Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City - Playstation 3

I originally bought a strictly for GTA4. The series has always been one of my favorites and Episodes from Liberty City just found a new place in my heart.Episodes from Liberty City is the continuation of the GTA4 storyline, weaving in and out of Niko's storyline. Before buying the game, I replayed GTA and noticed small instances of Johnny and Luis throughout. Many people have complained that the two main characters are not as complelling as Niko, but I feel that their job is not to be complelling, but to add to the already huge Grand Theft Auto Universe.In "The Lost and the Damned" you play as Johnny the Jew, the VP of the Lost Biker gang. Because the story is so short, I will not give away the plot and will just talk about the game play, but if you have ever seen "Sons of Anarchy" on FX, it includes many of the same elements. Many reviews I read prior to buying the game was that "The Ballad of Gay Tony" was the only one worth buying... this would have definitely been a mistake. Though TLAD is run of the mill run and shoot missions just like GTA4, the world is extremely entertaining. The grit system used to give the game a different appearance is extremely effective... the storyline is much more serious and the darkened graphics enhance that. There are a plethora of side missions; stealing bikes, racing using bats, cleaning up "dirty laundry", and leading the Lost in gang wars. Even after the required number of races and gang wars are complete, they continue regenerating, giving what most GTA players are looking for... the ability to fight and drive with some sort of purpose. The game also contains new weapons including a machine pistol, pipe bombs, and the incredibly powerful combat shotgun. This is the first of all the GTAs I have been compelled to complete 100%.In "The Ballad of Gay Tony" you play as Luis, the business partner and bodyguard of Gay Tony. Again, with such a sort story I will not give anything away, but the real purpose of TBoGT is to blow things up. Again there are many new weapons, my favorite being the shotgun with explosive rounds which actually causes cars to fold in on themselves. The game also has numerous things to do outside of the missions, including drug wars, base jumping, club management, and even a dancing minigame.All in all, I'd personally say I enjoyed TLAD more than TBoGT. Both are short, which encourages you to do all of the side missions; most of the time I found myself performing gang wars, races, and base jumps before taking the effort to complete other missions. Because both games continue re spawning gang and drug wars, they both have alot of replay value. TBoGT also allows you to replay missions (similar to Red Dead Redemption) to continue getting higher scores and more achievements.I would recommend both of these games. If you look on Amazon's New and Used section you can find some for cheap that qualify for free shipping too! I got my copy for $28 with free shipping, and it arrived before the expected date.PS If you look in the manual of Episodes, there is a small picture about saying goodbye to Liberty City, with a rip in the corner that gives a hint to the next GTA game! Search online... some people imaged it again the other two games to find out what it means!

Having been a fan of the GTA series for many years now I was very disappointed when I got word that the expansion packs for GTA4 would only be made available to 360 users upon. The thing that pissed me off more than anything was that GTA started off as a Playstation exclusive game. Of course it was only time before the expansion packs came out for PS3 as well, but it still wasn't a smart move on Rockstar's part if you ask me. That's definitely not a good vibe to send to your PS3 owners out there.Anyway, on to my review, and I'll keep this brief. I just got this game last week and I've already beaten it. First off when buying this game you need to be realistic. Combined the two expansion packs The Lost & The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony add up to a solid week of gaming in my opinion in which time you can beat both games. Story wise, the Ballad of Gay Tony wins hands down. But,...I do have to give The Lost & The Damned the 1up on the title though. Really? "The Ballad of Gay Tony"? Anyway, Gay Tony just had a lot more to offer. More vehicles, a better story, and all the excitement you could ask for. One thing I noticed between the two was little intricate details. In Lost & the Damned a grain filter was used to make the game look a little more gritty. Also, in the game there was almost always a constant overcast, or it was raining. Further adding the realism to the dark nature of the story. And on the flip side, Gay Tony also had the details in this area. A gloss filter was applied to give everything more of a shine, and it was almost always sunny in the Ballad of Gay Tony. But what really got me was the intertwining stories. That was what did it for me :) The creators of this series managed to mix the stories of The Lost & The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony together and blend it in the with the original story of GTA4. That was a winning attribute in my book. I'm not gonna bother spoiling the stories of either game for you. I'll just leave it to you to see how good it is for yourself. For the $20 that you'll probably pay through Amazon or a 3rd party source, this game is well worth the purchase. Another winning installment from the great Rockstar Games Inc.

I love it! I enjoy Grand Theft Auto 4 and all of Rock Star Games. Being in a motor cycle gang in the "Lost and Damned", ruff, tough and violent, is quite fun. You get to take part as a member of a hardened bike gang living in a rough area of the city. Lots of side action, like gambling, arm wrestling and more, as well as the main missions. The first time a did a mission, riding out with the bike gang, as the old leader is back from jail, was awesome. You can follow behind as you ride with other bike gang members, ride in the middle or lead them. The story will progress you through trials as bike gang rivals fight each other. You may even find yourself in trouble with your own gang. Though this episode of Liberty city is great, it is not quite as good for me as "The ballad of gay Tony".This one has more missions to choose from, such as Gay Tony himself, your character's mother, and several more. Both take you throughout Liberty city, all bridges opened, and the usual excellent graphics and controls. There are more and different weapons, missions, music and characters. Otherwise it is very much like GTA 4. It would be nice to use a different map, but that's fine. I can wait for perhaps GTA 5 for this.Overall I enjoy the game and find myself going back and forth between the two episodes. Having a two-in-one game is excellent. Like being in a bike gang one day and working for a gay city crime boss the next.I recommended this game as one Rock Star Game's best.

Game case came in perfect condition, with map and manual in great condition, game plays perfect!