New Gay Tony Previews Thoughts & Opinions

Around the web around the world, the first looks at The Ballad of Gay Tony, the second downloadable episode of Grand Theft Auto IV and one half of the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, are going live.

And what's the word?

G4TV say the second episode's vision is "excess greed and extravagance, which is a brilliant counterbalance to Niko Bellic's immigrant tale and Johnny Klebitz's grungy story of betrayal and redemption."

Kotaku call it a "wild ride."

Over at Eurogamer, word is that "the pace and detailing is pure action cinema."

Others agree, with UGO calling it "Rockstar's take on the modern action flick," and IGN describing The Ballad of Gay Tony as "An action-heavy, explosion-filled episode that could just leave Liberty City in rubble."

Play TM are thinking The Ballad of Gay Tony "might be the most essential download to ever hit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace."

Gamespot took a shine to our new arsenal of weapons, particularly the new auto-shotgun with explosive rounds. "With just one shot from this gun, we were able to make a police car look like it had just been struck by a meteor."

Now Gamer enjoyed the addition of the new Buzzard attack chopper: "We've always been a fan of the complex yet rewarding controls of the choppers in Grand Theft Auto, but this brand-new lightweight version, bristling with both minigun and missile pod, is like riding a giant hornet on crystal meth."

CVG took time out to explain the parachute minigames: "Just approach a parachute symbol on the map and you can activate a base jumping mission, spawning you on the roof of a tall building from which you leap to parachute down to a set target. And you're scored on your performance - a fun distraction from the gun-toting madness."

1Up called one of the missions on show - one that involves stealing a moving subway car while fending off police choppers with the aforementioned auto-shotgun - "the craziest GTA4 mission I've played to date."

Team Xbox says "A series of over-the-top set pieces tied together with some really compelling story told by well-acted characters is what GTA is all about," while Electric Pig just settled for five ways 'The Ballad of Gay Tony' rocks.

Two ways to get The Ballad of Gay Tony on October 29th: via download on XBox Live (requires a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV), or on disc as part of Episodes from Liberty City (does not require a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV). For more information visit our Episodes from Liberty City home page.

Source: Write up credit to Rockstar Games' webmaster Mike Torok on Facebook.