I, along with many others, was ultimately kind of disappointed with the original GTA IV. The removal of the staple elements of the GTA franchise was not good; the side service missions such as paramedic/fire/taxi, the wee remote control vehicles, the crazy cars along with the mini tracks for go karting, triple stunt points gone, and so on... and of course the loss of the planes. Heck even give me back the dodo R*! It was a big surprise to see all that gone and not a pleasant one. But when playing GTA IV you kind of felt that they had more planned for Liberty City in the future. Maybe that golfing range might be able to be used, that skateboard park might come into play and perhaps we'll get to ride on the ferris wheel too at some point.

So with the release of TLOD and TBOGT we're getting somewhere. Now for full disclosure I played The Ballad of Gay Tony through first even though it's episode two, primarily because I wanted to base jump! And in TBOGT I can see Rockstar... Read more

This is a fantastic game! I won't waste time with another glowing review, but it is important to know that if you purchase this version (Liberty City Episodes) instead of the regular GTAIV game, you will not be able to play online with regular GTAIV users, even if they have downloaded the Lost and Damned and/or Ballad of Gay Tony episodes!!

This is a serious flaw in my opinion. My friends have the original GTAIV and downloaded these episodes, but we cannot play online because I bought Liberty City episodes. They are the exact same thing, but we cannot play online!!!!

It's a GTA game...what more could you need to know?

This game is a big treat and very welcome to those who don't take full advantage of XBox live, and it continues the tradition of making 'ported' and 'download only' games eventually available on the console, and at a reduced price. (Still no word on a console version of Chinatown Wars, though.)

These 'spinoff' games are typically shorter than the main game, the missions tend to be easier, and the focus is on more immediate fun. You don't have to unlock any parts of the city (everything is instantly available), and the missions are often focused on shooting up rival gangs and causing havoc, presumably to reduce frustration. The two games here are very different in tone, but make no mistake, GTA-esque action abounds. The stories are also interwoven with each other and with the original GTA IV story, meaning Niko and Roman Belic appear as side characters, in addition to Brucie and other Liberty City... Read more