In all most two years we have heard all most nothing of Alan Wake and his world. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare was announced back at E3 2011 and was a complete shock to everyone considering it was an XBOX LIVE ARCADE game and not a full fledged title. Since then, the crazier news that there would be a wave based survival mode in it(Horde Mode). Made people even more unsure as to what to expect from this latest installment in the Alan Wake Universe. Personally, I never really liked Alan Wake very much. I found the story mildly interesting but the gameplay never really caught me. I watched the whole first game and DLC add-ons primarily on Youtube. So I knew the previous events going in. If you have never heard of Alan Wake or played the first game, you might be a little lost at first but about 2/3 of the way through American Nightmare they catch you up. Most of the way anyway. One of the things they don’t really explain is that Alan is trapped inside the show he wrote before he became a novelist. This is a Twilight Zone type of program called, “Night Springs.”
The focus in the Story is definitely on the action. I enjoyed the story while it was rather simplistic and once I was near the ending I knew what was going to happen. But that was OK, the game never wears out its welcome and if you ask me this game could be an incredibly important first step in the future of video games. Just think another Halo or Call of Duty with a 3-4 hour first episode and then some multiplayer for $15. Additional episodes would cost the same with upgraded features in the multiplayer and more story. This would solve everyone’s problems with story length; while all ways giving people something fresh to play.
The only problem with American Nightmare is the repetition built into the story. This was obviously done because when doing a game of this size you can’t have too many assets and set pieces or your going to go over budget and end up with a $60 game for $15. The player either makes the leap of faith or they don’t. If you don’t make the leap, there is nothing I can say or explain that will make you like the story. If you do make the leap, then you will notice that every time Alan revisits an area a lot of things are different even within the sameness. Characters comment on what is going on and that they shouldn’t remember that everything happened before but they do. So and so on…. It’s fun and campy stuff. If you don’t like that sort of thing; then why are you playing Alan Wake games at all? Anyway, Remedy is definitely giving the player a $60 for a $15 price. So if you like the original Alan Wake, you will probably enjoy this game. If you have never played Alan Wake before; you may want to pass this up unless you are a rather patient sort.
The Arcade Mode’s wave base survival isn’t a fresh innovation but it certainly adds something to the game. Where the Story mode can be a little too easy perhaps, for the average gamer. The Arcade Mode rarely gives the player any quarter. For instance, I had forgotten that in the original Alan Wake, your flashlight battery would recharge if you stopped aiming it for a little while. I only remembered this when I was down to 3 batteries in the Arcade Mode and was getting nervous. If I hadn’t all ready finished the game, I could go back and never have to replace my batteries. Well, maybe not never; but you get the idea. This combat focused mode is great for folks who love the combat in Alan Wake. Honestly, I was a little burned out by the time reached the end of the Story mode. But I would recommend playing the Arcade Mode during the time when you play the Story not after. I think you’ll like it a lot more.
I have to say that I really enjoyed American Nightmare. I was a little surprised at how interested I was in finding out what happened. And while the story might not be the most original in the world, it definitely was meaty enough to draw me in. I would say that if you’ve played Alan Wake and it’s DLC; but still wondering about picking this up. You definitely should for the low price of $15. Also, if you’re are at all interested in seeing what could possibly be the future of video games, you might want to check it out as well. 9/10….
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