Why Red Dead's Undead Nightmare co-op is as good as Left 4 Dead or COD's Nazi Zombies

Undead Nightmare’s single player is a big deal. Hell, if you’ve read our hands-on, which features zombie cougars, flaming Horses of the Apocalypse, and a rumoured six hour story (which sees you shooting the hordes of the dead with a goddamn elephant rifle) you won’t be too surprised.

Above: Safety in numbers is a good idea... well, until zombies start to eat your face off

What you probably don’t know, is Red Dead: Redemption’s latest DLC also has a four player co-op mode, called Undead Overrun. And it just happens to match Valve’s zombie masterpiece and World at War’s stupidly addictive mini-game for amazing multiplayer mayhem. We were lucky enough to play a few matches with Rockstar at its London offices last week. All the details below.

It’s Left 4 Dead… with a time limit

Imagine if you could take the open environments and tight, tactical co-op from Valve’s title. Now, add World at War’s escalating system of throwing endless waves of ever more bloodthirsty zombies at you, but stick in a tight time limit, and you’ve pretty much got Undead Overrun. Alright, you’d have to throw in a couple of cowboy hats and a few sticks of TNT in there, too.

In Overrun, the only way you can buy yourself more time, and just as crucially, more ammo, is to reach coffins around the map. One of these randomly spawns after every wave, and at least one of your four player posse has to reach it before the timer ticks down to keep your zombie-slaughtering shenanigans going. The trouble is, there’s usually loads of rabid undead between you and said burial box.

Above: Ah, there's nothing like bonding over the wholesome glow of gunfire

If that sounds as exciting as it looks typed out on your screen, then you’re in luck. Because it absolutely is that exciting. Hugely tense and frenetic, Undead Nightmare’s co-op is an absolute riot when you get a team running around graveyards (converted from parts of Redemption’s map), reviving each other and generally putting an end to anything without a pulse.

Red Dead’s undead make COD’s zombies look as intimidating as Nazi kittens

We love World at War’s goose-stepping, rotting Hitler-followers. When you’re trapped in a small room with a crowd of them, and the game’s lucky weapons box keeps spitting out the rubbish farmer’s shotgun, they’re scary as hell. But they ain’t got nothing on Rockstar’s zombies. Split into different categories (like Left 4 Dead) they’re frighteningly fast and utterly nails to deal with in large groups.

Above: Retchers are toxic, and also annoying good at spitting the contents of their stomachs all over you

Now, while your average undead bank teller or cowboy isn’t too bad, it’s the special buggers they’re backed up by that’ll really give you nightmares in co-op. Bruisers are hefty hulks that often shoulder barge you to the ground and are damn effective at splitting up your posse. Overrun’s Bolters (skittery so-and-sos that sprint on all fours like L4D’s Hunters) and Retchers (toxic zombies who spit at you) also mean you have to constantly think on your feet and adapt your tactics depending on the type of undead enemy you’re facing.

The Old West is an awesome place to get your zombie murdering on

We love the claustrophobic houses you battle World at War’s rotting Nazis in. Y’know what we love more, though? Fighting zombie hookers in church, using gravestones for cover and camping on a balcony in an old fashioned saloon to waste the undead hordes. Red Dead’s Wild West adds hugely to the experience. And our time on a map (based around the church and graveyard in Blackwater) was an ace location for all out zombie warfare.

Above: The Old West really is a picturesque place to slaughter the living dead in