Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare box art

System: PS3, X360	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Rockstar San Diego / Rockstar North	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Rockstar Games	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 26, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1, 1-16 (Online)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Mature	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Not wanting to leave out the online community of Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar has added a couple of new modes. The first, directly related to the Undead Nightmare DLC, is Undead Overrun. You and three other friends will face wave after wave of zombies with one goal â€“ survive. This is fun and reminded me a lot of the past successful variation on "Horde mode" made popular in the Gears of War series, and copied by nearly everyone since. Undead Overrun works well and is a lot of fun; it will especially appeal to those who are fans of Left 4 Dead who need a newer fix of zombie killing fun. Then there's Land Grab, which works in the free roam multiplayer mode. The basis of this mode is just how it sounds. You have to find and maintain land to claim it; like that crappy Far and Away movie, except with more killing.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare screenshot

While the new content adds a certain amount of freshness to the game, much like the original game mode, the music and voice acting stand out. The score primarily is still as rewarding and melodic. The only difference is the eerie overtone added to mix in the horror element, and this is accomplished rather nicely. The voice actors of the original all return as well. I felt the original had fantastic one-liners displaying the simple-minded "ignorance" of John at times. These moments are full force in the DLC as well. One of my personal favorites uttered by John in complete seriousness, "It ain't right to drink your loved one's bloodâ€¦" These lines remind me of old B-rated horror films that take themselves seriously. Here they work on both the serious level and laugh-out-loud levels. This is due to the same level of professional voice acting as was displayed with the original story mode. The same can be said about the visuals. With the same level of detail and attention, Undead Nightmare captures the beauty of the west, except with ZOMBIES!

It can be said the repetitive nature of the gameplay, the same environment, even the same melodic music, all give credence to the questionable purchase of the DLC. However, I think it is well worth the price tag. Offering a new element to Red Dead Redemption, one of this year's best titles, Undead Nightmare refreshes everyone's mind on the title right during award season. Plus, did I mention there are ZOMBIES and BIGFOOT?! In a time when every DLC seems to scream online multiplayer, it is refreshing to see the importance of the single-player experience is not forgotten.

By Matthew Walker
CCC Site Director

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.8

Graphics
The same great visuals, with ZOMBIES!

4.5

Control
Controls are mostly the same, with ZOMBIES! However, there is an occasional issue with connectivity of certain weapons.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Voice acting is once more a highlight as are the now eerie melodies of the score, with ZOMBIES!

4.7

Play Value
While the single player's initial outing may not be as long as I would have liked, it does offer a great zombie inspired western tale just in time for Halloween.

4.7

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Relive elements of Red Dead Redemption's open world except now with ZOMBIES!

Fight off the undead as John Marston tries to find a cure to save his loved one.

New multiplayer experiences, including â€“ Undead Overrun.