I must admit i do like the name American Nightmares Also Microsoft confirmed as being the publisher is somewhat interesting because a few months back they were talking as though they wouldn't have any more involvement with the series/somewhat undecided.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare, the new Xbox Live Arcade installment of Remedy's series, is going to be more action-oriented than the 2010 original.

"One of the things about Alan Wake is that people loved the story, the setting and the theme but people wanted more in-your-face action," Remedy vice president Aki Järvilehto told Eurogamer, "people wanted more variation, different types of enemies and different types of weapon."

And that's precisely what Alan Wake's American Nightmare will offer - as well as a new arcade mode that sits alongside the story called Fight 'til Dawn. While details are still scarce on the new mode, it's safe to assume that it'll offer the same kind of wave-based gunplay of Gears of War's Horde mode.

"It's more faster-paced, and more action-orientated," said Aki, "I think people expect that from an XBLA game."

I didn't

Guy probably decided not to show up because he heard Taffy was a Cow-exploding fantasist mentalist.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare: First details
Evil Alan roams the open-world...

Alan Wake might be the talk of the town but little is known about his re-emergence on Xbox Live Arcade. Fortunately, Xbox World magazine has delivered a sprawling eight-page feature chalk-full of details on the flannel-clad writer's newest nightmare.

According to the mag, Alan Wake's American Nightmare draws thematic and narrative inspiration from pulp action-adventures such as From Dusk 'Til Dawn and other Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez material.
The XBLA follow-up is a return to Alan Wake's open-world roots, featuring a hub structure which will see players returning to locations multiple times during the story. The game is described as "significantly bigger than any episode of the original game."

American Nightmare takes place two years after the events of the original game. Since saving Alice, his perpetually in danger other half, and confining himself to the 'Dark Place' beneath Cauldron Lake Alan has become an urban-legend.

In his absence fans of the writer have re-imagined him as a Candyman of sorts, the legend goes that Alan vanished into the woods of Bright Falls and returned as Mr Scratch, a maniacal serial killer.

Like all good urban myths uttering Mr Scratch's name a few too many times is rumored to summon him, and since things have a way of mysteriously coming true in Alan's world, the evil doppleganger has manifested and is on his way to finish Alice off, leaving a trail of bodies and video evidence of his murderous activities for Alan to find.

During the game players will learn what became of Alice, as well as Alan's agent Barry, after the events of the first game through new manuscript pages, TVs and radios, Xbox World reveals.

Although it still relies on the same combat mechanics as the original game, enemies now respond to Alan's light-based attacks in different ways that force him to switch up his tactics. A new crossbow weapon which can pierce through the darkness protecting enemies has been introduced, along with and Uzis, military-grade rifles and a nailgun, which Alan can use to overwhelm his foes.

For the full eight-page feature on Alan Wake's American Nightmare pick up Xbox World magazine issue 113, which also includes an exclusive look at Rainbow Six Patriots.

Eeek

“This is one step on Wake’s path forward, and it certainly doesn’t end here. For some gamers it begins here, and we think this is a cool entry point. But right now, this is what we’re focused on.”

It’s “close to five hours” long, according to head of franchise development Oskari Häkkinen, and transports Wake from America’s tree-strewn Pacific Northwest to the Arizona desert.

The structure, too, has shifted. “If Alan Wake was two-thirds story and one-third action, American Nightmare is one-third story and two-thirds action,” Myllyrinne adds, before likening it to Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn.

For the moment, though, Alan Wake is to remain with Microsoft, who will publish American Nightmare. Remedy came forward with the game as the next step in Wake’s adventure and Microsoft was “supportive” of the idea of an XBLA-only update, so don’t expect it to appear elsewhere.

I didn't