Grand Theft Auto IV was criticised in some circles for being too serious, losing its sense of fun and humour to opt for a darker, grittier tale. Whilst I can see where this criticism came from, I for one liked the new tone as it turned the game from a farcical look at modern Western life found in San Andres and Vice City, to a more satirical look at the condition of modern man. GTA IV’s Ballad of Gay Tony attempts to address this by adding more farce into the tale, but still manages to keep its satirical side.
The Ballad of Gay Tony sees you step into the shoes of Luis Lopez, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Luis is part owner of a couple of clubs with his friend and mentor “Gay Tony” Prince. The recession has hit the clubs hard, and Luis and Tony are in a little bit of bother with money, and get into some bad deals with some bad Mafioso types, setting the scene for the entire game.
Luis is a really likable character. He’s much more likable than Johnny Klebitz of The Lost and the Damned, more relaxed than Niko. Like Niko, he’s a product of his upbringing. He makes mention of the fact he’s a contract killer, but doesn’t seem to have as many issues with it as Niko did. He admires and respects Gay Tony, and as Tony succumbs to drug addiction it is hard not to side with Luis, even though you soon realise he’s making as big a mess as Tony.
The game itself plays like GTA IV, obviously. The mission structure is the same – generally drive somewhere and then blow everything up. The game also takes you to many of the set piece locations of the original title. You’ll find yourself in the middle of a bank heist, deep in the diamond heist, searching for a kidnapped Gracie, and having a shootout in the Museum. However, these are often presented in a different way to previously seen. Instead of running through the museum, you see a cinematic, and then are placed into a helicopter and have to escape.
Many characters seen in the first game and first DLC crop up here and there. You’ll see Roman try and get into the club a few times. Gracie, the loud mouth hostage, is Tony’s best friend. The Irish mobsters Gerry and Packie will feature in more than a few scenes. Brucie Kubbutz returns, but is a side kick to his even more annoying older brother Mori, who suffers Brucie’s insecurities but magnified ten times because of his short man syndrome. And of course Niko and Johnny appear frequently.
The effect of these two things on the player is to make the world seem more coherent and whole. The stories are weaved brilliantly together, reconnecting GTA IV and making the conspiratorial nature of the game seem much deeper and more intense. You’ll never know who your real allies are, and moreover, you’ll begin to rethink the outcomes which occurred in the other two games.
To spice things up a little, Rockstar have introduced more outrageous weapons and vehicles to the game. My favourite is the explosive shell shotgun, although sticky bombs are rather fun as well. Yusif, the ridiculously rich Arab will have you flying in a gold coloured attack helicopter. They’ve also brought back the parachute. This brings a verticality to the city that was previously absent. No longer are helicopter rides just about getting somewhere specific – you can jump out and parachute to the top of a building or the ground safely. I’ve gone to the tallest building just to jump off. The parachuting base jump minigames are even more fun, testing you skill as you fly through hoops or ride a bike off a building and then try to land on a moving flatbed.
Another fun new introduction to TBOGT is night club management. You go from point to point in the club, watching people dance looking for trouble. Trouble comes in the form of drunks, who you throw out. You’ll often get a call from the other club where you’ve got to go help out a hapless star who is caught with their pants down, or drive an English prince to find some hookers. When you’re not working you can play some drinking minigames and even participate in a dance off, which sees the whole floor doing a bus stop routine and sounds lame on paper, but is a lot of fun to pull off.
The new music is gregarious disco and dance, and whilst it’s a little clichéd to have “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches and Herb and the like associated with the Gay scene, it’s also just fun music in general which adds to the overall lighter tone of the game. Not much is made of Gay Tony’s gayness, either. When people do start throwing around the homophobic slurs, it’s often directed at Luis too despite his repeated protestations of the contrary, and you’ll find yourself wanting to hurt those guys just for being dicks. And in most cases, you get to.
Conclusion:
In TBOGT you’re still as ruthless a killer as Niko and Johnny, but there’s a larger sense of fun and play here. Whilst never as ridiculous as Vice City or Saint’s Row, it has a very similar feel. Whereas GTA IV was almost like a moral play, TBOGT plays much more like a comedic tragedy. It takes itself seriously, but presents a much more laid back sensibility to the player, giving them a chance to have a bit of fun in between the gritty reality of gangsters and money.
Pros:
Great story line
Great reuse of characters
The parachute opens up the vertical city
Fun new minigames
Cons:
Helicopters don’t have missile locks
No changes to the core game
85/100