When Grand Theft Auto IV was released back in Spring 2008, the game was a critical success getting one of the highest scores in Metacritic history with a 98. Game reviewers praised it’s story, the amount of detail put into making the world seem real, and the advancement in gameplay/graphics from the last gen versions. While this is all true, many fans of the game we’re disappointed in the game, saying that goofing around wasn’t as fun, that it got old after a while, and that overall the game wasn’t as exciting as past versions. The Ballad of Gay Tony, Rockstar’s last piece of exclusive DLC for the Xbox 360, hopes to change that by adding a ton of new features and mission types to the world of GTA IV, but does this new adventure in Liberty City give the fans what they want….

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, you play as Luis Lopez a young ex-con who is now a business partner with night club mogul Tony Prince. Luis is straight for those of you who are wondering, and he is working on making something with his life after spending time in jail as a youth. Tony, who is your business partner and best friend, is a interesting character and there is a sharp contrast between the two when they have scenes together.

Overall, the story is nice but personally I prefer the original GTA IV story. I think this games story helps put pieces together for the questions you may have had after playing GTA IV and Lost and Damned. The characters are interesting, but I prefer Niko over Luis. Niko was a much more deep and thought out character while Luis seems to be your typical GTA protagonist.

The story is acceptable and interesting, but what really helps this game stand out are the new features. The best one is the introduction of the parachute. The parachute is a blast to mess around with, and creates some very fun side missions.  The parachute side missions involve you jumping from buildings and helicopters and either landing on certain spots or moving vehicles to complete the side mission. You can use parachutes at any point in the game though, so that is always a fun thing to do.

Since you work for the biggest club owner in Liberty City then you obviously get access to the best clubs in Liberty City. In the clubs, there are dancing mini-games, a champagne drinking game, and you can patrol the club to make sure things stay orderly. You can use the club for work and play. These aren’t game sellers, but they are fun little bonuses.

Maybe the mode many of you might find the most interesting is the underground fighting tournament. They upgraded the hand to hand combat system so you have block, dodge, kick, and alternate punch to go along with your normal punch. You can play in tournaments to make cash or just goof off. I personally like the way club is designed, it has a Fight Club feel to it.

Other features include a in-mission checkpoint system. A problem with the first two pieces of the GTA IV story was that if you failed mid-mission you had to start all over. With this you will start around the timeframe when you died. This stops a lot of unnecessary backtracking.

There is a lot more mission diversity in this game as well. It’s not just follow someone or go to a area and kill your enemies. The main person who gives you the funnest missions is a new character named Yusuf Amir, personally my favorite new character in this game. Yusuf has some funny commentary in this game, but in it he asks you to steal some very interesting objects. I don’t want to give away what they are, but it’s not just stealing a car or bike if thats what you think.

Graphically the game is still pretty good for a open world game with the amount of detail and A.I. that GTA has in it. This isn’t the greatest looking game ever, but the graphics suffice and the physics engine is still pretty good. If you buy this game, it’s because you like GTA and want to continue the experience. You aren’t buying it for a huge technological leap.

The soundtrack for the most part is what you hear on your in-car radio. The music library is still diverse, and top notch. You also get funny commercials and talk shows like in the previous game.

Overall:
I beat the single player, barely playing any side missions, in about ten hours. I think thats pretty good for a $20 game considering that I just spent $60 on Modern Warfare 2 and I beat their single player in 6 hours. For those who didn’t like GTA IV, I suggest you check this out because it does have more fun side missions. You get more cars, more weapons, and a parachute! If you don’t have GTA IV then I really suggest you pick up the Episodes from Liberty City for $40. You get Gay Tony and Lost & Damned for $40. You get two 10+ hour single player campaigns, a decent (but nothing great) multiplayer, and one of the funnest open worlds out there in video games. I think for anyone who enjoyed the original GTA IV, this is a must buy. They only improve on the features and options. My only knocks are that the story isn’t as strong as the original, Tony Prince is not as good a sidekick as Roman, and the gameplay needs to be refined and catch up to modern times when it comes to cover based combat.If you are interested in Liberty City and GTA IV then you can’t get a much better value than this. If you want a AAA title without spending $60 then this is it.

(4/5)