Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 Live Marketplace 1200 Points
9.8
10
4
4
A cool twist on the Alan Wake formula
Alan Wake's American Nightmare is somewhat comparable to The Signal and The Writer: the 2 "add-on episodes" to the original Alan Wake with a couple of major differences. It has better graphics than the original Alan Wake while retaining the neat scenery and atmosphere (albeit in a different geographical location), it has the same "using light as a weapon" system, it can vary greatly in length depending on if you fully explore the environments or not, and it continues the amazing plot that began in the original game. The differences are mostly all changes for the better; LOTS more guns. There are actually live-action movie clips that are not tacky (which is VERY rare.... they usually tend to be terribly acted and corny.... not so in American Nightmare). The live-action scenes involving the antagonist are some of the creepiest and funniest things I've seen in a long time (yes, they manage to be both creepy and funny..... somewhat odd combination, I know) The combat, while entertaining in the original Alan Wake, become very cool with the addition of the many, many weapons and new enemies. Instead of simply having a revolver and shotgun/hunting rifle, there are an extra dozen or so weapons. I won't spoil them but you end up finding several automatic weapons and some non-gunpowder-type projectiles.
The length of the game is probably about what you'd expect for a 15 dollar game... but the quality is MUCH better than many Xbox Live Arcade Games. Replay value is good due to the scattered manuscripts you can search for and they are all worth finding.... they are the driving force in advancing the Alan Wake story and expand the story both forward and laterally, filling out the story in some interesting ways. There is a "Horde" mode called "Fight Until Dawn" or something like that.... it is a story-free combat-only mode where you can use the weapons unlocked in the Story Mode. It is a fun distraction and adds to the value... but I'm fairly sure I'll be spending more time playing through the Story Mode a couple more times in the next few weeks.
Alan Wake's American Nightmare is entertaining and humorous. It's $15 on XBLA but I picked it up for half-price on a weekly Gold Membership Sale that is still going on as of the time of this writing (9-9-12 and ending either 9-11 or 9-12). For the $7.50 I spent I got lots of bang for my buck but I'd have been just as happy buying it at $15. If you are as hooked on the Alan Wake mythology as I am it's really cool to see the story advanced and all of the various theories about what's actually happening to Alan all get a little more ammunition with this release. I'd recommend newcomers to the series start with the original Alan Wake, as American Nightmare will spoil some of the previous events, but for old or new fans alike this is a very solid release. If Remedy uses the changes pioneered in American Nightmare for Alan Wake 2 (and they have indicated that there IS an Alan Wake 2 in development) then fans of the series will have a LOT to look forward to.
9/9/12
more alan wake with improvements
the first alan wake was a fantastic game, and I knew I couldn't say no to this. and since there are actually some pretty good improvements made to the alan wake formula, I just wish this was a full scale game. this game's story gives players more questions to what's going on but, it's not really bad at all. but, there is more gameplay this time, the action is greater, flashlight batteries run out faster to add thrill to combat, and the levels play out in a more open world style way. I just wish this was a full scale game
4/5/12
Microsoft did it again.
Although American Nightmare is not a sequel to the original Alan Wake, it still was well worth the wait. Better weapons, more reactive controls, better villians and the new survival map make this an amazing game. Although the storyline isn't as compelling as the first, I still was on the edge of my seat through the entire campaign. Definitely on my must get list. I would also recommend buying the first to get a feel for the game style.
3/17/12
Alan Wakes American Nightmare
This Alan Wake Arcade Game brings the hunger for a great game to a end, maybe. This game should cost a lot more than their offering, because this brings a conclusion to the famous Night Springs TV show.
You play as Alan Wake, who ends up in Night Springs, Arizona, where he needs to defeat his evil version of himself named Mr. Scratch, who wants to kill Alan and take everything he has. So Alan needs to defeat Mr. Scratch to bring light to the darkness. To defeat Scratch, Alan must rewrite reality by finding certain objects and manipulating them in the right way. But this is not a sequel to Alan Wake, your going to have to wait until remedy says otherwise, Sorry.
3/5/12