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It feels like it’s only been a few months since Alberto and I blasted through Grand Theft Auto 4…. One of the best games I’ve ever played.

We were speculating over the next chapter in GTA when it was announced that there were going to be Xbox 360 exclusive downloads. Rumours were abound of a potential San Andreas or Vice City upgrade but it turns out that Rockstar chose to spend their time building an intricate new story in Liberty City revolving around the biker gang The Lost.

You play Johnny Klebitz – a typical biker thug who has to deal with his Dennis Hopper-like gang leader Billy being just released from jail. There is a lot of foreshadowing of this relationship and it’s pretty much guaranteed that there will be a confrontation in the future.

I’ve played through several missions (one including GTA4′s Niko and Badman) and can honestly say that this upgrade is INTENSE.

Everything about the GTA experience has been ratcheted up a level. The voiceovers are extremely well acted and convey that feeling of uncertainty that is a constant in Tarantino movies like True Romance and Pulp Fiction.

The bike handling has been improved so you don’t fly off your bike when you hit a tiny bump. As well several new gameplay tweaks have been added including ‘fight experience meters’ for your fellow gangmembers, and a story that unfolds as you learn to ride your bike and get in formation.

All GTA games have had a sliver of humour that offsets the carnage but that is nowhere to be found in this game. Within a few minutes of starting I was in a biker shootout. There is no bowling with cousin Roman in this game. It’s straight out action.

GTA Lost and Damned is available as a download on xbox360 for 1600 MS points which is like 20 bucks. AKA dirt cheap.

Tags: grand theft auto, xbox 360

Posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 11:35 am by Mark Swi and is filed under Just For Fun.

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