Le 30 octobre 2024 marque un tournant pour les joueurs PC, car Red Dead Redemption fait enfin son apparition sur Steam après 14 ans d’attente. Bien que Red Dead Redemption 2 ait surpassé son prédécesseur avec un monde ouvert plus vivant, le jeu original reste mémorable pour son histoire. Le DLC Undead Nightmare, un western post-apocalyptique, se distingue en mêlant satire et humour dans un univers de zombies. Les joueurs doivent naviguer dans un monde désolé, alliant stratégie et action, tout en appréciant ce que Rockstar a de meilleur à offrir.
For those PC gamers who have always embraced their LED keyboards, October 30, 2024, marks a significant milestone. After a long wait of 14 years, Red Dead Redemption is at last available on Steam – a statement I once thought I may never get to make. During this lengthy interval since its initial release, we’ve transitioned from the PS3 and Xbox 360 to their current-gen equivalents, witnessed three different US presidents in office, and, perhaps most peculiarly, enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC for half a decade already.
For many players, that last fact might be a bit of a sore spot. Red Dead Redemption 2 certainly surpasses its predecessor in many aspects beyond just graphics: Arthur’s odyssey through the American West benefits from a more vibrant open-world experience, which remains the sole game I can enter just to roam around for a while – sans quests, sans collectibles, simply meandering through expansive hills and thinking, « This is exceptional. » Don’t misunderstand, Red Dead Redemption is still a must-play for John’s story alone, and it remains an outstanding game, but its open world doesn’t possess the same enchantment it did back in 2010.
Fortunately, the New Austin of 2010 still boasts one unparalleled gem: Undead Nightmare. The concept of a post-apocalyptic Western is already a compelling idea, yet this unconventional expansion took everything that made John’s initial adventure entertaining and cranked up the absurdity – and if you can power through a horde of brain-hungry cowboys without feeling that this port was worth the wait, I’ll gladly eat my dusty hat.
Zombies vs. Cowboys
Fifteen years later, Left 4 Dead 2 continues to reign as the ultimate zombie horde shooter – and that’s not open to debate.
Welcome to the scene: John Marston on a stormy night. Undead Nightmare kicks off with the most classic clichés, which is a good thing. While the main game prioritizes serious cowboy dealings over Rockstar’s playful satire, Undead Nightmare flips that narrative. With its Vincent Price-inspired narration and eerie musical score, the atmosphere is anything but serious. Within the first five minutes, John’s family – the core of his motivation in the regular storyline – is turned into zombies, and by the time John reaches Blackwater, the remaining residents are already embroiled in chaos in this bizarre new reality.
John’s mission is clear: he must find the source of this undead plague to save his family. Is it a virus? Cursed relics? A biblical apocalypse? Just as Red Dead Redemption critiques the ‘taming’ of the American frontier, Undead Nightmare humorously addresses the pulp zombie narratives of the 1960s. Watching familiar characters respond to this world-ending crisis is equally entertaining. Undoubtedly, the quirky treasure-seeker Seth embraces the zombified, and naturally, the character Nigel West Dickens offers a ‘cure’ for anyone willing to part with the cash we once knew as dollars.
However, locating these characters is no small task, especially now that the West is in ruins. The towns and settlements once thriving in Red Dead Redemption are now under constant threat, meaning you have to clear out the zombies periodically to keep them functional. Doing so often rewards you with ammo, and protecting these areas for the first time unlocks new weapons and equipment for John. The zombies are old-school; to eliminate these shamblers, you primarily need fire and accurate shots to the head, as body shots will exhaust your ammunition before you can clear a horde. I prefer the slow-moving undead over sprinters: there’s a palpable pressure when you’re slowly overwhelmed, elevating the tension when you must take the time to aim for critical headshots.
Undead Nightmare captures this intensity perfectly, introducing a few special enemies – such as the nimble Bolters and the intimidating Bruisers that are exceedingly tough to dispatch. The challenge is well worth it since, unsurprisingly, blasting zombies with classic Western revolvers and rifles is incredibly satisfying. This enjoyment is amplified when you incorporate the Dead Eye ability, allowing you to take down hordes in stylish slow-motion.
This is why, despite my love for Undead Nightmare’s intriguing story, I often find myself aimlessly exploring its wild territories, portraying John as a hardened survivor journeying between towns. It’s a similar flow state I experience while camping by rolling rivers and lush woods as Arthur Morgan, except as John, I’m mostly either hunting one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse or shooting zombies as if I’m a blood-soaked Clint Eastwood.
If you’re a PC player contemplating whether to grab Red Dead Redemption (I must say, its $50 price tag is outrageous) or simply explore John’s classic narrative