Not content with setting new standards for digital storytelling and sandbox gaming with its notorious Grand Theft Auto series, cocky publisher Rockstar has now raised the bar for console downloads with The Lost And The Damned, and points to a glorious day when youll be able to play your favourite games forever.
An Xbox 360 exclusive spin-off from GTA IV, The Lost And The Damned takes place in Liberty City at the same time as the main game, and follows the fortunes of a rogue biker whose tale of crime, revenge and gang warfare runs parallel to the story of immigrant hoodlum Niko.
But while this is merely an add-on rather than a brand new game, the carefully considered gameplay tweaks make for a much richer and more enjoyable experience: the improved bike handling is the most dramatic change, with players now able to stay on their ride during the hairiest of downtown scrambles, rather than popping off their motorcycle if they so much as graze another vehicle; the new weapons are amongst the best ever seen in a GTA game, particularly the delicious automatic pistol that youll doubtless keep on hand until the end credits roll; and the range of new multiplayer options are enough to keep you hooked for months after youve finished the single player game, especially the group challenges where you team up with a gang of bikers and ambush armoured vehicles as they rumble around town.