Well, here it is, February 17th – DLC day, or Day of the Acronyms as I call it. Yep, it’s time for the GTA IV L+D DLC. Or for those who don’t come from Acronymnia and speak fluent Acronym, the Grand Theft Auto 4 “Lost and Damned” Downloadable Content for Xbox 360 is available today.
Check below for details on how you can win a copy of the BradyGames Official Lost and Damned Strategy Guide.
I have never gotten into the whole paid-for DLC thing. Although I’ve bought quite a lot of complete downloadable games on both my Xbox 360 and Playstation, I’ve rarely put my hand in my virtual pocket to add things on to a game. A long time ago I splashed out on an expansion pack for Crackdown, but I think that was the last time. I’ve certainly never been excitedly waiting for the release of downloadable content before; it’s taken my favourite gaming series to do that.
DLC has become something of a thorny issue these days, and has been much discussed on our forums. Many people see it as little more than a cynical cash in, especially if it is something that should have been in the original game and/or it appears ten minutes after the game’s launch.
From what I’ve seen, though, none of these complaints can be levelled at GTA IV’s new downloadable content, which is out a solid ten months after the original title’s release, and features a whole different story arc and a new protagonist, biker Johnny Klebitz. The word is that the new storyline is approximately a third of the length of the original story – a story that took me 35 hours to complete on my first play through. It also adds new music and shows to the in-game radio stations, new guns and explosives, new cars, vans and lots of motorbikes. This is huge. There are complete games out there that don’t include this much content.
Horse armour this ain’t.
As someone who still plays GTA religiously every week, “Should I buy this?” was never actually a question that entered my head. “When can I buy this?” was more the question I was asking. That said, from looking around the connected series of tubes that are the internet, I see that a lot of people have moved on from GTA IV. Many have stated on numerous forums and comment pages in poorly spelled posts that they won’t be investing. This does seem to be a problem for developers. If people feel cheated when DLC comes out a couple of weeks after the game, but won’t buy DLC if it’s left too long, then when IS the right time?
A face only a mother could love…
Another thing that this content adds is some new multiplayer modes, which I am hoping prove popular. The new team-based Witness Protection mode really sounds right up my alley. If you’re going down the virtual shops with a pocket full of MS points too, then look out for me on Live tonight as I’ll most likely be trying it out.
I know I haven’t tried it yet, but all indications point to the fact that this is DLC done right, and if it is, hats off to Rockstar. I hope it sells by the bucketload as an example to other developers that we don’t mind DLC, hell, we welcome it – but only if it’s worth it.
Win a BradyGames Official Lost and Damned Strategy Guide:
With the release of GTA IV: The Lost & Damned today, BradyGames are publishing the official strategy guide to this new expansion. Available from 20th Feb for £8.99, the guide features:
- Complete walkthrough to all new missions
- In-depth area maps
- Listing of all weapons and vehicles
- Expert multiplayer strategy
What is the name of the main character in the Lost and Damned expansion pack?
a) Johnny Klebitz
b) Johnny Mathis
c) Johnny Foreigner
The winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries. Good luck!
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