GTAIV: The Lost and the Damned

[Recklesss]

has anyone gotten this? Is it worth the price?

my HD is still at my buddies house, so i havent gotten it yet, but there are supposed to be new cars and new single player missions and multi-player modes

February 16, 2009 - It's been ten months since Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto IV to rave reviews and blockbuster sales numbers. Tuesday brings a new chapter in GTA IV and a new step in the evolution of downloadable content. While expansion packs that include significant single-player and multiplayer additions are old practice on PC, robust post-market content is virtually unheard of on consoles. Without question The Lost & Damned, a $20 Xbox 360 exclusive, is the meatiest DLC to date. Not only do you get a significant single-player campaign, but L&D includes 54 new music tracks, 20 new vehicles, a half-dozen new weapons, new side missions, new TV shows and new multiplayer modes. That's quite a deal when you consider the three-hour experience provided by Fallout 3's recent Operation: Anchorage DLC cost ten bucks.

Just to make sure you know what is required to play L&D, you will need a copy of GTA IV in the drive, 1600 Microsoft Points and, of course, an Xbox 360 with an Xbox Live Gold Membership. After you've downloaded The Lost and Damned, boot up GTA IV. You should be launched directly into The Lost and Damned, but if not, select "Game" from the pause menu, choose "New Game," and then choose the option to play The Lost and Damned.

The Lost and Damned takes place in Liberty City at the same time as Niko's tale from GTA IV. Though the two share characters and locations, they are treated as separate worlds. Keep this in mind, because anything good in L&D stays in L&D. Nothing transfers to Niko's adventures -- not the guns, the vehicles or the gameplay enhancements. This is significant, because almost everything Rockstar did with L&D makes the experience better, but none of it can be brought into GTA IV. That's a real shame, because the new campaign is the one significant shortcoming for this DLC. Even though the gameplay is better and the weapons are cooler, it doesn't really matter when you just don't give a damn about anything that's happening in the story.

This time around, you play as Johnny "The Jew" Klebitz, Vice President of the biker gang named The Lost. Johnny's been the de facto leader while the President of The Lost, Billy, has been in rehab. The story begins with Billy's release and resumption of duties as head of the gang. This naturally leads to a conflict as Billy looks to dive nose-first into the drug trade while Johnny wants The Lost to be smarter about how it handles its business.

The campaign, which can be beaten in 8-10 hours, is not one of Rockstar's stronger offerings. Johnny's not a likeable guy. He's a jerk, but not in the loveable way of someone like, well, me. He's just an ass as is everyone else in The Lost. And his plight comes off more as a common power struggle than any real moral conflict with Billy. By contrast Niko is a lot more than just a guy with a funny accent. Niko's journey is one of a lonely immigrant looking for companionship in a strange city. Though he does bad things, he never comes off as a bad guy. The same can't be said for Johnny. Though L&D's story begins with suggestions that Johnny is someone trying to turn his life around, the events that unfold show him to be as horrible a person as any other crook in Liberty City. GTA has always starred men doing bad things, but all of the other lead characters were likeable in some way.

Johnny and Niko's stories intersect both directly and indirectly throughout. When Johnny is partnered with Niko (which is linked to two GTA IV missions), he seems like an okay guy. Heck, even a stand-up guy. But there are other events, ones that help explain some things that occurred in GTA IV, where Johnny comes off as downright de****able. I won't spoil any of these story elements, but suffice to say that there's a specific mission towards the end of L&D that made me want to stop playing as Johnny altogether. If you loved Niko and his friends, then you may end up hating Johnny. It's not that what he does is out of bounds for a GTA character, but this is probably the first time Rockstar has had me do something bad to a character I cared about.

The story is not a success. Whether it's the weak subplot featuring Johnny's sometimes-girlfriend Ashley or the main plot focusing on Johnny and Billy's fractured friendship; nothing feels fully developed. To be fair, GTA IV could be compared to a miniseries, where L&D would be just an episode of a show. There's not as much time to invest in the characters or the story. But knowing that, the plot and some of the unnecessary missions could have been adjusted (or some of the characters cut out) to allow for a more focused and powerful narrative.

It doesn't help that, in an effort to separate GTA IV and The Lost and Damned visually, Rockstar added a grain filter. This filter occurs throughout and sullies what was a beautiful city. The grain is fine for cutscenes, but it makes Liberty City look drab when driving around town. And at night, in the rain, the grain makes things even darker. It can be tough to see what's going on. Sure, this filter can be turned off, but the default settings represent Rockstar's intent for this content.

The good news is that the story and grain filter are the only bad parts about The Lost and Damned. Everything else is top-notch.

Several crucial gameplay tweaks were made for L&D. The most notable is a major tweaking of the motorcycles. Anyone who played GTA IV can tell you that the bikes can be a bitch to handle and that it's easy to get unseated from your ride. Because L&D stars a biker, things needed to change. Every bike handles better in L&D and a healthy number have been added so that there's plenty of variety available. More importantly, it's incredibly difficult to be thrown from your bike now. You pretty much need to run head-on into a wall to get tossed. You can bounce off medians, smack against other cars and pretty much run roughshod over Liberty City with little concern for being unseated.

What many found an annoyance, is now a great asset. Not only are the bikes easy to handle and fun to ride, but they are so quick and nimble that the very thought of jacking a car in L&D makes me ill. In fact, I just threw up in Greg Miller's lunchbox. This, of course, has to be exactly what Rockstar wanted (for bikes to be more appealing than cars, not for me to chuck all over Miller's Lunchables). You are, after all, playing a biker. Being in a car is like being in a coffin.

As if the bikes weren't enough fun, there are some new weapons to enjoy, all of which are among the best Liberty City has to offer. There's an auto-pistol that makes playing 10 hours with just a handgun a viable option, the assault shotgun, which is just plain filthy, a sawn-off shotty for those who like to kill in close quarters, pipe bombs in case grenades are too military for your style, and a grenade launcher which allows for skill shots through windows and over cover. These weapons are powerful and plentiful in L&D. I've taken down cars in two or three shots with the assault shotgun and the grenade launcher might be the most fun weapon in GTA IV or L&D.

Johnny has one major advantage over Niko -- he's been in the city pretty much his entire life. He doesn't need to make friends. Sure, you can call up your biker buddies to shoot some pool or play air hockey, but you don't need to in order to attain their services. They're already your homeboys. Instead of measuring the strength of your friendships, The Lost and Damned measures the battle-readiness of your crew. Many of the missions in L&D have Johnny riding with his pals -- or having the ability to call in backup. Every member who survives gains experience, which increase their maximum health and their fighting prowess. If someone dies, they will be replaced by a newbie lacking the experience. This makes it beneficial to assist your friends in a firefight, as keeping them alive makes them stronger and thus makes the next shootout easier.

While I'm not a fan of the story, I did still have a damned good time with The Lost and Damned. And that's almost completely because of the improved bike mechanics and the sick new weapons. And, as you'd expect from a Rockstar offering, the presentation elements are top-notch. The voice acting is fantastic, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and there's still the wonder that is Liberty City. It's pretty much the same place you explored as Niko, but it's still a fantastic creation.

Outside of the campaign, there's plenty to do. Getting 100% in L&D will take a good amount of time. There are 25 gang wars to be won across Liberty City, a dozen new bike races, new bike theft missions, several odd jobs to tackle for various miscreants, 50 seagulls to find and kill, a new comedy show to enjoy, some new mini-games to try once and then ignore, and full frontal nudity. Make that full frontal male nudity. That's right, Rockstar brings you Xbox 360's first downloadable dong.

As for multiplayer, it's back and just as strong as it was in GTA IV. Several modes from GTA IV carry over -- deathmatch, team deathmatch and free mode -- with others being altered to fit the ride or die lifestyle. The alterations were all made for the better and with access to better bikes and better weapons, L&D multiplayer is superior to that of GTA IV.

Here's the complete list of multiplayer modes:

* Deathmatch
* Team Deathmatch
* Races
* Club Business
* Lone Wolf Biker
* Chopper vs. Chopper
* Witness Protection
* Own the City
* Free Mode


Races is just as the name suggests. It's a checkpoint race on bikes, but with bats. There are specific buttons for swinging left or right. While it's just your typical race, there's something special about thwacking a guy off his bike as he attempts to cross the finish line. Club Business assigns a gang leader, who receives calls with various odd jobs around the city. It's fun, but not terribly different from Mafiya Work in GTA IV. The best of the modes modified from GTA IV is easily Witness Protection. This is similar to Cops 'n Crooks. Only now one team plays as NOOSE officers escorting a witness to one of the police stations in Liberty City and the other team plays as The Lost, trying to take the witness down. A gang of bikers rolling up on an armored van is incredibly cool and the fact that speed and handling are now on the side of the assassin's alters the strategies all around. Own the City is pretty much Turf War, and just as enjoyable.

As for new modes, Lone Wolf Biker pits one player against everyone else. Whoever kills the tagged biker becomes it and so on until time runs out. With a full house, this can be fun, but try Lone Wolf with just a handful of people and you'll find that the city is just a little too big and the person who's "it" too much of a coward for this to be exciting. The other complete new mode, and my personal favorite for all of L&D multiplayer, is Chopper vs. Chopper. This two-player mode places one person is in a helicopter, the other on a motorcycle. As the chopper flies through the city attempting to blow the rider to hell, the player on the bike races through checkpoints, attempting to stay alive as long as possible. It's a unique mode, quite different than just about anything you can find on Xbox Live.

Though many of the Lost & Damned modes are merely alterations on what is available in GTA IV, they are all still great games to play. Lone Wolf, Witness Protection, and Chopper vs. Chopper are certain to have the longest legs.

Closing Comments
The Lost and Damned's one failing is in creating a character that's difficult to care about. But there are enough interesting asides to GTA IV that most can overlook the weaker story and just enjoy L&D for what it is -- a supplement to a great game. I recommend giving L&D a shot, not because Johnny is a great new addition to the Rockstar universe, but because the gameplay from GTA IV has been improved for the better. It's just too bad that none of this carries into GTA IV. I would love to relive Niko's adventures armed with an assault shotgun and grenade launcher and the ability to ride a bike like a man. I suppose that sums up L&D -- I loved the new gameplay elements so much, I wanted to dump ol' Johnny and experience them with Niko.

It's important to note that The Lost and Damned is not a new game. There's just so much content here that it feels like something brand new. This is a downloadable episode and as such, it is judged against other episodic content on Xbox 360. But even something like Elder Scrolls IV's The Shivering Isles can't compete against The Lost and Damned. The gameplay changes are great and the multiplayer is excellent. If the story and new characters were better, this would be the perfect $20 download. But as it stands, it's still the best available by a long shot.

--IGN

FULL FRONTAL NUDITY!

[Recklesss]

....damnit....i thought i was in gamer's corner...

[shimric]

fail. I'm more stoked about Call of Duty MW2.. Come on November!

[Recklesss]

Originally Posted by shimric

I = Fail. Unlike GTAIV which roxorz the boxorz

[shimric]

I play GTA4 on a regular basis. I just get really pissed and quit when some 12 year old decides he wants to rocket launch me while I'm doing something.

I haven't played the single player in forever.

[Recklesss]

lol true....

although i have had a few legit ***gio Races with like 16 people. that **** is HILARIOUS! that game still cracks me up.....

[shimric]

Originally Posted by Recklesss

lol true....

although i have had a few legit ***gio Races with like 16 people. that **** is HILARIOUS! that game still cracks me up.....

I usually only play free roam. It's the best.

[PETC]

Originally Posted by Recklesss

lol true....

although i have had a few legit ***gio Races with like 16 people. that **** is HILARIOUS! that game still cracks me up.....

I'm the person in the ***gio races that drives off to find a rocket launcher/grenades and then hides in bushes and blows you the **** up when you come by. MWAHAHAHA

And anyone complaining about people like me obviously does not understand the beauty behind Grand Theft Auto IV.

[Recklesss]

Originally Posted by PETC

I'm the person in the ***gio races that drives off to find a rocket launcher/grenades and then hides in bushes and blows you the **** up when you come by. MWAHAHAHA

And anyone complaining about people like me obviously does not understand the beauty behind Grand Theft Auto IV.

lmao thats exactly what happened! i was at my buddies house and we came around the last corner maxed out at 5 mph and all the sudden we heard WOOOOOOSHHHHHH BOOOM!

the whole house cracked the fack up

[TomsMR2]

the GTA series of games are the greatest invention, ever.

[conor]

Originally Posted by TomsMR2

the GTA series of games are the greatest invention, ever.

*crashes into Tom's car, hijacks the car, then drives the car off of a ramp for an Insane Stunt Bonus*

[Recklesss]

i just dled it, watched the intro and messed around with the new bikes. looks and feels pretty awsome...

unfortunately i got conned into hosting a Rock Band night, so i was up last night dling more music....