Lotus Prince Let's Play: Alice - Madness Returns (Complete)!
Of course you’re mad. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
Alice: Madness Returns
Players: 1 Player Offline
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genres: Action, Adventure, Horror, Platformer
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genres: Action, Adventure, Horror, Platformer
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Developer: Spicy Horse
MSRP: $59.99
Developer: Spicy Horse
MSRP: $59.99
Madness Returns takes place eleven years after the events of its predecessor, the same amount of time between the two games' releases. Alice was released from Rutledge's Insane Asylum at the end of the original game, and now lives in Victorian London under the care of a psychiatrist, where the traumatic memories of her parents' deaths in a fire continue to haunt her.
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
Posted By Fraser about 1 year, 10 months ago
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!, 
We’re headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American’s McGee’s Second remaining of Alice’s Wonderland!
PLAYLIST OPTION: so that you and your ‘puter can has a break!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 8.5
In the case that you are a glutton for punishment, or your OCD just HAS to make this a comprehensive viewing of the live show, I have included our second play-through of the door mouse segment. Games should ALWAYS save before a cut scene!
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Sage Reviews- Alice: Madness Returns
Well, at least it isn't Tim Burton's Alice: Madness Returns...
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
We're headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American's McGee's Second re-imagining of Alice's Wonderland! 
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
We’re headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American’s McGee’s Second re-imagining of Alice’s Wonderland!
Alice: Madness Returns Review
After over a decade of waiting, American McGee takes us down the rabbit hole another time, into his macabre and sinister vision of Wonderland. Is the trip worth your time and money?
Alice: Madness Returns Launch Trailer has Gameplay, Hysteria
I’m running out of ways to say “this trailer is bloody.”
Alice: Madness Returns To Come With Download of Original Game
If you haven’t played the original American McGee’s Alice – or perhaps you feel like playing through it again – you’ll finally have the chance to.
First Gameplay Trailer for Alice: Madness Returns
Spicy Horse and EA have let loose an insane trailer for their disturbing take on Alice in Wonderland entitled Alice: Madness Returns. So… much… stabbing….
GDC: Alice: Madness Returns Dated
It’s been quite a while since we’ve had the chance to explore American McGee’s horror-themed
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
We’re headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American’s McGee’s Second re-imagining of Alice’s Wonderland!
Alice: Madness Returns Launch Trailer has Gameplay, Hysteria
I’m running out of ways to say “this trailer is bloody.”
Alice: Madness Returns To Come With Download of Original Game
If you haven’t played the original American McGee’s Alice – or perhaps you feel like playing through it again – you’ll finally have the chance to.
First Gameplay Trailer for Alice: Madness Returns
Spicy Horse and EA have let loose an insane trailer for their disturbing take on Alice in Wonderland entitled Alice: Madness Returns. So… much… stabbing….
GDC: Alice: Madness Returns Dated
It’s been quite a while since we’ve had the chance to explore American McGee’s horror-themed
Alice: Madness Returns Review
Posted By Eli Cymet about 1 year, 11 months ago
Alice: Madness Returns Review
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!, 
Mid-way through one of the levels in Alice: Madness Returns, the Cheshire cat tells Alice that only a fool would mistake a painful experience for a worthwhile one. If this is true, then players of American McGee’s long-awaited return to Wonderland may find themselves feeling pretty foolish when all is said and done. The macabre action-platformer stretches its solid but unremarkable gameplay paper thin, and falls back on compelling visual design to carry the weight of its eventual tediousness. Take a trip down the rabbit hole with me to see how this game was late for a very important date with greatness.
| PROS | Strong concept, alluring visual design, enjoyable combat, solid platforming mechanics |
| CONS | Drags on, most good elements overstay their welcome, unambitious plot, item questing feels pointless |
| WTF?! | What banker is taking these teeth for money!?! |
Madness Returns returns players to the (wait for it!) madness of McGee’s Alice Liddell, for whom ten years have passed with no resolution to that whole “my family died in a massive fire” thing. Now – I know what you’re thinking! How self involved can you get, right!? My feelings exactly. Disagreeing with us all thoroughly, however, and still preoccupied as ever with her mysterious alternate universe, Alice once again lets go of reality and dives back into Wonderland, where she hopes to recover the repressed memories that psychiatrists would have her forget. From here, players are tasked with platforming their way across twisted Carollian vistas, where fighting Alice’s (literal) demons is the key to unlocking what she may know about her unfortunate past.
With such a compelling premise behind it, and the opportunity to really expand on a universe worth revisiting, the shame with Madness Returns is that it never quite walks the (Jabber) walk.
Certainly, the game delivers aesthetically, with McGee and the artists at Spicy Horse providing players with a well-crafted canvas that helps the story live and breathe. The great lighting design and cartoony grotesqueness of the sepia-tinted London setting clashes cleverly with the scenery of Wonderland, whose palpable phantasmagoria is at times a painterly feast for the eyes. Tying the whole thing together with darkly imaginative paper-collage interstitials, McGee well conveys the feeling of Alice’s trip back and forth between uninteresting reality and compelling madness in a search for buried truth.
Ouch, bad luck on that game of floating mind dice-jacks-domino-bubble.
But as with her cerebral home away from home, not all is right below the surface. At odds with the conceptually rich artistry is its lackluster implementation. Chapter by chapter, McGee’s unique worlds are made to feel uncharacteristically repetitive as initially varied scenery and set pieces are repeated to the point where they overstay their welcome. Graphically as well, there are times when the texturing and illustration in Madness Returns do no justice to the concept design. The often dark palette of Wonderland is rendered in a way that sometimes feels bland and muddied, while close attention to Alice’s surroundings reveals sloppily crafted objects and backgrounds.
More than a cursory engagement with the story of the game unearths a similar gap between the strength of McGee’s concept and that of its execution. Alice’s attempt to interrogate her own fractured mind starts off as a clever blend between what’s going on in Dickensian London, and its allegorical representation in Wonderland. Soon, however, the scenes above-ground function as little more than tonal rest stops, with chances to expand on the game’s cast of characters and create intricately linked narrative threads passed up. As a result, the story of Madness Returns feels unambitious and one-note – less like a cohesive package, and more like interwoven sections of platforming.
6/10
Sage Reviews- Alice: Madness Returns
Well, at least it isn't Tim Burton's Alice: Madness Returns... Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
We're headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American's McGee's Second re-imagining of Alice's Wonderland!-
July 05, 2011 at 08:06pm
I just got this today and haven’t been able to stop playing. I really like this game and would recommend it to any platform fan. I would give this game a 7/10(so far) because it goes so heavy on the platforming. I think that’s why it feels like a PS2 game because most games these days incorporate alot of gameplay elements together rather than just focusing on one. Better review then other sites I’ve checked out. Also the inclusion of the dlc code for the first game was an awesome bonus.
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June 24, 2011 at 12:07pm
I’m enjoying this game well enough so far but what’s struck me the most about it is gameplay-wise… it feels like a Playstation 2 game. I mean the controls and everything are smooth but you’re just fighting baddies, collecting items, and making your way through very, very predictable, linear levels.
It feels like this PS2 game I played once called Kya: Dark Lineage. Or even a bit like a Zelda game (and I’ll get thumbed down for implying Zelda gameplay feels dated)
The art direction, however, is superb. Though the line delivery for most of the characters, including Alice is just… odd. It’s just a shame this game is behind the times.
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June 24, 2011 at 02:45am
I’m more or less past the halfway mark of this one and truth be told, the only gripe I have against it is that the poor thing literally screams on how unfinished it is.
I took a look at the extras and found bios and detailed information on characters that never appeared or at best had a corpse laid out somewhere. And from their bios, it made me think that at least at some point the game was meant to have you interact with them. I’d also put the fact here that bosses are hinted at throughout the levels, but resolved only in cutscenes and the glitchy textures.
All in all a shame, cause I’m REALLY enjoying the rest. Can’t say I regret my purchase at all. what I regret is the way they rushed the game out so very prematurely, because the game itself even seems to know it could be so much better than it is.
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June 23, 2011 at 10:26am
The game itself seems a tad mediocre judging from the review and I really have no substance to disagree, as it was a game I was interested in but not likely to actually play. That being said I would like to critique your review a bit here, one writer to another.
It’s wonderful to have a strong grasp of the vocabulary in any language but you may want to consider cutting back just a hair. It may seem silly but having too much of a good thing can most certainly become a bad thing. Rather than helping the flow of the article I find that it causes a lot of fragmenting as you read through it, briefly stopping the train of thought. They can be helpful as a spice, but sometimes simple can be far more nice given the nature of an article to be informative and analytical.
Other than that, nice review and thanks for the heads up on Alice ^_^
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June 23, 2011 at 09:11am
i just came back from the store with this game in my pocket. Can’t wait to try it out. Unfortunately I have to.
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June 22, 2011 at 11:02pm
I loved this game. (Windows Version) I really loved the story, I loved how the twist at the end didn’t trivialize the subject matter. I thought the level design was pretty good for the most part, and I didn’t have the problems some people claim they had with the play control. The atmosphere is awesome, The enemies are wild, I loved almost everything about this game. Obviously I can’t post an entire review here in the comments section, but I have to say I disagree. I will concede that there are a couple of sections that drag a little, and that some of the minigames could have been better. But I think this game is something everyone should experience. It even had an easter egg devoted to Tim Schafer!
All of that said I expected this to be a niche under the radar game. The original Alice had a similar vibe surrounding it in terms of conflicting criticism, and subterranean popularity. Epic Mickey on the Wii which also had a dark twist on an optimistic property seemed to suffer the same fate. Perhaps it’s something that doesn’t appeal to critics. I don’t know. But I loved every minute of this game, and I hope it does well. -
June 22, 2011 at 11:15pm
I’ll reply to you, though Mystic Knight and any others who may disagree should look here as well: I’m extremely glad you guys are responding with a diverse set of opinions! I think that the great part about BT is the myriad of reviewers we often get covering a same game, and when that isn’t the case, I think the readers deserve to stand in as surrogate second opinions, taken every bit as seriously as the actual review. Given the time spectrum allotted to review new titles, perhaps many critics felt reviewer’s fatigue when it came to playing Alice in long stretches? (With that said, I varied my play style during the week I took it on to try and see if that changed my opinion of the platforming sections – for me personally, it did not). To reiterate, I think all the trimmings of this title were spectacularly done, and felt endeared enough to it as a result of its flare and ambition as a game to stay invested. My score was delivered on the basis of the feeling that the implementation of its ambitions is such that the title doesn’t hold up as more than a solid, enjoyable rental. Solid and enjoyable nonetheless, but brought down (for me) to levels below what I what consider a must-buy. The “Try It Out” rating felt appropriate, therefore, as I felt the best route to go with this game was to see if its positive elements were enough to sway you personally towards wanting to invest long term in the world created. For me, attempting to review it in the most relevant way possible for a mass audience, I stick by my guns.
Again, though, none of that is said with any anamosity! On the contrary, I was hoping to offer some insight as to my score, and perhaps the scores of other critics out there. I am *so* glad you guys have taken the time to articulate yourselves in detail, to offer great second opinions. Keep em’ coming guys!
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June 22, 2011 at 11:44pm
Well we agree to disagree. I honestly meant no disrespect, and I’m not enraged at anyone for not liking Alice 2. I just notice that like Alice 1, and Epic Mickey there seems to be a divide. It’s just one of those games someone who uses a site like Gamerankings or Metacritic may pass on when seeing a low number (As I type this it’s a 75 which isn’t too shabby in my opinion but to some that may be too low). But if said person saw the threads over on NeoGaf they’ed swear Alice 2 would be averaging 90. (Not that I like aggregate sites. Someone on BT may want to tackle that ongoing debate sometime.) In any event, thanks for replying. It’s refreshing to find a site where reader /fan opinion be it posiitive or negative is regarded so highly.
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June 22, 2011 at 05:14pm
*Slaps forehead*
I really don’t understand with the reviews with Alice. The amount of fun that I had with it doesn’t go with this score!
I’m not bashing on the review! In fact I agree with allot of reviews on this site. I just must be part of that small percentage of players that didn’t even notice the bad things. (Although the lack of boss fights was disappointing.)
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June 22, 2011 at 07:39pm
Wait what? No boss fights? As in you don’t fight a single boss? Are you serious? In a game based on a series filled with fantastic and colorful characters there aren’t any boss fights?
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June 22, 2011 at 03:06pm
You know, when I mentioned months ago that the Alice stories were being done ad nauseam with little new I didn’t expect this to be the final product.
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June 22, 2011 at 11:16am
I went and got this game brand new last week, and it’s not that bad of a game. I’ve played worse. (I’m looking at you, Clive Barker’s Jericho and Megaman X 7.) Anyway, I played the first Alice game and I have to say I liked the first one better.
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June 21, 2011 at 07:42pm
If it counts, enough people have told me that my REGULAR verse is nonsense verse for me to believe it.
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June 21, 2011 at 09:55am
My thoughts exactly… looks & smells like a AAA title, but substancially, it’s just above average !
No Posts
Lotus Prince Let's Play: Alice - Madness Returns (Complete)!
Of course you’re mad. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
Alice: Madness Returns is AWESOME!
We’re headed back down the gore-strewn rabbit hole in American’s McGee’s Second re-imagining of Alice’s Wonderland!
Wow this was really good, but where’s the rest of it? I really wanted to see the end! I looked up the first one and, compared to you guys, all the commentators are really dull! I hope you’ll finish this and maybe do the original?
I love this show and all, but Fraiser always ends up saying something that makes me wonder why that is every once in a while. It usually comes down to he isn’t exactly an encyclopedia of knowledge on gaming news and history and whatnot, and he freely admits it, and yet he still continues to give trivia on stuff when it’s clear he has no bloody idea what the hell he’s talking about. The thing that sticks in my craw about this episode is when he says “The Alice games have always been about puzzles” which made he wanna slam my head against the table until the stupid stopped. First point: there’s only ever been -one- Alice game before this, and it was a platformer! JUST LIKE THIS ONE! But even if it had been about puzzles, this is the second game; the formula is ripe for changing and experimentation. It doesn’t of course, it’s a straight up platformer like the first game with HD graphics. And I know it isn’t a huge deal, but he does it all the damn time, like when he talked about the Team Fortress classes being slowly released over time, or the Hitman Trailer being a reveal that 47 was gonna be in the game, or the Duke Nukem Forever episode (which I won’t have the displeasure of reminding everyone of, but suffice it to say the chatroom was sorta rebelling against them on that one). The thing that annoys me is, he KNOWS he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he admits it, but he keeps doing it anyway. Believe it or not, there are idiots out there who will take him at his word and walk around misinformed about something because they got it from an ignorant source. At least for the sake of the dipshits in your fanbase: stop pretending to be Mr. KnowItAll, -especually- when you don’t know anything. I’m not saying he doesn’t know anything, I’m saying when it comes to those topics (like games he hasn’t played, for example, most of them) just admit he doesn’t know shit and don’t try talking out his ass.
“I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know. “
Just a few notes on that:
- He does say he’s an idiot and out of touch with modern gaming, and while it may be foolish of him to pretend to know stuff when he knows little, it’s better him say nonsense and at least bring up topics of conversation with Becky, Kyle and Deacon then all of them sitting in silence doing this stuff.
- He’s gotta be pretty pressed for time. He does this for a living and between editing, organizing the casts, working with the Minecraft server, and just running VGA and AVG in general, he’s got a lot on his plate. So if he didn’t get the chance to fill himself to the brim on knowledge of the subject matter, then it’s usually better that than a shitty looking video, or a poorly edited one etc etc. He does what he can, he’s only human after all.
- I think he does a pretty decent job with VGA, and I for one am willing to excuse him on not knowing some of the subject matter as gaming is a pretty huge area to fully comprehend and (just like you and I) he knows more about some games than he does others. I couldn’t tell you shit about Street Fighter or Punchout, but Fraser probably could :3
I’m not saying he’s prefect, nor am I saying you’re in the wrong for complaining about his knowledge (or lack thereof) of gaming, I just like to think it isn’t the end of the world if he gets a few things wrong. Oh, and I think Fraser meant Alice in Wonderland games in general, not American McGee’s Alice, because there’s been quite a number of Alice puzzle games floating about
I agree. It took me a while to notice it (I’ve been watching them for about a year now), but I’ve caught on to some odd things that Fraser has said. My assumption was always that he was basically a film student who realized that internet video game vids were popular, so he threw up a green screen (post Awesome Video Games), bought an Xbox and began filming.
I enjoy the videos, but Fraser sets off my BS detector quite frequently.
you know i’ve always wondered, what settings does frasier use on his PS3? Anyone know? Im wondering if he has superwhite on/off, and if hes on limited or full. I personally play on limited with superwhite on since its my BD player as well, and full isn’t right for movies. For me a lot of games are too BRIGHT, i have to drop the gama down
Glad they got the same voice actress, same script writer, & same musician from the first game. But I’m disappointed they didn’t get the original Cheshire voice; & the actor even worked on American McGee’s Grim too. It’s going to drive me nuts every time he talks.
The game that gives you peppercorn bullets & asks “why not season your own pig parts?”
I read complaints that it emphasized story over gameplay like last time, but now I’m convinced they were only thinking of the first game.
So i herd u liek Madcaps?
With a special guest appearance from Auntie’s Wooden Leg.
Stop trying to look up her dress; she’s still jailbait-aged.
Don’t suppose you guys could get rid of the peanut gallery on the lower right & dedicate more screen to the game?
I read suggestions on other sites that since Wonderland is a mockery of Algebra that there should be more number games. As a Dyscalculic, I’m glad there aren’t though.
Cheshire does have the same voice, Roger L. Jackson (same as Ghost Face from Scream and Mojojo), he just does the voice a little different for some reason
Fraser, you should play Terraria. I read an article on Ign.com saying it was a better Minecraft. I never played it but the video I saw looked kinda cool especially the monsters, its 2D with co-op.
Hey Kyle! There was no spelling mistake! It wasn’t “ten”, it was “often than”. Unsubbing.
Part 8 : “My free game” – you know you are allowed to pick TWO free games? Just mentioning it in case you didn’t, because I know some other people thought they were only entitled to one free game for some reason. If you haven’t already, pick your second QUICKLY because they are only available for 30 days after the offer went live… which I believe is within a day (or two) from now.
Oh, I see you downloaded the Wipeout HD demo. Hmm, I’m not sure if that’s the other free game you got because when I grabbed it it was called the Fury expansion pack. So I’ll leave this comment here anyway.
Part 9 : Everyone ignores Deacon. I heard you, Deacon.
that’s a good engine, keeps stuff cool, and it has great graphics!
Yeah, don’t download a FREE game because the graphics are old… Dude, American McGee’s Alice is one of the best 3d platformers out there! If you only played it only “a little bit”, then you shou– no, you MUST give it a try. Almost everyone says, that the first one is actually better than Madness Returns. I haven’t played the new one yet, but if I buy it, I’ll buy it because I’ll be able to play the first one once again.
This game should have put more attention to wordplay puzzles and gameplay variety. Unfortunately it put art direction above everything else, and made a game around it. Now the locations do look amazing, but there’s a little more to making a good game than that.
I still can’t say I regret buying the game, though. It’s still entertaining enough, and the visual style is simply amazing. It’s just sad that this game could have been an instant classic, but falls short because of rushed or underfunded development.
Yeah, Alice the madness returns isn’t getting that many good reviews but its not a bad game, i had fun with it. whoever hasn’t should at least give it a rent
The only bad reviews I’ve seen are “As usual, American McGee puts storyline over Gameplay,” “Origin sucks, I shouldn’t have downloaded it through Origin, it’s still in Beta,” “Is the Umbrella Bug fixed yet?” & “EA’s DRM only punishes paying players.”
Duke Nukem Forever is a better game.
Alice is hot, in a strange sorta way.
I love how dark and twisted this game is. Looks like the disappointment you guys faced in Duke Nukem Forever has been redeemed. Now I wish more people would create original titles like this in the future. I’m looking at you Journey.
Oh. My. God. That is such poor form not saving before the cut scene. Do not blame you for being pissed! I liked smirking deacon in the background, though
Do you think the game’s worth a buy, Fraser, or just a rental?
There is now a petition to get Last Story, Xenoblade, and Pandora’s Tower to come to North America. Any of you interested?
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?OpRain01&1/
sorry for posting this on your comment section Fraser
Hey! My puter is elderly. And a bit senile. She needs as many breaks as she can get.
hey ive already watched this on blip tv. oh well might as well watch it one more time.
Hey, this guy’s pretty cool!
thank you fraser
when is the dr. seuss build going to be? i cant wait!
neither can i! its going to be awesome. wish i remebered all the books that i knew as a child though.
yeah me too. and that he didnt say a certain date on the show, just around two weeks from now made me almost angry because of my antisapation for it. (dont know if i spelled some of the words right excuse my bad english.)