The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
Today, we saddle up for a western-themed zombie bonanza in Red Dead Redemption’s blood-soaked expansion pack, Undead Nightmare.
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Developer: Rockstar
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Price: $10.00/£7.99
To quote the late, great Dennis Hopper’s aristocratic antagonist in Land of the Dead – “Zombies man, they creep me out.” Yep, that about sums up our thoughts too—but we still can’t get enough of them. Evidently, it seems we’re not the only ones, with the stench of decomposed flesh wafting up the nostrils of industry devs across the board, inaugurating an undead invasion of epic proportions. Simply put, the blighters are everywhere. From the stonkingly good Nazi Zombie invasion of Activision’s Call of Duty series to Sega’s incongruous zombie push in Yakuza: Of The End, the shambling Hordes of Hades have never been so popular. Fortunately for us, Rockstar woke up and smelled the corpses last Halloween, offering one of the most memorable DLC offerings of 2010.
Undead Nightmare lassoes players back in to the sprawling sandbox of John Marston’s epic Wild West quest, only this time the proceedings take a distinct B-movie twist. The dead have risen from their graves and now run amuck through the wilderness, overrunning towns and snacking on the panicking populous. However, all is not lost, as Marston saddles up and takes on the self-appointed task of subverting the stinking, shambling masses and finding a cure for the pandemic. But for us, it’s just an excuse to pump some undead full of lead—and even be poetic about it too.
As Marston, players must travel from town-to-town, extricating panic-stricken civilians from the invading zombie hordes by wiping out the undead infestation. Spooky cemeteries replace the enemy camps of the standard game, where copious waves of undead lurk, affording ample killing opportunities. Tapping in to survival horror territory, ammo remains scarce, so those of you with an itchy trigger finger be warned—treat it like gold dust, or be prepared to become someone’s late night snack. The game’s Dead Eye function comes in particular handy for conserving those precious bullets, allowing you to target a zombie’s temple and put their lights out with one viscerally satisfying slug.
Rockstar also threw in a heap of hidden creatures to uncover for good measure, including Bigfoot, Chupacarbra and the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, the latter of which can be tamed and mounted. The local wildlife also benefited from a zombie makeover, so you’ll come across undead incarnations of grizzly bears, wolves and cougars among others to hunt down. Of course, the undead fest isn’t merely limited to the single player campaign. The multiplayer component has also been revamped, offering an array of fresh zombie skins, as well as the frantic “Undead Overrun” mode, where gamers must team up and survive a nail-biting undead assault. PSU’s Adam Dolge braved the zombie apocalypse last October, so be sure to pop over to our review of the game to see how he fared.
Join us again tomorrow when we have another butcher’s Inside PlayStation Network.