This game is FABULOUS!!

Dec 20, 2010

by TheJohn
posted in The Gaming Hub

Exclusive to the Lunch Network

Rating:

Grand Theft Auto IV had a BIG and involved city full of drug dealers, double crosses, broken hearts and broken dreams. It was engrossing but damn if the dingy tone and hard work led to little payoff sometimes for all the long and hard missions you suffer through. Still, I loved the city and I could go into corners of the city and get a feel for what went on like with Hove Beach and it's downtown feel of diners, bars and waterfront, the big city world of Algonquin and the drug and hooker laden corners of Bohan.

Thankfully two more adventures were released as DLC content that stands independent from GTAIV and open up more stories that go on in this colorful world of Liberty City. One of them is The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Gay Tony is the owner or two of Liberty Cities hottest night spots in the middle of the city. Gay Tony also has money problems with the mob and a drug problem that his obnoxious boy friend keeps him on. Your character Luis Lopez is Tony's Bodyguard and makes his money by being a security head at the Maisonette 9, one of Tony's clubs. Luis has served time for drug dealing in the past and sure enough, Luis's old friends come knocking to get him back in the business. Not a bad prospect since you need money but need to stay out of jail. To get tangled up in the world that Tony helped save you from even if it means an answer to getting money to get the mobs off of your back.

Other characters make appearances from GTA IV and new ones show up too like the aforementioned Luis and Tony but also include Evan, Tony's scumbag boyfriend, Joni the security manager at the club who sometimes wants a booty call from Luis and Yussif a Middle Eastern man who wants to buy the world. All add up to what IS Grand Theft Auto so all the usual antics like shooting everyone from low lifes to cops and stealing cars and other dirty deeds are included.

New cars and vehicles are added, and even better new weapons, many of which you get access to much earlier in the game then before. The best of which is you AA12 Auto Shotgun which rips to pieces your enemies. Sticky bombs are great too. Throw it and get away from your target so you can see it blow up real good.

New mini games are included as well such as base jumping. Get atop a building with a parachute and JUMP! Have fun on the way down and don't forget to pull the cord. Imagine jumping off the tallest skyscraper and NOT pulling the cord which you do in one mission early on. Fight Clubs allow you to get into fist fights and even betting on fights. Drug Wars allow you and your friends to saddle up and try to steal a stash of dope and get away from they're friends so you can make money. Don't forget to work the floor at Tony's club where Joni will tell you where the trouble is, or call you up to her booth for something special. One mission that stands out where you have to steal an Armored Personal Carrier, oh it's damn near unkillable and have fun smashing those cop cars off the road that think they can stop you.

One thing that really floored me is how the game looked. GTA IV had a fairly modest look but ultimately it was a very gray game. This game....SHINES and SPARKLES. I'm not being derivative either. This game has a sunny and happy look to it which bright colors shine throughout. Your map has hot pink markers on it and a soothing tune plays on the pause screen. The cars up close all have an extra texture to make them look gorgeous. The rest of the graphics are on par with the main GTA IV game. Controlls are mostly the same except that they tightened up the flying controls so that helicopter missions aren't nearly such a chore anymore. Missions are much more forgiving with improved checkpoints as well so no more racing 10 minutes across town only to die 20 seconds later and redo it all again.

The only bad side is that the game is short. For a DLC no you can't get a lot of missions but the experience was so much fun, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to drive flashy cars and shoot mobsters all night long.

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woopak_the_thrill December 20, 2010

good to know! I'll pick this up once I get some extra $$. Hey...two more days for TRUE GRIT!

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More Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad o... reviews

review by Steveo. April 25, 2010

This Gave Me A Reason To Return To Liberty City

This is an amazing thing to have happened. The downloadable episodes for GTA IV made available for the PS3, and not only is their availability an amazing thing, the fact that this story is better than the Niko adventures just makes me feel miles better. When I completed the original GTA IV story, I ended up feeling let down and empty inside as, although the graphics, city and some of the missions were stunning to say the least, but when I finished the story I just felt like I didn't have as much … more

Comment Compliments (48)

Quick Tip by TheJohn. December 20, 2010

A Quick Tip by TheJohn

Colorful and more upbeat return to Liberty City with you playing the bodyguard to LC's Night Club leader. It's more of the same from Grand Theft Auto IV, only better.

Comment Compliment

see all Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad o... reviews (3)

About the reviewer

John Nelson (TheJohn)
Ranked #2

Born in Wausau Wisconsin. Move at an early age to Ventura California and lived for 8 years. Growing up in a big city landscape didn't prepare me for my next move: Archbold Ohio with a population of … more