Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

• by Tae K. Kim
• October 28, 2009 14:36 PM PST

It only took twenty minutes of playing through the new GTA expansion pack, The Ballad of Gay Tony, for Tae to realize that it was the same old GTA that we all know and love. That means more missions, more activities and more crime. But it also means dealing with more of the same issues that have been around since the beginning. Still, for GTA fanatics, this is another reason to venture into the bright lights and dark alleys of Liberty City.

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I hate to say it, because it's trite and rather lazy, but The Ballad of Gay Tony is, simply put, "more GTA." And honestly, if you're the type of gamer who would buy this expansion, that's all you need to know, because that's all you want: you want more missions, more weapons, and more activities -- in short, "more GTA." In this regard, Gay Tony succeeds admirably. It's vintage GTA and it offers a surprisingly meaty experience. Unfortunately, it also offers up a lot of the same problems that have plagued the series since its inception, a fact that nearly ruined an otherwise engaging gaming experience for me.

Inheritance Tax

Gay Tony might be new to the GTA family but it's inherited a lot of the same genetic defects that affected its siblings. Cars still handle as if you're driving on a sheet of ice and the auto-aim is still ridiculously fickle; there's still a lot of aimless driving between points of interest and the difficulty of certain missions is still painfully uneven; and the camera is still wonky and the penalty for failing a mission is still too steep.

Anyone who's played GTA knows these problems well and the fact that they're still around is a little troubling. Rockstar isn't completely deaf to complaints -- GTA 4's incessant cell phone calls are almost non-existent in Gay Tony, for instance -- so it's a real shame that the ghosts of GTA's past still haunt the overall experience, especially because despite all its warts, Gay Tony still manages to be fun.

Welcome To The Party, Pal

That's a testament to the strength of the GTA formula and proof that Rockstar still knows what it's doing. Technical and AI issues aside, the game is still entertaining thanks to the rock solid gameplay and the varied missions. The narrative tone is also a high-point because it's far more light-hearted than GTA 4, which took the business of being serious a little too seriously. I also appreciated the characterization of the titular Gay Tony: instead of portraying him as a cartoonish caricature, Gay Tony comes across more as a flawed man who just happens to be gay rather than a flawed 'gay' who just happens to be a man.

During my playthrough, there were plenty of times when I wanted to throw the controller halfway across the room in frustration but there were far more moments when I was fully engaged in the action that was unfolding before me, which is basically the same reaction I had to every single GTA title since GTA 3. I'm going to recommend Gay Tony but only to GTA-fanatics who are willing to gloss over the still persistent faults; it's with them in mind that I award the game a high score. But gamers who've already given up on GTA won't find anything here to change their minds, so save your MS points for something else.

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