Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Review
Concept
You play as Luis Lopez who is working for a man named Gay Tony. Luis is different from other main characters in the series because he is already in the upper class and doesn't need to work his way up. As with other GTA games, you do dirty work for a bunch of other people and see how the story unfolds from mission to mission. And this time around, the missions are actually fun! The story itself is very well written, and the whole concept is to stop the people who are aiming to get Tony and end him. The writing and dialogue are great, and as always the humor is in place. All of the characters are very well portrayed, and Yusuf is sure to be a fan favorite.
Gameplay
The gameplay in The Ballad of Gay Tony is standard fare when it comes to the GTA formula, so not much can be said that we don't know. There are a ton of new side quests to undertake, such as base jumping, gang wars, fight clubs, and even club management. There are a couple of others, but I don't want to spoil everything.
The weapons in this game seem to be the best out of the "trilogy" of GTA4. The best weapon has to be the shotgun with explosive ammo, and it is really fun seeing how one shot can totally flatten one side of a car. There are also sticky bombs, a P90 and a new sniper rifle. All are really great additions to the universe and will surely be loved by all. You can still call friends to deliver guns and cars too, which is still a real nice feature. One of the biggest surprises about this game was adding the tank. While it is technically an APC with a turret, it is still fun to use. Hopefully though, next time we get the real deal.
Luis still feels clunky at times, where he gets stuck to cover or doesn't respond well at certain times when it matters. He still gets caught between objects and still has a hard time moving around, but it isn't that big a deal as these problems only happen every once in a while. In the future it would be nice to have the character get a little less stiff when it comes to moving.
Presentation
We all should know how Grand Theft Auto 4 looks, so not much has changed here. The film grain effect from The Lost and Damned is gone in favor of the sleek look, now coupled with brighter colors in the menu and HUD. The realistic city is still there much to the delight of many. The character models still look great and overall the city has that same feel as GTA4. Still a few framerate issues and texture pop-ins but nothing gamebreaking at all.
Value
If you didn't like Grand Theft Auto 4 for a certain reason, then you need to check out The Ballad of Gay Tony. This will be a much better experience for you if you felt the fun factor was missing in GTA4. And for only $20 for a 10-15 hour game it is definitely a steal. From the main story missions to the fun side quests, the value is packed to the brim with this payment. Not to mention if you get the disc version with both DLC Episodes, that's $40 for about a 30 hour experience. Compare that to most $60 games today. No matter how you get this title, whether disc based or DLC, you honestly can't go wrong.
Overall
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is a great way to end the GTA4 saga. The varied mission structure mostly involving huge gun fights and explosions will keep you entertained for hours on end. It also has the perfect length, where it isn't too short, but not extremely long where you may feel overwhelmed. For a mere $20 this game is a steal, and as I stated, the GTA4 nay-sayers should still look into this title, as it may be a more enjoyable experience for them.
9.0 out of 10
