I’m one of the few who actually played through Grand Theft Auto IV for the story. The gameplay gripped me, no doubt, but it was the commentary on the American Dream and undying urge to see Niko’s tale to an end that really pushed me on. When it ended, after a lengthy 20+ hours, I was sad to see that I had done pretty much all there was to do. That being said, I wasn’t one bit disappointed when Rockstar revealed that the downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV was essentially more missions. Sure, a zombie outbreak would have been great, but a new take on Liberty City is more than enough of an excuse to put the disk back in.

And more of the same it is. Though it takes an undeniably different take on the city, the missions are still very reminiscent of those from Grand Theft Auto IV. The formula of driving from place to place and shooting people isn’t really modified much by the addition of new motorcycle controls, but it does add a different perspective. You’re Johnny, a member of the Lost, and that means something, here. It isn’t just a title, and Rockstar was able to capture the feeling of a biker gang (or at least what movies tell me biker gangs are like) with the title. Film grain aside, it just feels different, and not in a bad way. The new weapons and modifications to driving physics help as well, and so far I’m enjoying my revisit to the city.

Just as I yearned to follow Niko’s journey, I’m emotionally involved with Johnny already, and need to experience his rough road till its end. Be sure to check back later this week for Gamervision’s full review of Lost & Damned to see if this pays off, or if Rockstar’s latest ends up being a misstep. 

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