frozengriever

Background

As a fan of Doom and other early id Software games, the breakup of the original team was a sad moment which clearly left a creative hole in their subsequent output. Its interesting how out all the various id alumini, American McGee was the one who ended up lending his name to a videogame title. After recently reading the excellent Masters of Doom, I went on a binge of classic id Software games and ended up picking up a PS3 copy of Alice: Madness Returns (AMR) from a bargain bin. To my surprise, the original American McGee's Alice (AMA) is still available as a free downloadable DLC for AMR so I was able to go through both games back to back.

American McGee's Alice

AMA is a third person platformer that was released in 2000. While I passed it on back then, I still recall seeing the distinctive cover art on store shelves which clearly conveyed the tone of the game as a twisted take on a classic children's story. The game itself follows through with an art style that makes the most of the Quake 3 engine, with distinctive character models and stylized levels with intricate geometry.

The game is set across a large number of small-medium sized linear levels. While there are no checkpoints, saving is allowed anywhere. A playthrough of the game takes about 6 hours. The first few levels actually give a rather poor impression of the game, being set mostly in underground caves. The levels do improve later on, with some stand out levels set in a monochrome world or within a clockwork mechanism. The imagination shown in the level design is a delight, and gives a sense of character to Wonderland. In game cutscenes punctuate the gameplay, although the plot itself is very barebones.

There are no upgrade systems or collectibles in the game beyond getting new weapons. Apart from the starting knife and another melee weapon, attacks consume a shared willpower (mana) pool. Killing enemies drops a pickup that restores both health and willpower, with the amount restored dependent on how hard the enemy is. While combat makes up a large part of the gameplay it feels very janky in the PS3 port. The game was originally released only on the PC and Mac where mouselook controls allow for speed and precision. There is a large variety of weapons, most of which have quite unique functionality. However, most of these weapons are also very gimmicky and are either too slow or situational to use in combat. None of the weapons feel satisfying to use, which is a surprise given McGee's id Software pedigree. The level design itself often hinders combat, with invisible geometry occasionally blocking shots. Enemies are varied but most don't require any change in tactics. Boss fights usually appear at the end of each biome, although I didn't find any of them particularly memorable.

The platforming gameplay has also not aged well, as it seems to be designed with quicksaving in mind where falling results in instant death. The controls on the PS3 also makes some of these jumps quick tricky to execute, while reloading after each death is a huge chore given the PS3 load times. There are some puzzles scattered throughout the game as well, but most are a case of finding the right switch.

For the PS3 version, I would rate this game as a 4/10 due to it's poor translation to a controller and surprising performance issues. If you can get this on the PC, it would be a 5/10, as while the game does have its memorable moments, the core mechanics have not aged well.

Alice: Madness Returns

AMR was released in 2011 and has clearly benefited from advances in game design in the intervening years. The game is far more accessible to a modern audience, with controls better suited to a controller, a generous checkpoint system, upgrades for exploration, and even a new game plus mode. The storytelling is more ambitious and compelling, and takes a suitably dark turn as it progresses.

While AMA had distinct levels which were grouped together by biome, AMR levels are more seamlessly woven into chapters with a distinct theme, such as an undersea chapter (no swimming, thankfully) or a dollhouse full of toys. Each chapter starts in the real world of grimy Victorian era London, before transitioning into Wonderland. The first visit to Wonderland is a visual delight, especially the Vale of Tears—a vibrant outdoor area filled with lush plant life and cascading waterfalls. It feels like a celebration of advancements in video game graphics, standing in stark contrast to the muted, subdued environments of the first game's early levels. AMR's levels are mostly linear, similar to AMA, but includes additional paths to explore which usually leads to upgrades or collectibles. The art design is often outstanding, clearly expanding on the ambitious designs from AMA.

The core platforming gameplay is much easier to appreciate, given the improved controls. Falls now result in being teleported to the last safe platform with no loss of health, which flows much better than the save/reload cycle in AMA. Apart from hunting switches, platforming puzzles now also include weighted scales and invisible platforms that require a special viewing mode. Most of the platforming puzzles are straightforward, although a couple in the later levels took a bit of time to execute. There are also various minigames of varying quality punctuating the gameplay, such as sliding puzzles, a 2D sidescrolling shooter, a 2D platformer, among others. I found some of the minigames to be the low points of AMR, feeling more like an asset flip Unity game rather than an integral part of the game.

Combat in AMR is quite involved, with a good variety of weapons and enemies that require differing tactics. There are 5 different weapons in AMR, each of which have clear uses throughout the game. The starting vorpal blade can't be thrown like in the first game but can now be used in quick combos. The pepper mill acts as the standard rapid fire ranged attack. Toy bombs is weak as an explosive but can draw fire as a decoy. The horse mallet is a heavy melee attack. The teapot rounds off the arsenal as a ranged artillery attack with splash damage. Except for the ranged weapons which require a button to swap between them, all of the other attacks are bound to dedicated buttons, allowing the right one to be quickly used as needed. The weapons also double as tools to trigger certain switches or smash barriers. The lock on system snaps to targets well for ranged attacks, although switching targets can be cumbersome if there are many on enemies on screen. There's no longer a willpower (mana) system but the ranged weapons have individual cooldowns if fired too often. Apart from the bomb, all weapons can be upgraded 3 times using in game currency (teeth) which are dropped by enemies or found throughout the levels. The availability of the teeth is quite generous, as I was able to fully upgrade all weapons by the 5th chapter.

There's a decent variety of enemies in the game, including a number of elite mobs that require particular attention. Alice can now also perform a dodge where she transforms into a cloud of butterflies that zip away from harm while waiting for the right moment to counterattack, as well as getting access to an umbrella which allows her to block certain attacks. The game does a good job of introducing enemies individually, before throwing them into larger fights with a mix of enemies where you need to work your way through the various threats. However, the combat also feels like a bit of a lost opportunity as the majority of combat arenas are mostly flat with the occasional obstacle. The movement, dodges, and attacks seem to lack sense of the responsiveness and control that are found in better games.

Pacing can be an issue with some of the chapters, as some of the length and repetitiveness of some platforming and combat sections can become quite tedious. Overall, I found that the game just about doesn't overstay its welcome. Despite the new game plus mode, I didn't feel a strong compulsion to replay the game apart from the OCD for getting collectibles and trophies.

The PS3 version was probably not the best version to play as there are some occasional drops in frame rate, particularly when combat gets hectic. Production wise, there also seems to be an issue with some of the dialogue where the sound quality is noticeably lower than other lines.

Overall, AMR was an enjoyable experience with a unique setting brought to life by a strong sense of artistic direction. However, the gameplay just about falls short of it not being a mid game at 7/10.

Conclusion

American McGee's Alice is a game from 2000 with most of the gaming mechanics not aging well. The strong artistic direction does mean it merits a look and if you can get it on PC it would be a 5/10. This is a game that really deserves a remake to bring its unique vision to a wider modern audience. Alice: Madness Returns, on the other hand, should be fully accessible for modern audiences. The strong artistic vision from AMA continues is better supported in the sequel by improved gameplay and graphics. However, there are clear flaws in terms of pacing and minigames that leaves this a 7/10 for me. This game deserves a remaster to optimise it for modern consoles. Of note, American McGee did try to develop a third game to round off the trilogy but was unfortunately rejected by EA. The design bible for the final game can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/alice-asylum-v1-78703655

Background

Lollipop Chainsaw was one of the games that was released during the 2012-2013 zenith of 7th-gen consoles. While I definitely recall watching a trailer or two back in the day due to its unique premise, it didn't stick in my memory as I wasn't so interested in hack & slash games at the time and it was ultimately overshadowed by the deluge of absolute bangers that was released during that period. I only rediscovered this game in the past couple of years when I started collecting old PS3 games and I saw it being priced suspiciously high. When the remaster was announced, I added it to my wishlist so that I could see what all the fuss was about. However, the middling reviews of the remaster put me off so I decided to take the plunge with the PS3 version instead.

Production

Lollipop Chainsaw is an action game revolving around an all-American high school cheerleader irreverently hacking and slashing her way through a zombie apocalypse that befalls her small town.

I have a soft spot for auteur-driven games or movies, where the creator's voice shines through, rather than just consuming a generic entertainment product. Lollipop Chainsaw undoubtedly falls into this category, with its menus and loading screens evoking the style of 80s-90s American comics, and a soundtrack filled with retro pop-rock classics. The licensed soundtrack adds a lot of character to the game and its loss in the remaster was a big factor for me to seek out the original PS3 version instead.

Despite its grim subject matter, the game’s tone is decidedly lighthearted, with the violence presented as cartoony rather than horrifying. Slicing through hordes of zombies during the game is accompanied by sparkly hearts and rainbows particles effects, seemingly the precursor to the Harley-vision sequence from James Gunn's 2021 Suicide Squad movie. While the story isn’t particularly interesting, the writing unmistakably reflects James Gunn's late-2000s edgelord phase, brought to life through brilliantly over-the-top voice acting.

From a technical perspective, the PS3 version ran fine though at a 30 fps frame rate which was unfortunately a common target for 7th-gen consoles. I didn't notice any bugs or crashes during my playthrough, with the minor exception of an ending achievement triggering when it wasn't supposed to.

While I didn't get the remaster, the PC version should be the best option if you want to experience this game in 4k60fps as it could also be modded to restore the original music.

The game

Lollipop Chainsaw is divided into a series of linear levels, with each level having a decent number of checkpoints to restart from after dying or quitting the game. The overall game is quite short, with a single first time playthrough likely to take about 7 hours. The levels are bookended by long but skippable cutscenes that advance the story. There are also a number of shorter cutscenes that punctuate each level, most of which are annoyingly unskippable. While most of the cutscenes intend to be humorous, they quickly become annoying with repetition, especially those that have to be repeated between checkpoints.

The game has a basic upgrade system, where you earn currency from pickups or combat which can then be spent on shops located at certain points within the levels. There are two distinct currencies, a basic currency for purchasing combat upgrades and another for cosmetics. Unfortunately you won't earn anywhere near enough currency to buy all upgrades in a single playthrough. There isn't a distinct new game plus mode, but completed levels can be replayed indefinitely to farm for additional currency.

The core hack and slash gameplay is based on 3 different basic attacks, each having clear uses, and a dodge button with generous i-frames. The basic attacks can be chained together to form combos, with new combos unlockable through the in game shop. I found the shorter combos which are unlocked earlier to be more useful throughout the game as enemy attacks will interrupt your longer combos. Stuns are a key combat mechanic, which allows for the next hit to be an instant kill and is best used on some of the tougher mobs in the game. The highlight of the combat system is the sparkle hunting mechanic, which triggers a short cutscene and awards additional currency when you manage to kill 3 or more zombies in one hit. Overall, however, the melee combat feels underpowered, with the chainsaw attacks in particular requiring many hits to kill even basic zombies. Fights often devolve into circling around groups of zombies to herd them together before hitting them with one of the short combos.

A ranged attack is added partway into the game but the shooting mechanics feel quite clunky and unsatisfying. There's a headshot system but the hitboxes of the zombies feel very inconsistent, often not matching the actual model. There are some temporary power ups that can be triggered with a consumable, but I didn't find them necessary and often forgot about the mechanic during my playthrough. The health system is based on a simple health bar, allowing you to withstand a generous number of hits before dying. Healing is only possible through lollipop consumables, which can be found sporadically throughout levels or purchased from shops. However, there is a strict limit on how many you can carry at once. This design encourages a more cautious approach to combat, contrasting with systems where health can be regained from defeating enemies.

There aren’t many enemy types in the game, but they are distinct enough to require different approaches, adding some variety to the combat. Minibosses scattered throughout the levels add some challenge, although they remain vulnerable to basic combat tactics. The boss fights at the end of each level are a highlight; each is a multi-phase affair with interesting set pieces, although none present a significant difficulty spike compared to the base game. The biggest gameplay weakness lies in the minigames scattered throughout the levels: most feel gimmicky, introduce mechanics that aren’t used elsewhere in the game, and gate progress, as none of the minigames are optional.

Conclusion

Lollipop Chainsaw is a game where the individual elements combine to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts. However, this isn’t quite enough to elevate it beyond a mid game, as the core combat lacks variety which is not made up for by the gimmicky minigames. While it's a unique and fun experience the first time around, it feels like there’s little reason to revisit it.

6/10 - Worth trying if you enjoy hack & slash action games

Background

The nostalgia is strong with this one. As a 90s kid whose parents would never think of spending money on violent fare such as Doom, the otherwise adventure game focused LucasArts Archive was the Trojan horse that delivered my first FPS experience in the form of a demo disk containing the first level of Dark Forces. I had countless hours of fun blasting away at pixelated Stormtroopers, with authentic blaster sound effects and John William's film scores reinterpreted in MIDI adding to the unmistakeably Star Wars soundscape. Though I vaguely recall getting the full game at some point and skipping through the levels with cheats on, the game has long since been consigned to the Sarlacc pit of my memories since the turn of the millennium. That is until Nightdive Studios announced this remaster.

The remaster

Nightdive Studios has a good track record of lovingly remastering retro classics for modern platforms, and this remaster definitely lives up to their reputation. Playing on the PC, the default WASD mouselook controls are in line with modern FPS games. A quick weapon select wheel is a great new feature to help players manage the large arsenal. The remastered 2D sprites and textures do an excellent job of recreating in HD the game as you remember it, rather than the pixelated 240p reality of the original game. The cutscenes have been well remastered with hand drawn and rendered art that closely follows the original spritework and pre-rendered animations, while avoiding the telltale flaws of lazy AI upscaling. Art galleries and behind the scenes content is also included, as well as an easy achievement set to round out the remaster.

The game

While the remastering work is excellent, the underlying game itself has not aged well., particularly weapon design. While there is a good number of weapons, 10 in total half of which includes a secondary fire function, most feel redundant, offering only minor variations in functionality. The Stormtrooper Rifle, available within seconds of starting the first level, is sufficient for most of the game due to its plentiful ammo, while the next couple of weapons are mechanically similar ranged rapid fire weapons. While there are more interesting weapons like the grenades and concussion rifle, they suffer from awkward mechanics or inconsistent performance. Additionally, the game's vertical aiming system is frustratingly imprecise, which detracts from the experience given the significant verticality in many levels.

The roster of enemies suffers from a lack of variety, with map data showing that over half of the enemies count across the game are Imperial Stormtroopers. Most other enemies are simply variants of ranged attackers, requiring little adjustment to the standard run-and-gun approach, despite large hordes that appear in the later levels. Even the boss fights fail to introduce meaningful variety, often boiling down to similar tactics against enemies with larger health pools. The only combat hazards that do force you to stop and think are laser turrets and mines, although their fixed nature ultimately limits the threat they possess.

The game’s levels successfully capture the atmosphere of the original Star Wars films, clearly attempting to depict locations and facilities that feel grounded in the Star Wars universe, as opposed to the more abstract level designs of Doom. Each level is structured as an individual mission that includes a mission briefing, and occasionally a cut scene, providing an objective for the player to pursue beyond shooting enemies and finding keys. The original game engine includes features that were not present in Doom, such as platforms that can move and rotate, rooms that can be placed above other rooms, allowing for in game puzzles can get quite complex. Individual levels are huge sprawling affairs and since the game doesn't include mid-level saving or checkpoints, some of the longer levels can be quite a slog to get through in one sitting. The game does include a generous extra life feature that allows you to respawn in the level if you die, and this gives some motivation for the player to scour the levels for secrets to find extra lives or ammo caches. While the single player campaign clocks in at only 5-6 hours, it still verges on overstaying its welcome due to the repetitiveness of the core combat loop.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Dark Forces is a product of its era, riding the mid-’90s wave of Doom clones while also offering a unique chance to explore the Star Wars universe during the long hiatus between the original and prequel trilogies. While Dark Forces introduced some technically innovations to the FPS genre, it fails to match the timeless gameplay of Doom (1993) and was quickly overshadowed by genre-defining titles like Duke Nukem 3D (1996), Quake (1996), and Half-Life (1998). Today, amidst a deluge of Star Wars content and retro-inspired “boomer shooters,” Dark Forces Remaster is a perfectly mid game that can provide a few hours of nostalgic fun, but little else.

5/10

Scoring explanation

I'm hoping to start this series of reviews to share my opinions on "mid" games, which are not all time classics but still manages to entertain. 7/10 - Every gamer should try this 6/10 - Worth it if you're a fan of the genre 5/10 - Fun to be had but there are better options 4/10 - Has its moments but mostly a waste of time