Undead Nightmare's take on the zombie apocalypse is brutally satisfying and outrageously fun
The Bad: Repetitive mission design; bad script that can't decide between being serious or humorous.
Zombies are commonplace in video games these days, which is why it should come as no surprise that one of the biggest games of 2010, Red Dead Redemption, has incorporated them into its add-on, Undead Nightmare. What's strange about this is that it DID come as a surprise to us. We've seen zombies in games like Left 4 Dead and even in Call of Duty, but what sets Undead Nightmare apart from these games is the design and atmosphere of Red Dead Redemption. This is an open-world, third person shooter where the infection spreads in real time, and though it's quite a different experience than other zombie games, the same rules apply: shoot, run, turn around and repeat.
The story takes place (SPOILER) right after John is reunited with his wife and son. After returning home on a stormy night, John finds out that an infection has been spreading through the area after his wife and son are bitten by one of the lumbering victims. After hog-tying his infected family, John seeks out old friends to try and find an explanation, and possibly a cure, for the mysterious infection. This is easier said than done, considering most of John's acquaintances are either suffering from insanity or the infection itself. The story isn't incredibly deep, but it provides just enough incentive for you to push on through the zombie hordes.
One area where Undead Nightmare disappoints is in its script. It seems to have trouble deciding whether or not it wants to be funny or serious at times. As a result, some of the "jokes" come off a little flat. Of course, not all of the script is bad. There are some believable conversations between a few characters, but the majority of the dialogue just isn't impressive. Luckily the voice acting is incredibly well done. Original voice actors reprise their previous roles with stunning realism. Hearing them scream as they're being devoured by the undead or stutter as they fear for their lives really shows each actor's devotion to his/her character.
Undead Nightmare is fairly simple in its design. A wealth of old and new characters will give you missions that usually have you riding your trusty steed to a location before you attempt to rid an area of the zombie scourge. Other than the main quests, you can still participate in side quests that involve collecting herbs, finding unique new horses that compliment the game's overall atmosphere, or ridding a town of zombies for a short period of time. The latter is especially important considering you can only save or fast travel from towns that have been liberated from the infection.
Completing quests doesn't net you cash anymore. After all, what good is money during the zombie apocalypse in 1911? Instead, you'll be rewarded with ammo, which you'll definitely need. You'll be able to put this ammo to good use through a more plentiful Dead Eye meter which allows you to slow down time and tag multiple targets for instantaneous kills…just as long as you aim for the head. Plentiful enemies make Dead Eye a necessity in your ever-growing arsenal. Early on you'll gain access to a torch which allows you to burn zombies as well as make room for yourself when in large crowds. You'll also come across Holy Water, which can kill multiple undead with a large blue flame reminiscent of a Molotov cocktail. One of the later weapons, the blunderbuss, can be especially useful thanks to its wide spread and limitless ammo comprised of undead body parts.
Overall the gameplay in Undead Redemption is loads of fun, mainly because it switches things up so drastically from the original Red Dead Redemption. Instead of taking cover, you're running for your life, fighting for higher ground. Different zombie variants like spitters and larger tank-like zombies will also keep you on your toes. It's incredibly tense and hectic. And, if you have friends, there's a co-op mode allowing you to team up with fellow survivors in order to survive relentless waves of zombies. In short, it's an absolute blast!
Undead Nightmare is one of the best examples of downloadable content done right. It's fun, varied and mixes things up just enough to make the overall premise seem fresh and exciting. If you enjoyed Red Dead Redemption and have ten bucks lying around, you'd be brainless not to try Undead Redemption.