GamesEyeView - Alice: Madness Returns Review

GEV says: Eleven years later, Alice falls back through the rabbit hole in Alice: Madness Returns. Now being developed by American McGee’s new Shanghai based studio Spicy Horse and published by Electronic Arts, Alice: Madness Returns still offers a stunningly twisted vision of the Wonderland we’ve all come to know and love. Unfortunately what the game doesn’t do well overshadows all of that. As such, Alice: Madness Returns feels like a rehash that might have been better left in the idea bin.

[TheEatingChampagne]

5 out of 10? Really?
I hope that this no name site is just looking for hits because if it's serious I have lost all my hope in gaming reviewers

[SirBillyBones]

Yeah I agree, I left my own thoughts in response in the comments section below their article. It does seem very harsh, I think it's a great little game.. if you can get it cheaper. I hope people don't get put off by overly cynical reviews like this.

[mastiffchild]

But if you add the caveat of "if oucan get it cheaper" aren't you kind of negating your own score as the reviewer reviews it as they find it-a fully priced, disc based game?

I'd agree that the score s on the tight side and feel the game's a lot better than SOME sites would have you think but I also get why people don't like the game just as easily as I get why those that do like the game tend to really like it. It's another Marmite game that you either love, and forgive a bit, or dislike and dig into it's faults more readily than usual.

The reason I found the review here a little eyebrow raising was because they seemed to love the idea and that DIDN'T, this time, allow them to gloss over the game play failings of Alice. I'd have thought someone in love with the premise and the artstyle of the well designed areas and themes would be more charitable but, there you go! 5/10 does, anyway, seem unfair and though I'm aware all the shortcomings listed do indeed exist I'd still give the game a 6.5/7 out of ten-at full price!

The biggest issues I have with the game are the often stated lack of gaming progression as you get everything near the start which leaves few juicy surprises and treats for later on but more than that the way Alice is animated really grates on me(Alan Wake did a similar thing) because, to me, she looks like she's got a broom stuck up her arse. This leads to a strange, stiff quality to the movement and platforming which I find particularly off putting for the first flush of a session-but maybe that's just me.

I do think, though, that the up and down nature of the wildly varying scores it's gotten show how much of a love/hate game it is.

[bigboss716]

I got the game its not bad but I can see why they gave it a low rate...i really feel they could of done better with this title.

[led1090]

The game is better than what most games seem to suggest. See the user ratings for the game on each site. They're poles apart from the critics ratings. Play the game and judge for yourself

[Nightshade386]

The problem with judging this game vs the user ratings is that it is a niche title. As such, one would expect the people who are interested in it to like it a lot....and everyone else will likely pass on it. As such, that will tend to inflate user scores.

[Troll-without-Bridge]

This game is amazing, easily one of the best of 2011. Not to mention is a big game.