After a delay from the then sometime expected end of 2008 release that was promised time after time by not Rockstar Games, but Microsoft, the first DLC release for Grand Theft Auto IV has arrived in the form of The Lost and Damned. You be returning to Liberty City as not a newcomer, but as a second in command biker of The Lost MC who find themselves thrust upon immediate conflict as their club President Billy is released from a 15 year jail sentence back into the throws of President once more.

Immediately you’ll be reminded of the fantastic job Rockstar can do with presentation alone. Looking back at the intro to the main Grand Theft Auto IV game, you’ll instantly have flashbacks to what you probably felt when you experienced that for the first time. On this side of the coin though, you’ll be thrown into a very different atmosphere that doesn’t evoke a sense of pity for the main character, but rather a sense of duty as Johnny Klebitz is what he is without much self conflict. The main character this time around is what he is and knows exactly what is going on. As a long time member of The Lost MC, you’ll more or less go through the trials and tribulations of what biker life is rather then sympathizing about Billy finding his place in Liberty City as there is none of that this time around.

Now, past instances of DLC would have you believe that there is some theoretical limit as to the amount of content and cost you should expect from additional content that comes to a game. Times change and this is time to throw all of those preconceived notions out of the window. The Lost and Damned is very much a new game. Yes, a new game. It takes place in the same space as Grand Theft Auto IV, but it is very much a new experience. Most if not all of which you might have done with Niko is tossed for a clean slate. Everything is still there, but with The Lost and Damned there are several additions.

Once you make it through the prologue and get your first walkthrough of where The Lost reside (aka Safehouse), you’ll be greeted with a place for activities like Arm Wrestling, a card game of Hi-lo, and Air Hockey at another location. These can be done in addition to what was already present in the main game. Aside from that, most important to it all is the tweaked bike handling. You’re a given quite a bit of leeway when it comes to clipping curbs and nicking cars and other things in the environment this time around. This can lead to some awkward sites as your bike may do a acrobatically impossible maneuver here and there, but overall the new handling is much needed as you’ll be and want to be riding a bike in most cases of traversal.

Throughout each mission you’ll be partaking in things that are ultimately very similar to what you may have experienced before, but with its own biker flare. Riding in a convoy will reward you with gradual health replenishing if needed and often very witty banter back and forth by you (Johnny) and the rest of the gang. From time to time you’ll be challenged to race to the point of interest as well while riding in the bike convoy, but remember to stay behind the MC president as you’ll hear about it time after time. Also, after you’ve made a long ride across the city with your gang there is no longer any need to worry about having to make that same trek again if you fail as there are mid-mission checkpoints this time around and you’ll be greatful for it as some rides are seeming forever in some cases.

At a certain point you’ll be greeted with opportunities to participate in Gang Wars. You’ll be presented with a point of interest on the map, drive there, be met with other members of The Lost, then battle it out with a rival gang to “harden” the other members of your gang. 25 different Gang War scenarios are to be had. Doing this will seemingly have your gang members be more effective as they fight along side you. A nice aspect of The Lost and Damned for sure.

The look of The Lost and Damned gives Liberty City an intentional yellowish muted tone from what Liberty City was with you as Niko. It does affectively give LC a unique look as you’ll instantly be put into a different mind set right away with the more gritty, but ever so slightly altered look. If you don’t like it, you can turn it off for the old look. Audio wise you’ll know what to expect. There is more Radio content as far as stations and the content to go with that. Lots of which are a continued farce on the civil state of our reality in the Liberty City/GTA way as always. And as before, as certain events happen that you partake in you’ll hear about it on the radio soon after as it gets reported on the news. This gives you a sense of cause and effect on the city. More Television programming is also found. Republican Space Commando fans will get a kick out of more commando goodness as well as other shows.

There are several new gameplay enhancements made to the game. Views from inside of a cop car that’s chasing you and a view into the back of a prison bus your driving are examples of the few. Riding from some of these view points isn’t practical for any long length of time, but it is a nice touch. New weapons are introduced like the grenade launcher, but what you learn to love is the sawed off shotgun.

In the grand scheme of things, what will propel you through the events of The Lost and Damned are the cut scenes placed in between missions.  As some Rockstar is a this point a master at, this time around they are every bit as well animated and voiced as ever. The writing is really something to behold as most games are often a throw away when it comes to dialogue. Best quote: “I’m a lawyer and I’m getting ass raped by the law”. Something that will most likely only come from Rockstar. Oh, and there’s this male anatomy controversy that has traveled all across the internet. Yep, it’s there. It lasts for a whole several seconds then it’s over. If you aren’t grown up enough to be playing this game already, then what’s the big deal?

Multiplayer wise, The Lost and Damned brings more of the same yet again. The six modes of play will get you extended play out of the game as multiplayer will do for anygame, but fans of a certain other game may get a much larger kick out of the Race gametype alone. Referenced in a slight way during the story, racing on bikes in L&D is very much inspired by Electronic Art’s old franchise Road Rash. You’ll be given a bat to wing away at other riders in old school Road Rash fashion as you watch their character kareen off of their ride from a blow of you bat, by pressing the X or B button corresponding to which side you wish to swing.

Another highlight of the mulitplayer is ‘Chopper vs Chopper’. And yes, its exactly what it sounds. As the rider you be treking through several checkpoints as the other side is in a helicopter trying to take you out. Those looking for more Co-op action need to look no further than ‘Club Business’. Multiplayer gang war action can be found in ‘Own the city’. A throwback to the story of The Lost and Damned (yes, you may find something similar in the story) comes in the form of ‘Witness Protection’ as one team protects a bus of witnesses and the other try to keep the bus of witnesses from reaching police staiton points. Rounding out mulitplayer is the Lone Wolf Biker which is essential a big game of Tag. Stay ‘it’ for the longest and you win.

What’s to be expected? More of the same? Sure. More of the same of which is often great isn’t a bad thing in any way. You’re not going to be blown away at what GTA IV can do. You’ve likely already experienced at least the gist of what Grand Theft Auto IV is. Smart dialogue, lots to do of which will take an estimated 8 to 12 hours or more is more than lots of entire other retail releases. That alone makes The Lost and Damned well worth the 1600 MS points you’ll need to give up for this experience. If you like Grand Theft Auto IV, more is just an Xbox Live Marketplace download away.

-William “thewilleffect’ Bell-