Game Preview: GTA: The Lost and Damned

Game Informer Magazine - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service

Expanded Content? More Like a New Game

"Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned"

Platform: Xbox 360

Style: 1-Player Action (Multiplayer TBD)

Publisher: Rockstar

If you had to pick one innovation that defined a generation, the Wii's motion-based gameplay would be the choice most people would jot down first. But does it define this entire generation or is the real story downloadable content? Music games "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" are updated weekly with new content. "Burnout Paradise's" expanded content kicked cars to the curb in favor of new experiences on bikes and in airplanes. "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" received numerous updates, including Shivering Isles, a content expansion so large that it could easily be called "The Elder Scrolls V."

"Grand Theft Auto's" first downloadable offering, "The Lost and Damned," could be the title that sends downloadable content through the stratosphere. From the content included in this download, this title could be Rockstar's new way of releasing sequels like "Vice City" and "San Andreas." Rockstar representatives say that "The Lost and Damned's" new story will offer roughly 10 hours of gameplay for seasoned "GTA" vets, and around 20 hours if you want to see everything included in this campaign.

Niko Bellic, "GTA IV's" protagonist, makes his return, but only in a cameo role. This new story is seen though the eyes of the meat-eating, beer-chugging, hog-riding American biker, Johnny Klebitz. Since this story runs parallel to Bellic's, you will see him periodically as missions from "The Lost and Damned" intersect with those from "GTA IV." In one mission, which you see from a different perspective, you'll run and gun with him a hilarious reminder of how foul-mouthed this Eastern European can be during a firefight. Unlike Bellic, Klebitz's journey isn't a personal one. He's a part of a bike gang, and his actions are usually made in unison with his leather-clad cronies. This dynamic has a profound effect on the gameplay. For many of the missions, when you travel to a destination, you'll be asked to ride in formation with your buddies a task that rewards the player with a health boost. The sight of six bikes rolling down the highway as a flock is the definition of badass.

Klebitz isn't a reskinned model of Bellic. He has his own animations, attitude, and way of carrying about his business. His personality is also reflected in the look of the game. Rockstar dirtied up the heads-up display (HUD), altered text in the menus and applied a grainy film-like filter to the entire presentation. His phone is also a pile of junk.

In terms of real estate, "The Lost and Damned" uses the same game world that Bellic blazed a trail across although new interiors, such as a biker bar, have been added to fit with Klebitz's story. And no, Bellic won't be able to enter them if you go back and play "GTA IV" again. The new content you stumble across is strictly for use with the expansion.

In addition to the new interiors, players will be able to drive a handful of new vehicles and wield a powerful new arsenal that includes a grenade launcher, auto-pistol, and sawed-off shotgun, a weapon Rockstar thought fitting as it can be fired while riding a bike. When Klebitz downs a foe from the seat of his one-of-a-kind bike, there's a chance that he'll celebrate with a fist pump.

All of the radio stations from "GTA IV" return in "The Lost and Damned," and all of them have been updated with new songs, talk radio, commercials, story-related DJ chatter, and promos. Players can also kick back with new activities like arm wrestling and card games. The TV boasts new shows, the Internet has been updated with additional websites, and even the comedy clubs offer new laughs. Klebitz, of course, has different friends he can call for favors or a night on the town.

"The Lost and Damned's" coding showcases a number of improvements, such as greater draw distances, improved streaming, and new techniques for recording the actors. Rockstar hasn't revealed any multiplayer details, but it is believed that "The Lost and Damned" will offer a variety of new multiplayer modes, maps and co-op missions. Rockstar did confirm that all of the new vehicles and weapons are shared between single and multiplayer.

You'll need to have a "GTA IV" disc spinning in your Xbox 360 if you want to venture back into Liberty City. As of press time, Rockstar seemed confident that this exciting downloadable content will be ready for download on Feb. 16 for roughly 20 dollars.

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Copyright 2009 by Mclatchy -Tribune News Service