Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Impressions

I remember Grand Theft Auto IV being more fun. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing game. There's a whole universe in Liberty City, and it may be more detailed than any game environment ever created. Plus, you can shoot stuff real good. But before firing up the new expansion pack, The Lost and Damned, I didn't remember the mechanics of just moving my character around the screen being so frustrating.

Was Niko Bellic just a more maneuverable guy than the expansion's leather-clad protagonist Johnny Klebitz? Maybe. Or maybe the wow factor has just worn off. In any case, I wasn't bothered much on my play through the main game by the lethargic walking, leaden vehicle handling, and uncooperative targeting that have bogged me down during my first couple of hours with The Lost and Damned.

Yes, that's right. I've only played a couple of hours so far, so this shouldn't be considered a full review. I would have gotten to the expansion sooner, but I decided to purchase a download code from Best Buy instead of cashing in my Microsoft Points. This was partially an experiment to see just what they sell you in a box full of downloadable content (a poster and a slip of paper, it turns out) and partially because my girlfriend gave me a Best Buy gift card for Valentine's Day.

Anyway, I may change my mind about all this by the end. I have a feeling I just need to get back in the GTA4 groove. Since finishing the main story, I've played hours upon hours of the GTA knockoff Saints Row 2, so I might just be used to the fast-paced, arcade style shooting and driving of that game. I'd say GTA4 could use a dose of arcade fun, but I understand it would seem incongruous with the "realistic", crime movie tone Rockstar seems to be shooting for.

The clunky controls come as a particular jolt since you aren't eased slowly back into the game with The Lost and Damned. To its credit, you have almost immediate access to weapons, locations, and backup. There's no slow rise to the top, and this is a good thing, since any kind of tutorial would just seem like filler.

I'm also a fan of the new setting. Taking place primarily in the New Jersey analogue of Alderney, The Lost and Damned rarely takes you to places well-worn by Nico Bellic in the main game. It's not enough to feel like a completely new experience, but at least you won't be suffering from permanent deja vu.

The biker gang story is a welcome change from the mafia plot of the main game. I know there are some people who can't get enough of fat guys in suits whacking each other (easy now...), but I've just never been able to get into mob culture beyond occasionally enjoying the heck out of a cannoli.

However, Johnny isn't nearly as engaging a character as Niko, at least so far. Niko had the perfect hook--a new immigrant trying to make good. He also had a backstory and take on the world that made him a great point-of-view character. Johnny's just kind of there. He's tough, but he has a little bit of a heart. He's been leading the Lost while their old boss was in jail. And now that the old man is out, it quickly becomes apparent that he's going to destroy the gang with his insanity. It's up to Johnny to make sure the gang brothers aren't all led to their deaths by this psychopath.

Johnny is like Niko in one way, but it's not really a compliment. Both of them are supposed to be sympathetic characters, but it's a little hard to root for anyone so willing to commit rampant and frequent murder. You'll be shooting a lot of people in this game, and there's not enough time to make sure all of them don't have wives and families.

Of course, that's a failing of every GTA game, so it's sort of pointless to harp on it here. Despite my reservations, The Lost and Damned is definitely worth a download if you enjoyed playing through GTA4 the first time. It's worth the twenty bucks simply for the new online modes, actually. In addition to the fifteen or so hours of new story, you also get to play against your friends in Road Rash-style motorcycle races, see who wins in a bike vs. helicopter competition (in a mode called, cleverly enough, "Chopper vs. Chopper"), and try to survive as the one person in Liberty City everyone else is trying to kill.

The Lost and Damned is definitely no horse armor. For you non-Oblivion fans, that means this is a meaty expansion to the original game and not some useless DLC meant to nickle and dime the fans. There's enough content here to make up an average-sized standalone game. Oh, and there's also full-frontal male nudity. I can't wait to see how the notoriously secure online players handle that.

Good times.

Good, bloody, confusing, slightly frustrating times.