I played the first game, skipped the 2nd, and then played the 3rd and now 4th. The game takes place in a Christmas setting which is fantastic to play during the holiday season! All the zombies are dressed as elves and there's xmas music in the menus and car radios. Don't worry though if you're not in love with the theme because while the MALL is heavy in xmas décor, the rest of the "maps" (a town, the roads, and little country side) simply look more like regular winter then actual xmas. Gameplay is much like the 3rd (they removed the timer - saved it for a DLC expansion) - and otherwise you run around getting collectibles, crafting fun xmas themed weapons of mass destruction and "sleigh" your way around the campaign. It is repetitive yes, but previous games were too. One down side, is they seemed to downplay the Maniacs this time around. No cutscenes to introduce them, and no real standout characters. They are in the game still, but feel like a afterthought and play like slightly harder normal enemies then actual true bosses.