Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is a standalone compilation of the DLC episodes for Grand Theft Auto IV, containing both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on one disc.

It does not require a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV to play, nor is an Xbox Live or PSN account necessary (except for multiplayer).

The content is also played straight from the disc, and doesn’t need to be downloaded to a hard drive to play, like various other disc-based expansions for other Xbox 360 games that have been released in the past.

The Lost and Damned

The Lost and Damned otherwise features similar gameplay to Grand Theft Auto IV. Additions to the game include new weapons, such as a grenade launcher, Automatic Pistol, half of a pool cue and pipe bombs, as well as sawn-off and automatic shotguns and new vehicles, such as Johnny’s custom-made motorcycle.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

The Ballad of Gay Tony follows the exploits of a new protagonist, Luis Fernando Lopez, a member of the Dominican drug dealers and the personal bodyguard of Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince. Rockstar Games claim in their press release that this episode “injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime” and that “players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.”

Video Review

Game Specs

Developer(s) Rockstar North / Rockstar Toronto (PC)

Publisher(s) Rockstar Games

Distributor(s) Take-Two Interactive

Series Grand Theft Auto

Engine RAGE, Euphoria (motion engine)

Native resolution 720p

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date(s) Xbox 360 October 29, 2009 / PlayStation 3, Windows April 13, 2010 and EU April 16, 2010

Rating(s) BBFC: 18 / ESRB: Mature / OFLC: MA15+ / PEGI: 18

Media Blu-ray Disc, DVD

Input methods Gamepad, keyboard and mouse