Liberty just got bigger

User Rating: 9 | Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City PS3

GTA Episodes from Liberty City gives the players another look at GTA IV’s Liberty City. On one side, we've got the The Lost and Damned, bringing to the ride a biker gang in decay, alongside a gritty storyline and rock music. On the other side, there’s The Ballad of Gay Tony, showing both the glamour and the dirt of Liberty City’s nightlife. TLAD follows the story of Johnny Klebitz, and TBOGT throws us into the life of Luis Lopez. Both characters appeared briefly in Niko’s storyline during GTA IV, and now we are able to see in more detail what they've got.

Gameplay is what you’d expect from an open world game like GTA. You have the choice to complete a variety of story missions, unlocking more missions (and things to do), or you can drive around and do whatever you’re up to. Both episodes offer different missions and side activities for the player, usually involving races and shootouts. But the real fun is found in the main missions, where the variety is big. The slower paced missions are in TLAD, while TBOGT offers the more action oriented, almost over the top moments.

It’s amazing how Rockstar managed to create a beautiful, huge game with GTA IV, not only from a gameplay standpoint, and how everything just gets better in TLAD and TBOGT. Both offer us new missions, new weapons, new vehicles, new music, and a whole new world to explore inside GTA IV’s universe. The three storylines – Niko’s, Johnny’s and Luis’- are connected in one way or another, and those who paid more attention will notice how a few things were lost in the middle of GTA IV’s storyline, and how they get closure in the Episodes.

Those who enjoyed GTA IV will find here an amazing way to go back to Liberty City, and those who disliked it may find another chance to get into its crazy world.

Good Points: Variety, terrific soundtrack, a storyline that only Rockstar knows hows to deliver

Bad Points: The lack of checkpoints in TLAD's missions