XBox 360
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Product Features

Genre
Action and Shooter
Publisher
Take 2 Interactive
Release Date
October 29, 2009
Available Platforms
XBox 360

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Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City

Episodes from Liberty City is the brand new Grand Theft Auto, containing two complete games The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned together in one box.The Ballad of Gay Tony:The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka Gay Tony ), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price. Grand Theft Auto The Lost and DamnedGrand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned sees you playing as Johnny, a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City,...

  • John Haines September 29, 2010 360
    ****

    Yes thats right!! This disc contains both of the downloadable addons for the GTA4 game. These addons are "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony". The great thing is you do not need the original GTA4 to play these on this disc. To be perfectly honest, if you are looking to get these at all, do not bother downloading them directly to your xbox, as this is way more expensive and can take up a lot of space on your harddrive! This disc is a perfect substitute, as not only is it cheaper, but it takes up no space on the drive. In this review, I will examine both addon games in their own right.

    Story:
    Having completed both storylines, I can say that they both reveal a lot more about Liberty City than can be found in the original GTA4. Don't get me wrong, the GTA4 storyline is a brilliant piece of writing, but if you have already beaten it then these two can provide you with another view, literally. The genius is that the two characters you play in these addons have appeared somewhere in the GTA4 story before. In "The Lost and Damned" (TLAD), you play as Johnny Klebitz, a member of a notorius bike crew in Liberty City. This story is a bit darker in tone that the main one, and features a few twists that you will not see coming! In "The Ballad of Gay Tony" (TBOGT), you play as Luis Lopez, a PA and right-hand man to nightclub owner and drug-abuser Tony. This storyline, while featuring a bit more glitz and glamour, is also the most interesting as the Luis character has a great back-story and is basically a nice guy, but forced to do the wrong things. Without giving anything away, I will say that TBOGT features some really strong set pieces that have never been seen in a GTA game before!

    Gameplay:
    The core gameplay of these two expansions is relatively unchanged from the main game, but also have several new tweaks here and there to refresh it. The computer AI has been slightly upgraded to feel even more realistic. TLAD features a few new weapons, but more importantly, new motorbikes, helicopters and cars. The motorbike controls have been changed so it is easier to shoot while driving. You can also now roam around with your own bike crew in formation. Each member of this crew can also become more useful the more they are with you! This new feature gives a real sense of belonging to the game, as you never truly feel alone. In TBOGT, lots of new weapons have been added to the already massive roster! The developers have also changed a few of the cars, added brand new helicopters and bikes, and best of all, you can now skydive and make use of a parachute. This is one of the best additions these DLC addons has to offer, as it opens up a lot of fun opportunities in the game world. Challenges are also attached to the skydiving now; ie can you hit a certain target? or how close to the ground can you get before opening your parachute? Its these fantastic features that have revamped the gameplay of GTA, and made it a very enjoyable experience.

    Graphics:
    The graphics of the two expansions really haven't been changed at all from the base game. A few textures here and there may have been updated, but beyond that they are basically the same. While this can be a bit disappointing, as the graphics are not amazingly good, you must remember that the area of the map you can explore is massive, with all of it needing to be rendered. This can take a toll on the graphics that can be displayed. Overall, while you can nitpick about certain textures and graphics that do not look good, these are still pretty to look at, just not on the same level as a smaller game such as Gears of War. The icon set and lighting for each expansion also changes from the base game. TLAD features a more moody and darker HUD, and a bit less saturation in the environment. TBOGT, however, has a lot lighter colours. Technicolour features quite heavily in this expansion, and it really does a good job of lightening the mood somewhat.

    Multiplayer:
    The multiplayer of GTA4 was one of the best online experiences that the Xbox 360 could offer. I am pleased to say that this carries over into the new expansions. New gametypes have been added to both expansion packs, which fleshes out the online portion of the game. Free-roaming is still available, as are new racing types for bikes, and a car racing gametype that has a nitrous boost!! In TBOGT, you can even skydive with your friends! I guess you can say that the multiplayer is everything you had in the original GTA4, plus the brillaint additions from each expansion!

    Replayability:
    With both expansions clocking in at 8hrs a piece for the story modes, and the fact that TBOGT has a replay level system and calculates your efforts into an overall score for that level, you can easily spend 40+ hours with these two games. Admittedly, after the stories in each game, there is not a lot to do in single-player. However, if you have Xbox Live, you have access to some of the most entertaining experiences to be found online!

    Overall:
    I have to say, after buying this disc, I have never experienced such fun in a game before! The sheer amount of new content here is not really one to be missed if you liked the original game. Even if you didn't, I would say that you may want to pick these two up, as you may find yourself liking the new additions they have! Well worth the price as well! Buy Today!