Five Ways to Play The Lost and Damned

Gus Mastrapa offers points of entry into Grand Theft Auto IV's new downloadable expansion.
2/24/2009 7:32 PM | 2 Comments | Page 2 of 2

As a jilted lover: The Lost and Damned is the perfect game to play if you've just been dumped -- especially if you've pushed past the hurt and found your angry survivor. Klebitz's former old lady is an ice addict named Ashley. The girl is a mess. We never see her as she was, only as the jittery, addled mess that she is today. And, like all addicts, she swears that she's going to clean up her act. As The Lost and Damned unravels, Ashley continues to disappoint. Each revelation around the girl stings. Johnny, ever the pragmatist, responds to her empty promises with steadfast resistance. He won't be fooled again. Still, as we read Ashley's e-mails and talk to her on the phone, we long for the happy ending that Nico Bellic didn't get. The Lost and Damned's closing message when it comes to love isn't exactly an uplifting one. Don't get your hopes up.

As a role-player: There's no rule that says you can't spend all of The Lost and Damned tooling around Liberty City in an Infernus. But eschewing American steel for an imported crotch-rocket or a four-wheel sedan just feels wrong. And Johnny Klebitz will tell you so. Jump in a car for a mission and he'll long, verbally, for his hog. As Nico Bellic I used Liberty City's many cabs to move from mission to mission. In The Lost and Damned it just didn't seem right to let somebody else drive. The same goes for the radio. Nico, as a newcomer to this country, seemed like the kind of guy who might surf the dial, trying to absorb the myriad sounds of America. Klebitz has no time for that kind of crap. When Klebitz was in the saddle, the only tunes I rocked were the classic tunes on Liberty Rock Radio and the aggressive noise on Liberty City Hardcore. When you play The Lost and Damned, try slipping into Klebitz's skin -- it may be your only chance to stop being such a wuss and listen to some metal.

As a completionist: I have unfinished business in Liberty City. Last year I harbored the fantasy that I'd nail the game's 100-percent Achievement and nab one of those nifty keys to Liberty City that Rockstar was handing out. I was stymied by a single pigeon. With 99 of the flying rats under my belt, I gave up. The idea of meticulously scouring the entire landmass of Liberty City for a single bird was daunting. And yet, when I fired up The Lost and Damned I harbored, in the back of my brain, hope that I might bump into my quarry. One night in Alderney I thought my quest was at an end. Thanks to some sloppy driving, Johnny Klebitz's bike flew off a tall overpass, landing atop a warehouse. I carefully dropped off the roof into a space between two buildings. Riding over the ruined railroad tracks, my heart nearly stopped. There in the dark was the orange glow of a bird. I pulled out my pistol and shot the thing, hoping to hear the pop of an Achievement. All was silent. Instead I saw the message, "49 Seagulls remaining in Liberty City." There are a ton of tasks like this in The Lost and Damned. The motorcycle races and gang wars are pretty overt ways to make money. But I like bird-hunting the best, because I'm a sucker for exploration. And because the cops in Grand Theft Auto IV have ears. Every time you discharge your weapon is another chance to tangle with the police. I have 50 such adventures to look forward to.