Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City Review [PS3]

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is the combination of the two DLC expansions “The Lost and Damned” and “The Ballad of Gay Tony”. After nearly almost a year, the PS3 finally gets its dues from Rockstar. While there is nothing really different from these previously released versions on the Xbox 360, the PS3 version is sure to sell due to the PS3 fan base of the GTA franchise.

The Lost and Damned gives you the same action from the original GTA 4, but biker gang style. The main protagonist is Johnny Klebitz who is in this gang called The Lost. This part of GTA shows an interesting tale from Johnny’s prospective, leading the gang in the right direction with the new blend of characters to take part in the shoot outs and car/bike pursuits. There are gang turf battles that are always fun and there are a lot of them. Some of the missions even mix in the other protagonist Niko, mainly to show you that there are more sides to the story. Within the expansion you get the sense that their’s a far more serious tone to The Lost and Damned. Compared to the other new campaign on this disc, some of the decisions don’t sit well with you. New weapons such as a machine pistol, pipe bombs, assault shotgun, and a grenade launcher are here. Not a cranny is missing Liberty City, as the whole thing is available from the start, which helps not having to wait and unlock the city like the original game.

There are new multiplayer modes with this game: Witness Protection, one team plays offense to destroy a bus while one plays defense to protect it. Race, is bike racing with weapons. Lone Wolf Biker, where the one who holds the title as the Lone Wolf the longest wins. Own the City, gang war control of a section of the city like graffiti. Club Business, like the Mafia mode in GTA 4 but with 8 players and Chopper vs. Chopper, the biker must escape the attacking helicopter chasing them.

If the Lost and Damned storyline is the stern and gritty side of GTA then The Ballad of Gay Tony is the fun and brighter side of GTA but still in a violent way. What people may not know is that there are 3 sides to the Dominican ex-con Luis Lopez: the bodyguard, the manager, and the business partner. Luis works for Anthony Prince the owner of two of the biggest nightclubs in Liberty City. Luis has to protect “Gay Tony” after he gets in too deep from borrowing money from some shady people. The missions that Luis takes part in are for the most part pretty good. Lot of things end either massacred or blown up. There are lots of extra activities for you to participate in. Some that stuck with us are club managing, air hockey, and base jumping. Base Jumping is great, it can happen almost anywhere, helicopter, top of a high building, just make sure you open that parachute.! The high performance sports cars and aircrafts are new in this segment in GTA, along with some new weapons.

As a double packaged disc the game gives you better vechicle controls, better check point system, some of the best voice dialogue as always and more radio station with some pretty good tracks. Each story takes at least 10-12 hours, give or take. The Lost and Damned can get a little depressing while The Ballad of Gay Tony is quite eccentric.  All and all Rockstar brings that GTA 4 longevity to the PS3 that they’ve been asking for. If you are a fan of the series or want to give GTA another go, check this double adventure.

[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]
Overall= 9.2

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