Game Cover

Capitalism is a dirty business.

Previous Grand Theft Auto review:

• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Platform played on: Xbox 360

# Review

The story follows Niko Bellic (Michael Hollick), an Eastern European former soldier turned criminal who immigrates to Liberty City (a fictional New York City) to start life anew. Unfortunately, Niko quickly gets embroiled in the Liberty City underworld.

Niko Bellic

The story is very compelling and shows a cynical view of the American Dream. Niko’s idealized version of Liberty City is shattered almost as soon as he arrives, and he quickly realizes capitalism ranks higher than ideals. I especially like the supporting cast, which includes Roman (Jason Zumwalt), Niko’s overly optimistic cousin, and Brucie (Timothy Adams), a steroid junkie. The game has a relationship feature where Niko can increase his friendship with various characters. The gameplay is classic GTA, with shooting and driving at the core of increasingly extreme missions.

Cover system for shooting

GTA IV would have been a masterpiece were it not for some glaring gameplay issues. The first is the dark and gritty graphics. The environment is often very bleak, much like the story. I found that the bleak visuals did not age well. The physics engine is also overly realistic for a game such as GTA; driving and even walking can feel very clunky and unresponsive. GTA IV did bring many new features, such as the cellphone and the internet. One of my favourite aspects of the game is browsing the in-game internet, which is filled with ridiculous content. As with all GTA games, IV has a banging radio with awesome music and hilarious satirical shows.

Internet

The multiplayer has a great variety of gamemodes, ranging from deathmatch to a plethora of races. The multiplayer also includes three missions where players cooperate together to perform three different heists. I remember spending hours playing the different game modes when the servers were still active.

Multiplayer race

# Conclusion

A great story with interesting characters.

# Overall rating: 8.4

What does the rating mean?

# DLC Reviews

# Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

DLC Cover

There are two standalone DLCs released for this game. The DLCs are also available by themselves in a compilation called Episodes from Liberty City.

# The Lost and Damned

The first DLC sees the player assume the role of Johnny Klebitz (Scott Hill), the vice-president of the Liberty City chapter of the Lost MC, an outlaw motorcycle club whose president Billy Grey (Lou Sumrall) has just been released from prison. The story involves Johnny and the club dealing with both internal and external struggles.

Riding with the club

The story plays out like an Italian melodrama, full of betrayal and very troubled characters relying on one another. The gameplay is similar to that of the GTA IV main game, with an emphasis on vehicular combat. I really enjoyed how the DLC missions tied into the main missions from GTA IV; I’d highly recommend completing the main GTA IV story before starting the DLCs.

The DLC adds new gameplay modes, such as motorcycle races (where you can try to knock other competitors off with a baseball bat) and new gameplay features such as mid-mission checkpoints and new motorcycles. There are also new additions to multiplayer, such as Chopper vs. Chopper, where a helicopter tries to stop the bikers from reaching checkpoints.

# Overall rating: 8.1

# The Ballad of Gay Tony

The second DLC follows Luis Lopez (Mario D'Leon), a Dominican-American former drug dealer turned bodyguard and business associate of the nightclub magnate Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince (David Kenner). The story follows Luis as he tries to rescue Tony and his clubs from Tony’s various predicaments.

Dancing in the club

I personally enjoyed the story more than The Lost and Damned; Luis and Tony’s friendship is very charming and the side characters are hilarious. My favourites are probably Luis’ childhood friends Armando (Jaime Fernandez) and Henrique (J Salome Martinez Jr.), Brucie’s even douchier older brother Mori (Jeff Gurner), and the Arab billionaire Yusuf Amir (Omid Djalili). As with TLAD, the story ties into that of the main GTA IV game.

The gameplay has many new features, such as mission scores, where one has to complete optional objectives to achieve 100%. There are many new game modes, such as Underground Fight Tournament, BASE Jumping, and triathlons. The missions start off like the missions from GTA IV but quickly get very crazy, especially Yusuf’s missions. There are also new multiplayer levels, such as new races and new deathmatch locations. Overall, I feel this DLC is an upgraded version of the main GTA IV game.

Underground Fight Tournament

# Overall rating: 8.6