Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

By Christian Donlan Published 22 January, 2009

Lost boys.

If you think DLC is sometimes a little overpriced, spare a thought for Microsoft: they've dropped an alleged fifty million dollars on exclusive episodes for GTAIV. I don't know about you, but that certainly puts that drunken Mr Driller purchase into context for me.

Then again, this is GTAIV we're talking about, so Microsoft's investment is probably something of a sure thing. With The Lost and Damned, the first of two downloadable mission packs, available on 17th February, DLC will be getting another landmark moment: yet one more star to stick on the timeline along with the price fumble over horse armour, the inexplicable generosity of Burnout Paradise, and that time they broke Lumines down into little pieces and sold us each glittering fragment separately.

But there might be some wider significance to The Lost and Damned too. Because, despite the brilliance of the execution, despite the massive sales and endless plaudits, more than a few people felt that GTAIV was a game that was being (enjoyably) tugged in two directions. On one side was the dazzling parade of empathetic characters and gut-churning decisions, and on the other side were the traditional impromptu crime sprees, the rampages, and the inevitable comical mishap that erupted whenever I, at least, got behind the wheel of a motor. GTA was always designed to let you misbehave, but with the fourth game a lot of people found themselves reluctant to do so.

Part of this may be down to the character of Niko himself, a leading man troubled, at times, by his own integrity. With The Lost and Damned, he's almost entirely absent, and with a new main character, there's the chance that the more excessive San Andreas side of the GTA that some felt was missing from IV may mesh more naturally with the series' increasing desire to tell stories.

'Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned' Screenshot 1

Bikers, eh? They're crazy. They eat all your baloney sandwiches, they leave engine parts everywhere, and they scribble over a game's HUD until it looks all angsty and emo.

That new character, rather brilliantly, is that most unrepresented of videogame demographics, a Jewish biker. Johnny Klebitz will be recognisable to anyone who played through a good chunk of Bellic's story, and with a Hell's Angels type behind the handlebars, Rockstar has potentially found a lead more suited to unloading ballistic disaster onto the population of Liberty City. He's hardly about to strap on a rocketpack, but you suspect he probably has friends who might own one, at least.

Yet Lost and Damned isn't about to ditch the intimate character drama that made GTAIV so memorable - it remains a story-driven experience, and the story is the tense, ever-ticking time bomb kind of affair. Johnny is vice president of The Lost, one of Liberty City's two main biker gangs, and he's been running the show while Billy, the boss, has been stuck in rehab. With Johnny in charge, The Lost have tempered their approach somewhat, easing up on a turf war with rival gang Angels of Darkness, in order to focus on more peaceful activities, like keeping a roaring drugs business going.

'Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned' Screenshot 2

The gang's clubhouse is your new save point. Apparently there's an arm-wrestling contest available inside. A bit like my house.

The game kicks off with the boss's return. Billy resembles a shaven-headed Santa Claus emerging from a prolonged stay in a concentration camp where he picked up a major thing for leather waistcoats: he's got an excellent line in crazy stares, and can't wait to get the gang back to its all-shooting, all-head-stomping roots. Conflict's inevitably brewing, then, and Lost and Damned's set-up feels a bit like a redneck version of The Apprentice, but with shotgun fire-fights instead of boardroom showdowns.

In gameplay terms, the biggest change is that, while Niko was often a lonely figure on missions, Johnny is regularly surrounded by his gang, who provide backup in battles, and company on the road. Thankfully, they take care of themselves pretty well, with no need for Tom Clancy-style squad controls. Instead, there's a subtle incentive to keep them alive by watching their backs during shoot-outs: any gang members who survives a mission will gradually level up, becoming harder to kill, and sharper of shot. If they're offed, however, they'll be replaced by less useful newcomers, and the process begins anew.

Keeping a weather eye on your team isn't the only way the developer wants to make you feel part of the gang. In an attempt to make driving from A to B with a convoy of fellow bikers more entertaining, Rockstar has added a gentle, and entirely optional, mini-game. A tag is projected onto the ground behind the lead biker, and driving within it for a set period of time will result in a health boost as well as extra dialogue from the rest of the gang, either filling in more details on the mission, or a-gripin' and a-cussin' about the boss. It's hardly the most elaborate reward, but it's a stylish touch, and proves surprisingly addictive on longish journeys.

Rockstar has been gently tweaking elsewhere, too: bike handling has been subtly revised, with Johnny's thick-tyred custom model hugging the road with a greater sense of weight, and a range of new weapons have been sprinkled into the mix. The headline-grabbers are a vicious sawn-off shotgun which can pop enemy riders from their bikes in a single blast of gritty smoke, and a grenade launcher which fires with a sound just like one of those automatic tennis ball lobbers, and sends distant cars and unwitting pedestrians flaming into the air in lazy arcs just unlike one of those automatic tennis ball lobbers. More enjoyable, however, is the new automatic 9mm, which fires rounds in speedy succession and can chew through an enemy's health bar in a matter of seconds. Like all the best videogame weapons, it's so darkly satisfying to use that you feel slightly guilty.

Both the weapons and the rebalanced bikes are front and centre in the handful of missions Rockstar has revealed so far. Angels in America and Action/Reaction provide a swift kick-off, as Johnny and Billy chase down some rivals before letting rip with the grenade launcher in what turns out to be a protracted indoors/outdoors fire-fight, while Buyer's Market is one of a small number of missions that crosses over directly with GTAIV's timeline. A drug deal gone wrong, with Niko turning up for the ride, any pleasure in catching up with an old friend is short-lived, as Rockstar prefers to redesign rather than recycle, kicking off Johnny's slice of the action at the same point that Niko's original mission ended, and turning a journey up through an apartment complex into a panicky SWAT attack, and ensuing escape.

Perhaps the most enjoyable mission so far, however, is Shifting Weight - an on-rails piggyback ride on the passenger seat of a dealer's bike, as Johnny evades police roadblocks and wave after wave of cop cars, with the aid of a near-unstoppable automatic shotgun. It's here that Lost and Damned really starts to makes sense, its explosive excess clicking perfectly with a main character who can convincingly play the part of a freewheeling desperado while still finding time to worry in a gruff sort of way about what the boss might be up to. Innocent Hummers are lofted through railings as helicopters spiral sleepily out of the sky, while an exploding gas station and detour through a car showroom are on hand to provide a little slow-mo spectacle, and at the centre of it all is an angry biker with a semi-ridiculous weapon: it's good to be back in Liberty City again.

'Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned' Screenshot 4

You can overcook grenades to target specific police cars. Obviously, you risk blowing your arm off.

While some may be put-off by the absence of a new island to explore, 1600 Microsoft Points will buy you what Rockstar is pitching as content equal to roughly one third of the original game's missions, along with a range of new multiplayer modes, none of which have been revealed so far. The real prize, however, may not lie in the numbers game and the careful totting up of new material, but in the simple way a fresh pair of eyes and a new set of wheels allows you to enjoyably revisit such an expansive, detailed playground. Niko will be missed, but who can turn down a weekend with a bunch of low-down bikers?

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned is due out exclusively for Xbox 360 on 17th February, priced 1600 Microsoft Points (GBP 13.60 / EUR 19.20).

Picture of Christian.

About Christian Donlan

Chris Donlan writes about games for Eurogamer and some magazines. His heroes include Eugene Jarvis, Errol Morris, and Linus Van Pelt.

Read more articles from Christian by visiting the Christian Donlan archive page.

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Comments (67) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Metalfish #1 3 years ago

    Alright, you're slowly selling me on this one, EG.

  • PameBoy #2 3 years ago

    I was sold the moment I heard about it. It's a shame it seems it won't have the emotional punch and storytelling payoff of the original game, but at least spending 10 or so hours on a big motorbike with a grenade launcher sounds like my idea of a good time.

  • patchbox360 #3 3 years ago

    50 mill is a joke if there are no new islands - that money should have been spent on killer instinct 3

  • the_dudefather #4 3 years ago

    Bit more interested now, the gang mechanic sounds interesting, as does the biking minigame

    'With Johnny in charge, The Lost have tempered their approach somewhat, easing up on a turf war with rival gang Angels of Darkness, in order to focus on more peaceful activities'

    hope this doesn't mean ''ok I'll kill these guys but I'll moan about killing people a little before I start the mission''

  • Syrette #5 3 years ago

    Very, very excited for this one.

    They're might be a new island/area in the next DLC anyway, I guess Rockstar just wanted to make the gameplay as good as possible whilst using what they've already created with Liberty City. Which is fair enough I suppose.

  • the_dudefather #6 3 years ago

    Yeah the city itself is pretty amazing, given that much of it is barely used I can forgive them for no new areas

  • bad09 #7 3 years ago

    No new areas to explore put a big dent in my enthusiasm for this TBH, 1600 points for a different character with the same missions but on a bike, not so sure now.

    Still, I'm a GTA whore and I enjoyed GTA4 so I know I'll buy it.

  • glo #8 3 years ago

    1600 points for a few missions, three new weapons and a few more bikes?

    Sounds steep to me. The missions will have to be something special to be worth nearly £15...

    Will need very good reviews and good word of mouth before I even think about forking out 1600 points on DLC.

  • Syrette #9 3 years ago

    Who said that they won't be more than 3 weapons, or more vehicles? Maybe I misread the preview.

    Oh and the "same missions"... what like how missions were pretty similar in previous GTAs?

  • PrivateFloyd #10 3 years ago

    SOLD.....

    May even get me interested in finding the stunt jumps and pigeons........

  • bad09 #11 3 years ago

    @ foreverafternothing

    "Oh and the "same missions"... what like how missions were pretty similar in previous GTAs? "

    True, but for your money you also got a new city. Sure it's cheaper than a full game but I just don't know if I be bothered to pay for it, might as well just replay the game and jump on a bike for free...

  • GamesConnoisseur #12 3 years ago

    SOLD!

  • Lukus #13 3 years ago

    Sounds good. I got GTAIV out again the other day for a quick blast. It was great fun. A break from it worked wonders.

  • Madder-Max #14 3 years ago

    HOW MANY points!!!?

    /double takes

    sooo....thats half the price of the original for a third of the size.

    They really are taking the piss aren't they.

    What happens outside of the missions? Any tweeks there or the same mind numbing boredom of the original?

    /Plays saints Row 2.

  • mrmonkey1980 #15 3 years ago

    I still think it's worth it but that's only 4 quid less than the full game now

  • chris_ace #16 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • Eraysor #17 3 years ago

    I wasn;t looking forward to this very much until I read this preview. It sounds better than GTA4, mainly because it's slightly more insane.

  • Doctor_What #18 3 years ago

    Will the missions be anything more than 'drive here, kill people' or 'drive here, pick up a person, kill people who try to kill them'?

  • metalangel #19 3 years ago

    I reckon you will get just as much entertainment from going and doing all the stunt jumps if you haven't already. And have £15 in your pocket for beer and cigarettes.

  • alpha-0ne #20 3 years ago

    "its a shame that so many people will buy it as it just lets all the suits think its fine to charge £15 for a mission pack for a one year old game."

    And why isnt it exactly? rockstar are providing around 10 hours of gameplay (excluding the new multiplaye rmodes) for £15 some £40 games give you 8 hours or less..

    If i was going to want DLC from one company it would be rockstar because they have took their time about creating it and this is not rushing it out
    Edited by 1 at 22/01/09 @ 19:16

  • agparrot #21 3 years ago

    I am torn between my adoration of GTA IV, and the fact that it is so much money.

    Properly undecided.

    Only because I am a total DLC skinflint, though... I accept that rich people will have no problem splurging the amount of money that can get you a whole game second hand.

  • Vortex808 #22 3 years ago

    Hmmm... Actually sounds quite interesting. I haven't touched GTA IV for ages after getting really fed up with a mission to drive a massive amount, then no checkpoint and having to o it all over again when you or the boat your buddy was in got killed. I had decided i wouldn't even try to finish the game, but this does sound quite fun. I'll probably regret getting the DLC, but between this and fallout3's imminent DLC it should keep me going through the lean months until some interesting games get released!

  • thenastypasty #23 3 years ago

    SOLD, now just to finish fallout 3 off before this is released.

  • alpha-0ne #24 3 years ago

    Perspective is important aswell as an example a simple costume in little big planet or home costs £1 to £2.00 and what value does that add?

  • martynmac #25 3 years ago

    Looking forward to this. Rockstar have completely ripped off the fantastic American TV show "Sons of Anarchy" but that can only be a good thing.

  • alpha-0ne #26 3 years ago

    With GTA and Fallout 3 the 360 is the place to be for DLC!

    Im a poet and i didnt even know it..

  • Fixxxer #27 3 years ago

    I love the idea of mutiple games, multiple storylines in one city. A GTA that lets you be say six different people whose stories intertwine could be sexy.

  • macmurphy #28 3 years ago

    To be fair no one seems to have mentioned the new multiplayer modes. GTAIV was a stunning game, at the end of the day if you enjoyed it, who would not be tempted by the prospect of more of the same? I think you will have to judge the game on the final package offered, not just what you think it might give.

    The price is a little steep, but I'm guessing this ties into the huge amount Microsoft payed for the rights. In essence Microsoft have engineered a situation in which we pay through the nose for exclusivity.

    In a perfect world Rockstar would release on both consoles and we as consumers would not have to make up the money for the exclusive rights; but I think they made a stunning game so they deserve to make some cash. If people balk at the price and it doesn't sell well thel I doubt we'll see such expensive exclusives in the future.

    All I can say is that as a big fan of the original, I feel very lucky to be an Xbox owner and will be buying on release day (or whenever they uncrash the servers). That's not trolling or baiting, just a fair reflection that at least some people will respond positively to Microsoft's plans.

  • Shyvah #29 3 years ago

    @glo

    3 new weapons? They mention 4 in the article.

  • coolbritannia #30 3 years ago

    Sold! This and Fallout's dlc are looking pretty solid.

  • Skire #31 3 years ago

    there are 6,72 million GTA 4 owners on the Xbox 360. to at least reach break even they need to sell roughly about 3,33 million. that's about half of all the GTA 4 owners. i don't believe that so many people will actually buy the DLC... bad deal microsoft :)

  • Dezm0nd #32 3 years ago

    FEAR 2, Burnout Paradise ultimate box and this with are so soon. Time to freeze the WoW account.

  • polar #33 3 years ago

    20 Euro!!! I don't think so.

  • bodypopper #34 3 years ago

    @Skire
    Look at the bigger picture. Exclusives like this are all about selling 360s to those still undecided about which console to buy. GTA is a big enough brand to make that happen... or so Microsoft hopes.
    I'm intrigued by this though I'm still only two thirds of the way through GTA IV and haven't played it for 3 months. Too many games to get through.

  • avoozl #35 3 years ago

    Sounds surprisingly good. I love the idea of teammates who level up with you. That should have been in Fallout3. Too bad I don't play the XBox.

  • Spekingur #36 3 years ago

    If I remember correctly the 50 million bought MS this expansion plus another two that'll come later on.

    Funny though, people complaining about this DLC (or the price). You are basically getting a new game in the same city - you are not being limited to 'one island' or such like. My biggest worry about this DLC is not the price but the size of the download.

  • Slipstream #37 3 years ago

    I liked GTA 4 so you can count me in on this one!

  • DUFFMAN5 #38 3 years ago

    I'm not sure if I like dlc for games*. I have kept hold of gta,fable II,fallout 3 to name but three, and thus losing money hand over fist on resale wedge.
    On that bombshell I will admit I'm looking forward to this

    *thinking about it, I loves it me.

  • mazzl #39 3 years ago

    are the police mechanics changed? i found the cops way to hard to loose on the high 6 star wanted level, that's why i didn't trash the city....

  • muscleblade #40 3 years ago

    The DLC story arc is 10-12 hours + long. Longer than most retail games. Even so some morons complain about the price even though 1600 points is a total steal imo.

  • andywilkie35 #41 3 years ago

    hmmm, I was going to stay away at that price but now I have to admit I'm very tempted. I personally loved every second of GTAIV, the backlash it got for being one of the finest crafted games ever was very unreasonable IMO. Saints Row 2 was more fun, but GTAIV was dripping in atmosphere

  • Max_Powers #42 3 years ago

    Looking very much forward to this. GTA IV was just such a milestone of a game. Can't wait to get back in there.

  • kinky_mong #43 3 years ago

    The DLC story arc is 10-12 hours + long.

    The thing is you're taking their word for that. I've played a lot of games where the time the developers claimed it took and the time I've finished it in are very different. Dead space is the most recent one that comes to mind, 10-12 hours my arse!

  • OllyJ #44 3 years ago

    So, how easy is it in GTAIV to just ignore all the socialising and just plough through the missions? I got to the 2nd island before I just gave up on it.

  • Arkwright #45 3 years ago

    I haven't got xbox live.Does anyone know another way I can get hold of this?

  • slave23d #46 3 years ago

    saints row 2= pile of cunting shit.



    (my opinion of course)

  • smernicki #47 3 years ago

    finally finished the main missions in gta4 a couple of weeks back. really enjoyed it all round. dragged a little in the middle, but i thought it was great.

    this seems a bit pricey but i doubd i'll be able to resist

  • Bangaioh #48 3 years ago

    here we go again:
    13.60 GBP = 14.3732 EUR (xe.com)
    So WHY ARE WE PAYING 19 EUROS for this?!

  • Monkey_Puncher #49 3 years ago

    Purchase for me!

    IGN says there's 5 new weapons in the game. Automatic shotgun, sawnoff, grenade launcher, automatic pistol and something else which I forget.

  • Moribundman #50 3 years ago

    So the keen people are cooling after the preview and the nay-sayers are starting to warm? Interesting...

    I will certainly get this, no question. And I *will* pay 1600 MSP. I do think that there's a degree of arrogance at play here though - whilst I fully appreciate the "when its done, its done" attitude R* have adopted with both GTAIV *and* the DLC, I think it's a little rich charging 1600 for delivery now.

    1600 for delivery 6 months ago when this content was originally due, or 1200 for delivery now as a "thanks for your patience" seems more reasonable if there's nothing revolutionary in the content; especially since, as other posters have mentioned, the full game itself doesn't cost much more than that now.

    Personally I don't have a problem with the delays, provided they are are down to genuine development issues. Still, how much fundamental "new stuff" which would slow down development and massively change the game *is* there? Sounds like none... just a lot of new missions/songs/skins and a couple of activities.

    There is a suspicious amount of financial smoke and mirror work here - remember Take Two shifting release further to hit the right fiscal quarter? And look at the I am Alive announcement today, about 2 days after they came up with a release date!

    Don't give a release date and renege for financial reasons you SOBs.

  • AliRay #51 3 years ago

    I can't say that I want to buy this, and not just because I think 1600 MS points is a bit steep.

    My thinking is that just because of a ridiculous console war, R* are having to work on 2 DLC chapters when they could already be developing a brand-new GTA (like Vice City please!), hopefully solving much of the gripes that many of the folks here (and elsewhere) had with GTA4.

    So sorry, MS, I bloody love my 360, and I bloody loved GTA4, but I can't support this move, throwing money at something just to screw over Sony :(

  • jim1975 #52 3 years ago

    when did £14 become expensive

  • Domovoi #53 3 years ago

    Am I the only one who thinks the title would sound much better if it was called "The Lost and the Damned"?

    Anyway, seems interesting. I wish they would've implemented the trip skip option from Chinatown Wars, though. The endless driving because you died for the fourteenth time and the mission just happens to be on the other side of town almost made me give up on GTA4.

    I don't really care about the pricing. €19 doesn't even buy me a decent night out, so it seems perfectly reasonable to pay for 1/3rd of GTA4.
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/09 @ 12:47

  • dirk_aircool #54 3 years ago

    I loved GTA IV . I just dont feel like playing it again . As for the release delay , I may have bought it if it had been released in June 08 ( yes I know it was supposed to be later in the year ) but my intrest had gone after that time and I am not really intrested in playing it anymore . I like all the exploring and finding out how the world works in sandbox games. It would have been better for me to have bought the game after the DLC came out . and it would have been cheaper . ( same with OBLIVION ) .
    I dont know why we clamour for releases on the day , it would be better and cheaper if we all waited 6 - 8 months after the relese to buy it .
    1. Its cheaper
    2. It will be patched and working
    3. the DLC will be in place .
    4. I'm still gonna get up early and find it on the release date .
    5 I'm just the right side of 50 but my brain is 12 .

  • bonker #55 3 years ago

    No nn/10 for this???

  • Moribundman #56 3 years ago

    Not sure what it is - I'll happily go back to Oblivion and Fallout even after exploring all the main quest line and pretty much all the side quests (aside from the "bring me more X for potions/gold" or "bring me more Y for ammo/meds" type quests, and yet I'm huffing and puffing about tidying up loose ends in Brucies car list or even shooting all the pigeons (why bother when if you know where to look you can "legitimately" steal an assault chopper yourself?!)

  • Tomo #57 3 years ago

    Think I've become convinced by this write-up too. You're good Donlan, reeeeeal good.

  • Skooch #58 3 years ago

    "there are 6,72 million GTA 4 owners on the Xbox 360. to at least reach break even they need to sell roughly about 3,33 million. that's about half of all the GTA 4 owners. i don't believe that so many people will actually buy the DLC... bad deal microsoft :)"

    @ Skire - MS didn't buy the exclusivity just to make money back by selling the DLC, it was all about changing perceptions of consumers by wrestling a traditional Sony platform game away from Sony. It also promotes LIVE exceedingly well and GTA is one of the biggest game franchises in existence therefore it's a lot of promotion for the platform.

  • metalangel #59 3 years ago

    @ mazzl: the cops are easily escaped by just going to a subway station, jumping off the platform onto the tracks and running off down the tunnel.
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/09 @ 15:21

  • Escape #60 3 years ago

    How time flies, metal. I remember talking to you about Andreas when it launched on the old PCG forum.

    I wish this content featured plane journeys to other places, as in that SA mission where you return to what's-his-name's restaurant.

  • avoozl #61 3 years ago

    "saints row 2= pile of cunting shit."

    Affirmative.

  • #62 3 years ago

    i'm not happy at all with this DLC... the new story doesn't seem to be interesting. i was hopping for a new island, but no...

  • dryden555 #63 3 years ago

    The add-on I would have liked to see would have added more "sandbox" and exploration elements since GTA4 was surprisingly devoid of stuff to do after the main story was over. Looking for pigeons was lame.

  • paulf #64 3 years ago

    gta 4 single player is not a sandbox game, its driven by a strong narrative and characterisation, with a city that reflects the story but is not a playground

    gta4 multiplayer is a sandbox game - and I challenge anyone who has played any of the multiplayer modes to still say the game is boring

    personally I'm looking forward to the dlc

  • Joel_The_Mole #65 3 years ago

    Would have bought this for PS3 had Sony not been soooo tight miserable bastids.

  • 8bitMofo #66 3 years ago

    No dice.

  • Koozer #67 3 years ago

    So this expansion (is DLC the new cool industry buzzword now?) expands the single-player which I thought was dull stereotypical gangster rubbish, doesn't add the best GTA weapon of all time, the flamethrower, and these unannounced multiplayer options will only be played by a tiny percent of people who have GTA, this expansion, and aren't playing the new missions?

    Not only that, it isn't being released for the PC and costs an arm and a small portion of upper leg?

    Well I'm sold.

  • retr0gamer #68 3 years ago

    I didn't give a fuck about Niko and still didn't enjoy causing mayhem. It simply wasn't as much fun to arse about in this GTA.