Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony Video Game Review

It would take a lot for anyone to be unfamiliar with the Grand Theft Auto game series. Despite its negative publicity on television stations as a violent and morally dubious game unsuitable for children and possibly all humans, gamers have continued to love the game just as much as ever. The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second of the two expansion packs to Grand Theft Auto IV and it adds everything you would expect a good Grand Theft Auto game to have: crazy storyline, good graphics, new weapons and lots and lots of mayhem.

Storyline

The Ballad of Gay Tony includes a brand new storyline with a new main character. You play as Luis Fernando Lopez, an ex-drug dealer and now personal bodyguard to Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince. This man is the owner of the two biggest nightclubs in Liberty City. However, substance abuse puts Tony into the debt of some powerful people and its up to you as his bodyguard to deal with the issue. Throughout the whole Tony arc, you, Luis Fernando, also have a lot on your plate. Your mother has financial problems, though she wants you to go to college instead of getting mixed up in such a business. As you move through the story, protecting Tony and getting mixed in huge crossfires between various groups, it becomes you and Tony against it all, trying to keep his two clubs open. The plot is satisfying and interesting as well as much funnier and brighter than previous Grand Theft Auto games.

Gameplay

Though the storyline is great, most players choose Grand Theft Auto for the crazy gameplay more than anything else. The Ballad of Gay Tony gives gamers plenty of opportunity for great missions which include assassination, hang-gliding from the top of a building, and even attack helicopters. Best of all are the new features that the developers added to make the missions more fun. First of all, a new checkpoint system allows you to die in the middle of a mission and simply continue from a point you have already completed instead of having to physically go back to the mission start place and begin over again. This makes the missions a lot less frustrating and I'm surprised that the developers have waited until now to use this brilliant technique. Another great thing is that all of the missions are replayable. Finally you can replay any mission you might enjoy time and time again after you've completed it the first time. The game also, naturally, includes new weapons and vehicles. The weapons include shotguns with explosive shells and a new "sticky bomb" perfect for blowing up moving objects. One of the features of this game that you'll notice quickly is the explosions. There are a lot of them and they're very satisfying. Need I say more? Of course Grand Theft Auto wouldn't be right unless there were also a lot of great looking new high end sports cars as well as some sedans and multiple helicopters you can fly around in. The free roam is as great as always and the graphics are just impressive enough to make you feel good without blowing your mind like the ones from God of War III.

Reviewers have applauded this game with from a 9/10. It's rated M for Mature and available for X-box 360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV:_The_Ballad_of_Gay_Tony