Game Card
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned (Xbox360)
- Publisher:
- Take-Two
- Developer:
- Rockstar Games
- US Release:
- 17.02.2009
- EU Release:
- n/a
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Reality Factor:
- Realistic
- Perspective:
- Third-Person
- Blood Level:
- Bloody
- Age:
- Modern Times
Review
We play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned...
Out of all the exclusives that were announced throughout the course of last year, none were more surprising than the unveiling of two 360-only Grand Theft Auto IV episodes. Seemingly a ploy for Microsoft to lure Liberty City fanatics onto their console, the mega-company didn’t waste time in securing the rights to Rockstar’s highly anticipated downloadable content. Effortlessly dropping a huge $50 million into the acclaimed publisher’s collection bucket, the deal was one many PlayStation 3 owners claimed they could do without. Unfortunately for them, Rockstar have produced the best piece of original content to appear on any of the major download services, bringing you back to the world of GTA with a heart-rushing and colossal bang.
Assuming the role of Johnny Klebitz, you’ll tackle the daily struggles of being vice-president of infamous motorcycle club: The Lost. Acting as leader, Johnny is thrust to the forefront of the gang’s business when their boss Billy is thrown into jail on drug trafficking charges. Under Johnny, The Lost has changed. Smoothing out their relationship with archrivals The Angels of Death, a truce has been called in order to put a stop to the needless turf-wars and fatal hits that often took place. Of course, in true Grand Theft Auto fashion, shit hits that fan quicker than you can hop onto your bike to get away, as Billy is released from prison earlier than expected. Unappreciative of the changes Johnny has made to The Lost way of life, he quickly reinstates his ideology as boss, kick starting the feud with their rivals by unloading a solitary bullet into a leading member’s cranium.
Vitally, the complexities of Niko’s grand adventure are left out here. Instead of the whirlwind ride of establishing yourself as a successful immigrant, you’ll witness an intriguing power struggle between the two leading members of The Lost. Tussling back and forth between agreement and disarray, the problems Billy and Johnny face stem through the rest of the gang, as your brothers begin to choose sides within the club itself. It’s fascinating stuff, as the personalities on show are so well scripted and voiced that each character is entirely believable. Providing a different scope and perspective on life in Liberty City, the developers have shown the potential of their universe reaches far beyond the life of our previous Russian hero.
By exploring this alternate avenue, Rockstar subtly employ a number of additions that improve the critically acclaimed game even further. A lot of the time you’ll be cruising through the city with other members of The Lost, trying to stay in perfect formation in order to stop the jeers of your counterparts. Utilising a set of new chopper styled motorcycles, you’ll feel unashamedly badass as you swerve your way through traffic and nonchalantly answer the phone with one hand. An assortment of fulfilling guns have also been added, as you can now force your way into areas with a sawn-off shotgun, automatic pistol, and even the brutally appealing grenade launcher. The mission that introduces the latter gives you the greatest opportunity to use this explosive baby, as you’ll take full aim at a rival clubhouse, intending to blow the inhabitants through the roof with one well-placed clinch of the trigger.
As you’ll spend a fair amount of your time riding Johnny’s exclusive “Hexer” bike (which cannot be retrieved once it’s destroyed), you’ll realise that improvements have been made in a host of areas, not just within your garage and gun selection. Handling has been significantly tweaked, as you can now glide round corners in a fashion that enables you to connect with the leather-clad, adrenaline fuelled styling of your friends. A selection of new content also trickles through various radio broadcasts, as you can now raise your fist in appreciation of artists that help inspire the bike culture. With Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden rousing you to turn up the volume and elevate your speed to an illegal pace, you’ll be head-banging all the way to your destination, leaving the smell of burnt rubber trembling in your wake. Furthermore, if you hunt through each station, you’ll find satirical news reports highlighting how the British Home Office have once again lost the documents of millions of people, or even uncover the GTA-exclusive recordings from hip-hop superstars such as Busta Rhymes and Freeway. These inclusions only serve to keep the title feeling fresh, as you’ll feel like you’re experiencing Liberty City in a completely different way, even if you do cross paths with Niko and his supporting cast at certain points.
Even with an intriguing narrative, The Lost and Damned could have stuttered if the characters involved felt pointless and out of place. Crucially, the strength of the gang’s members, and especially Johnny himself, all meet the high-standard set way back in Vice City. In general, Rockstar push a stereotype to within an inch of it’s limit, allowing the player to identify with the on-screen personality in an instant. Where Niko became accustomed with fan-favourite and now GTA legend Brucie, Johnny also stumbles across a selection of hilarious eccentrics. If meeting political congressman Mr Stubbs (plus his well-documented ‘little friend’), and one of his followers (who just so happens to be an upper class cannibal) doesn’t make your mouth stretch from ear-to-ear, than the series’ humour is lost on you. More importantly, the new identities you’ll have contact with aren’t only there to make up the numbers; they all have an impact on the story, providing the player with a view of Liberty City that extends much further beyond the original adventure, as it’s apparent that this is a place of great diversity and many personal stories.
Of course, such is the detail Rockstar North implores through all their work; you’ll be noticing minor changes throughout the entire expansion. Old entertainment favourites such as bowling and darts are now backed up by the slightly more inventive air-hockey and, if you’re man enough, arm-wrestling. The Lost clubhouse is full of hilarious posters and tiny details that’ll make you chuckle crudely, underlining how Rockstar aren’t afraid to touch down close to the mark, if not well past it. All additions are effortlessly simple, providing the title with momentary respite- a second to breathe- from the relentless amounts of carnage that most of the missions sadistically take on. Not willing to hold back, the developers ensure you’ll be ducking behind cover, hammering down the throttle, and unloading a deadly clip into multiple enemies whenever possible. With some of the best chases seen in the series, the gameplay manages to keep itself entertaining; even if it is obvious the tried and tested formula needs a change of direction when the second batch of downloadable content is served up fresh from the godly Rockstar oven.
Ensuring the content doesn’t halt the competitive enthusiast; there are five new multiplayer modes to add to the online bill. In Lone Wolf Biker, you’ll be set the task of hunting down a specific player in a mode that begs for a quick hit, as proceedings become intensely hectic due to the imminent destruction of vehicles and inevitable lack of tactics on show from most players. In Chopper v Chopper, the out-of-this-world speed of a city chase is ramped up another notch, as you pit bike against helicopter in a brutal race through a number of checkpoints. It would have been perfectly acceptable if Rockstar decided against adding fuel to their already decent online fire, as they continue to sprinkle a shower of goods on their 360 audience with sublime generosity.
For all those PlayStation 3 owners who shrugged at the lack of extra GTA IV content on their console, it’s hard not to feel a tinge of jealousy from missing out on this one. What Rockstar has managed is an unprecedented feat of downloadable excellence, as this is one of the finest and tightly produced adventures to take place in the big city. Lead writers Dan Houser and Rupert Humpheries must be commended for a quirky and shamelessly engaging script, as its bold mix of humour and satire provide the backbone for what is a gripping narrative. As it stands, Rockstar have not only raised the bar for downloadable content, they’ve placed themselves on a pedestal above the competition. What’s for sure is that we’ll still be rolling with our Lost brothers when the next expansion drifts round the corner, especially if it matches up to this absolutely sublime mini-episode.
Top Game Moment: The dialogue and narrative is top-notch.
Assuming the role of Johnny Klebitz, you’ll tackle the daily struggles of being vice-president of infamous motorcycle club: The Lost. Acting as leader, Johnny is thrust to the forefront of the gang’s business when their boss Billy is thrown into jail on drug trafficking charges. Under Johnny, The Lost has changed. Smoothing out their relationship with archrivals The Angels of Death, a truce has been called in order to put a stop to the needless turf-wars and fatal hits that often took place. Of course, in true Grand Theft Auto fashion, shit hits that fan quicker than you can hop onto your bike to get away, as Billy is released from prison earlier than expected. Unappreciative of the changes Johnny has made to The Lost way of life, he quickly reinstates his ideology as boss, kick starting the feud with their rivals by unloading a solitary bullet into a leading member’s cranium.
 |
 |
|
| Meet Johnny, your hero for The Lost and Damned. | Expect the usual thrills and spills, it's classic GTA all over. |
Vitally, the complexities of Niko’s grand adventure are left out here. Instead of the whirlwind ride of establishing yourself as a successful immigrant, you’ll witness an intriguing power struggle between the two leading members of The Lost. Tussling back and forth between agreement and disarray, the problems Billy and Johnny face stem through the rest of the gang, as your brothers begin to choose sides within the club itself. It’s fascinating stuff, as the personalities on show are so well scripted and voiced that each character is entirely believable. Providing a different scope and perspective on life in Liberty City, the developers have shown the potential of their universe reaches far beyond the life of our previous Russian hero.
By exploring this alternate avenue, Rockstar subtly employ a number of additions that improve the critically acclaimed game even further. A lot of the time you’ll be cruising through the city with other members of The Lost, trying to stay in perfect formation in order to stop the jeers of your counterparts. Utilising a set of new chopper styled motorcycles, you’ll feel unashamedly badass as you swerve your way through traffic and nonchalantly answer the phone with one hand. An assortment of fulfilling guns have also been added, as you can now force your way into areas with a sawn-off shotgun, automatic pistol, and even the brutally appealing grenade launcher. The mission that introduces the latter gives you the greatest opportunity to use this explosive baby, as you’ll take full aim at a rival clubhouse, intending to blow the inhabitants through the roof with one well-placed clinch of the trigger.
 |
 |
|
| Johnny's Hexer is irreplaceable, drink driving not recommended. | When relationships turn sour and turmoil ensues, who will stand by your side? |
As you’ll spend a fair amount of your time riding Johnny’s exclusive “Hexer” bike (which cannot be retrieved once it’s destroyed), you’ll realise that improvements have been made in a host of areas, not just within your garage and gun selection. Handling has been significantly tweaked, as you can now glide round corners in a fashion that enables you to connect with the leather-clad, adrenaline fuelled styling of your friends. A selection of new content also trickles through various radio broadcasts, as you can now raise your fist in appreciation of artists that help inspire the bike culture. With Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden rousing you to turn up the volume and elevate your speed to an illegal pace, you’ll be head-banging all the way to your destination, leaving the smell of burnt rubber trembling in your wake. Furthermore, if you hunt through each station, you’ll find satirical news reports highlighting how the British Home Office have once again lost the documents of millions of people, or even uncover the GTA-exclusive recordings from hip-hop superstars such as Busta Rhymes and Freeway. These inclusions only serve to keep the title feeling fresh, as you’ll feel like you’re experiencing Liberty City in a completely different way, even if you do cross paths with Niko and his supporting cast at certain points.
Even with an intriguing narrative, The Lost and Damned could have stuttered if the characters involved felt pointless and out of place. Crucially, the strength of the gang’s members, and especially Johnny himself, all meet the high-standard set way back in Vice City. In general, Rockstar push a stereotype to within an inch of it’s limit, allowing the player to identify with the on-screen personality in an instant. Where Niko became accustomed with fan-favourite and now GTA legend Brucie, Johnny also stumbles across a selection of hilarious eccentrics. If meeting political congressman Mr Stubbs (plus his well-documented ‘little friend’), and one of his followers (who just so happens to be an upper class cannibal) doesn’t make your mouth stretch from ear-to-ear, than the series’ humour is lost on you. More importantly, the new identities you’ll have contact with aren’t only there to make up the numbers; they all have an impact on the story, providing the player with a view of Liberty City that extends much further beyond the original adventure, as it’s apparent that this is a place of great diversity and many personal stories.
Of course, such is the detail Rockstar North implores through all their work; you’ll be noticing minor changes throughout the entire expansion. Old entertainment favourites such as bowling and darts are now backed up by the slightly more inventive air-hockey and, if you’re man enough, arm-wrestling. The Lost clubhouse is full of hilarious posters and tiny details that’ll make you chuckle crudely, underlining how Rockstar aren’t afraid to touch down close to the mark, if not well past it. All additions are effortlessly simple, providing the title with momentary respite- a second to breathe- from the relentless amounts of carnage that most of the missions sadistically take on. Not willing to hold back, the developers ensure you’ll be ducking behind cover, hammering down the throttle, and unloading a deadly clip into multiple enemies whenever possible. With some of the best chases seen in the series, the gameplay manages to keep itself entertaining; even if it is obvious the tried and tested formula needs a change of direction when the second batch of downloadable content is served up fresh from the godly Rockstar oven.
 |
 |
|
| Only a real man can do two things at a time, let alone shoot and drive. | Expect to take out the rival gang by any means necessary. |
Ensuring the content doesn’t halt the competitive enthusiast; there are five new multiplayer modes to add to the online bill. In Lone Wolf Biker, you’ll be set the task of hunting down a specific player in a mode that begs for a quick hit, as proceedings become intensely hectic due to the imminent destruction of vehicles and inevitable lack of tactics on show from most players. In Chopper v Chopper, the out-of-this-world speed of a city chase is ramped up another notch, as you pit bike against helicopter in a brutal race through a number of checkpoints. It would have been perfectly acceptable if Rockstar decided against adding fuel to their already decent online fire, as they continue to sprinkle a shower of goods on their 360 audience with sublime generosity.
For all those PlayStation 3 owners who shrugged at the lack of extra GTA IV content on their console, it’s hard not to feel a tinge of jealousy from missing out on this one. What Rockstar has managed is an unprecedented feat of downloadable excellence, as this is one of the finest and tightly produced adventures to take place in the big city. Lead writers Dan Houser and Rupert Humpheries must be commended for a quirky and shamelessly engaging script, as its bold mix of humour and satire provide the backbone for what is a gripping narrative. As it stands, Rockstar have not only raised the bar for downloadable content, they’ve placed themselves on a pedestal above the competition. What’s for sure is that we’ll still be rolling with our Lost brothers when the next expansion drifts round the corner, especially if it matches up to this absolutely sublime mini-episode.
Top Game Moment: The dialogue and narrative is top-notch.
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