When Rockstar released The Lost and Damned it was to a slightly tepid reception, some gamers were already torn after playing through the escapades of Niko Bellic and could feel the same way towards Johnny. After release of the first episode from Liberty City some felt that although the episodes were a good idea, that it was poorly executed in parts and the Rockstar wasn’t their usual self. I in fact was very disappointed in TLAD and was hopeful that the latest episode may see the mighty Rockstar reclaim their crown, and it bloody well has.
A majority of gamers, myself included, believe that the best GTA game created was Vice City, due to the lavish surroundings, the tongue in cheek humour and the trashy atmosphere and while The Ballad of Gay Tony isn’t set in the 1980’s it has kept what made the second 3D outing of the series great. The Ballad of Gay Tony is perhaps Rockstar at their finest, a return to form with each step through this large DLC pack treating you to something special. There is no immigrant criminal here, no greasy biker either – well that’s a lie, they do crossover in places – what we have here is a suave and very cool character in Luis Lopez.
Luis is Gay Tony’s right hand man and has the usual background to any GTA character, he’s done time in prison, he’s dealt drugs, but now he is a reformed man, of sorts, and is business partner of the infamous Gay Tony. While every instalment of GTA is about the crime and this is no different, there is one other thing that is of equal importance in this expansion and that’s the relationship between Luis and Tony.
Never has there been such a convincing duo than our two main characters. The chemistry between them is charming and even when they are threatening to kill each other when one has wronged the other; there is a bond that truly makes you believe in them. They have routine, Tony screws up and Luis saves the day, he is forever Tony’s white knight and the friendship alone makes the game worth playing. Every nuance in the dynamics of this partnership is wonderfully scripted by Rockstar, from the petty banter to the underlying emotions that if Luis ever left, Tony would fall apart and being a part of this is the expansions strongest point.
Everything else here is much of a muchness; the city feels the same, as does the wonky handling of the vehicles. There are new buildings in which to enter, but these are mostly story based, so exploration is at a minimum. But to be honest, this doesn’t really matter; the story is solid and typical of the developer. There are plenty of twists and turns, lots of missions to play through and set pieces that make the game more cinematic than ever. One particular point that stands out is a later mission wherein Luis must scare an internet blogger and does so in style, without spoiling, let’s say it takes place in a plane and the new parachuting addition is fantastic.
The actual story itself will take several hours to work through and that doesn’t count wandering off and dancing at the clubs, which is more fun than it should be, spending time with your acquaintances or jumping off of many buildings with the new base jumping mode. The addition of mission replay from Chinatown Wars also features now, meaning that each mission has targets to hit and if you miss them you can play it again to perfect them. While this may not appeal to everyone, it certainly extends the life of the content for those fans that just can’t leave well enough alone.
One of my biggest issues with the DLC is the difficulty spikes, which feel frustratingly random. One minute you will find yourself strolling through a mission which on the surface feels easier than it should have been, the next you will have to restart several times just to pass a mundane mission. One of the things that make this worse is the handling of the vehicles. Whilst the series isn’t known for realistic handling, after spending time away from the game, returning to find the cars, bikes and helicopters as unstable as they are leaves you a little saddened, especially when being unable to control a chopper as you would like and plummeting into the ocean, forcing you to restart the mission.
Despite these few hiccups The Ballad of Gay Tony is fantastic and well worth experiencing. The episode proves that Rockstar have a winning formula and I’m sure we’ll see a similar structure in the sequel to the main game. A side note to this is that Rockstar perhaps missed a trick and should have used Gay Tony and Luis in the main story of GTA4; such is the brilliance of the cast.
Anyone looking for traditional GTA will be thrilled with what is contained in this update; there is humour in the “wife/wife” partnership of Tony and Luis. There is controversy in the language used, particularly the homophobic dialogue and the racial slurs that are used frequently. While the latter can be seen as quite inappropriate at times, it is never used just for controversies sake, only to deliver authentic narrative. From the opening sequence to the finale, TBOGT is truly Rockstar wearing their crown again and I for one believe that if Rockstar carry on this trend, GTA5 will be worth the wait.
