Grand Theft Auto IV The Lost and Damned Review:

Prior to GTA IV's release in April of last year it was common knowledge that Microsoft had secured two-DLC expansions for the Xbox 360 for the whopping sum of $50 million paid to Rockstar to develop and keep the content exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform. Well, the first piece of content has recently hit the Xbox Live Marketplace to the tune of 1600 MS Points (£13/$20). The pricing may seem high compared to what gamers are used to for add-on content, but we can assure you that this is no multiplayer map pack or a couple of shoddy missions to cash-in on the GTA IV name.

The Lost and Damned (TLAD) is the name of the game, and it really is just that, its own game within the same, familiar city. It's been a long time coming, and we finally find out if The Lost and Damned expansion is enough to lure us back into the brightly-lit and moody atmosphere of Liberty City once more.

Gameplay:

The player takes control of Vice-President of The Lost MC, Johnny Klebitz. The faction's leader, Billy Grey, who is just released from rehabilitation at the start of the game, and it's clear that for some time that Johnny's been calling the shots, as a power struggle soon ensues between the two. This is where The Lost MC's story kicks off, with Billy soon falling into his old vile ways, and it's not long before you're off doing missions and interacting with some other familiar, friendly and not so friendly faces, including the Bellic's and more. Having completed GTA IV's original storyline and growing fond of the characters, Rockstar always seemingly has a way to make you think about your actions as you play, and the same holds true for The Lost and Damned.

As you're a part of the biker gang in The Lost MC, your buddies, or brothers if you will, are your partners in crime. You can even call up the likes of Clay or Terry and have them both accompany you on many of your missions to lend assistance. They're especially useful for the new Gang Wars activity where you attempt to wipe out the Angels of Death (the rival gang) from Liberty City, as well as being able to accompany you on the stories missions, too. Riding together with your fellow brothers has its perks as well. Riding in formation for a certain length of time will give you a nice boost of health or armour, and even reward you with extra money if doing so while in multiplayer as well.

There's several new vehicles and weapons on offer, and naturally, most of them are of the motorcycle variety, and you will be required for many of the missions and activities to be on one before starting said mission or activity. Fortunately, bikes now seem to be more common around the city, whether that means stealing one on the move or just stumbling into a parked one to 'borrow.' There's a few new weapons including Pipe Bombs and a rather devastating Grenade Launcher to wreak havoc with. The favourite has to be the simple but very effective new Sawed-off Shotgun, and this is primarily because it can be wielded whilst riding your motorcycle and proves especially effective in taking out convoys quickly, not to mention planting a shell into the chest of an oncoming Angels of Death biker, which subsequently can take two enemies down in a single blast, that is if there just so happens to be two of them on a bike. The Lost MC member Clay has his uses, not only does he like going to the Strip Club with you or visiting the newest addition to the Comedy Club in Frankie Boyle, but Clay is also the man to call if you're wanting to 'test drive' a new motorcycle. Much like Niko calling Roman for a free cabby in IV, your call to Clay will have him ride the bike to you, that is, provided he's not busy banging the missus when you phone him. The same can also be said for Terry, who acts as your weapons dealer, much in the same way as Little Jacob did for Niko.

TLAD brings some new mini-games to the table, such as the likes of Air Hockey and Arm Wrestling and If you're up to it, there's even more seagulls to hunt down, and activities such as Racing and Gang Wars. Fans of the classic Road Rash will likely appreciate the use of being able to wrap a baseball bat around the competitions head while racing.

While GTA IV's gameplay is not faultless, the cover-system being something that's bothered me since release as well as the vehicular handling taking some getting used to. The bikes themselves, and maybe it's just me, but they certainly seem somewhat more robust meaning that you won't come flying off at average speed if you so happen to bump into a wall or another vehicle. The gameplay itself may have a few short-comings that mostly remains unchanged in The Lost and Damned, but this does little to dampen the new, and yet familiar experience.

Graphics:

Upon Grand Theft Auto IV's much anticipated release back in April 2008 the game did look phenomenal, but as we approach the title's first anniversary, some of the cracks are beginning to stand out that much more as we get ever increasingly more detailed games releasing. GTA IV still clearly stands out from the crowd, although some of the facial animations, especially in the cutscenes, in both the original game and The Lost and Damned content are beginning to show their age. It seems even Rockstar is aware of this, as The Lost and Damned defaults with a noise grain filter, which simply displays a 'bitty' overlay grain effect over the image, the method does mask some of the flaws, such as the jagged edges rather well, but the trade-off in my opinion is not worth it, and it's best to be turned off in the options to regain the clarity. Regardless of which, it is still the best looking title in it's own defined genre, with The Lost and Damned naturally expanding on the game playing experience.

Audio:

The audio, unlike the visuals, sees an overhaul on the patented radio stations, while the high-quality production values in its voice-overs, and the patented sound effects very much remain intact. If you've been playing GTA IV vigorously for some time, then you'll be relieved to hear some new fitting tunes on the radio stations as well as updated chatter from the radio DJs, and even more amusing TV shows to chill out to after a hard days work of clearing up the streets of AoD "dirt-bags, " that being what The Lost likes to refer to them as.

Longevity:

There's enough content on offer here with The Lost and Damned to put it on par with the length of campaigns of many other recent retail titles. Depending on how you approach it, the story stands tall for a good 10 hours or so, with other activities keeping you busy way beyond that mark. Although much like GTA IV, once the story is complete, and once you've blasted your way through the rather excellent Gang Wars and Road Rash reminiscent Race activities, then there is little incentive to continue playing after completion. I mostly enjoy just riding around and replaying these activities whilst listening to the vast amount of new tunes and chatter available on the radio stations. If like me, you still have unfinished business in GTA IV, then The Lost and Damned may just get you hooked again and prompt you to switch back over to the illegal immigrant, in Niko Bellic and finish off what's left to achieve their. The only disappointing thing here, is that you can't bring the updated radio stations with you into Niko's world - some sort of feature for The Lost and Damned purchasers to switch between the Original or TLAD radio stations would have been appreciated, but that is not the case.

The story of The Lost MC, with their power-struggle and inner-corruption is certainly engaging, and TLAD does contain some more violent scenes whilst remaining more up-beat, even though the concept of biker gangs seems a little less believable than the fresh off the boat Eastern-European in Niko Bellic. For the GTA IV fan it's worth the price of admission for the story alone, but even to my surprise, I fired up multiplayer and found some new biker themed co-operative and competitive modes on offer, as well as a biker twist on the old modes of play. The Lost MC can team up online to take on the Angels of Death as the A.I., which makes it very much like the Gang Wars activity from the campaign, the same also applies to Races, as mentioned earlier, meaning that you can now wrap that baseball bat around a buddies head while racing online, as well as completing various phone delivered missions as The Lost biker-gang.

Overall:

The Lost and Damned at 1600 MS Points is an absolute steal. Keep in mind that the GTA IV game disc is required in order to play, regardless of which TLAD very much stands on its own two feet and is the epitome of what all downloadable content should be looking to achieve in the future. If you loved the Grand Theft Auto IV story, then The Lost and Damned is an essential purchase and will provide many of the familiar thrills that you first experienced with GTA IV some time ago.

The new additions to multiplayer rounds off an excellent package of content in The Lost and Damned, even when you think you're nearing the end of the story, it just keeps on giving and surprising. From the violent nature to the odd politician who lets it all hang out. Rockstar have themselves laid it out on the table, and with it, delivered the single greatest piece of downloadable content to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace.

We now must wait with baited breath in anticipation for presumably the final piece of downloadable content, and can only wonder what that may bring to the Grand Theft Auto IV experience. As for The Lost and Damned, if you enjoyed GTA IV and haven't got this content yet, then what are you waiting for?