Available: Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC
Game Type: 1 Player Action
From: Rockstar Games
I’m sure we all remember where we were on that infamous day when Rockstar declared mutiny on they Playstation 2; I myself was on my umpteenth game of NHL 08, taking the recommended 15 minute break after an hour (actually it was more like after five hours—sorry safety review board) and standing on my porch reading the latest game previews in magazines. The shock was not so great that I lost my balance, as I assumed after last generation’s mid-gen transfer to the Xbox, Rockstar would have seen how profitable this multiplatform usage of its IP could be. The truly heart-stopping moment came when we learned Microsoft swindled the good folks at Rockstar into giving them exclusive access to the downloadable content for (what ended up being) two standalone adventures, similar to the GTA III’s Vice City and San Andreas—to my understanding, while making great strides in the series all around, they ran off the same engine as. It seems video game journalists can be wrong just like any other media outlet, as eventually the expansion packs were released to the PS3 and finally on disc for both systems.
The Lost and Damned follows Johnny Klebbitz, stand-in President of one of Liberty Cities most feared biker gangs, the Lost. The real President of the club, Billy, was sent to jail and subsequently rehabilitation for his growing addiction to all things, as Rockstar puts it “bikes, babes, booze, and blow—in any order, and preferably all at once.” Given his addictions, Billy struck up a plea bargain and allowed his best friend and second in command Johnny to take the helm as acting captain. While gone, Klebbitz decided it was time to change the gang’s image and accept the increase in business dealings and turn “his” gang into more than a crew of motorcycle enthusiasts dealing drugs, drinking, and fighting. Instead, Klebbitz starting using the Lost to become less thuggish and more practical, harnessing the nightclub life and Mafioso ideology, i.e. still using their biker gang ruggedness, but for profit, not fun. Turning the carefree life of the biker into a businessman, in Billy’s eyes, was not the way things were supposed to go down.
On the other half of the disc, we have the Ballad of Gay Tony. Gay Tony is a nightlife legend, living and breathing the glitz, glamour, and flashing lights of the high end Algonquin nightclubs while at the same time ruling them all. Hard times have begun to catch up to Gay Tony, as the nightclub scene is dying; he has become more addicted to “illegal powders,” and right-hand man Luis Gonzalez is getting the call more frequently to right the wrongs of an aging partier on the verge of a breakdown. As a former street-corner peddler, Luis is no stranger to the woes of the street and the glory of crime. This makes him the perfect man to take up the job of Gay Tony’s driver/protector/go-to-man, and Luis is more than glad to be around all the bright lights and pretty ladies.
After the essential stories of each of the included games are out of the way, the rest is really disappointing in its standard fare. Graphically, Rockstar hasn’t made much progress in these releases, although in all fairness they are the DLC did come out sometime around a year ago if I’m not mistaken. But one would think you’d see some improvement over the original current generation release. I also believe the blur effect was utilized again, because these games are far more blurred than their predecessor was.
In terms of controls, everything remains intact. The cover system used in GTA IV remains, which was a huge step for the franchise, but after playing recent games since April of 2008, it’s lost its luster as well. The aiming mechanic still shines, as I love the auto-aim/full manual aim mapped on the same button. Some games are content with choosing one or the other, but I feel that those ready for the challenge should be attuned to the requisite degree of finesse involved in half depressing the shoulder button for lengthy shootouts. I’m not a fan of auto-aim, but in the GTA universe it’s generally necessary to keep yourself from getting killed in the more frantic shootouts, especially for first-timers.
Another negative aimed specifically at the Lost and Damned is the focus on bikes, which shouldn’t detract from the overall experience, significantly so if you downloaded that title specifically rather than purchasing them both. I did happen to purchase them both, though, so the point remains: I like the sports bikes, but I dislike the choppers. I just don’t like how they drive, and the focus on them is irritating, although as stated implied within the games storyline. Had I purchased the DLC on its own, I would have no reason to complain and probably wouldn’t have ordered it. There is also a group mechanic in L&D whereby when riding with a group leader, an icon pops up and the goal is to stay within the icon to regain health for both your character, Johnny, and your bike. I found this to be completely annoying, as sudden, jerky turns and acceleration/deceleration make it nearly impossible to remain in the supposed area. I think it’s a great idea in theory—not so much in practice.
Honestly, there’s not much to say about this game, as I summed it up pretty well with the statement that it’s standard fare. There are some unique ideas like riding with the group and some grandiose moments like skydiving, but none of them really added much flare to the game after skydiving in Just Cause 2 and riding to my heart’s content in the latest Midnight Club. Outside of these few things it’s GTA IV minus interesting protagonist Niko Bellic.
So for those of you who haven’t yet gone mad on your trips through ample playthroughs of this generations original Grand Theft Auto, this is a great choice. If you have an internet connection and do not want a hard copy, go ahead and shell out the $15-$20 for the Ballad of Gay Tony, the less motorcycle-centric of the two, and if you loved the bikes then do the opposite. But if the great games released since April of 2008 have struck your fancy, be it graphically, control-wise, or something of the nature, don’t waste your time. Everything fun from the original is there, but there’s really not much room to grow.
Graphics: If this came out with GTA IV it would have gotten a perfect score, if not for its sheer graphical power than for the consistent framerate and reliability of the attention to detail. As it sits though, there hasn’t been much advancement such as GTA III to San Andreas.
Controls: As good as ever. They work just fine, but as with graphics I would have liked to see some improvements and/or tweaking, but it’s still great.
Story: As with Niko Bellic’s tale of the tragic American Dream, the stories are rather well done in terms of the GTA-gangster. Not AS good as Niko’s mind you…
Multiple Play: This is GTA’s bread and butter; college dorm room shootouts, online GTA-style frag fests, etc. They all remain in tact and the same as ever, which seems to be my judgment for the elements on a whole.
Total: 70 C-
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