Don’t take this per-
sonally, Niko Bellic. But
Johnny Klebitz, anti-hero
of Grand Th eft Auto IV: Th e
Lost and Damned, makes
you look like a
bit of a putz.
The Lost and
Damned is the
fi rst download-
able add-on
for last year’s
blockbuster
crime opus
Grand Th eft
Auto IV, and it
sets the bar not
only for how
much stuff can be packed
into one of these online
expansions, but how ridic-
ulously slick it can be.
Available only for the
Xbox 360 version of GTA IV
for a cost of 1,600 Micro-
soft points (about $23), Th e
Lost and Damned revolves
around the Lost, a motor-
cycle gang in GTA IV’s
Liberty City that’s being
pulled apart by forces both
external and internal.
GTA IV protagonist Niko
Bellic isn’t the star of the
show here, although he
does pop up in a few cam-
eos. Instead, you play as
the Lost’s vice president,
Johnny Klebitz, who fi nds
himself butting heads with
gang leader
Billy Grey,
freshly sprung
from rehab
and eager to
get back to rul-
ing his nether-
world fi efdom
of bikes, guns
and drugs.
(It’s got to be
said that the
dialogue and
voice acting in Th e Lost and
Damned is some of the best
we’ve ever heard in a video
game. A lot of it wouldn’t
sound out of place in an
episode of Th e Wire or Th e
Sopranos, it’s that good.)
The Lost and Damned
doesn’t introduce any new
geography to the sprawling
virtual metropolis of Lib-
erty City, but it does off er
a chance to see GTA IV’s
cracked mirror image of
NYC through the eyes of
a diff erent character, with
his own unique set of moti-
vations, desires, friends
and ruthless enemies.
The dozens of new mis-
sions range from waging
war with rival bike gangs
to saving Johnny’s ex-girl-
friend from the meth addicts
she’s fallen in with, and
they all feel slightly more
fi ne-tuned — or at least a
little less repetitive – than
what GTA IV itself offers.
The handling of the
game’s motorcycles has
been mercifully overhauled
— an important detail,
given how much time
you spend astride a two-
wheeled steed, often as part
of a convoy of Lost brothers
heading into battle with the
rival Angels of Death gang.
With The Lost and
Damned, the guys at Rock-
star Games have struck
a balance between dra-
matic storytelling, absurdly
over-the-top action and
wicked social satire. It’s
a blend that’s become
this franchise’s trade-
mark, and it’s never been
more evident than here.
The Lost and Damned
clocks in at about 10 to 12
hours, if you tackle the story
with relative focus. But
because this is Grand Theft
Auto, you’ll likely fi nd your-
self sucked back into the
near-limitless distractions
of Liberty City’s urban sand-
box, with new additions
like air hockey, arm wres-
tling and a half-dozen new
online multiplayer modes.
And again, there’s some-
thing about Johnny Klebitz
and his brotherhood of bik-
ers that just makes this game
feel, I don’t know, cooler
somehow. More relatable,
more cohesive and a little
more fun. Or maybe it’s just
that we don’t have to listen
to Niko’s accent any more.
BottomLine
Although it doesn’t
reinvent the GTA IV wheel,
The Lost and Damned is a
meaty, action-packed and
well-told new chapter in the
saga of Liberty City, with
some welcome new tweaks
and a fascinating group of
characters.
which anti-hero Johnny Klebitz
chats with a distressingly
uninhibited politician at a day
spa. What, the guy couldn’t fi nd
a towel?
Some pervy GTA IV fans cried
foul when the original game’s
strippers never got more naked
than panties and pasties, and
demanded full nudity in the
next instalment. Just goes to
show, you gotta be careful what
you wish for.
