May contain spoilers
Rockstar's GTA IV is worth it's gameplay in gold in my opinion, contrary to what others say [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/48-Grand-Theft-Auto-IV]. The dialogue was witty, the storyline was well scripted, the visuals were nice, it was a good length and most of all it was also quite fun.
I, obviously, enjoyed it and grew quite fond of Niko Bellic and his rugged beard. So, when I heard that Rockstar threw their toys out of the pram and decided to change your character in the DLC, I was sceptical. Then I found out it was none other than that swine who stole your diamonds in the Impossible Trinity mission. So, I decided to buy the DLC. At first, the high price stalled me for a bit, until I was able to purchase some more MP.
The DLC itself has you playing as Jewish biker Johnny Klebitz, the second in charge of one of the strongest biker gangs in Liberty City. The most powerful however, is the infamous Angels Of Death, a sold-out racist biker squad who have a long standing rivalry with The Lost. As the story begins, fresh from jail biker Billy Grey and leader of The Lost torments the AOD, and a gang war eventually breaks out.
Do ya' feel lucky, punk?
The story isn't as fresh and exciting as Niko's however, although it does give you a chance to see some new dialogue from some old faces, the most stand out ones being the drug selling vixen Elizabeta Torres and the slimy gangster Ray Boccino. Niko himself also makes a few camoes, showing up in the intro video and several missions throughout. He's also mentioned a few times for killing a few of your Lost members, Jason Michaels and Jim Fitzgerald.
The main attraction to the DLC is the new vehicles and weapons added to the game, a few special mentions are Johnny's Custom Hexer, and two weapons the Dao-12 Streetsweeper and the Sawn-Off Shotgun. Aside from these, there are also some other new bikes the cruise around in including the fan favourite Angel from the previous GTA games and the Bati line of racing bikes. A few other weapons that have been added are the Pipe Bomb and Grenade Launcher.
The mean DAO-12 Striker Assault Shotgun and Johnny's custom bike, the Hexer
To add to the already mountain of add-ons comes more music, adverts and DJ dialogue for radio's LCH, Radio Broker, Beat 102.7, WKTT and Liberty Rock Radio and more stations and shows for your TV. Theres even a few more websites too. The cherry on top is Frankie Boyles cameo in the comedy club, allowing you to view a few some of his stand-up ingame.
The ending of that joke definately isn't PG
There are a few minor faults though, as with any game. There is one large flaw in the game, being that when you draw near the the DLC's conclusion you lose certain perks you started off with. For instance, your safehouse is burnt down and your friend Jim is killed by Niko, which stops you from recieving his ability to restock your ammo. Although saying this, you are given another safehouse in the first third of the game's storyline, and you can always call on your other friend Terry to deliever some guns to you by car.
I doubt he takes credit cards
With that said, all in all the DLC is worth the heavy price tag. Your new character may be less charismatic than our favourite anti-hero Niko Bellic, but you'll warm to his rough American tone and chiseled jaw fairly quickly. And, I'm sure you'll warm to his new weapons and bikes, allowing you to cause even more destruction in Liberty City than before. All this said, Johnny and his pals have terrible fashion sense.
Score: 8.5/10
Final comments: It's a welcomed expansion to the game, and worth the heavy price.
Final comments: It's a welcomed expansion to the game, and worth the heavy price.
