't supported, without any indication of a future patch, but I'm keeping my hopes up. Deathmatching as the Pawn, White Rabbit or Jack of Spades would warrant the purchase price alone. Unfortunately, without a multiplayer component, the game doesn't offer much replay value. Once you've been through it, you'll already know what lies around each corner and the surprises from the first time just aren't as effective a second time.
The documentation is also a bit disappointing. A sparse guide explains the keys, interface, loading, and saving conventions. Manuals should be complete (as this is), but should also be written to accommodate the novice as well as the seasoned gamer. This manual assumes a certain level of familiarity with the genre that isn't necessarily possessed by all gamers. Also included is a very interesting casebook illustrating Alice's external manifestations of her delusional journeys through Wonderland by means of entries written by her asylum caretaker.
Finally, the game ran well, even on a lowly 450 MHz Pentium II with a Riva TNT2 Ultra video card with no slowdowns or choppiness. Quick loading was practically instantaneous and kept the gameplay moving. The Quake III engine really shines in this regard.
Ultimately, American McGee's Alice leaves good impressions, even with some minor negatives: difficulty in hoisting Alice onto ledges from a hanging position, occasional unresponsiveness as far as the jumping is concerned, fluctuating difficulty in some places, and one ultra-irritating jumping puzzle. However, these concerns are so minor when compared to the splendor of the game's universe, you will gladly overlook them in order to see what bizarre setting lies beyond the next portal. It's safe to say that the adventure is a must buy and will most certainly be a contender for game of the year honors.
~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
What's not to love? The Dr. Seuss-ian environments are incredible and diverse, the music is perfect, the enemies are unique and creative, adding up to a complete package. Some minor control issues and questionable puzzle solving serve as temporary distractions, but the overall game is so well designed these can be overlooked.~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
It's the Quake III engine bent and twisted in such spectacular ways that you'll forget what was used to create the game to marvel at the creation. It's ironic that showing creative engine use causes you to forget all about it.~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Chris Vrenna may not have been the main man in Nine Inch Nails, but his eerily haunting soundtrack sets the mood perfectly, bringing the whole game experience to another level, becoming an integral part of the game.~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
There are some structural differences between difficulty levels. On a medium difficulty settings, {%Alice} jumps from floor tiles as they disassemble and reassemble, but on the easy setting she walks across the floor with no jumping required. Most other differences are in the form of less and faster-decaying meta-essence released by enemies. Enemies aren't any harder to defeat, nor do they appear to come in higher numbers. The main reason to play again would be to take the time to examine the environmental details missed the first time through, not to actually experience the game a second time.~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
An interesting casebook, supposedly written by one of {%Alice}'s nurses while she was in the institution, introduces {%Alice}, her situation and mental state. It would've been nice to see the style used in the casebook used in the gameplay manual. The gameplay documentation does cover the controls, loading and saving, all the standard stuff, but in a very straightforward manner inconsistent with the rest of the presentation. It's acceptable, but could have been more.~ Darren Denenberg, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Casebook Written by: Greg Ransch; Cover Design: Joel Thomas; Design: Big Idea Group; Sketches: Ben Hall; Special Thanks: R.J. Berg, American McGee, Rogue Entertainment, Rich Fleider, Ben Hall, Joel Thomas, Ed Clark, Genee Higgins, Julie Clark, Dave McCormick, Mike Kaiser, Justin Holst, Andrew Young; All Songs Composed and Performed by: Chris Vrenne; Publishing Courtesy of: Almo Music Corp.
~ Eric Caroen, All Game Guide
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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American McGee's Alice
| American McGee's Alice | |
|---|---|
 Original North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Rogue Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | American McGee (project leader) |
| Producer(s) | R. J. Berg (executive producer) |
| Designer(s) | American McGee |
| Programmer(s) | Pater Mack, Darin McNeil, Joe Waters |
| Composer(s) | Chris Vrenna |
| Engine | Quake III Arena (with Ritual's ÜberTools) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | October 6, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Horror, action-adventure, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: M (Mature) OFLC: MA 15+ ELSPA: 15+ |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc |
System requirements
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American McGee's Alice is a third-person action game released for PC on October 6, 2000. The game, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, is set in an alternative universe of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alice was designed by American McGee and features music composed by Chris Vrenna.[1]
The game is based on the id Tech 3 engine first used in Quake III Arena. A PlayStation 2 port was in development but was canceled. A sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released June 14, 2011. Downloadable ports of the game for PS3 and Xbox 360 were also made to coincide with the sequel's release as a free download with brand new copies.
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.[2]
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Contents
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Plot
Shortly after her second adventure, Through the Looking-Glass, Alice's house is burnt down by an accidental fire, killing her family and leaving her as the only survivor. As time progresses Alice loses touch with reality. She is institutionalized in Rutledge Asylum, where she is observed and treated by Dr. Heironymous Wilson. Alice's only possession in Rutledge is a stuffed rabbit. Ten years after Alice was committed to Rutledge, she finds herself sucked back into a Wonderland that has been twisted by her own broken mind. The White Rabbit summons Alice to aid a radically altered Wonderland, which became a twisted version of itself as it came 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.
Setting
The game's setting presents a considerably more macabre rendition of Wonderland than seen in Lewis Carroll's original portrayal. Wonderland, being a creation of Alice's mind, has been corrupted by her insanity. Alice's primary objective is to save Wonderland, and in doing so restore her own sanity.
The new Wonderland is composed of nine provinces. When Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in the Village of the Doomed, the home of the Torch Gnomes. The Village of the Doomed is composed of a network of tunnels and caves, 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 twice transformed 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 her own body.
Characters
Main article: List of characters in American McGee's Alice
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 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
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.[4] 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. 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 a bloodied 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.[5] 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.[6]
Alice has grown in value and become a collector's item since its release, with new copies selling for $100–200 on auction sites [7][citation needed] and used copies selling for close to $100. The game is prized in the order of its release artwork with the Vorpal Blade, a.k.a. "bloody knife," version being highly valued, followed closely by the Ice Wand release and, finally, 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.[8]
Reception
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 82.23%[9] |
| Metacritic | 85%[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[11] |
| GamePro |   [12] |
| GameSpot | 7.3/10[13] |
| GameZone | 10/10[14] |
| IGN | 9.4/10[15] |
| PC Gamer UK | 88% |
The game was ultimately released on October 6, 2000, receiving praise for its visuals; the graphics were very elaborate for its 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 an average review score of 85%, with IGN giving the game 94% and GameSpot giving it 73%, saying, "While you'll undoubtedly enjoy the imaginative artwork, you might end up disappointed with just how straightforward the underlying game really is."[16]
Audio
All of the music created for the official American McGee's Alice soundtrack was written and performed by Chris Vrenna with the help of guitarist Mark Blasquez and singer Jessicka.[17] 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, child-like 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.[18] 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.[19] 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 Nails live 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".
| American McGee's Alice Original Music Score (74:02) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Falling Down the Rabbit Hole" | 1:20 | |||||||
| 2. | "Village of the Doomed" | 3:35 | |||||||
| 3. | "Fortress of Doors" | 3:51 | |||||||
| 4. | "Fire and Brimstone" | 3:46 | |||||||
| 5. | "Wonderland Woods" | 3:59 | |||||||
| 6. | "The Funhouse" | 3:38 | |||||||
| 7. | "Skool Daze" | 4:10 | |||||||
| 8. | "Time to Die" | 3:55 | |||||||
| 9. | "I'm Not Edible" | 3:09 | |||||||
| 10. | "Taking Tea in Dreamland" | 3:44 | |||||||
| 11. | "Fungiferous Flora" | 3:35 | |||||||
| 12. | "Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum" | 3:46 | |||||||
| 13. | "The Centipede" | 3:31 | |||||||
| 14. | "Pandemonium" | 3:55 | |||||||
| 15. | "Flying on the Wings of Steam" | 4:35 | |||||||
| 16. | "Late to the Jabberwocky" | 3:17 | |||||||
| 17. | "Battle with the Red Queen" | 4:11 | |||||||
| 18. | "A Happy Ending" | 3:44 | |||||||
| 19. | "Pool of Tears" | 4:08 | |||||||
| 20. | "Flying on the Wings of Steam (Remix)" | 4:03 | |||||||
Legacy
Film adaptation
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.[20] 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.[21] In February 2002, Dimension Films signed brother screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber to write the screenplay for Alice.[22] In July 2003, the brothers announced that they had completed the script for the film adaptation.[23]
In 2004, the project moved from Dimension Films to 20th Century Fox, but in 2005 Universal Pictures acquired the rights. As of June 2008[update], 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.[24] 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,[25] but a few months later she was reported to have left the project.[26]
Sequel
Main article: Alice: Madness Returns
With a movie adaptation of American McGee's Alice in the making, interest at Electronic Arts rose in a remake of the game and work was started on a sequel.[27]
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. It is being developed by Spicy Horse, who recently worked on American McGee's Grimm.[28][29][30] Two pieces of concept art were also released, depicting Alice and large allied birds fighting an oversized, semi-mechanized snail and its children on top of a lighthouse,[31] and Alice swimming in a pond, with the Cheshire Cat's face in the background.[32] It is set for release on June 14, 2011.[33]
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.[34]
On 15 June 2010, EA filed a trademark on the name Alice: Madness Returns, the suspected sequel to American McGee's Alice.[35] While the sequel was formally announced via press release on 19 February 2009,[29] the sequel's title was confirmed during the EA Studio Showcase the following day.
The game was finally 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 PS3. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions came with a redemption code that gives you a free download of American McGee's Alice from each console's online store.
References
- ^ New York Times
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb36NXXZWAc
- ^ GameFAQs: American McGee's Alice (PC) FAQ/Walkthrough by Lsnake,chapter 7
- ^ "UberTools for Quake III v4.0". ritual.com. Ritual Entertainment. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070623193637/http://www.ritual.com/index.php?section=technology/overview. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ Alice and moral panics?
- ^ Chris Kohler (2010-07-26). "Q&A: American McGee Returns to Alice’s Nightmare Wonderland". Wired. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/07/alice-madness-returns/. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
- ^ http://www.videogamepricecharts.com/console/pc-games
- ^ Jessica Citizen (2010-07-14). "American McGee’s Alice gets real Vorpal Blade". GamePron. http://www.gamepron.com/news/2010/07/13/american-mcgees-alice-gets-real-vorpal-blade/. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/913791-american-mcgees-alice/index.html
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/american-mcgees-alice
- ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_alice
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20100527130628/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/7540/american-mcgee-s-alice/
- ^ http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/americanmcgeesalice/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review
- ^ http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/item/american_mcgee_s_alice_pc_review/
- ^ http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/164/164054p1.html
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/americanmcgeesalice
- ^ Chris Vrenna American McGees Alice MP3Download
- ^ "Dramatic New Scenes for Celebritarian Needs (archived by MansonWiki.com)". MansonUSA (now defunct). 2005-11-03. http://www.mansonwiki.com/wiki/Interview:Dramatic_New_Scenes. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- ^ Manson on American McGee's Alice
- ^ Brian Linder (2000-12-07). "Wes Craven to Dark Wonderland". http://movies.ign.com/articles/036/036660p1.html. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
- ^ Brian Linder (2001-09-25). "August Talks Alice". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/306/306276p1.html. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
- ^ Brian Linder (2002-02-11). "Scribes Pegged for Alice Game-to-Film Adaptation". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/324/324400p1.html. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
- ^ Brian Linder (2003-07-29). "Games-to-Film Update: Alice, Oz". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/431/431089p1.html. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
- ^ "Status of American McGee's Alice". darkhorizons.com. http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/11385/status-of-american-mcgee-s-alice.
- ^ http://www.mymostwanted.com/news3/example/index.php/2008/01/28/gellar-passionate-about-alice.html
- ^ http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/12709
- ^ Martijn Müller. "Remake American McGee's Alice in de maak" (in Dutch). NG-Gamer. http://www.ng-gamer.nl/game-nieuws/3994_remake-american-mcgees-alice-in-de-maak/. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
- ^ "DICE 2009: EA announces American McGee's Alice 2". joystiq.com. 2009-02-19. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/19/dice-2009-ea-announces-american-mcgees-alice-2/. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ a b "EA and Spicy Horse Return to Wonderland for All-New Alice Title". ea.com. 2009-02-19. http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=366638. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ "Sequel to American McGee's Alice coming to PC, consoles in 2009". Destructoid. http://www.destructoid.com/sequel-to-american-mcgee-s-alice-coming-to-pc-consoles-in-2009-122182.phtml&?no_cache=1&comment_saved=1#comment-1141287. Retrieved 2009-02-19.[dead link]
- ^ "The Return of Alice". americanmcgee.com. 2009-02-20. http://www.americanmcgee.com/wordpress/2009/02/20/alice-sequel/. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ "Hiring – Three for Art". americanmcgee.com. 2009-05-04. http://www.americanmcgee.com/wordpress/2009/05/04/hiring-three-for-art/. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ "Yes, we have an Official Release Date". americanmcgee.com. http://www.americanmcgee.com/2011/03/04/yes-we-have-an-official-release-date/. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Return of Alice (Video Madness)". 2009-11-04. http://www.americanmcgee.com/wordpress/2009/11/04/return-of-alice-video-madness&feature=related.
- ^ "Latest Status Info". tarr.uspto.gov. 2010-06-20. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=85063663. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: American McGee's Alice |
- Alice: Madness Returns Official website, including teaser trailer.
- American McGee's Alice at the Internet Movie Database
- American McGee's Alice at MobyGames
- Down the Rabbit Hole
- Comparison to Alice in Wonderland
- Concept art at the Wayback Machine (archived August 2, 2008)
- Alice (2010 movie) from Internet Movie Database at the Wayback Machine (archived March 15, 2009)
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Mentioned in
American McGee's "Alice" (Original Score)
(Classical Album)
tweaker
(Electronica Artist, 2000s)
Alice
(film)
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