ALAN WAKE’S AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
MICROSOFT (XBOX 360, PC)
HHHH
Rating: 
You don’t need to have played 2010’s cinematic adventure Alan Wake to dive into this downloadable pseudo sequel. A stand-alone game (meaning you don’t need the original to play it), American Nightmare opens with the titular flashlight-wielding writer transported to one of his own creations—the campy, creepy, made-for-TV town of Night Springs. Here, story takes a backseat to action as Wake takes on waves of Taken, the psychotic desert dwellers that go bump in the game’s perpetual night. Manuscript pages scattered around town fill in the backstory for newbies, but they’re more worthwhile for the weapons they unlock, including sawedoff shotguns and power tools. Bonus arcade modes flesh out the package, making the $15 game a killer deal.
