Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Review
A Review - By Gaetano Prestia
The second of two episodes, The Ballad of Gay Tony is without a doubt the most explosive and action-packed GTA experience you’ll have in years.
Putting you into the feet of Luis Lopez - a man that has popped up inconspicuously in both The Lost and Damned and GTA IV - you’re glitzy nightclub owner Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince’s second-man in charge. Where Niko was a poverty-stricken immigrant and Johnny was an established biker thug, Luis is part of the criminal underworld, where he interacts with spoiled billionaires and glamorous drama queens. Gay Tony definitely sets the tone for this adventure, as there’s a strong sense of success and establishment within the main characters that had to otherwise be earned with our previous two anti-heroes. Most of the characters you’ll come across in Ballad are successful and part of Liberty City’s infamous elite, so a different tone for the main narrative is set right from the moment the game starts up.
With both GTA IV and The Lost and Damned, there was an immediate focus on the main protagonist and you automatically knew who was going to be our hero. In Ballad, we know that Luis is our guy, but Tony has a very strong influence on the story. That’s obviously a given considering the title, but this is just as much Tony’s story as it is Luis’. Yet there is an unusual flow to the narrative. Sometimes Luis says things that don’t really coincide with the type of character he’s been earlier on. Furthermore, there is a very strong focus on friendship and family, although most of Luis’ relationships outside of the one with Gay Tony seem to get lost in the chaos that is his business partner’s lifestyle. However, Rockstar do create a steady balance between the two as the story progresses. While initially it’s a little difficult to appreciate Luis’ situation (at least not as easily as it was for Niko or Johnny), both he and Gay Tony are incredibly likable characters that will grow on you.
There doesn’t seem to be one major antagonist either. Luis’ and Gay Tony’s biggest enemies seem to be themselves and this kind of falls back onto the focus of friendship and family. Gay Tony pretty much brings all of his issues onto himself, so it’s easy to feel sorry for him. It’s as if we’re not really supposed to care who is hurting him and that the one and only focus is to fix everything for him and Luis by patching up problems. There’s no direct competition for Gay Tony or Luis and the relationship between the two is ultimately the focus of the entire story, as opposed to the rise of one man (Niko/Johnny).
The story does have more excitement and glamour than either of the previous two games though. Because Gay Tony is established, Luis is always driving in the best cars and meeting the richest people. We don’t have to learn the tricks of the trade, because Luis has already been doing this stuff for a while. The characters have already established themselves in the city, so everything you have at your disposal is the best of the best.
That’s pretty much where all of Ballad’s enjoyment lies. As great as the story can get and as likable as the two main characters are, their positions among Liberty City’s elite allow for an immediate focus on action and excitement. The glitzy lifestyle of Tony and Luis translates over to the gameplay, as we are subjected to explosive missions and new gameplay features that ultimately make The Ballad of Gay Tony the more enjoyable of the two episodes.
There’s a hoard of new stuff in Ballad, including new weapons, multiplayer modes and activities. Rockstar really wanted this to be the most explosive GTA experience this generation, and they haven’t let us down. Aside from the Pistol .44, which is your typical sidearm, each of the new weapons in Ballad make for some absolutely insane gun-power. The explosive shotgun is quite superb, allowing you to take down a chopper with only a few shots. You can shoot a few rounds into some parked police cars during a gunfight and suddenly you’ve taken out every cop near the vehicles.
The Assault SMG is the best for simple combat on the street or whenever you’re in cover and it works well from long distance as well. The Advanced MG shoots around 900 rounds per minute and has decent range, but the reload can be a pain, especially when enemy bullets are bombarding you. Then there is the Advanced Sniper, which works an absolute treat during some missions when you have enemies at a distance. The scope on it is great and has superb vision, making it probably the best sniper rifle to ever appear in a GTA game. Finally are Sticky Bombs, which are easy to place and cause absolute havoc. There are several missions that require you to use them and thanks to the great controlling mechanics and precision of the aiming system, throwing and detonating them can be done with ease.
The great thing about these new weapons is that they pretty much all come in handy at one point or another. The missions are far more challenging in Ballad than they were in The Lost and Damned, yet you’ll actually want to replay most of them because they’re just so damn fun. You’re often given a particular weapon to complete a certain objective, and while the outrageous meter hits an all-time high with some of the missions, you won’t care because the scope is just so massive.
Some of the missions are so ridiculously explosive and focused on blowing stuff up that you’ll wonder how you ever played through a GTA game without some of the weapons. You’ll train surf while blowing away approaching police choppers, sink a million-dollar yacht and parachute down onto a moving vehicle after jumping from the top floor of a 50-story building. And you’ll do all of those things before the story really kicks in.
Only further adding to the explosive nature of the experience is the N.O.O.S.E armored personnel carrier, equipped with a 360-degree rotatable turret and explosive ordinance. It’s essentially a super-mobile tank, similar to that of the Bat-mobile in the recent Batman films. Then there is the Buzzard combat chopper, complete with rockets and a high-caliber machine gun.
Ballad is no where near as grounded as GTA IV and The Lost and Damned, and while its story might not be as flowing and character-driven as previous adventures, we get to see Liberty City in a whole new light through its glamorous nightlife. We’re essentially experiencing the city through characters that have access to anything and everything, and that leads us through an explosive story that gets better as you progress.
The main-story will take you roughly the same amount of time to finish as The Lost and Damned. Depending on your skill level it can take you anywhere between 6-10 hours. You’re looking at 15+ hours if you want to finish the game 100%. There are several new activities to take part in, as well as the multiplayer. A scoring system similar to that in Manhunt has also been introduced, which scores you based on certain goals for a mission. Each mission will have a time-limit goal and a health goal, but it can also include other objectives that fit in with the mission, such as destroying a certain number of police cars or keeping your vehicle damage to a minimum. You can eventually go back to replay missions as you wish to try and beat your previous scores, which can then be uploaded to the Rockstar Social Club.
With the inclusion of the parachute you have several base Jumping activities scattered across the city. Basically, you jump off a specific point and try to land within the designated target, with your accuracy determining your score for the activity. They aren’t overly challenging but are a hell of a lot of fun. They’re great to tackle if you want to get away from the main story and explore for a little while. Luis can also visit the golfing range to perfect his swing. There he can go up against friends or punters and try to hit targets similar to base jumping.
As Gay Tony is an established nightclub owned in the city, and with Luis being his right-hand man, you’ll have to check into the clubs every now and then to ensure that things are staying peaceful. Club Management has Luis kicking out drug dealers and perverts and assisting club manager Debbie. You’ll also have to occasionally pick up celebrities and bring them to the club or help them escape the paparazzi.
The nightlife is also Luis’ for the taking and he can show off his dancing skills at one of Gay Tony’s exclusive clubs. If you move Luis in time with the beat, others on the dance floor will join in for a group dance. If Luis impresses a girl enough with his moves, things might even go beyond the dance floor. Drinking returns, but with all drinks on the house, Luis has the potential to get too drunk for his own good. You can also challenge people in the VIP suits in the clubs to a Champagne Drinking contest.
The multiplayer experience expands on the one offered in The Lost and Damned, thanks to the inclusion of the new weapons. All the same modes return from GTA IV, with the inclusion of base jumping, which is accessible in Free Mode. You and your friends can go atop the tallest buildings in Liberty City and take in the sites before you jump and slowly drop down after opening your parachutes. Each player enters Free Mode with a parachute already in their inventory and there are nine select timed base jump locations scattered across Liberty City that are part of Social Club jump stat tracking, which is extensive. You’ll be tracked based on your gliding time, the moment you opened your chute and whether or not you made a successful landing.
There are several new features also included within the modes. Cash For Kills gives you $25 for every assisted kill. Kill Streaks reward you for streaks of three, five and ten with health and armor and if you end another players’ streak you earn $125. There are also several new Deathmatch locations, including Global Domination, Battle Station and Funland.
Beyond the main story missions in Ballad, there’s a hell of a lot to do. It’s pretty common knowledge that to achieve 100% in a GTA game you have to play beyond the main story and nothing changes this time round. You’ll have to complete every activity to do so, but then you have the ability to replay everything you do to better yourself and upload your stats to the Social Club.
The radio is as much part of a GTA game as the anarchy is and Rockstar have added a few new tracks and stations to the fold to mix things up a bit. Tracks from Major Lazer, Crookers, Nu Shooz and Marly are added to the fold, as well as a surprising number from a popular Aussie that you’ll have to discover for yourself. You’ll be surprised when you hear it.
The Final Verdict
The Ballad of Gay Tony is a fantastic game. Just like its predecessor, it actually feels like an “episode”: a continuation of a story that has progressed substantially. The characters are more likeable than in The Lost and Damned, but the story isn’t quite as grounded as before. That’s OK, because whatever this game loses in its narrative it regains back in its glamour and explosiveness. It’s big, it’s bad and it’s messy. There are probably more memorable missions in Ballad than in all of GTA IV, due purely to their outrageous nature. Each of the new weapons is great, as are the new vehicles. Base jumping is an awesome inclusion and is great fun and the multiplayer has been improved slightly for a better overall experience. If this is our final visit to Liberty City, it’s definitely worth it.
Gameplay
9.9/10
New weapons, new vehicles, explosive missions and brand-new activities. The same gameplay, but it’s still just as good. Social Club implementation provides extra incentive to replay each mission and the multiplayer experience has been improved with new features.
Graphics
9.6/10
Liberty City just looks great. Some areas still aren’t as “alive” as they could be, but it’s still very much so a living, breathing city.
Sound
10/10
Brilliant voice-acting. GTA games have become a staple for believable and realistic dialogue and voice-work. The actors pull you into the story. You also have around 50 new music tracks and some interesting social commentary.
Value
10/10
Same as above, but even more value because of mission scoring and more Social Club implementation.
Overall
9.7/10