Clever plot, great music, very fun gameplay, and a reasonable price make this DLC an absolute winner.
"Undead Nightmare" is, without a doubt, one of the best DLC's of 2010 (if not THE best). It offers an exceptional six hour campaign with a silly, yet clever and funny plot, and it also introduces a new multiplayer mode where you get together with different people to fight the endless waves of undead creatures. Yes, there are a few flaws and game bugs, but trust me, these minor problems will not hold you back from enjoying this outstanding DLC.
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Storyline: A+
The story of this DLC is really straightforward; there is a plague that is spreading throughout the country. This plague is turning all the living things (humans,animals, and even plants) into undead creatures. John, the protagonist of the game, is trying to find out where is this plague coming from and why is it infecting everything. Yes, the story is that simple. Your main objective is to find the source of the plague, and find a way to stop it from spreading.
It is a really overused idea that has been done thousands of times in different movies and video games. However, there are two things that make this story really interesting and unique. First of all, it takes place in the Wile West. I personally haven't seen any movies or haven't played any games with this subject matter that take place in a Western setting. The second thing that makes this plot really interesting is the comedy. John talks to many different people about the plague, and just seeing all these people accusing every possible thing of being the main reason for the outbreak really makes you laugh. Especially because these people supposed to represent stereotypical American citizens (at that time period)! Plus,some really wired stuff happens during the DLC and they don't make any sense at all, but they are all funny as hell!
Overall, I think the story of this DLC is not meant to be taken seriously. It's silly, funny, and clever. So just sit back, enjoy, and try not to take it seriously!
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Gameplay: B+
The gamepaly mechanism is exactly the same as the main campaign of Red Dead Redemption; same type of interface, same control scheme, and same combat system. The only difference is that this time, your enemies are the hordes of undead creatures. This is the reason that this DLC is much more fun than the actual campaign of the game! Imagine this: you throw an undead bait on the ground. The smell of the bait attracts a huge number of undead monsters. Then, you choose your dynamite from your weapons menu, throw it in the middle of the undead crowd, and.....BOOM! Trust me, it is so much fun!
There are only three types of enemies, which is unfortunate, but it's really not that big of a deal (although I would have loved to see more types of undead creatures).
There is one problem with the gameplay; the missions are really repetitive. They don't get boring by any means, but it would have been nice to see a little bit more of variety. All you pretty much do in this DLC is saving cities, burning graveyards, and talking to people. The missions that people give you are not that exciting either. But fortunately, there is other stuff to do besides the story missions. There are undead challenges that you can complete and several outfits that you can unlock. You can also check the survivor missions,and I really encourage you to do so because unlike the story missions, these missions are funny, unique, and interesting.
All in all, I think the gameplay of this DLC is really fun, and even though the main missions are a bit repetitive, the exciting and fast shootouts, several challenges to complete, seven outfits to unlock, and excellent side missions can keep you entertained for awhile.
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Music and Voice acting: A+
The voice actors from the actual game are back, and they have done a fantastic job once again. It's needles to say that the voice acting was topnotch in the main game, and it is brilliant in this DLC as well.
Music is.... mind blowing! All the soundtracks are original and they are not rehashes from the actual game; they are different combinations of Western themes and creepy sound effects. But the part that surprised me the most was the second I hoped on my horse to start the last mission. A really groovy and catchy soundtrack started playing in the background. I was impressed, but then someone started singing! I could not believe that the game developers actually made a song with lyrics just for this DLC! This song was too good! The lyrics were really funny too!
In conclusion, the music is fantastic and the voice acting is amazing, just like the main campaign of Red Dead Redemption.
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Graphics: A+
One word: stunning. I'm not going into details about the visuals because there is really no point. We all know that Red Dead Redemption was one of the best looking games of this year.
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IN CONCLUSION:
Like I mentioned before in my review, this DLC is definitely worth your money. It is rich in content, and only ten dollars. So what are you waiting for? Go buy it! Or at least try to find someone who has the DLC and play it with them! Trust me, you will have a blast playing through this brilliant expansion pack.
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OVERALL SCORE:
A+
9.0/10
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