Wade Manns – The Corsair
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
by Rockstar Games and Rockstar North
Genre: third person driving/action/shooting (downloadable content)
Players: single player, or up to 16 players over Xbox LIVE.
Rating: M (blood, intense violence, partial nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol)
Throughout the many installments of the “Grand Theft Auto” series, we have seen our share of flamboyant characters: those who wish to flaunt their masculinity, their prowess with weapons, their driving skills, and more. Now, for the fourth and final time (counting the portable release), we step back into the re-imagined Liberty City. But, this time we examine the story of a nightclub owner who certainly lives up to his moniker.
The over-the-top portrayal of Anthony Prince, also known as Gay Tony, may offend or turn off some people, but those who stick with the story will discover other over-the-top characters whom they may enjoy more, such as this installment’s playable character, Luis Fernando Lopez: Tony’s business partner, confidant and sometimes bodyguard.
Luis has problems of his own: besides working for one of the most emasculating men in Liberty City, he also has an overbearing mother and two drug-addicted friends for whom Luis does various jobs or missions. Throughout our time with Luis, he will work for the brother of one of the supporting characters from the original “Grand Theft Auto IV,” the son of a wealthy Arab landowner who wishes to be an entrepreneur himself; and other entertaining, sometimes overbearing characters.
In addition to new characters, there are now more entertaining activities in Liberty City, such as base-jumping. Now thrill seekers can jump off a very tall building and try to land with precision using a parachute.
Luis can also work the clubs that he co-owns, including standing on the club floor and looking out for any troublemakers (though this is often interrupted by a sub-mission which involves going outside the club to attend to trouble). Once Luis meets up with his friends Armando and Henrique, you can do special missions for them involving some rather heavy competition with other factions involving drugs. And, (at first) to clear up some of his mother’s debts, Luis can participate in cage fighting matches.
The standard complement of races, exploration, and other fun activities round out your time in the game. And, when you’re finished with the single player game, or even before, the multiplayer modes are still there to allow for more social opportunities, now including the ability to see each other’s base-jumping stats.
The graphics are, unfortunately, starting to show their age, but there’s nothing too distracting. Somewhat muddy textures and a few instances of pop-in can’t reduce this add-on’s overall quality.
The music is back in full force, including many new disco selections and a new radio station based on the music of an earlier “Grand Theft Auto” game that was based in Vice City (think Miami Vice in terms of setting and pop-culture).
Controls are as tight as ever, and not much about the core game has changed, this being an add-on and not a full game. Though this, along with “The Lost and Damned,” are also sold together in a standalone package called “Episodes from Liberty City.” You don’t need the original game if you have this package.
What is my final verdict? I will say that this ranks right up there with the previous expansion pack as well as the original game in terms of quality. Again, the subject matter, as with that of previous “Grand Theft Auto” games, is quite edgy, to say the least. But, if you like this kind of game, you’ll definitely love this.