Episodes from Liberty City is - technically- a standalone game, of that there can be no doubt. Available over the counter in your local retailer, it has a box, maps and achievements. It doesn't need the original GTAIV to play. Except really it's not a standalone game, my reasoning being that anyone who purchased The Lost and Damned DLC already has half of the content in the box. For those of you, buying Episodes from Liberty City doesn't need to be considered, because you can get the new content online for half the price. On the other hand, if you haven't played The Lost and Damned, then this package contains two thoroughly enjoyable story lines - one grimy and one glittering - to play through.
We gave The Lost and Damned a run through when it was released, so rather than revisit the plot and characters, readers are encouraged to read our review. Needless to say it made a lasting impression and was scored as such.
Tony Prince, the man at the centre of all the trouble
In The Ballad of Gay Tony we follow the story of Luis Fernando Lopez, an associate of nightclub supremo Anthony ‘Gay Tony’ Prince. While Prince runs two successful nightclubs in Liberty City, things in the nightclub trade aren’t what they used to be, and cash flow has dried up. He also maintains a lifestyle that has stretched him too thin, with the end result that his business partner Luis must undertake jobs for a variety of LC residents, many of which live in the upper strata of society. Where The Lost and Damned had us working the streets, The Ballad of Gay Tony goes in the complete other direction.
That other direction places far more emphasis on mingling with the high life, surrounded by beautiful people in a world dominated by money and power, and the freedom it brings. This is a side of Liberty City that hasn't been properly explored before, and with it being the final episode for GTAIV, you can be sure that the series isn't fading away into the pages of history without one hell of a party.
The first thing that becomes apparent - a tradition with the series - is that there is a serious amount of work invested in making the characters believable. Luis is intensely more likeable than Johnny Klebitz, and while Johnny was essentially a person struggling through the respect and brotherhood of the bikie gang, Luis has compassion, a mother that he cares for and deep friendships with those close to him.
This is one of the most explosive stories from the GTA world
Players are caught up in a story of power and despair, with some of the richest, and most likely craziest, cast of characters yet seen, and the when the demands of the rich need to be met, it's never in a subtle fashion.
Spending time with Yusuf Amir blends the extravagance and the slightly-insane perfectly. An ultra wealthy property developer that lives in perpetual fear of failing to please his father, Amir tries to be everything to every man, often failing to fully grip the finer points of things like language. He’s also obsessed with gold plating, so you can expect all manner of shiny things to play with – cars, guns and helicopters.
Working with Yusuf really brings home the core point of Gay Tony, the thing that sets it aside from the stories of Niko Bellic and Johnny Klebitz. It’s all about big, and loud. You can expect to drive an APC through the city, engage in frequent helicopter attacks, steal a train, but one of the missions we played before release still captures the spirit of it all brilliantly. Amir demands ownership of the local ice hockey team, but the owner won’t sell. Cue Luis attacking the local MeTV studios to kill said owner, thus putting the team onto the market. It’s here that all the new elements are properly shown.
Rockstar take every chance to get you into a parachute
Luis parachutes onto the roof of the building in an effort to avoid discovery, but in typical fashion, it’s a doomed effort. No sooner has our protagonist landed on the roof and walked through the door than bloody hell breaks loose. Fighting in the narrow confines of the corridors offers the chance to see some of the new combat features – shoot a steam pipe and enemies will stagger out of cover clutching their faces, giving Luis plenty of time to finish them off. Knock someone down the lift shaft to the floor below, and guards will come to investigate, again giving an opportunity to eliminate them.
Good players will find the target and kill them, then escape the building. Really good players will kill the target, blast the windows out on the office on floor 30, then base-jump from the building; the best players will be able to navigate and land on the back of the flatbed truck moving away through the city.
Boosting the game time are a variety of new features specific to The Ballad of Gay Tony. Luis can attend and work either of the two clubs and dance with the patrons (which can lead to some hilarious group performances), or engage in a couple of drinking games to pass the time. Of more importance are the 25 base jumps scattered across the city, giving players plenty of opportunities to leap from the highest points, or from hovering helicopters. There are drug wars scattered across the map, and the chance for Luis to do some cage fighting. Luis can even take a golf club to a driving range to work on his swing.
Luis gets jiggy with club patrons
The colour palette has been expanded for this last edition, and we couldn’t be happier. Where Lost was a murky tale of greys and browns, Gay Tony is an explosion of colour and it works well. It’s true that the RAGE engine is showing some ageing, but it’s subtly masked with the glitz and glamour of the content.
Finally, multiplayer has been refined and expanded, with new maps featuring tighter deathmatch arenas to games which involve the new parachute toy. Races and the team modes are all present, with the former having the added excitement of a nitrous boost in each and every car. The introduction of kill streaks and assisted kills is welcome, as are the health and armour bonuses they provide. Making use once again of the new parachute, times for completing set series of jumps across the city are uploaded to the Rockstar Social Club, allowing everyone to see how well they're doing. Little additions like the smoke trail from the ankle of a character while falling can become extremely important in co-op parachute races.
The visuals may be covered with rhinestones and it may be accompanied by a distinctly disco soundtrack, but it also carries perhaps the most meaningful and touching plot and character interplay seen in the series to date. As DLC from Xbox Live this is recommended, but for those that haven’t tried the first episode then the retail edition is encouraged. This is an awesome tale of destruction and glamour that many fans of the GTA formula will have craved, and a fitting end to one of the most engaging titles this generation.
FOR MORE REVIEWS:
http://www.hellbored.com/games/review/11174#STS=g2n1ymm6.14ym
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