Following on from last weeks WARP review, we're into the second week of the Xbox Live House Party phenomena that sweeps the interwebs every 12 months. This week: Alan Wake's American Nightmare. I aim to have a review for every installment of the month long festivities, so strap in! American Nightmare is not really a follow up to the 2010 original, neither is it a follow on. It's more of a side project. American Nightmare is to Alan Wake what Undead Nightmare is to Red Dead Redemption. It bears its name, true, but it's not a full installment in the series. What it is, however, is a fun, kind of addictive, entry in the series.
Released last week at the measly price of 1200 MS points, Alan Wake's American Nightmare follows Alan Wake, an American writer. In this weird Twilight Zone pastiche, Alan has written a story for the ever popular Night Springs television show, and has somehow got himself trapped in the episode. In the episode Alan's twisted doppelganger, Mr Scratch, has trapped Alan in a strange time loop, and has threatened to take everything Alan holds dear, wife included. Alan must successfully navigate his way through three areas, helping the people he comes across, in order to save them, and ultimately save himself.
That story may sound difficult to understand in this "synopsis" form but trust me, it's so much more complicated in action. The dialogue is so...assuming. It's an onslaught of detail at breakneck pace that demands your attention. Your full attention. And in this modern age of iPods and typewriters, it's difficult to offer it. And, now don't judge me, but...
I haven't actually played the first game, Alan Wake. This may sound a bit strange, considering I'm reviewing this game in particular, but I felt it necessary to mention this before I dive into the bulk of the review. But THERE WE GO.
American Nightmare features a horde-type mode that seems to be featured in every game released from here on in. You're given 10 minutes to build up as many points as you can. Your point multiplier builds up the longer you remain untouched. You're basically playing for leaderboard positioning and acheivements. There are several maps to play through. It's actually brilliant. It's really really fun in that horde mode way. It would've been cool for some form of co-op to be added, but, really, that's not a problem.
American Nightmare is a gorgeous game. The characters looks really real. As unprofessional as it may sound, it's true. True facts. Facial expressions, the movement of Alan, even the movement of the enemies Alan faces, all move with a real sense of fluidity. It's amazing to see, especially from an arcade, downloadable title. The environments are sprawling, yet empty. They're filled with details most XBLA titles would only dream of. In my experience, the best looking arcade titles opt for a more stylized look (Bastion, Limbo), but, and I think I said this last week, but this is up there with the best looking titles available on the service.
Alan Wake is billed as an atmospheric psychological thriller. I'm not sure how that translated in the first game, but that certainly doesn't come across in this. There's a handful of NPCs that populate the areas, and adds to the feeling that Alan's alone in this world, however you never feel as if Alan's in any real danger. The enemies he faces progressively get more difficult to kill, but they aren't particularly difficult in the first place. And it's a shame, because the combat, while simple, is pretty awesome.
The enemies you face are concealed in darkness, which make them invulnerable to your attacks. Alan has the ability to utilize light, via a torch, flash grenades, flares, and street lights, which weaken your attackers and make them kill-able. And every enemy you face will go down in the same way: stun for a few seconds, pour on the lead. it's a simple, yet innovative, combat system, that isn't particularly utilized as well as it could be. Again, I'm not sure how this worked in the first game, but I feel there's a real opportunity to create some really cool puzzles that Remedy have missed here.
I wanted to do a section on the soundtrack. All I can say really is it's very ambient. End. OH, Kasabian are on it. And I like Kasabian.
American Nightmare is a brilliant title. It lasts about 6 hours, the arcade mode will keep you coming back, and it's brilliant value. It's not without a few flaws, but at the low low price of 1200 MS points, I can't help but recommend this to anyone looking for a quality time killer. It might just be a time killer, but it's a damn good one.
FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10
I'm watching Scrubs right now, and apparently the next XLHP title's released tomorrow, and that title iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssss... Nexuiz. I don't know what that is. Probably watch a few trailers and buy it tomorrow. There'll be a review of that game BY next Wednesday, which is when I Am Alive is FINALLY released. UNTIL THEN, MY LOVE.
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