Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

Lost and Damned is, I would say, two steps forward and one step back for GTA4. Well, maybe more like two back.

It's pleasing to see TLAD place (much) less emphasis on the insipid parts of GTA4 -- I haven't received any calls from biker buddies about going out bowling, although I have received calls about doing optional side-missions; and the game hasn't even tried to make me care about watching TV or buying clothes. It serves to more strongly emphasize the core action and story, which is basically a good thing.

This generation, Rockstar seems to be all about characterization; but while TLAD has a more consistent stable of characters, none of them are as interesting as the original game's. Johnny's story is a fraction as long as Niko's epic tale of redemption, and as a result, some of the exposition seems hurried and flat. Billy, President of the biker gang, makes his character painfully obvious from the first five minutes, and doesn't seem to have any purpose at all except as a dramatic foil for Johnny. And the other bikers are little more than lackeys, choosing one side or the other in the conflict. It's not a bad story per se, but not as compelling as I expected.

On the whole, gameplay has been improved since GTA4: TLAD doesn't waste any time in introducing you to new weaponry (including a sawed-off shotgun!), and new features like gang warfare make for much more meaningful side-quests than the original game had. But I feel like the gameplay evolution is seriously marred by, well, the motorcycle. Riding a bike isn't always required, but it's always seriously encouraged, and to be frank the bikes still don't work as well as the cars.

So in general I would say I'm pleased with the incremental improvement, but - both because of the weaker story and the goddamn motorcycles - I'm less hooked by TLAD than I was by GTA4.

Progress: Gang wars!