Screenshots :.
GTA 4: The Lost and the Damned
360
Matt
14-01-2010
"The boys are back in town"
"Moody shot, that."
"Now that's a mighty fine explosion"
Christ knows what was happening when GTA IV’s first expansion pack, The Lost and the Damned, was released, but for some reason or other it slipped past both Jay and myself at the time. Perhaps we were busy with other things; perhaps (and more likely) we were still suffering a degree of GTA IV burnout, but in any case the situation was remedied this Christmas period by a well-meaning chum purchasing me the Episodes from Liberty City double pack. You can expect a review of The Ballad of Gay Tony pretty pronto too, but for now we’ll take a look at how we feel about the other episode lodged on the shiny spinning disc.
See, when GTA IV came out the both of us here were both initially really, really impressed. It was huge in scope, it looked great, the story was typically Rockstar and typically controversial at points… basically, it ticked a lot of boxes. In time, though, we found that the memories faded, and that the game felt rather more clinical and less endearing than the more comical, more cartoony nature of the trio of GTA 3 titles that had graced the last generation. It was gritty and packed full of drama, sure, but in retrospect it was missing something.
The Lost and the Damned goes some way to getting players back in the GTA groove, although it does fall foul of one particular gripe I had with the main game. This time around you swap the eastern European shoes of Niko Bellic for badass biker dude Johnny Klebitz, member of The Lost MC bike gang. The action kicks off with Johnny and other members going to pick up the group leader Billy Grey from rehab, although it quickly becomes clear that not only is Billy not terribly popular with Johnny, but he is also somewhat of a loose cannon as well.
Thus, the classic brew of rivalry, backstabbing and gratuitous violence grinds into gear. If there’s one thing Rockstar have proven since the GTA series went 3D, it’s that they can tell a proper good story and pack it with unique, memorable characters. Quite a few of the people you meet and greet during your time with The Lost and The Damned appeared at some point in the main meat of GTA IV, but there are more than a couple of new ruffians and slimy politicians to be introduced to throughout your ten or so hours with the expansion. Particularly memorable is the rather greasy governor wannabe called Thomas Stubbs who, during your first meeting, literally exposes it all. It’s an interesting moment, and one that Rockstar no doubt rubbed their hands in glee over due to the controversy it was going to cause.
Whilst the characters and story strike the right chord, with Johnny proving a likeable lead character, the selection of missions on offer are slightly disappointing. Most of them fall into two categories: go and commit crime before losing the cops, or go and take part in massive gang gun battle. There are a large selection of side missions, granted, ranging from racing to assassination and such, but the main meat of the game does feel a little rinse-and-repeat, even if it is strung together in a very entertaining way.
That being said, if you take into account the price point of the disc and the game in its original downloadable form, you are still getting just short of a dozen hours of entertainment for £15. It’s high quality entertainment too; the passing of time had kind of dulled just how impressive a technological achievement GTA IV was. The city bustles with all kinds of life and activity for you to happen upon, and small things like finding Frankie Boyle in the comedy club are filed away in there just for those folks who choose to explore a little. The dozen hours could easily stretch well into the twenties should you wish to find as much as you possibly can, and on every street corner and in every neighbourhood you are sure to find something amusing.
Thus, you can overlook the rather samey mission progression to a degree. As said above, expect our thoughts on The Ballad of Gay Tony pretty quicksharp, but rest assured that, if like me, you have not dipped into Rockstar’s two GTA IV expansions yet, the first of them at least is worth the cash.
See, when GTA IV came out the both of us here were both initially really, really impressed. It was huge in scope, it looked great, the story was typically Rockstar and typically controversial at points… basically, it ticked a lot of boxes. In time, though, we found that the memories faded, and that the game felt rather more clinical and less endearing than the more comical, more cartoony nature of the trio of GTA 3 titles that had graced the last generation. It was gritty and packed full of drama, sure, but in retrospect it was missing something.
The Lost and the Damned goes some way to getting players back in the GTA groove, although it does fall foul of one particular gripe I had with the main game. This time around you swap the eastern European shoes of Niko Bellic for badass biker dude Johnny Klebitz, member of The Lost MC bike gang. The action kicks off with Johnny and other members going to pick up the group leader Billy Grey from rehab, although it quickly becomes clear that not only is Billy not terribly popular with Johnny, but he is also somewhat of a loose cannon as well.
Thus, the classic brew of rivalry, backstabbing and gratuitous violence grinds into gear. If there’s one thing Rockstar have proven since the GTA series went 3D, it’s that they can tell a proper good story and pack it with unique, memorable characters. Quite a few of the people you meet and greet during your time with The Lost and The Damned appeared at some point in the main meat of GTA IV, but there are more than a couple of new ruffians and slimy politicians to be introduced to throughout your ten or so hours with the expansion. Particularly memorable is the rather greasy governor wannabe called Thomas Stubbs who, during your first meeting, literally exposes it all. It’s an interesting moment, and one that Rockstar no doubt rubbed their hands in glee over due to the controversy it was going to cause.
Whilst the characters and story strike the right chord, with Johnny proving a likeable lead character, the selection of missions on offer are slightly disappointing. Most of them fall into two categories: go and commit crime before losing the cops, or go and take part in massive gang gun battle. There are a large selection of side missions, granted, ranging from racing to assassination and such, but the main meat of the game does feel a little rinse-and-repeat, even if it is strung together in a very entertaining way.
That being said, if you take into account the price point of the disc and the game in its original downloadable form, you are still getting just short of a dozen hours of entertainment for £15. It’s high quality entertainment too; the passing of time had kind of dulled just how impressive a technological achievement GTA IV was. The city bustles with all kinds of life and activity for you to happen upon, and small things like finding Frankie Boyle in the comedy club are filed away in there just for those folks who choose to explore a little. The dozen hours could easily stretch well into the twenties should you wish to find as much as you possibly can, and on every street corner and in every neighbourhood you are sure to find something amusing.
Thus, you can overlook the rather samey mission progression to a degree. As said above, expect our thoughts on The Ballad of Gay Tony pretty quicksharp, but rest assured that, if like me, you have not dipped into Rockstar’s two GTA IV expansions yet, the first of them at least is worth the cash.
8/10
