Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City Review

When it comes to downloadable content, I’m notoriously frugal. While I’ve been known to go on game purchasing binges, I rarely purchase supplementary content for an existing game. My aversion emanates from the lack of novelty DLC traditionally offers. It’s not uncommon for auxiliary content to recycle graphical assets from the main game, or do little to change the game’s fundamental play mechanic. Innovative developer Rockstar has recently created two brilliant exceptions to these rules, with the Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, two episodic adventures that deftly extend the mythos of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Players without broadband access, or simply unwilling to forgo a good-sized chuck of their hard drive’s space have had to abstain from these two extensions of Rockstar’s deftly rendered universe. Now, with the release of GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, all Xbox 360 owners can delight in the rare piece of content that reveals the power and capacity of downloadable packages.  Best of all, they don’t even need to own GTA IV to enjoy the disk- Episodes is a standalone product.

When The Lost and the Damned was first announced, many expected the title to be a meager prologue that might prolong Niko Bellic’s plotline. Instead, gamers received over fifty musical tracks, twenty new vehicles, six additional weapons, and a fresh protagonist- Johnny Klebitz.  There’s so much content that Lost almost feels like an entirely name game; I’ve played sequels which offered far less substance and development.

Whereas the plotline of GTA IV focused on Bellic’s often-forlorn migration to Liberty City and subsequent pursuit of the American dream, Klebitz’s story dwells on maintaining stability during a period of duress. As an interim leader of a motorcycle gang while the president is in rehab, Johnny left a legacy of progressive guidance. His deliberately avoided conflict with rival gangs, and kept his guys out of jail. Once the former boss leader is discharged, the gang reverts back to their disorderly days, and conflict inevitably ensues. 

While Niko committed a fair of heinous acts, his relative innocent contributed to his likability; it was hard not to feel for the character. The Lost and the Damned’s Klebitz is much more complicated, and at times, downright loathsome. For some players, his actions are going to prohibit identification with the character, and may cause frustration as players are forced to execute a few repugnant tasks. Still, these missteps are almost forgiven by Lost’s revision of GTA IV’s motorcycle handling model.  Riding bikes during Niko’s storyline was often unnecessarily dangerous, as slight collisions would launch players from their crotch rockets.  Now, the motorcycles are wonderfully invigorating, and offer some of the best two wheeled fun this side of Road Rash.

Luckily, The Ballad of Gay Tony’s lead character, Luis Lopez, revisits the realm of amiable leads. Like Klebitz, Lopez isn’t clawing his way to the upper echelons of society- in fact he’s almost there. This alone gives the second installment a salubrious vibe; it’s refreshing that Gay Tony abandons the working-class vibe customary to the GTA series.

Within minutes of booting the title up, the episode reveals its power- by offering smaller, supplemental material instead of a new, full game, the installment feels amazingly fresh. As eponymous character Tony Prince is discussing his crippling financial woes he states,” Forget the banks we’re the ones who need a bailout”, as gamers get a taste of the title’s humor and relevance. The title also offers players some of the most gratifying missions of the series. Between flying a combat helicopter and driving a LAV around town, Gay Tony offers plenty of opportunities to deliver a bit of ‘shock and awe’.