Alan Wake's American Nightmare Review

Enemy variety felt lacking in  Alan Wake, which made combat stale by the end of the adventure. Remedy has gone above and beyond to correct this in  American Nightmare, doubling, if not tripling, the number of enemy types within the game. I found myself shooting off Uzi rounds like an idiot in fear of one enemy that can turn itself into a flock of birds to fly away from Wake, then turn back into a person to attack. Another enemy splits itself in two when confronted by bright light, which poses the tactical question - is it better to face one strong enemy, or greater numbers of weaker enemies?  American Nightmare also doubles the number of weapons available, with more shotguns and handguns, but also automatic weapons, and a crossbow for good measure. With so much variety,  Alan Wake' s unique brand of third-person shooting finally comes into its own as a dynamic and thrilling experience.

The new  Fight Till Dawn mode proves the perfect arena to showcase these improvements to  Alan Wake' s combat. Reminiscent of  Resident Evil’s Mercenaries mode, players have ten minutes to survive and rack up points for killing as many Taken as possible. Starting with nothing but a handgun, players must scour the map for stronger weapons while fighting off progressively larger waves of Taken. The immense replayability of this mode shows it has the staying power to keep players entertained and chasing the top of the leaderboards long after the story mode has been completed, and it makes the game worth the price of admission on its own merits, even for those unfamiliar with  Alan Wake's storyline.

American Nightmare takes the  Alan Wake franchise two steps forward, but also one step back. By creating more open world environments than  Alan Wake s tightly-paced, linear levels, much of the tension has been lost. Going through Night Springs feels like running from one flash point to the next, with little to capture interest off the critical path. Having to revisit each area three times over the course of the story wouldn’t be so rough if each had more to see and do, but as it stands, traversing desolate areas bogs down the story’s pacing, proving Remedy had it right the first time.

Overall Impression

Packing in enough content to shame some full-retail games,  American Nightmare delivers plenty of thrills for its $15 price. While open areas bog down the pacing,  American Nightmare' s story adds depth and complexity to the writer’s tale, backed up by vastly improved combat. Upon completing this chapter of Wake’s saga, stick around for  Fight Till Dawn, which provides enough intense arcade action to stay fresh for dozens of hours. Remedy’s newest title stands out as one of the best downloadable titles to grace the Xbox Live Arcade, and lays a solid foundation for future  Wake titles to improve upon 

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