Short but not as sweet as is could have been
Having been a big fan of the first game i was really looking forward to what this game had to offer. New bad guy, New setting, but in every place it could have and should have improved it did little if not less than its predecessor. The only reason it gets away with this is because its not effectively a full game its an xbox arcade title that's found its way to the PC
Chances are anyone who enjoyed the dark and spooky setting of the first game will be disappointing here as AN is far from as atmospheric and tense as the original game. Ammo is everywhere making the game overly easy, the NPC's are boring and poorly acted and the story feels rushed and lacks in suspense. While the antagonist Mr Scratch is amusing at times he is not the spooky evil old ghostly woman from the first game and as a result has zero scare factor
The maps to the game are decent enough and can be fun to explore but get repetitive quickly as you return to them more than you want to, making the game a bit of a chore later on. That's not to say they are poor as the do differ a little every time you visit and there are still weapons and manuscripts to be found, though that is about all
Remedy have included some new weapons to the game which are nice and feel powerful enough to enjoy. The downside to this is that the game being as short as it is you do not get chance to enjoy them as much as you might like, and due to the everlasting supplies of ammo the game once again becomes that little bit less tense
There are new enemies replacing some of the old ones, but while they are a little different they are effectively the same as the rest of the standard axe wielding enemies but with out the axe
The few places this game earns itself some brownie points are the little details like the radio shows you can listen too and the TVs scattered around that you can watch. Gone are the Night springs shows and are replaced by videos Mr Scratch leaves for you, which gives a nice little insight into the kind of person he is. While not are eerie as they once were they still give the game its quirky edge that keeps if entertaining.
In conclusion, the game is still a decent game and worth a play if your a fan of the original. The problem is it feels more like an add on to the first game only lacking a lot of the things which made the first one as good as it was. The game is very short and can be finished in a few hours, though has a little more life if your willing to explore. All in all the game is not bad and not good its average and only really worth the effort if you are a fan of the first game.