Alice: Madness Returns (2011)

I have put Gothic on hold - while I am enjoying the game, I needed a slight break from older games, I think the UI is possibly the most taxing element when it comes to old games.

So I started work on a game from the platformer category - Alice Madness Returns. For the first couple of hours, I had to force myself through as the game starts incredibly slow and feels incredibly bland. I now have around 5 hours in the game and I am enjoying it - there are multiple sections where the game play is changed (2D platformer, music rhythm etc), this really helps change the pace.

Overall the game is nothing special and I would only recommend to those who enjoyed the first game, or enjoy through the looking glass. For the platformer experience I believe there are better more solid games out there.

Played as an effort to get rid of my Xbox 360 games. I listed it on eBay and it got bids so I thought "Well, I have 1 week to beat it now!"

Good game, though the first 2 areas are more fun than the rest of the game. At some point it gets a little tedious, and certain enemies just suck, though combat isn't that overwhelming. I only died a couple times, and dying to a bad jump has no drawbacks. Story is OK. I tried to play the original, which I didn't find enjoyably due to old school difficulty issues (dying and getting sent back to a checkpoint 30 minutes ago suuuucks). I wish I could have gotten through the original, though, because they talk about characters like she knows them but there is no proper introduction.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with it and found myself drawn back to the game every day. I might write a more in depth review. Maybe.

It's not that the game is completely bad, but the lack of check points, the stupid jump mechanic and the resulting need to play the same shit over and over and over again really ruins it.

The jump mechanics really suck, at one point you can jump without a problem several times then suddenly you can jump again or float - and there is really no indication why sometimes it works and why not.

The Fight mechanics so far are not bad, they are just miserably explained. By the time I had figured it out I was already super frustrated and my hands hurt.

Basically it's a game made by snobs who feel if you're not perfect at timing or have a handicap, you don't need to enjoy their game. It's not even that difficult - it's just tedious and unless you'r really young and very healthy, having to re-play one section again and again won't make you better at it. Nope you get worse and worse.

Approx. 50% Complete.

It's amazing the difference a working controller can make. By removing that frustration I can sit back and appreciate the beautifully designed scenery. The combat is fluid and responsive and the levels are getting more interesting as I progress (though nothing as memorable as the original). Even the story is beginning to open up a little - I expect a twist or two before I am done. All of the game's many faults are easily forgiven (reliance on filler, floaty controls and unnecessary minigames). Damn, one of the minigames even surprised me - a stylised Japanese 2d platformer. They were easy segments but gosh darn pretty to look at.

Note to self: Buy a new controller. Please, just do it. Constantly moving backwards makes platforming very difficult. Stupid controller stick drift. Leave me alone.

Other than that - so far so good. The design is really pretty and it's all very casually enjoyable. It seems like they stretched the material a bit too thin. Supposedly it's a 15hr game. I'm only on chapter 2 (of 6) and things are already feeling repetitive. Some weird little detours that flash me back to n64 platforming days (whatever happened to minigame? And can they please stay out of my life?) I gotta go pepper some snouts now...