Grand Theft Auto Episodes From Liberty City review

For players who have mastered GTA IV this is another welcome opportunity to delve into the seedy side of Liberty City via two unique experiences. The Lost and Damned sees you as a member of a biker gang (the Lost) who are engaged in turf wars and illegal activities beyond merely treating the road as it if were your own. What was a period of stability has been unsettled by the release of the gangs original leader, who has returned driven by vengeance and a desire for more power causing friction in the ranks.In comparison the Ballad of Gay Tony initially promises to be a more sedate and stylish affair, but first impressions can certainly be deceiving. In this episode you play a former minor drug offender who has scored big by becoming the main minder for Liberty Citys Peter Stringfellow a.k.a. Tony Prince. Its a story of struggle, as Gay Tony is in debt to the mafia and his empire is always a prime target for others. Add in a little spice with your former gang members trying to get a slice of the action and your mamma viewing your life to date as a failure. It all adds up to another fulfilling Rockstar take on Liberty City life.While both storylines are original and welcome the actual core game play remains from GTA IV including the camera that makes those on foot sections annoying at times. It seems we can never tire of missions that involve dashing to specific points on a map, or taking out bent coppers and overcoming insurmountable odds. Yet this has always been a criticism from Gamestyle over the years and one of the reasons why weve always resisted giving GTA a ten score.The storyline does provide a fresh lick of paint and the inclusion of new activities such as cage fighting or dancing madly at the nightclub do prove to be fun if minor distractions. Yet the feeling persists that mission variety and structure has yet to evolve to the same degree as the visuals nowadays. Whether its a hit at the local golf range that brought back memories of Leith Links from an earlier incarnation or taking part in speedboat warfare. Gamestyle has performed these actions previously and were now demanding something more. In the scheme of things it is a minor criticism as the GTA franchise is so dominant and well conceived that its become its own worst enemy.The missions being what they are, this disc release also offers the option for co-operative or multiplayer play. Presumably the inclusion is for those that previously did not bother to download from Xbox Live or perhaps feel the need to finally join the party after experiencing either episode offline. For us while these features work perfectly adequately the real enjoyment comes from cruising around Liberty City and taking in the sights. By doing this can you only truly appreciate the work that has gone into this world and in particular the soundtrack. This comes in the form of radio stations that are always unique and refreshing. How brilliant would it be to have some of these options on your DAB radio than boring the boring Radio One and others playing their safe catalogue of music fed by the major record labels? The DJs include Juliette Lewis and Iggy Pop amongst others, playing tracks ranging from Five Star to Kanye West or the Chemical Brothers. Yet sometimes the actual adverts or points of view are the true highlights with some well-observed criticism of events that relate to our own era.Grand Theft Auto Episodes From Liberty City is Rockstars way of picking up a nice cheque from Microsoft without having to do too much. The foundations were already in place and the majority of the design, just a new story and a couple of characters to reinvigorate the masses once again. Job done without too much distraction from the next installment and nice piece of business for everyone involved except the paying public. At its reduced price this is an entertaining distraction but little more than a solid expansion pack when ideally we wanted something much more.