Phonomezer
Banned
I was very impressed when shining the flashlight on the fan in the corner of the little security room at the beginning of the
Observatory
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Alan Wake's American Nightmare |OT| Not a lake, a primordial ocean.
- Thread starter derFeef
- Start date
I was very impressed when shining the flashlight on the fan in the corner of the little security room at the beginning of the
higherARC05
Banned
I was very impressed when shining the flashlight on the fan in the corner of the little security room at the beginning of theand watching the shadow being cast. Spent a minute or two moving in and out continuouslyObservatory
Dat lighting.
Period.
Elginer
Member
I was very impressed when shining the flashlight on the fan in the corner of the little security room at the beginning of theand watching the shadow being cast. Spent a minute or two moving in and out continuouslyObservatory
Did the same damn thing and was like... WHOA. That's some fucking insane ass lighting. I'm close to beating this and man its been a fun ride. Love the amount of story there is if you look for it. One of the best XBLA titles I've ever played. Visually, this without a doubt is the king of downloadable titles currently on LIVE. The lighting is godly, the atmosphere is thick and there's so much attention to detail everywhere I look. It's insane the amount of little things I've come across. I really hope this does well and we see an Alan Wake 2 on next-gen systems. I'm not gonna lie, if it's a launch title or near launch and I'd pluck down the money day 1. No bullshit. I love Remedy and Alan Wake is one of my fav new franchises this gen.
Incendiary
Banned
I rocked the magnum/crossbow for most of the game, personally. I switched it up at the end for the combat shotgun but yeah, there's no reason to go with anything besides the crossbow, really.
I beat it tonight because I couldn't put it down. Goddamn such a good game. Alan Wake is definitely up there as one of my favorite franchises ever. The lighting, the atmosphere, everything. This game introduced some enemy variety which was sorely needed. Also Mr. Scratch was fucking awesome and gave some much needed personality as a villain, as opposed to just the amorphous Darkness of the first one.
The only part I don't like is at the very end:
No boss fight against Mr. Scratch? LAAAAAAAAAAAAAME. I thought Remedy had finally fixed their problems with bosses after the really cool boss at the end of The Writer DLC, but nope. That was the only downside of the entire game.
Can't wait for whatever's next for the Alan Wake franchise. They could continue to do nothing but XBLA games and I'd be happy.
Just finished and it was awesome. I think the way they re-used the locations they created was pretty well done, considering that the budget was probably not too high. Still, a freaking great experience.
One thing that Remedy still doesn't get enough praise for is the combat they introduced in Alan Wake. I think it's fantastic. It can be challenging, it looks visually amazing, the controls are tight, and all weapons feel just right thanks to the sound design and feedback from shooting. Also pealing away the darkness adds strategy and can make even the simpler encounters tense.
The music fit the atmosphere perfectly, and once again this game proves that Remedy is at the top in this regard.
I wish there were more scary moments, but I understand they were going for a more action oriented experience.
And the story was great I think. As you progress you start to realize that is as much of a mindfuck as Alan Wake 1, but it's easier to follow, and DAT ENDING.
The wait for Alan Wake 2 is going to be painful.
One thing that Remedy still doesn't get enough praise for is the combat they introduced in Alan Wake. I think it's fantastic. It can be challenging, it looks visually amazing, the controls are tight, and all weapons feel just right thanks to the sound design and feedback from shooting. Also pealing away the darkness adds strategy and can make even the simpler encounters tense.
The music fit the atmosphere perfectly, and once again this game proves that Remedy is at the top in this regard.
I wish there were more scary moments, but I understand they were going for a more action oriented experience.
And the story was great I think. As you progress you start to realize that is as much of a mindfuck as Alan Wake 1, but it's easier to follow, and DAT ENDING.
The wait for Alan Wake 2 is going to be painful.
Incendiary
Banned
I just tried the first of the Nightmare Arcade levels and DUDE that is hard as balls. Going to really have to play it on normal and get a feel for the level, but I don't even think everything is in the same place. Just completing one of those levels is going to take some serious practice.
Robot Pants
Member
Yea the Nightmare maps are pretty tough. I usually run out of ammo around the final 2 minute mark and just spend the rest of the time trying to survive.
I just finished the achievement for surviving 6 minutes without getting hit (didn't get hit at all) and getting 100,000 points on a map. The hardest part was the damn grenade guys. They are by far the most annoying thing about this mode.
I just finished the achievement for surviving 6 minutes without getting hit (didn't get hit at all) and getting 100,000 points on a map. The hardest part was the damn grenade guys. They are by far the most annoying thing about this mode.
What was this? I think I found all of them but one in the first map, but I don't recall what standout you're talking about.
It's a cool detail that explains how the clothes he's wearing are a reminder of why he has to persist
j0hnny_385
Member
Finished it yesterday! AMAZING! Enjoyed every minute of the story.
Started Arcade yesterday...*sigh* it's gonna be a tough ride to get all three stars in every level.
*me at 7-8 multiplier ... feeling like a boss...*
*multiplier resets to 1*
me: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
Started Arcade yesterday...*sigh* it's gonna be a tough ride to get all three stars in every level.
*me at 7-8 multiplier ... feeling like a boss...*
*that idiot throws the "smoke grenade" behind me which I don't even see*
*multiplier resets to 1*
me: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
OdysseusVA
Banned
Two songs of the forever are now available on itunes
The Happy Song
http://itunes.apple.com/album/happy-song-american-nightmare/id504527107
Balance Slays the Demon
http://itunes.apple.com/album/balance-slays-demon-single/id504527241
The Happy Song
http://itunes.apple.com/album/happy-song-american-nightmare/id504527107
Balance Slays the Demon
http://itunes.apple.com/album/balance-slays-demon-single/id504527241
Im only a couple of hours in but Im absolutely loving the game. Took a while to get into the new setting but everything is top notch so far.. and its got those brilliant Remedy touches such as the tv & radio show's etc. that gives their games so much personality.
All the new guns are great as well. Remedy just gets the feeling of the guns so right. Just the standart revolver in AW feels so damn satisfying to shoot.
All the new guns are great as well. Remedy just gets the feeling of the guns so right. Just the standart revolver in AW feels so damn satisfying to shoot.
plagiarize
Banned
Soooo... lots of thoughts, not sure if i'll get them all down. I rolled into this after replaying Alan Wake and the bonus episodes on PC, the visual downgrade wasn't too bad fortunately. even having stared at the game in 1080p, 8xMSAA + FXAA never going below 30 fps, i still remember what the first one looked like on console, and this still clearly looks better from an IQ standpoint. going from mouse and keys back to a joypad was a breeze too, fortunately the Alan Wake controls are ingrained in my mind apparently.
initial impressions, i loved the title screen. i loved the very very beginning with
and the sign for
. I ran up the canyon, out to the derrick and instantly I'm hit with a much more open level than I'm used to.
The environment looked a little lower poly than I remember the environments in Alan Wake looking, but that could be a PC thing, or it could just be that the all the foliage disguised the poly counts of the environment. Initially, I'm suddenly bothered by the 'feel' of the environment compared to the pacific northwesty goodness of the original. I knew where this one was set, but it just didn't hit me until I was running through the environment myself.
I head for the motel and have a really awkward conversation that conveys a couple of things to me. Alan has changed quite a bit, and oddly seems much more positive after being stranded away from his wife and best friend for two years. I'm slightly uncomfortable with the 'banter'. I listen to the radio, and love hearing Barry, Tor and Odin jabbering away. I watch the TV by the airstream and enjoy the slice of Mr Scratch, and start my hunt for the three things I need to find.
Here's where I throw out a tiny complaint. Partway through my PC replay, I took someone elses advice and killed the HUD. In the original the subtle visual cues telling you which way to go made the GPS dot thing unnecessary, and having to use environmental clues immersed me more in the game, and it made a much bigger difference than I was expecting.
They've added the same option to American Nightmare, and it makes that first item hunt a bit of a bitch. There are loads of conspicuous places where the items could be, and I ended my first play session having only found
.
At this point... I'm kind of worried. I love Alan Wake. I love the characters, the setting, the gameplay. I enjoyed the DLC episodes more than most seemed to, so to be left cold by that first hour or so... it threw me a bit. I was supposed to love this game start to finish.
I consider turning on the HUD before I start playing the game again, because I know it would direct me to the items, but I choose not to. I wait until it gets dark last night, and start playing again, and everything starts to click. Yes I love the pacific northwest and Twin Peaks, but before Twin Peaks even existed I loved the Twilight Zone, and the setting and atmosphere here is pure twilight zone, right down to the twilight.
I find the missing items I need pretty quickly and the pace picks up. I get whisked off to the second location before I know whats happening, and that second level is quite brilliantly layed out, and designed imho. The first area, the boundries aren't obvious, and everything is just kind of scattered around, that second area there's maps, and everything is well connected and laid out.
The more pages I read, the more I come to understand where Alan is emotionally, the more comfortable I get with him. Initially, I was given no explanation for the change in Alan, and it distanced me from him... but had I known the game would brilliantly colour it in, I think I'd have been fine with it. The character in the second location is hilarious in a sort of 'total English bimbo playing a scientist' way that you get in some of the cheesy films that the game is referencing. not sure that it's intentional or not but i'm going to pretend it is.
On to the third location... love that one. I'm totally dialled into the americana atmosphere now. More weapon variety, increasing enemy variety are really bringing the game together. And Mr Scratch in person finally! What an incredible villian he is...
And then the big twist:
I'm so glad I didn't know that. Not that it hasn't been done in gaming before, but it justifies for me the reused levels. I love how the mechanic
for example.
I played up until the third time at the rest stop last night. Probably put six hours into it total so far, that's playing without the HUD and I believe getting all the pages I could so far. I'm only missing one page on the rest stop level, which hopefully won't be too hard to find. The increased visibility of the pages is appreciated, and I love how this time they do more than colour the experience.
I love what 'Night Springs' really is. I love the discussions of free will. I love what Alan has done. For people that are confused by what is going on, find the pages, and listen to them. Before you finish the game you will understand.
You can still put me down for a return to the Pacific Northwest in Alan Wake 2 (my dream is that we'll get bright falls as one massive open epic level before we move on elsewhere, or that we'll start elsewhere and go back to bright falls), but I'm still really enjoying American Nightmare for what it is.
I wish the beginning was a little tighter. I wish that first conversation hadn't been so jarring, but it wasn't long until I'd forgotten all about that. I'm glad I stuck with keeping the HUD off. It was fun exploring the rest stop area without knowing where the items were... and knowing it like the back of my hand made the revisits (and the progressive changes) all the more enjoyable.
I'm sure I'll finish the story mode up tonight, hopefully with all the pages, and then I'll start messing with the arcade mode. I hope Remedy patch in a harder difficulty for the campaign mode though. I'd totally replay it if I could do so with more challenging enemy encounters, and without endless resources. The new enemies and weapons really mix up the combat, but I sense it isn't really going to shine until the nightmare challenge maps.
all in all a steal for $15 already, and that's without dipping into Survive the Night, and that's coming from a fan of Mercs mode in the RE games. I'm sure I'll be spending some quality time with survival. And yes, I will definately still be double dipping on PC.
Edit: Oh, and one other thing. That video of Mr Scratch talking about Alice... so awesome.
initial impressions, i loved the title screen. i loved the very very beginning with
Bird Leg Cabin
Diver's Isle
The environment looked a little lower poly than I remember the environments in Alan Wake looking, but that could be a PC thing, or it could just be that the all the foliage disguised the poly counts of the environment. Initially, I'm suddenly bothered by the 'feel' of the environment compared to the pacific northwesty goodness of the original. I knew where this one was set, but it just didn't hit me until I was running through the environment myself.
I head for the motel and have a really awkward conversation that conveys a couple of things to me. Alan has changed quite a bit, and oddly seems much more positive after being stranded away from his wife and best friend for two years. I'm slightly uncomfortable with the 'banter'. I listen to the radio, and love hearing Barry, Tor and Odin jabbering away. I watch the TV by the airstream and enjoy the slice of Mr Scratch, and start my hunt for the three things I need to find.
Here's where I throw out a tiny complaint. Partway through my PC replay, I took someone elses advice and killed the HUD. In the original the subtle visual cues telling you which way to go made the GPS dot thing unnecessary, and having to use environmental clues immersed me more in the game, and it made a much bigger difference than I was expecting.
They've added the same option to American Nightmare, and it makes that first item hunt a bit of a bitch. There are loads of conspicuous places where the items could be, and I ended my first play session having only found
the kasabian CD
At this point... I'm kind of worried. I love Alan Wake. I love the characters, the setting, the gameplay. I enjoyed the DLC episodes more than most seemed to, so to be left cold by that first hour or so... it threw me a bit. I was supposed to love this game start to finish.
I consider turning on the HUD before I start playing the game again, because I know it would direct me to the items, but I choose not to. I wait until it gets dark last night, and start playing again, and everything starts to click. Yes I love the pacific northwest and Twin Peaks, but before Twin Peaks even existed I loved the Twilight Zone, and the setting and atmosphere here is pure twilight zone, right down to the twilight.
I find the missing items I need pretty quickly and the pace picks up. I get whisked off to the second location before I know whats happening, and that second level is quite brilliantly layed out, and designed imho. The first area, the boundries aren't obvious, and everything is just kind of scattered around, that second area there's maps, and everything is well connected and laid out.
The more pages I read, the more I come to understand where Alan is emotionally, the more comfortable I get with him. Initially, I was given no explanation for the change in Alan, and it distanced me from him... but had I known the game would brilliantly colour it in, I think I'd have been fine with it. The character in the second location is hilarious in a sort of 'total English bimbo playing a scientist' way that you get in some of the cheesy films that the game is referencing. not sure that it's intentional or not but i'm going to pretend it is.
On to the third location... love that one. I'm totally dialled into the americana atmosphere now. More weapon variety, increasing enemy variety are really bringing the game together. And Mr Scratch in person finally! What an incredible villian he is...
And then the big twist:
TIME LOOP!
I'm so glad I didn't know that. Not that it hasn't been done in gaming before, but it justifies for me the reused levels. I love how the mechanic
helps you out more each time
I played up until the third time at the rest stop last night. Probably put six hours into it total so far, that's playing without the HUD and I believe getting all the pages I could so far. I'm only missing one page on the rest stop level, which hopefully won't be too hard to find. The increased visibility of the pages is appreciated, and I love how this time they do more than colour the experience.
I love what 'Night Springs' really is. I love the discussions of free will. I love what Alan has done. For people that are confused by what is going on, find the pages, and listen to them. Before you finish the game you will understand.
You can still put me down for a return to the Pacific Northwest in Alan Wake 2 (my dream is that we'll get bright falls as one massive open epic level before we move on elsewhere, or that we'll start elsewhere and go back to bright falls), but I'm still really enjoying American Nightmare for what it is.
I wish the beginning was a little tighter. I wish that first conversation hadn't been so jarring, but it wasn't long until I'd forgotten all about that. I'm glad I stuck with keeping the HUD off. It was fun exploring the rest stop area without knowing where the items were... and knowing it like the back of my hand made the revisits (and the progressive changes) all the more enjoyable.
I'm sure I'll finish the story mode up tonight, hopefully with all the pages, and then I'll start messing with the arcade mode. I hope Remedy patch in a harder difficulty for the campaign mode though. I'd totally replay it if I could do so with more challenging enemy encounters, and without endless resources. The new enemies and weapons really mix up the combat, but I sense it isn't really going to shine until the nightmare challenge maps.
all in all a steal for $15 already, and that's without dipping into Survive the Night, and that's coming from a fan of Mercs mode in the RE games. I'm sure I'll be spending some quality time with survival. And yes, I will definately still be double dipping on PC.
Edit: Oh, and one other thing. That video of Mr Scratch talking about Alice... so awesome.
I was wondering why they added those myself, as they really make for a frustrating experience. But then I played Alan Wake PC and remembered that half the enemies in the original game were constantly throwing axes at you. So at least those guys are gone now.
It's a House Party game, so I'm sure there's some exclusivity window they're beholden to. Microsoft basically bribes them with free advertisement to make the game a timed exclusive.
plagiarize
Banned
the arizona desert used to be a primordial ocean. not a lake, an ocean.
...
edit: nevada. arizona. texas. whatever. some deserty thing somewhere.
Just a reference to Sam Lake's fun fact tweet about the Arizona desert, which itself doubled as a reference to the closing line of Alan Wake:
Sam Lake said:
snoopeasystreet
Member
American Nightmare will more than likely hit the PC. I'd also put my money on Alan Wake 2 being on the next Xbox.
This game is so well done, the sense of familiarity coupled with the dark, creeping boding that is constantly crawling over my skin between fights.... eeeeeeeeeeeee gives me tingles. Like a school girl! Such a great IP that's game mechanics stand out as the best I have played this generation.
American Nightmare is all but confirmed to hit the PC at a later date:
Remedy said:
And again, Alan Wake 2 is rumoured to be an early title for the Nextbox.
AndyMoogle
Member
It will be released on PC, but not anytime soon. AW2 will most likely be a timed exclusive as well.
plagiarize
Banned
i've heard people throwing around 'six months' as standard for games in these promotions. dunno if this is different with MS being the publisher of the retail titles in this franchise. anyone got a clearer picture?
Neuromancer
Member
Sorry I didn't see this until today. I'll PM you with the limited info I have but I suspect it was a temporary Live issue.Hey all,
Glad to hear you guys like the game. A lot of effort went into it
Can you elaborate on this? We've seen a few similar reports and are trying to figure out what the problem is. It could be just a temporary LIVE issue, where retrying a few minutes later should work again, but if the problem persists we'd obv want to get it fixed asap.
Also, it would be great to hear from anyone having issues whether which region they're from (you can PM me and I'll pass the info forward).
DangerStepp
Member
Downloaded this last night and looking to crack into it tonight.
How are my fellow AW fans liking it so far?
How are my fellow AW fans liking it so far?
i like it, but i find the dodge mechanic to be a bit hit and miss sometimes. as in, sometimes it activates the slow mo and other times it doesnt. i remember feeling the same about AW but after playing for a while i got the timing down better. i'm sure i just need to do the same for this (but i rarely have to dodge in the story mode at all
)FateBreaker
Member
Wow that was short. It felt like both DLC chapters from the original were longer. Oh well.
It was a fun experience but I was a little disappointed, and this is coming from someone who loved the original. It was pretty good, still. I just didn't like the repeating environment and repeating tasks. By the third time through, it made things really repetitive. I also never really cared about the screen tearing in the original, but I actually noticed it in this installment, which is saying a lot. It's ridiculous when you meet the Dr. What's-her-name.
I did like everything with Mr. Scratch, though, and liked the radio stations once again. I thought the manuscript pages had a huge decrease in quality from the original; they were just OK this game. Gameplay was great but still felt a little repetitive...I didn't get this feeling in the original.
The best thing about this one is the level design--it's way more open and in a very good way. I just wish there was more than three levels. I also liked the music, once again. Petri Alanko: yay.
I think I am just getting a little bored of this side-quest ambiguity. Every DLC piece just added more mystery to the mystery, and this one does too. It's still all a big maybe it's this, maybe it's not. I really liked that in the original, but there was still plot progression and occasional answers.
It was a fun experience but I was a little disappointed, and this is coming from someone who loved the original. It was pretty good, still. I just didn't like the repeating environment and repeating tasks. By the third time through, it made things really repetitive. I also never really cared about the screen tearing in the original, but I actually noticed it in this installment, which is saying a lot. It's ridiculous when you meet the Dr. What's-her-name.
I did like everything with Mr. Scratch, though, and liked the radio stations once again. I thought the manuscript pages had a huge decrease in quality from the original; they were just OK this game. Gameplay was great but still felt a little repetitive...I didn't get this feeling in the original.
The best thing about this one is the level design--it's way more open and in a very good way. I just wish there was more than three levels. I also liked the music, once again. Petri Alanko: yay.
I think I am just getting a little bored of this side-quest ambiguity. Every DLC piece just added more mystery to the mystery, and this one does too. It's still all a big maybe it's this, maybe it's not. I really liked that in the original, but there was still plot progression and occasional answers.
Incendiary
Banned
i like it, but i find the dodge mechanic to be a bit hit and miss sometimes. as in, sometimes it activates the slow mo and other times it doesnt. i remember feeling the same about AW but after playing for a while i got the timing down better. i'm sure i just need to do the same for this (but i rarely have to dodge in the story mode at all
Yeah, the dodge mechanic seems a little bit wonky. Sometimes I'll do it at the right point in an attack animation and I'll still get hit, so it's a little frustrating. Also, the sprinting guys are annoying because they'll sprint and get right on top of you and only attack after you've dodged. Bleh. I miss the little warning you get when Taken are sneaking up on you from the original game. Several times in the Arcade mode I'll have a good streak going and then WHAM out of nowhere I get hit by a guy from behind.
I'm so close to the 100k + 6-minute survival streak in the Trailer Park area. I just got the 6-minute streak but only 91200 points. The only time I got hit the entire time was at the 3-minute mark by a stupid grenade that literally hit me in the head. Argh.
plagiarize
Banned
unless you mean 'put together' not even close.
CrazedArabMan
Member
Really fun, as I stated earlier co-op would have been great. Only problem is that the Poetry in motion achievement is glitched for me, I have gotten over a 6 minute streak and 100,000 points twice now on the Oil Field level and still haven't gotten it. Maybe it is the level, but I'll try another level here tomorrow or later today.
Incendiary
Banned
From what I understand (and read somewhere else) the 6-minute streak has to include getting all the way to dawn. So surviving the first 6 minutes without getting hit won't unlock it, it has to be the last 6 minutes of the round.
D
Deleted member 13876
Unconfirmed Member
I'm missing
radio, other than that I've done everything there is to do. The Arcade Mode really isn't my thing though, but that's just a personal preference thing. I wouldn't do a solo horde mode in any game that has it.
every second
FateBreaker
Member
I think it was somewhat close. I remember beating each DLC in, like, 2 hours, so 2 DLCs = 4 hours. And this took me at max 4 hours...and I got all collectibles. I didn't get all collectibles in the 2 DLCs.
CrazedArabMan
Member
That is really lame, ugh, well now I know.
Fallout-NL
Member
Yes, it's fantastic isn't it? There's something about this game. I already like it a lot better than pretty much every game I played last year.
AndyMoogle
Member
This also has an arcade mode though; it is an XBLA game after all.
UpperCaseN
Member
I didn't even find the crossbow... dang it! Combat Shotty for the win, tho
edit: can anyone tell me where it is?
edit: can anyone tell me where it is?
D
Deleted member 13876
Unconfirmed Member
Look for the souvenir shop somewhat on a slope to the right in the drive-in. Missed it the first time too.
therealminime
Member
Is this worth a download? I very much enjoyed Alan Wake and the DLC, despite it's flaws. The superb atmosphere and occasional quirkiness is what I really like about the first game. Does this still have that?
FateBreaker
Member
True. And, speaking of which...
I like the arcade mode a lot...I spent a few hours with it today. I thought all Achievements were very easy in this game, except Poetry in Motion. Holy shit this is ridiculous. I am #60, or something, on one of the level's leaderboards. I'm at 75k, and the Achievement requires 100k. Hahahaha.
Finished it and felt it was disappointing. The concept was far greater than the execution almost entirely.
The interactions Alan did have with the characters were jarring, the combat was stupid easy(Arcade mode training wheels I guess?), and I was losing interest with each minute of play.
New enemy types were a plus, as was the change in location/scenery. This felt clearly like a meager bone to feed fans and should have been priced cheaper. It has reignited my interest to revisit the first game(and play the DLC episodes finally), but American Nightmare is a pretty weak entry for the franchise.
Mr. Scratch needed a bit more interaction in the nightmare to feel threatening, his comedic dalliances in the hotel room and constant 'plans' for Alan and Alice felt really empty as threats. The cycle Alan was trapped in was interesting, but the resolution was nonsensical.
The interactions Alan did have with the characters were jarring, the combat was stupid easy(Arcade mode training wheels I guess?), and I was losing interest with each minute of play.
New enemy types were a plus, as was the change in location/scenery. This felt clearly like a meager bone to feed fans and should have been priced cheaper. It has reignited my interest to revisit the first game(and play the DLC episodes finally), but American Nightmare is a pretty weak entry for the franchise.
UpperCaseN
Member
I saw the souvenir shop, but thought it was in the distance and unreachable. I encountered the crossbow in Fight til Dawn and didn't like it, so no big deal
speaking of Fight til Dawn, I appreciate it but it's not meant for me. I'm not a competitive/score attack/even multiplayer type of gamer. I played the 1st 2 levels and I'm good, don't care to play anymore.
Incendiary
Banned
I spent like 4 hours today on the Trailer Park level trying to get Poetry in Motion. Like, seriously, I know the first 6-7 minutes of that map like the back of my hand now: what spawns in each round, where they spawn, where all the flares/flash-bangs/ammo locations are. I am perfect through the first 7 minutes and then it all goes to hell during a round with a splitter, a bird-man, and a grenadier. One of those three always gets me, or one of the quick bastards hits me right as I'm going to eliminate one of those. Dammit.
Also, I've gone back and played some of Alan Wake to pick up some achievements I never got the first time around, and man you can tell there's a huge difference in combat between this one and the original. American Nightmare is a lot, lot quicker. I think it's a good thing, to be honest.
EDIT: Another thing I've noticed is Alan took a trip to the gym between Alan Wake and American Nightmare. Wow the difference in sprinting is tremendous.