Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

This is what I hope the future of downloadable games will be; top notch AAA production values in the form of small $12-$15 packages. Alan Wake's American Nightmare is an excellent game, which will surely whet the appetite of fans of the original for the sequel.

I loved Alan Wake, but American Nightmare makes me more optimistic for its future and I'd really like to see Remedy pursue future installments on a smaller, episodic scale like this.

If you are fan of Alan's painful journey, you've probably already downloaded this gem and know the greatness that continues to please fans again and again. If you have never played this title, I urge you to play the original to understand the story mode as this game does little to explain the past and expects you to already know the events that have happened.

Despite some repetition in the environments, the bigger arsenal of weapons, new enemies, easier-to-follow story, and the new Fight 'til Dawn mode make Alan Wake's American Nightmare a fantastic addition to anyone's arcade library.

Hats off for Remedy, who's made a daring move by releasing an Alan Wake game on Xbox Live. All our fears have been put to shame. This is the best Xbox Live Arcade game we've played yet.

With a great story, cool time-loop premise, interesting characters and exciting survival combat, I loved every minute I was trapped in Alan Wake's American Nightmare and look forward to more of this style of episodic content, and hopefully a full-fledged sequel sometime soon.

If this is the kind of improvements to the series that we can expect out of Remedy, then you can count me as waiting on baited breath for the next episode.

All in all, I'd say Alan Wake's American Nightmare is an easy pick for anyone looking for an action-heavy title with a horror twist. It's got the graphics, it's got the gameplay, it's got the diversity of weapons… all this plus a nice, dark story, for a very reasonable price. If pumping bullets into deadly, frenzied humans hasn't gotten old for you yet, be sure to check this one out.

Interesting and understandable plot, less running in a dark forest but more action. New Alan shows how XBLA games should be done. [Feb 2012]

Mr. Wake, welcome to the mass market: less demanding, more casual than the original. New players will be eased into the world of Alan Wake and fans will surely enjoy the new Fight till Dawn mode in addition to having some loving memories on the original game.