GTA IV DLC finally detailed, coming February 09 (Update)

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2:35 AM on 11.20.2008, Hamza CTZ Aziz

50 comments | 8370 views

GTA IV DLC finally detailed, coming February 09 (Update) photo

#DLC #Grand Theft Auto #Rockstar #Xbox 360

The much-hyped Grand Theft Auto IV DLC has finally been revealed to USA TODAY by Rockstar’s Dan Houser. The DLC is called The Lost and Damned and will star Johnny Klebitz, a member of The Lost biker gang. No information on Johnny’s story was given, but Houser says “ ... that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City."

Niko will make some sort of cameo in this new storyline, but the DLC is all about Johnny. The story will explain “tons of details and mysteries” from the main story and will add more “sandbox time” for players.

The Lost and Damned will be out on February 17, 2009, exclusively for the Xbox 360. No price has been set yet, but many are guessing it to be around $15.

I’m a little disappointed with this, as I really wanted to play as Niko again. It just feels like his story isn’t complete yet. Either way, I’m looking forward to going back to Liberty City. How about you?

[Via Joystiq]

[Update: We have some screens and a logo of the game now. It should be noted that the logo image was labeled "GTA_Ep1"; perhaps we should be expecting an Episode 2 somewhere down the line? -- Nick]

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49 comments | showing # 1 to 49

SuperD1984

Yeah i'd rather have some more Niko also, but this doesn't seem to bad. No news on any added content with regards to new vehicles, weapons or such?

SuperD1984

Also nothing new for multiplayer? I still enjoy a good game of cops and crooks regularly but something new would be good.

Zulu

Who the fuck is Johnny Klebitz?

brainderailment

I still haven't finished the single player campaign.

SuperD1984

The dude that betrayed Niko in the Museum during the diamond deal, i think.

Necros

I was wondering if Rockstar would abandon their previous trend of always using a new protagonist in every game after GTA III in favor of exploring more of a very well received character like Niko, especially within DLC for the same game. Still, might be interesting, provided they aim for an interesting character again.

Furius

Niko's a dick. Good riddance. Though I wonder if this has anything to do with the Niko's voice actor moaning that he "only" got $100k or whatever.

COXBLASTER

I will only buy this if it adds some fun back into Liberty City.

Let me define fun:
Planes I can fly.
Parachutes. To jump out of said aeroplanes. And off sky-scrapers.
Also flamethrower.

Clance

He should have been paid more than he did - He got a lot less than 100k for months and months of work.

As a PS3 owner I can say I am slightly jealous but not sure I would remember who this guy is by the time the DLC comes, not to mention the 'loose ends' that are going to be tied up.

Furius

http://www.destructoid.com/niko-bellic-voice-actor-eating-ramen-noodles-for-breakfast-lunch-dinner-86902.phtml

He got paid $100,000 for working over a 15month period. That won't be full time though. VO's usually only do a few hours a day, and not every day. He'll get no sypmathy from me.

xe-cute

@ COXBLASTER

Flying planes in ANY GTA game has always been terrible... Why the hell do you want them crappy mechanics back?

Also A flamethrower??? Every game that has a flamethrower in multiplaer it is HATED as it is a noobie weapon.... yeat agiain WHY?

Erm, Parachutes... so you can jump out of planes? Do you actualy play the games or just dick about?

Simply rent Saints Row 2 for a week for your fix of crazyness and 100% completion.

Anyway, I am dissapointed too with this news as I can't stand 'Bikers', urgh... I'll never relate to them.

Also some improved/added multiplayer would be VERY nice and a good bet to win more Downloads.

Timmeh

Well I'm glad that this is going to be a new character, I'd rather have a new story than a continuation of an old one, Niko wasn't that interesting really.

As long as he isn't a walking sterotype and it keeps the same tone as GTA IV I don't see the problem.

Clance

@ Furius, that is �50,000 to me, which is a lot of money but, considering the size of the role and how much he added to the effect of the character,

It's pocket change commpared to other actors on TV and film. I wonder how much Kiefer Sutherland got.

Furius

Difference is that Keifer Sutherland is a famous Name. 24 is built around him and arguably there wouldn't be a show. I read that article about an hour ago and have forgotten this guys name already. Also, unlike TV, it takes more than just the actor to bring a game character to life. Do you think the Motion Capture tech guys get �50,000 salary for working full time on the game? The texture artists? He wasn't even the only guy who mocaped Niko there were five or six (Can't remember the exact number it's in the credits though).

Timmeh

@Clance: Don't ever confuse TV and film actors with video game voice actors. Performance on a TV show, film, even voice work on animated stuff all contribute heavily to the quality of the end product. In video games, the quality of someone's voice acting has very little to do with the quality of the end product.

That's why I think voice work for games shouldn't attract the money that actors get paid in other parts of the entertainment industry. In a movie, if the lead gives a bad performance it will significantly detract from the quality. If someone does an iffy reading for an audio book it'll be a disaster. If a voice actor gives a bad performance for a game it's almost a non-issue. Lot's of Niko's dialogue could have been cut and it wouldn't have significantly impacted GTA IV.

The development team is what's important in this industry and I hate how companies like Bethesda waste money on half an hour's work from some high-profile actor that could be better spent in development. It isn't necessary.

yaisuah

Well I guess it depends how big this is gonna be, if it's just like a couple hours of gameplay, then it seems pretty worthless, The only really interesting thing about GTA's story was Nico's background and the big event that actually is the whole point for him coming to America. I would have loved to see the DLC, be flashbacks to that time, reliving that experience. Other than Nico, the only other character's I wanted to see more of were the Jamaican's, cuz it was fun to figure out what they were saying. I don't remember a single time wishing I knew anything more about the Lost gang though.

AgentMOO

Who the fuck is Johnny Klebitz?

Clance

@ Furius,

I was referring to Sutherland's role in Call Of Duty: Waorld At War... I guess you can expect big name wages there. Well, if Niko appears again you can gaurantee that guy will demand more and get more.

@ Timmeh,

I respect what you are saying but I do think the voice acting in GTA went a long way in seperating this game from most other titles. It would have been a severe let down had the voice acting been to a lesser standard. That voice has become instantly iconic and the performance helped bring the game to life. I think bad voice acting can often take a player out of the experience if it is bad, so it can be a very important factor, particularly as technology and game standards improve.

I think Heavy Rain is a title that will benfit from soome great voice actors and Uncharted is another example of a game having film-like qualities.

Clance

"Who the fuck is Johnny Klebitz?"

This needs a T-shirt.

Furius

The Amazing Shenazin

will there be new environments?

I'm a bit disappointed as well since I was hoping it would follow Niko again (one idea I had was a prequel following him in a relatively small eastern Europe environment)

Furius

Oh yeah, I forgot he was in CoD. Still, whatever he was paid (I doubt it was as much as $100k for his part in CoD), you're still paying for Keifer Sutherlands unique voice. With Nicos voice, whatver you think of it (I though it was ok, a little grating), there are hundreds of actors who can pull of a decent eastern european accent too.

As far as I know, $100k in the US is worth a lot more than �50k in the UK, I could be wrong about this but if he was to stay in the US and not convert his earnings into pounds his cash would be worth a lot more. I think. Any finance-pros out there?

Clance

@ Furius, fair play... I'd do it for less money than he got but I don't blame him when he sees how many copies the game has sold.

Also, I thought you'd be playing Niko busting Elizabetha out o' jail! I remember hearing on the radio that she went down and felt quite sad about it. I liked her....

FREE ELIZABETHA!! That is the real ending I want, Niko busting her out and marrying her. She's all woman.

lubczyk

Wow!!! I can't wait to play more:

1. Go here and shoot this guy(s) missions

and

2. Chase these guys' indestructible vehicle until a flag is triggered and shoot them missions.

I so didn't get enough of those in the original.

TorpedoTed

Sounds good, be cool if it ties into missions from the Niko campaigns.
Its gonna be good whatever the weather, lets wait and see HOW good!

Demtor

$15? The game itself at $60 and was void of tons of fun stuff from the previous games. They had best put some content in that DLC or they can fuck off.

Char Aznable

Gotta say, I'm not very interested at this point. I've been through like 8 or 9 different games since GTAIV. They should have struck while the iron was hot with this DLC.

Tubatic

If Johnny is the random guy that Niko would end up working with (That drug deal for Elizabetha and that diamond deal at the museum) I'm definitely interested. There was something very hip about that character.

Otherwise, I'm not so hyped

Furius

@ Clance:

I know, I'll be more than happy to do it for a tenth of the cash! My problem is that I don't see why it's accetpable for the actors, (or "talent" -ugh!-) to feel they should see some ryoalties, and not, say, the guy who sat and recorded every line he spoke. I really should let it go though, not least because this news story has nothing to do with voice-overs.

Clance

@ Furius,

I totally agree with what you said.

Also, from GTA WIKI:

"Johnny Klebitz is the acting head of the The Lost Brother Hood, standing in for incarcerated leader, Billy Grey. He has been able to keep relative peace with rival biker hang, The Angels of Death. He was introduced to Niko Bellic by Elizabeta Torres who wanted Niko, along with Playboy X, to accompany Klebitz to a heroin deal. It turns out that the dealers they were meeting were undercover LCPD officers and a gunfight ensues in which Klebitz escapes. Later on, Pegorino Capo Ray Boccino had Klebitz accompany Niko to a diamond deal with the Jewish Mob, Klebitz betrays Boccino and Niko by having the deal shot up by a Latino and steals the diamonds. The diamonds are then passed on to the Ancelotti Family."

So, who the fuck is Johnny Klebitz?

SuperD1984

@Clance

as i said, the dude that betrays Niko in the museum during the diamomd deal :)

Tubatic

@CLANCE

Well Matlocked!

Then I'm DEFINITELY psyched for the DLC. Johnny Klebitz is cool as shit!

TheDreadHawk

Almost a year later and we're getting some missions with a character most people don't know about and no new locations, like the much rumored Vice City and San Andreas location? The least I can say is that I'm disappointed with the decision thus far, it doesn't seem very appealing or worth my money. When they actually discuss content, I'll most likely be interested if they have new weapons, vehicles or even a minor new location. Until that time I am really not interested at all.

Of course, it hasn't even come out yet, and me being a huge fucking GTA fanboy, I'll probably be picking it up. I'm gonna miss that psychotic Serbian, though.

SuperD1984

Also, Achievementals?

CJSchmidt

I was hoping for some fun mod packs to lighten up the game for those who have already played through the story mode properly. (Zombie mode!) Definitely some more co-op games and multiplayer updates. Another story mode really wasn't on my list.

Timdabrat

Well I like the idea of giving us a new character, it shows that the city is much bigger than the path of destruction led by an eastern European and his rolly-polly cousin. Some more content would be nice, but if the few hours of gameplay I get is good, then I have no quarrel over the price.

Scientist tz

I have the PS3 version so I guess they can't take any of my money for this.

Twosixteen

No thanks.

I'll be hanging in Stillwater if anyone needs me.

Justice

Please add old the old FUN weapons and the tank and planes Rockstar. Then I shalt buy this!

Arttemis

Bring back all of the features that were stripped away from San Andreas - they added nearly infinite amounts of replay time.

Trainable skills (weapon and vehicle), turf wars, bikes, planes, tanks, parachutes, car customization, tons of property to purchase, more businesses w/ mini-games, night robbery and vandalism ability, and square miles of rural landscape connecting the city to some newer town.

Is there anything in SA that's missing from that list?

Stahlbrand

Blah blah, play Saints Row if you want fun weapons. (Not an insult, I really, really enjoyed SR - but keep those antics Stilwater and let GTA4 be itself)

I am really excited by this announcment, I want to see what GTA4 can do with the context of a biker gang, and after Niko's story, I look forward to seeing how they tell the new protagonist's story.

Tubatic

Hey Woah! A few more details from the press release guys:

Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, The Lost and Damned features a new main character and plot that intersects with the storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV; new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music � all with the incredible production values that are the trademarks of Grand Theft Auto.

I want my samurai sword.

Stahlbrand

New soundtrack additions too eh? No doubt a bunch of recorded dialog too for conversations and phonecalls as well as cutscenes. Jesus, wonder what the download size is going to be then.

Seriously, I was glad to see all the junk from San Andreas end up in the SR games when Rockstar took a turn toward deeper narative and -relative- realism (in this case meaning only reduced cartoony-ness). I would be disapointed if all that SA/SR stuff was slipped back in as DLC.

If we're going to be bikers, lets have the new weapons be biker-appropriate (I suggest the ball peen hammer, the length-of-chain, the sawed-off shotgun, a shitty .38 pistol, and lets say, maybe a ragged old M-60 at the top).

xe-cute

Thank god they are adding to the multiplayer experience.

It is now worth purchasing.

aaronf

Judging by the stack of used GTA4 games I always see at GameStop, I don't think this DLC is going to sell as well as they hope. Fail.

DibbityDan

Excellent. A biker story in Liberty City could be a great experience. If Rockstar really does their best on this it could be a great expansion. There's so much about LC that could be expanded upon and made into interesting set pieces. I'm sure it will be sweet.

B-Radicate

I didn't even realize there were gangs in Liberty City. Never saw a gang member on the street once in all my hours of play time.

No thanks.

dacoach

I actually discovered the biker gangs clubhouse while wandering around LC, and was hoping there'd be more involvement with them. This sounds interesting. I do remember after one mission alot of biker gang type characters suddenly appeared in one area of town, I think it was right after the mission where you kill the bikers in the park.

Seventh Shin

The whole biker thing doesn't seem appealing to me, I'd of been happier with more Niko.

I still bust out GTAIV when I'm jonesing for a good car chase, so I'll likely be picking this up. Never got much in to multiplayer, but if it gets an upgrade, I might check back into it.

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