GTA IV: The Lost and Damned Hands-On

Well I'll be damned. In-depth, hands-on preview of the first of two huge, episodic follow-ups to Grand Theft Auto IV.

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We got to check out four missions during our time with The Lost and Damned. Throughout, there are some standout moments which we can't be sure are 'set pieces' per say - we recall one punk on fire falling helplessly down some stairs, amidst a chaotic shootout in a biker bar - it's probably not 'scripted', but it's a reminder of how wild your average scene in GTA can be.

The first mission we checked out is called Angels in America: Billy's out and his first order of business is offing one of the Angels of Death - a chap who bears a resemblance to the actor Peter Stormare, whose fate in Prison Break is another thing the two have in common. It's not premeditated, though, and happens as the result of a heated, ego-driven row outside The Lost's safe house - indicating Billy's short fuse, and also ruining the truce Johnny had built.

The execution of this 'deadbeat prick' is his price for gate crashing Billy's 'party' and announcing that "the good times are over". As night falls, a bike chase ensues and the mission is to take out the remaining members at high speed - nothing too taxing, although we're introduced to a couple of new weapons, including the sawn-off shotgun and an automatic 9mm pistol which 'just shreds people' as one staffer put it.

The getaway leads us into the biker bar we mentioned before. One of our comrades says he has to bail; he's got a booty call with a "hot Russian" over on Firefly Island. His intention is to "drink her daddy's expensive vodka, and fuck her under the peer." The lady in question happens to be Faustin's daughter, we're told, but the consequences of that we'll have to wait to find out. For now, "let the good times roll!"

Another of the new weapons is the grenade launcher - which looks and sounds a bit like the weapon Arnie uses to clear out the police from Cyberdyne's HQ in T2. The next mission, Action/Reaction, brings us to The Angels' clubhouse, and the grenade launcher gets some good use - first through one of their top windows, and then more intensely as they scuttle out from all manner of exits and use cover behind nearby vehicles. Such cover is no match for the grenade launcher of course, and using it feels a lot faster, more precise and more satisfying than simply hurling grenades in the traditional way.

Taking them all out leads into a cut-scene the basement of the joint, which appears to be some sort of abandoned gym; the equipment doesn't looks like it's had much use lately, but then, it's not exactly the cosiest place to be working out. The Lost comrades find a whole load of heroin down there, and although the invasion was supposed to be "payback for Jason" - not sure what that's about - Billy argues there's no reason some money can't be made out of the situation. Again, tension between the pair increases, but drugs are drugs, and so it's straight off to see one of the first returning characters we're already familiar with - Elizabeta - "the meanest bitch in Bohan", according to the boys. She's still got her game on, still bopping in her grotty apartment with a small-time house party of skimpily dressed "bitches". Even Playboy X is there joining in the fun.

Liz and Playboy aren't the only familiar faces as we enter the next mission, called Buyer's Market, which follows straight afterwards. As you might have predicted, Niko eventually shows up in The Lost and Damned, and one of his appearances is in this very mission. It's actually a mission you'll have played in GTA IV as Niko, but at this stage of the game the stories intertwine, and you get to play the mission from Johnny's perspective as they work together to complete the drug deal. GTA IV fans will already know that the deal's a set-up - the buyers are LCPD - the difference this time is that Johnny decided to take on the cops head on, where Niko and Playboy took the roof - so the mission offers a different experience to last time.

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