Undead Nightmare Just as Stirring as the Original

User Rating: 6 | Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare X360

While most games have DLC that just touches the very edges of the original game it hearkens back to, this DLC makes the most of an amazing game. In Undead Nightmare, the player is treated to playing John Marston as he watches the world turn wild, wilder than before, people eating other humans, turning into living dead. The game world is identical to the one that you may have traversed during your first journey, the only difference is that your save file isn’t there to be used and you must accrue new ammo and unlockables as the game moves on. It keeps the game feeling fresh, though frustrating at first.

The story follows John after his family is infected and many of the people you encountered the first time around are there again, alive or about to be attacked and John must step in to either save them or watch them die from their own foolhardiness. The weapons are the same and you can have one horse, an undead one or tame a mythical one. There are plenty of things to do in this game and while I did try some of it, none of it drew me in as the original did.

For me, what stood out in this game is while the mechanics were the same, the controls the same, the story didn’t resonate while playing our fallen hero. It almost felt hollow. By that same token, the game made light of itself and that made it all worthwhile. This is the kind of DLC I’d like to see more of. It puts you back where you’re comfortable, turns things on its head, but still makes the game both memorable and fun. If you didn’t play this when it first came out, it is well worth the play.