DLC Details

• Main Title: Grand Theft Auto 4
• DLC Title: The Lost and Damned
• Released (UK): 17/02/2009
• Current Price: 1600 MS Points (~$20 US)

Grand Theft Auto 4 was released last March (2008) to much fanfare on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Due to the success of previous installments of the franchise Microsoft made a deal with Rockstar to release 2 significant pieces of downloadable content exclusively on the Xbox 360 of which The Lost and Damned (TLAD) is the first, and was originally intended for release in August 2008.

In TLAD you take on the role of Johnny Klebitz a member of the lost biker gang who you occasionally encountered in GTA IV whilst playing as Niko, and the DLC takes place in the same time frame so you get to see these encounters from Johnny’s perspective and gain a new understanding of why certain things did or did not happen to Niko, as you take on Johnny’s missions. The main plot though revolves around Johnny and his struggles following the release of the chapter leader of the Lost biker gang and the upheaval this causes.

Good Points

TLAD adds further depth to the main GTA IV story without sacrificing its own plot integrity by needless expansion of minor characters. In addition to the main plot, TLAD also introduces bike races which will remind older players of the  sega megadrive (genesis) classic Road Rash as you can fight opponents with a baseball bat. Some of the radio station soundtracks are also expanded and this carries over into the main game proper.

Bad Points

The integration into the main GTA IV plot could have been better implemented as the news stories for both the original game and TLAD are for the most part separate with only occasional reference to events from the other plot. I also found the ending of the main plot  of TLAD unsatisfying, and for some events in TLAD you need to have a good memory for what happened in the main game and to have completed most of it to understand their significance.

There are also some continuity discrepancies between TLAD and the main game the most notable being that none of the bridges are closed at the start of TLAD which occurs around the same time as the start of GTA IV proper, and even with TLAD installed the standard GTA IV map does not contain the Lost clubhouse. While these are minor discrepancies, given the length of time TLAD has been worked on for I would expect them to be addressed.

The final points are that the plot of TLAD is too short and can be completed in 6-8 hours and some parts of it feel like they could and should have been expanded (will not go into due to spoilers). The other negative is that Rockstar put in a needless Penis shot, for what I can only assume is for the controversy it will cause.

My Recommendation

BUY – 8/10

Whilst the plot of the Lost and Damned is in parts underdeveloped it still a substantial piece of DLC, and the bike races will have fans of road rash coming back for more. If you enjoyed the full game and have the money to spare then it is a worthwhile purchase. The  main problem with TLAD is it would have more of an impact if it had been released sooner given how significant parts of it tie into the main GTA IV plot.