Sunday, June 19, 2011

Alice('s): Madness and Alice: Madness Returns


                                           [ 1 ]
[ Listening to:  I'm a monster by Lil Wayne ] [ 2 ]
Firstly, I'm not too familiar with the entire series nor know about every little detail myself, but from what I casually glanced at, it has caught my interest.

Almost everyone knows about the series of "Alice In Wonderland" and possibly have seen the film or read the book when we younger. He was filled with several interesting concepts and rather peculiar drawing styles; It had  a unique way of play on words or elaborate wordplay. Well, in all the original story (the Disney aired one, not the very original one) was what I grew up with and it presented a brilliant concept in a more friendly style, which should be for children rather than the very first Alice, but I would suggest it for people now.

In rough, the story is about a girl who had memories about living in a place named "Wonderland." This world was her home away from home, but as people see it now, the way away from home, is sometimes better our actual home. Well, in this self created memory, she uses things that have happened in her life and those small things impact her Wonderland. We all grasp the concept of the importance of time and it's significance in the role of a dream or memory: time flies, time exist, but in all, it doesn't play a role in self created memories nor in dreams. Another example, of "real life experiences" affecting her dreams...
Well, let me put it like this real quick.
Dreams is the idea presented by Disney's Alice.
Memories are what the original author and the American McGee's Alice lives off of.
Disney's being more comprehensive to younger viewers and the original and followers are for those who view things as more realistic.

Back to what I was saying...
Another example, of "real life experiences" affecting her dreams/memories was the figure of the rabbit or white animals or variations/reincarnations of white. The color white usually has the connotation of "savior" or "leads the way to enlightenment." In all forms of Alice, the rabbit and white figures all guide her to her next location of where she should be, which I guess is very straightforward.

The thing with McGee's, and the original and the movie that came out not long ago, have followed more of the realistic thing because it's not always cheerful and the actual thought of a memory. A memory has more of an impact on us both physically and mentally, which is rather impressive, but the issue of  "not socially acceptable" is brought out in all the three, technically four.
Let's take for example Alice McGee's current version of Alice: Madness Returns, the beginning starts with a quick narration of her being in a "house for the inept and insane" which everyone knows, that Alice was depicted as someone who had a double life which impacted her normal life, for the better. The thing in Madness Returns, she is there because she lost her family and her house in a fire and people believed that she suffered severe issues and was being needed to be locked up. With locking her up, her once Wonderland was now corrupted with the terrible past and her current depression. Which I guess, you can call it the Alternative Reality to Wonderland where there is more bad than good to her once Wonderland, the Wonderland most grew up with.

Which I guess, is a quick and rough explanation of the series, I can explain more, if you guys would like, but here's a videos to game play to McGee's versions of Alice, which personally is pretty good.

The very top video (1) is a play through (the first part of a commentator's run-through) of the first game of American McGee's Alice, I believe on Playstation and PC?
The second video (3) is a trailer to the second installment of American McGee's Alice.
The third video (4) is the first episode of the actual game by my favorite commentator channel, The Yogscast [ 5 ].



 [ 3 ]
 [ 4 ]

9 comments:

  1. I played some of this awhile back, I think I only rented it for the playstation or something.

    I'll have to give the new one a try, thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's amazing how this game has stood the test of time, such an original take on the classic story

    ReplyDelete
  3. Reinstalled the original yesterday, so great

    ReplyDelete
  4. Played the first one waaay back in gradeschool haha, cant wait for a legitimate sequel :]

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alice: Madness Returns looks awesome. I'm gonna try it tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks great I can't wait to play it!

    ReplyDelete