More Alan Wake's sounding like it could only be a good thing to me. American Nightmare's a neat little 'romp' (hate that word) and an improvement from the original game's double-DLC epilogue that, despite ending great-ish, left me with mixed feelings. AN's story as it relates to the original boggled the mind, but is still damn good in the realm of video games; more self-aware flirtations with storytelling, this time more thoroughly entrenched in Alan Wake's schlocky influences. The story's half the length of the original, give or take a couple hours, but feels far shorter due to the (very!) limited number of environments available. Three maps, each repeated three times in a time loop. I tend to hate time loop stories, but this one left a mostly positive impression. It's reasoning is believable in the context of the story, but that doesn't stop it from sometimes feeling like a shallow excuse to lengthen the game. (I love the changes between repeats, e.g., NPCs recognizing you and starting to understand their own place in the loop--I especially like the scientist's 4th-wall commentary on being unable to remember anything outside of her purpose in the story.) I wasn't the biggest fan of the original's gunplay, and, tho improved (& more action-packed), I still ain't finding it great. I loved these games mostly for the evolutionary step in storytelling they represent in video games.
