Microsoft paid a whopping $50M for the exclusive rights to Grand Theft Auto IV's downloadable content.  That's a lotta scratch.  The game sold like hotcakes all over the world, many of those on the Xbox 360; the potential to recoup that rather large investment is real.  And at 1600 Microsoft points (roughly $20) it's priced with high profitability in mind.  However, at first blush that price point seems a bit high just for some downloadable content.  But what's clear after playing several hours worth of The Lost and Damned (TLAD) is that Rockstar is attempting to set the new high-water mark for downloadable content, and it may very well have succeeded. 

Let's make something clear:  TLAD is not your typical game expansion.  In the past we've had the infamous horse armour download for Oblivion, multiplayer map packs for just about every first person shooter out there, and on the opposite end of the campaign expansion spectrum the most recent one level addition to Xbox LIVE Arcade's The Maw.  TLAD, on the other hand, feels like a whole new chapter to the GTA IV universe.  Correction: It is a whole new chapter to the Grand Theft Auto IV universe, setting itself in Liberty City as a wholly distinct storyline featuring an ancillary character in Niko's adventure as the main protagonist here. 

In TLAD you play as Johnny, the Vice President of The Lost motorcycle club, a gang of criminal, miscreant biker aficionados.  Things get complicated as loose cannon President Billy gets released from prison and brings back recklessness and chaos to the club.  Johnny is a scumbag with a conservative streak, and barely manages to hold things together as the shit hits the fan.

I really enjoy this new direction.  Despite the fact that Johnny isn't the most endearing lead character you've every played, especially in contrast to Niko Bellic, everything about the biker culture feels not only fresh, but like Rockstar really nailed the authenticity.  Small things like always having a bike readily at your disposal, your safe-house as the biker club headquarters, riding in formation with the President of the club in lead with the executive in the wings, and lots and lots of cursing, all come together in selling this new vision.

Certain gameplay tweaks and features also come along for the ride, like the aforementioned bike formations and their ability to increase your health should you place yourself in the formation just right.  And the contentious nature of The Lost even within their ranks comes alive during these formations, as from time to time a road trip to a destination turns into a race challenge along the way - like a game on the way to the mission itself.  There's also the biker club which features a new high-low card game and arm wrestling, and races to participate in throughout Liberty City.  Except these races feature Road Rash gameplay what with the ability to beat nearby racers with a bat. 

Everything here comes together cohesively, as though this expansion were given the kind of care one would expect from a full release.  The last time I had such a positive impression of an expansion was while playing Episode 2 of Half Life 2. 

In terms of overall structure compared to Niko Bellic's adventure, what you have here is stripped down.  There do not appear to be as nearly as many contacts willing or demanding you spend time engaging in extra-curricular activities with.  TLAD essentially starts you out in an already establish milieu of characters and relationships, with the ease of calling upon them right from the get-go.  The typical cell phone calls from associates giving you the heads-up regarding jobs and events is also present, but, again, seemingly not nearly as overwhelming.  For what it is, it's nice that there's not too much to distract you from the central story.

Thus far the story is a compelling one with the requisite wacky characters weaving in and out of your life.  Indeed, you come across a few familiar faces and even rub shoulders at least once with Niko himself - some may never have noticed, but Johnny accompanied Niko on a mission in Niko's story, and you get to play it out here from Johnny's perspective. 

Everything you might expect from a great GTA experience is built in here.  It must be said, however, that getting back into GTA IV after not playing for several months proved to be a bit of a challenge, as revisiting the game is not immediately flattering - less than a year after its release the visuals aren't as impressive as they once were and some of the core gameplay mechanics are as clunky as they've ever been.  After some time you do get back into the groove of things, and an appreciation of all the greatness of the game comes back naturally. 

I would hazard to say that Rockstar has successfully pushed the boundaries of what was previously considered appropriate for downloadable content, something they're very well aware of; after playing roughly 20 minutes of TLAD, you get your first achievement titled "One Percenter", as in you only just completed one percent of this whopping 1.78 Gig download.  With all of this and a few extra multiplayer modes thrown in for good measure, The Lost and Damned is turning out to be a very worthwhile investment for both myself and Microsoft. 

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