ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 17, 2009 Anyone had a chance to play it yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horticulture Tycoon Posted February 18, 2009 I've had a chance to pay for it. When it comes to actually downloading and playing, not so much. I think their server is a bit overwhelmed right now. Or maybe it's a problem on my end, who knows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 18, 2009 Finished 15% of it, according to the in-game stats. Really enjoying myself, but not caring as much about the characters yet. The missions are very cool, and have me wishing that they'd gone for co-op campaign as an option. You can check on your allies health at any time, and I haven't played a mission yet where it wasn't at least two people working together. Of course, the second player would constantly be changing which character they inhabit, but it would still be really cool. The bike races are fun (finished 3 of the 12) but unfortunately the baseball bat bashing seems underpowered. I can club a guy 4 or 5 times and he'll barely flinch. If I'm smacking a guy with a bat while he's trying to drive, I'd hope that I'm a bit more irritating than a dragonfly in his face. New weapons I currently have 2 of, a fully automatic pistol and a very nice sawed off shotgun. If these were in GTAIV before, I didn't notice them. Entire game has taken a visual overhaul as well. Everything is much dirtier looking and feeling and I'm on the fence about how much I like it. It really works for the menus and the HUD, but the film grain over the gameplay itself is irritating. I haven't checked to see if I can turn it off or not yet, but I'm about to. What's up with this trend of graining up games lately? It works for some (L4D) but they're the minority. Can't wait for this particular fad to be over. So yeah, quite enjoying myself, and as I have the days to myself (well, the next 2 anyway) this week, I'd be up for a Road Rash style race or two with any thumb willing. Also really looking forward to what this adds to Grand Thumb Auto, as I'm expecting most of the regulars will be adding these features real soon. I know Wrestlevania and JamesM already have, at any rate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SiN Posted February 18, 2009 I was really excited about getting it, then I remembered I left my copy of GTA4 at home, a far distance from university. Mo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 18, 2009 It sounds pretty interesting... like a very separate game (a change in the visual style...??? why???). Does it affect the original GTA in any way? I found this cool trailer... looks awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 18, 2009 A quick peruse of reviews seems to suggest one thing: The changes made to the gameplay are an improvement... but they don't effect GTAIV, which is a shame because the lead character here is a lot less interesting and likeable than Niko, and as such, you don't care as much about the campaign. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 18, 2009 You can turn off the film grain, and I recommend it. I played quite a bit last night and really enjoyed what I got to see. The story overlap is quite interesting. Honestly, I didn't really remember who Johnny was after GTAIV, but seeing the small overlaps with Nico's story is really twigging a lot of cool memories. There have been a few moments already when I get that tingly "perfect gaming moment" feeling from the game, and as such this is already one of my favorite things from the year. Also, kind of cool to know that a seemingly standard hit that I pulled as Nico was the catalyst for a full-scale war between the Lost and a rival gang. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 19, 2009 I'm loving it! It just goes to show how much the world of GTA comes alive when there's a story left to tell (going back and doing stunt ramps just isn't anywhere near as much fun... the city feels dead once the main story is complete). The lead character is a moaning idiot (so far) but I'm loving being a biker... I even love the film grain (suits the "rough" story). The character animation/voice acting in the cut-scenes is even better than before, astoundingly. Plus there's a new episode of Republican Space Rangers, too All in all, I could keep buying new add-ons for GTAIV of this quality for quite some time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cigol Posted February 19, 2009 (edited) I could keep buying new add-ons for GTAIV of this quality for quite some time So could Microsoft the bastards. Edited February 19, 2009 by Cigol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted February 19, 2009 So could Microsoft the bastards. What? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 19, 2009 Cigol is a PS3 owner. PS3 owners are resentful of TLAD. Understandable really, but I'm not sure if the thumb is the best place to bring a console war. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 19, 2009 I have some worry that there's going to be a PS3 only add-on that's somehow "better" than Lost and Damned... I'd hate for there to warring add-ons -- like you have to buy both consoles to get the "full" experience. That would really suck (for me). Could this be a time-based thing, btw? Braid was a "360 exclusive", but it was only for a set period of time. In theory it could come over to the PS3... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cigol Posted February 19, 2009 It was a joke. You're meant to find it funny, not take it seriously. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 20, 2009 Don't lie, you secretly hate us. We can tell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 22, 2009 (edited) Ok. So I've played and completed it. I have to say that's highly enjoyable and seriously recommended I have no idea what this review is talking about regarding Johnny being so despicable that it almost ruins the game. The reviewer made such a fuss about the character being so unlikeable that when it came to a later mission where you had to "harm a character you care about", they almost threw down their controller in sheer frustration. It was such a strong reaction that I thought "this has to mean that you're the final assassin at the end of GTAIV", but no, it wasn't that bad at all. The lead character, Johnny, is a biker dude who complains about how his motorcycle club ("The Lost MC") and its leader, Billy, have lost their way: Too much violence for the sake of it, is one of his major complaints. But conversely he'll also happily go on a mass-murdering "Gang war" mission (this is GTA, what else are you going to do on missions??)... This might bug some people, I guess, but if you ignore this lack of continuity because, as I said, it would be pretty shitty to have a lead character who didn't want to kill anyone in GTA(!) then I think you'll get on fine with the character, even if he's not as likeable as Niko... Johnny isn't as sympathetic as Niko for good reasons, though: You're playing a member of a psychotic, fringe biker-gang, the type of social outcasts that Louis Theroux would investigate. So it didn't bother me in the slightest that I didn't love the character, or totally get with his ideals of "sticking to the man" -- but I was more than happy seeing his side of the events of GTAIV and enjoyed being part of the gang. (I almost feel like going back to play his missions in GTAIV now, just because I know so much more about him.) Speaking of which, I really enjoyed how they took a character that was actually featured in GTAIV and told their story during the same time period as GTAIV. A very cool idea that makes the game feel very connected the main story we all know and love. After playing Lost and Damned I believe there's a lot of mileage to be had from this idea, even if they didn't totally take advantage of it this time around; Niko hardly appears, and says nothing new when he does (which has probably a lot to do with Michael Hollick's unbelievably poorly thought-out way of handling his grievances, and presumably being an all-round-pain-in-the-ass to work with). Let's hope that Hollick and RockStar sort something out for the next add-on, but I'm not hopeful. Despite being pushed back, The Lost and Damned is also a bit buggy and not quite as polished as GTAIV. The problems are not gameplay ruining, for sure, but I did find myself failing missions simply because I wasn't aware of what the game wanted me to do. There's one mission in particular that I didn't realise that I had to keep holding down RT for most of the mission -- until then I just assumed the camera system had broke. Another mission became a lot easier when I realised that if I called my back-up at one precise moment they created an ambush for me -- slightly before or after and it was too late, and the game wasn't very forgiving about it. An early mission involves dropping one of the new weapons, pipe bombs, under otherwise indestructible trucks (a bit annoying that this these were otherwise impervious to damage, but anyway). In theory it should have been fun, but after a few fails I realised it wasn't fun at all and that it was just a hell of a lot easier to shoot out the tires/shoot the driver and THEN role a pipe bomb under the vehicle. The storyline seemed to be missing some damned obvious twists/tie-ups, too. Who was the informant? In the beginning it was surely clearly Brian, but then Jim randomly dies and Ashley seems to indicate that he may have had dealings with Ray(?) Presumably this will be all be tied in up in other add-ons, but there didn't seem to be any good reason to leave it open now. My final complaint is about the achievements: FIVE?! That's it? Microsoft have decided that all game add-ons only add FIVE achievements?? That seems ludicrous considering it's also giving away 250 points (XLBA arcade game give away 200 points in 12 achievements!) This may sound like a very minor thing, but there are a few new elements added to The Lost and Damned (Gang Wars, Biker Racers, Arm Wrestling and even.... Air Hockey?!), but there's not a single achievement attached to any of them (except for knocking 69 fellow bikers off their vehicles during races), which means if you're like me, you'll probably not bother to take the time to explore/complete them just for the sake of doing them. (It's especially stupid considering you're given a massive 100 points just for completing the main mission... What a waste. What were MS thinking?) Anyways, despite these minor quibbles I thoroughly enjoyed delving into the world Johnny and the Lost and look forward to see Liberty City from another side in the future (through the eyes of a corrupt police man, maybe? Maybe the female cop who pretended to be interested in Niko?). Here's a little tip for races: The longer you hold down the baseball bat, the harder you hit. Edited February 23, 2009 by ThunderPeel2001 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 23, 2009 An early mission involves dropping one of the new weapons, pipe bombs, under otherwise indestructible trucks (a bit annoying that this these were otherwise impervious to damage, but anyway). In theory it should have been fun, but after a few fails I realised it wasn't fun at all and that it was just a hell of a lot easier to shoot out the tires/shoot the driver and THEN role a pipe bomb under the vehicle. They blew up just fine when I SMG'd them. Kind of bullet sponges, sure, but by no means impervious. I didn't bother with the pipe bombs. I find dropping things off a moving vehicle to be kind of spotty. I've gotten better after all the practice in GTA Race during Grand Thumb Auto, but I'd still much rather have an SMG any day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted February 23, 2009 Really? They seemed totally impervious to my many bullets... it was very frustrating Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
80's Bad Guy Posted February 24, 2009 Loved the DLC, was amazed by the amount of content but yeah ThunderPeel, I agree the achievements could have been spread around a lot better. There are seagulls, gang wars, races, hidden characters new friends and more...yet you get nothing for any of those and basically 200 points for just finishing the story arc. Maybe this is more of an indictment against me as a gamer, but I find it hard to be motivated to go hunting for 50 hidden seagulls without some kind of achievement attached. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 24, 2009 Achievement or badass unlock. The reward for getting all the packages back in the day was that a tank or attack helicopter would spawn somewhere for you. It happens in GTAIV as well. Maybe there is such a thing in TLAD, but I haven't heard of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
80's Bad Guy Posted February 25, 2009 Yeah, that too. I don't know what the unlock is for the seagulls yet, but it took all 200 pigeons to get the damn attack helicopter. In GTAIII & Vice City you got a new weapon or armor at your safehouse for every 10 (or 20?) packages, which is a much better way of doing it IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted February 25, 2009 Every 10 up to 50. After 50, you didn't get anything until you hit 100. ...yeah, I found every package in both games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted March 3, 2009 Well I started going through the Gang Wars because, well, they're actually pretty fun. Sure enough you start getting weapons in your safehouse for every 10 you complete. 10: Sawn-off Shotgun 20: Automatic pistol 30: ??? 40: ??? 50: ??? I think you unlock vehicles by doing races, too. Does anyone know if using cheats to summon certain vehicles stops you from unlocking things in GTA games? For example, if I got a taxi to every stunt jump in GTAIV and then summoned a Double T (or whatever) in order to do them, it would still count, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted March 3, 2009 Summoning can block achievements (until you reload without any cheats, I think), not sure about other unlocks though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted March 3, 2009 I'm guessing he means summoning via calling the guy who'll drop fresh bikes off at your location. Unless I'm wrong, and he's a filthy cheater... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted March 4, 2009 Nope, you're wrong. I'm a filthy cheater: Calling 625-555-0100 drops a brand new spanking NRG-9000 in front of you, instantly. Just the thing when you're attempting Stunt Jumps Thankfully summoning vehicles isn't totally considered cheating by the game, so you can still get achievements (unlike using a health, weapon or police stars cheat). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
