It’s been almost two years since we heard last from everyone’s favorite semi-insane Steven King wannabe, Alan Wake, and it seems that the soon-to-be-released Xbox Live Arcade title, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (No, it doesn’t involve Alan being unable to finish his Big Mac!) will be a massive departure for the series.

2010’s Alan Wake was a flawed masterpiece. It had interesting characters, a clever episodic layout, a deep plot, and what may be the greatest soundtrack ever heard in gaming. What the original title did lack, however, was variety! With only three, similar feeling weapons to choose from, enemies that all acted the same, and a somewhat boring combat system, Alan Wake slipped into “Gaming Averageness.”

Its sales where terrible too- Developers Remedy Entertainment (Along with Microsoft) spent millions on the game, only shipping 100,000 copies in its first few months. It looked like we’d seen the last of Mr. Wake, but as time went on, Alan Wake’s sales continued.  Surprisingly, it hit the one million games shipped mark a year after its release, and now, Alan is back baby! In his new downloadable feature, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare .

Don’t be fooled, it may be a XBLA title, but for only 1200 Microsoft Points (around £10) you’ll be getting a 5-6 hour single player mode, as well as a special “Fight ‘til Dawn” horde mode, with almost infinite replay value. It’s a good package, for the money, right?

That isn’t why this writer is excited though, oh no!  Remember all those boring bits of the first game that I mentioned earlier? Yeah, they’ve all been replaced with none-stop action! Alan Wake has turned from a madman into a total bad-ass!

American Nightmare takes place in a Twilight Zone inspired world. Wake’s trapped inside his own head, in a dream that he can and its all very surreal.  Back in the real world, Alan’s body has been taken over by a murdering alter-ego, known only as Mr. Scratch, who is trying to hunt down Wake’s wife, and kill her. (You with me?)

Alan has to battle through a route 66 desert world, and at long last, in his new bad-ass form, has some decent weapons to play with. Right off the bat, its been confirmed that American Nightmare will feature Nail-guns, Uzis and even cross bows for crying out loud! Enemies have also been given a much-needed makeover! They rage from possessed chainsaw wielding monsters, to demonic crows, to speedy blade possessing killers!

The world is far more engaging too! It’s got far more atmosphere and style then the boring old forests of the first game. Alan Wake tried so hard to be a classy horror game, but its safe to say, next to no one found it in any way scary. Taking this on bored, Remedy threw the “Horror” idea out the window altogether. American Nightmare may be filled with terrible foes, but Alan’s new weapons are more than enough to handle them. It’s all about action and explosions. Think of it like if Michael Bay came in and directed Alan Wake, but the developers managed to keep a unique style and gripping plot aboard!

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is designed to treat fans of the series, but to also get those who felt the first title war boring back on it’s side. If you’re new to the whole series, you don’t need to fear! It’s totally possible to enjoy this downloadable adventure without any knowledge of the Alan Wake world. It’s a completely new leaf for the series, one that few wouldn’t welcome!

Alan Wakes American Nightmare will be released exclusively on XBLA on February 15 and It’ll be 1200 MS points! I know for sure I’ll be picking it up, but if your still not convinced, expect a review from the Z1G team quite soon!

Oh, and you may want to be getting used to Alan Wake, as Remedy have announced that we will be seeing plenty more of him in the next few years!

We may be looking at one of the future icons of gaming!