We’ve already had a look at the content once before, but now having sat down and played the whole thing through, a lot of things have come into perspective. We initially got the impression that the game played more like an expansion than a piece of DLC but having gone through, it’s pretty much the most substantial piece of content that we’ve come across so far. Still, even though there are numerous additions and features brought to the table, it shows that this format of delivery still has something to give.
Take your best shot.
Regardless of whether you have finished GTA IV or not, The Lost and Damned is accessible to play upon downloading it. Players will ditch the previous frontman, Niko Bellic, and play as Johnny Klebitz, whom players should have encountered a few times during their first play as a senior member of the biker gang, The Lost. The story is very short compared to a normal GTA adventure but at least you won’t finish it in a sitting like most DLC seen so far. Not to mention, it is a good ride (no pun intended).
However, while the story has been given the typically careful and well-conceived Rockstar treatment, we felt that it wasn’t as endearing as their past efforts. And that’s not due to the brevity. Simply, the characters are not as easy to connect with as those in the Niko arc. Billy is not particularly believable and it’s not easy to sympathise with the characters ‘in trouble’. That, and despite a more focused and direct story, the sombre karmic undertone to the Niko arc, where doing the bad things to get what you wanted didn’t necessarily turn out a ‘happy’ ending, isn't as prominent. However, TLAD does link together bits and pieces of Niko’s story reasonably well, to show how things happened in the background.
If you were a fan of GTA IV, then you will appreciate some of the tweaks, changes and additions to the game through TLAD. From the outset though, we ought to say that it you weren’t a fan of GTA IV or GTA in general, there is little to no reason to come back. First up, Johnny’s adventure already comes with a full set of contacts and places of importance. So you’re pretty much thrown straight into the action. Being a biker gang, you’ll spend a lot of time on motorbikes. The bike handling has been noticeably tweaked for the better, and this is particularly noticeable on Johnny’s personal ride.
Would a mother love this face?
Another gang feature is the ability to call back up when on a mission. This is a welcome addition, particularly as it makes you really feel like you are part of the biker gang. Apart from the new story line, there have been a number of side-quests and diversions added to the game. The diversions include races (where you can belt other riders with bats), gang wars and stealing custom bikes. You’ve also got a couple of new weapons and vehicles. Furthermore, there have been a handful of new and thematic multiplayer modes, ‘Witness Protection’ and ‘Chopper Vs Chopper’. The latter mode has one player on a bike and another in a helicopter. Have fun.
Probably the handiest addition is that of checkpoints in the missions. While not as generous as a lot of other modern games, it at least takes out the hassle of getting to each primary objective. Still, a few things weren’t as welcome. In particular, we still had trouble fighting with the games mechanics. Furthermore, Johnny feels slower and clunkier than Niko. While it was great to have the bikes tweaked, hopefully the next piece of DLC that comes out will also have a character that doesn’t have the turning radius of an oil tanker. Furthermore, it would be nice for a change if the majority of missions didn’t end with you being chased by the police. Having played through the entire main campaign and this, all those chases can become very tiresome.
Graphically, the game is identical to last year’s release. After all, it is the same game. While you will see many familiar things, and not too many explicitly new ones, you will at least see things from a different perspective. There have been more updates to the sound track though, with new radio programs, songs and sounds to be heard. Most of these additions are great, and they’ve been subtly mixed in with the older stuff as well. However, a few of the more recent and relevant additions feel rather tacky.
You could have just taken the petrol...
No doubt a few of you have scrolled down to read our final verdict first, but for those who have stuck around, they ought to know that it comes conditionally. It came to light that the download ‘accidentally’ censored the game. Despite reportedly being fixed, we strongly recommend players and potential acquirers to really look into this before they take the plunge.
But apart from that, there is really no reason for GTA fans to avoid picking up The Lost and Damned. It gives a whole new perspective to the story in GTA IV and comes with some welcome additions. If you don't like GTA, we're surprised that you've read this far, as you should have guessed the result by now. While it doesn’t really revolutionise what can be done with DLC, what it does do is show just how much can be put into a downloadable package. And compared to what you have here, more often than not you'll be paying a lot more for much less.
Worth buying? Yes
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Downloadable content ratings system
We've given a 'buy' rating of 'Yes', 'Maybe', or 'No'.
Yes means that the content is either great value or brings some substantial additions to the game, or possibly both.
Maybe means that the content may be fun while it lasts, but may either be too short or not enough to fully justify the price tag.
No means that we don't recommend downloading this insubstantial content.
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