Did you notice how nothing good ever happens “on a dark and stormy night?”

Tonight, the Marstons are enjoying a quiet evening in front of the fire, comfortably sheltered from the storm that rages on outside. After a few sarcastic quips and touching family moments, everyone heads off to bed, completely unaware of the horrors that await them. Or the fact that this night of ill weather is (as it turns out) no exception.

It doesn’t take long for everything to go to hell. Corpses rise from their graves, family members devour family members and no one knows who to blame. Taking up arms once more, John heads out to find some answers.

First and foremost, it’s important for you to understand that Undead Nightmare is no mere add-on. Yes, there are new characters to use online in Free Roam. Yes, there’s a new co-op multiplayer mode (more on that later). And yes, there are new single player tasks. However, we’re not talking about a handful of zombie-related missions here. We’re talking about a full-blown single player campaign, complete with new story missions, new side missions, new random encounters, new enemies, new weapons and more. John even has new mid and post-action banter. “Didn’t I search you the first time you died?” is a personal favorite. Admittedly, this new campaign isn’t as lengthy as the main storyline was, but it should keep you busy for roughly five to six hours or more. Of course if you opt to do everything (find missing persons, track down mythical creatures, complete all the challenges, unlock all of the new outfits, etc…), you might be playing for several weeks.

John’s quest for the truth and a possible cure will take him through virtually every piece of familiar territory from the original game, with the living dead nipping at his heels the entire time. Most towns will be completely overrun, so you’ll have to assist the survivors by handing out ammo or slaughtering festering corpses before you’ll be able to sleep or initiate side missions. Once the rotting hordes have been driven back, the town will be safe. For a bit. Eventually the rampaging undead will renew their assault and the townsfolk will need your help once more. Fortunately, you can fast-travel to every town you’ve assisted by using the ever-popular “save game” beds. It goes a long way to making the constant protection of the frontier feel much less like a chore.

If you thought the untamed wilds were dangerous before, wait until they’re teeming with zombies. You see, these aren’t your garden-variety shamblers. They’re a combination of Romero’s animated corpses and Boyle’s feral savages. They’re stupid and can’t climb, but they’re also fast and incredibly aggressive. And unless you’re able to replace roughly 70% of their body mass with lead, only headshots will do. There are also different kinds of undead to contend with, including the basic zombies, rotund runners that can knock you for a loop, toxic bile spewing Retchers, zombies that scurry towards you on all fours, zombie bears and reanimated cougars, among other things. Chances are good that you’ll be using Dead Eye a lot more in Undead Nightmare than you ever did throughout the course of the regular story.

There’s more waiting for you out in the wilderness than rabid corpses and bloodthirsty monsters, however. Chances are good you’ll soon stumble across one of the new random encounters. They can range from the helpless being chased down by a pack of zombies to doctors looking for “live” specimens, and each of them feels natural to this hellish world. And while many of them involve the standard “shoot the bad things” gameplay, some of these encounters are much more subtle and disturbing. Being chased by dozens of feral zombies is harrowing, sure, but watching a grief-stricken and sobbing man fight off the reanimated corpse of (what one would assume to be) his loved one, only to turn the gun on himself afterward is something that really sticks with you. Rockstar deserves a lot of praise for nailing such a delicate balance between the intentionally goofy and campy, and the sickeningly disturbing and depressing.

While the single player mode is certainly robust, it’s only half of the package. Assuming you’re into it, you’ll also be able to partake in some Undead Overrun. This new co-op mode allows you and your friends (or random strangers) to work together and attempt to survive increasingly difficult waves of zombie hordes. At the start of each game you’re given a choice of various loadouts (Overkill is a personal favorite), then it’s off to the graveyard, complete with a spooky (and intentionally campy) introduction from a disembodied voice. Each wave will spawn a coffin full of ammo that you or your buddies will need to pry open in order to keep the lead flying, so make sure you stick together and watch your partner’s back or you’ll find yourself minus a man and low on rounds. It’s not all doom-and-gloom though, as you can earn temporary power-ups, like zombie burning phosphorus bullets which won’t necessarily guarantee success, but at least give you a fighting chance.

So is Undead Nightmare worth it? Sweet merciful crap, yes. Ten bucks isn’t exactly cheap, sure, but there are entire games you can purchase on Xbox Live or on PSN that don’t offer anywhere near this much content. And not just filler, but genuinely entertaining content. If you own and enjoy Red Dead Redemption, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by skipping over Undead Nightmare. Even if the concept of zombies in the Old West strikes you as idiotic, or if you’ve grown tired of seeing zombies in everything, it’s still worth a look.

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Things We Liked: A ridiculous amount of content for very little money. An unexpected, but very much appreciated, fully-fleshed-out single player story and campaign. Zombies done well, while still feeling slightly new. Virtually all of the little details have been adjusted to fit the zombie theme. A ton of extras to find. Undead Overrun is insanely fun. Finding some very special new steeds. “You can’t eat me! I’m Edward MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!”

Things We Disliked: Some challenges seem a bit… unfair (i.e. kill zombie cougars and bears with a torch). The ever-present bugs and glitches are still around, but thankfully aren’t as prevalent. Too much time wasted between the end of a round of Undead Overrun and start of a new one. The inability to skip the campy narration before each match, because sometimes you just want to get right to it.

Target Audience: Pretty much all Red Dead Redemption owners, whether they play online or not. Folks who love a good zombie killin’.

(Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare – Developer: Rockstar San Diego. Publisher: Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive. Available for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade – Xbox 360 version reviewed. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)