Summary Are the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV episodes worth your $40 and Microsoft's $50,000,000?

Description During the beginning stages of development of Grand Theft Auto IV, Microsoft made a bold move in paying the outrageous sum of $50 million to Rockstar in exchange for exclusive DLC for the Xbox 360 version of the game. A lot of gamers thought that was pretty ballsy, and now that the final product of Rockstar's episodic expansions of Grand Theft Auto IV are out. Are they worth Microsoft's fifty million dollar investment? The Lost and Damned: Rockstar's first of the 2 episodes of Liberty City (released 2/17/2009) puts you in the shoes of Jonathan "Johnny" Klebitz, Vice President of the notorious biker gang "The Lost". The story starts out as Johnny and all of his brothers ride down to pick up Billy (President of the gang) from his release of rehab and despite Johnny's rule in Billy's absence, and the business opportunities he's opened up for the gang, crap hits the fan immediately after Billy's release, and the gang is once again subject to the seedy underbelly of Liberty City's crime life - drugs, police, and their rival gang "The Angels of Death". The story isn't as deep or enthralling as the original tale told through the eyes of the European immigrant Niko Bellic, but it's still original with captivating story telling and top-notch voice acting the series is known for. The gameplay remains identical to that of GTA4, but with a couple minor changes for this installment - most notable, the bikes. Because they play such a big role in this episode, the controls of all bikes have been tweaked and no longer require a 11 mph collision to blast into the sky Team Rocket style. Johnny is one with his bike and this shows in all of the high-octane action scenes during any of the 23 missions in the game. You are easily able to outrun pursuers, engage in high-speed shootouts with Liberty City's finest police officers, and zip from mission to mission without losing 85% of your life to minor crashes like you would in Niko's game. Another addition to the Lost and Damned is the option to engage in gang battles. Much like San Andreas' turf wars, you can engage the Angels of Death in action-packed shootouts with your fellow brothers, to take over the streets and become the top bikers of Liberty City. There are also bike races in the game, but are those really worth mentioning? Every GTA game has optional race missions, and TLAD has done nothing to push that envelope. And last, but not least, mid-mission checkpoints have been introduced. I, personally, wish this was present in the final mission of GTA4. This allows you to jump right back into a mission, part-way through, you previously failed at. This is especially handy for those missions that have a harder second half, but relatively simple beginning. The game's audio portion and soundtrack are also up-to-par with what GTA is known for. All of the character's voice acting is solid gold, and the music on all the radio stations are all master recordings, so Rockstar has yet to drop the ball in this division. One of the most notable moments of the audio is when, say, you are in a high-speed chase w/the police and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" comes on Liberty Rock Radio. Nothing set's the tone better for a biker gang tied up with the law than hearing "I'm a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride. I'm Wanted - Dead or Alive". I may be bias toward that particular instance, but even though I don't even like that song all-that-much, it still sets the mood perfectly. Replayablity isn't great with this installment. After you beat all 23 missions the game has to offer, there really isn't much to do other then simply starting another game and doing it all again. Like I mentioned before, there are optional bike races, but they are far from anything that you'll lose hours of your life in. Overall, The Lost and Damned is a superb addition to the Grand Theft Auto IV storyline, but its downsides (only being roughly 1/4 the length of GTA4 and its limited replay value) keep it from true perfection. Still, only $20 (or 1600 Microsoft Points) and a solid 10 hours of game are still a steal, especially if you are already invested in the world of Grand Theft Auto IV. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned - 4.7/5 The Ballad of Gay Tony: The second of Rockstar's DLC for GTA4 (released 10/29/2009) tells the tale of Luis Lopez, personal bodyguard and associate of Tony Prince (a.k.a Gay Tony) and their downfall into the darker side of the glitz and glamor of Liberty City's high-profile night-life. Tony Prince is the owner of Liberty City's top gay and straight nightclubs, but as the money begins to dry up and deals are made with the wrong type of people, Luis has to do what he has to to keep the business alive and deal with personal matters of his own back home. Again, the gameplay has remained unchanged form the original style of GTA4 and The Lost and Damned, but that's not to say it's without its innovation. A lot of the good ideas from San Andreas, that were absent in GTA4, have made a return. Parachuting and hitting the dance floor at one of the clubs have made a return, and with them, comes their own set of mini-games and side missions. The option to take up your job as a nightclub bouncer and base jumping (parachuting from a building) are just a couple of the side missions the game has to offer. Other than a few optional tasks you can partake in, TBoGT sticks with the tried and true formula of "take a mission, drive there, complete the task, get paid, repeat". The mid-mission checkpoints from TLAD also make a return. But other than these few advancements of the concept, it looks like we'll have to wait for Grand Theft Auto 5 before we can see some real innovation in the gameplay aspect of the franchise - not there is anything inherently bad about this, but it would have been nice to see Rockstar take a chance with something new rather than playing it safe. The same thing that has been said about Vice City, San Andreas, GTA4, and The Lost and Damned, can be said about Gay Tony's audio portion. Everything is top-notch, and new songs have been added to the radio to keep things fresh. On that note, if you purchased Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City in disc form, you are awarded with a Vice City radio station - a set of classic '80s tunes to keep things fresh. Replayability has been much advanced from the last episode. In TBoGT, you are able to replay any missions you want (after the game has been completed) to try to get a higher score. The game rates you on a 0 - 100% depending how well you did and if you met the criteria for that particular mission (time, player damage, headshots, etc.). This eliminates having to play the whole game over again if there is just one or two missions you want to replay. I think this is something that should have been with the series from the very first game, but at least Rockstar finally got it. Overall, The Ballad of Gay Tony, much like The Lost and Damned, is a platinum hit that's worth every cent (or Microsoft Point.) Grand Theft Auto: Episodes Form Liberty City (or each individual game off the XBLA) is, without a doubt, what the Xbox 360 is all about. Consider the agenda pushed. If you have an Xbox 360, buy these games immediately. You will NEVER get more for your money. Episodes From Liberty City is a perfect example of what all developers should do with their games in the future. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony - 4.5/5 Review Page Hits: 13 today (490 in the last 30 days) Create Your Own Review or