'Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare' is the best thing ever.

Back in October, I suggested that Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption DLC, Undead Nightmare, just might be the best thing ever.

It is.

My Playstation 3 isn't connected to our Internet, so I can't exactly write a full review since I haven't experienced Undead Nightmare's multiplayer. However, I can write a sweet list explaining the DLC's awesomeness. Here are five reasons why Undead Nightmare could be my game of the year.


1. It puts other downloadable content to shame.
With its Episodes From Liberty City Grand Theft Auto IV add-ons, Rockstar Games demonstrated that its approach to downloadable content would be different from that of other developers. Undead Nightmare continues this trend. This is more than just a typical add-on pack. We get new weapons, new outfits, new challenges, a new visual style, a new main questline, and more. If you're looking to get some bang for your buck, look no further. At about $10 as DLC and $30 on disc (or cheaper if you find a good holiday sale), Undead Nightmare is a steal.

2. The Blunderbuss.
Undead Nightmare introduces several new methods for dispatching foes. Though Holy Water and the Explosive Rifle are very cool, the Blunderbuss steals the show. Its reload time is very slow, and its range is only moderate, but its effect is more than worth dealing with those little caveats. The Blunderbuss essentially turns whatever it's pointed at into a fine pink mist. Oh, and you can create ammo from undead body parts. I love poetic justice.

3. Mythical creatures. Enough said.
I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice to say Undead Nightmare doesn't take itself too seriously. You'll find all kinds of mythical creatures across the game's desolate, zombie-filled landscape. These include the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, all of which can be found, broken and ridden. Each offers a different ability to help John Marston in his quest. Be sure to search for more mythical creatures (and some freaky undead ones) in Undead Nightmare's surreal Wild West.

4. Once again, you get to play after the ending.
Bethesda Softworks and Obsidian Entertainment, take note. Good open-world games let you play after their endings. I love Fallout: New Vegas, but I would've rather seen the game delayed a few months so the ending didn't force me to reload a previous saved game to keep playing. Rockstar devised a very clever way to allow players to continue after Red Dead Redemption's ending, and they don't disappoint here, either.

5. It's a gaming revolution.
My number five may sound like overly high praise, but hear me out. The zombie genre (in every medium) almost always presents apocalyptic scenarios in which the undead have taken over the known world. So, why haven't we seen a truly open-world zombie gaming experience? Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead are great, but they are very linear. Undead Nightmare is the first truly open-world zombie-filled game I've played. I believe zombie games were meant to be played like this, and Rockstar pulled it off in a very big way with this game.


It may be "just DLC", but Undead Nightmare is also the best DLC I've ever experienced. If you like cowboys, zombies or good games in general, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try.