GTA IV: Episode 1 Multiplayer - Hands On Preview

What was on your wish list for GTA IV's Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content? A long time before The Lost and Damned's official announcement, some commentators in the gaming press went a bit nuts over their predictions of what would be included in the DLC. At the extreme end of the scale, there were even suggestions that a whole new map would be created for the content, making GTA IV's DLC comparable to what Vice City and San Andreas are to GTA III. Of course, these predictions have turned out to be as fantastical as they are farcical, having little effect other than to pump up the hype and propaganda machine.

But with a lot of hype comes higher expectations until eventually even a thunderbolt from Zeus wouldn't be enough to wow the avid fanboys expectantly devouring each portion of rumour and speculation surrounding GTA IV's Episode 1. Having seen both the single-player a couple of weeks back and now the multiplayer at a recent Rockstar preview event, we can tell you that although the DLC may not mirror the divine intervention of the gods, it's certainly a jam-packed piece of content well worthy of its £13.60 (1600 Microsoft Points) price tag.

Variations On A Theme

While our single-player preview of The Lost and Damned clearly demonstrated a well executed and expansive amount of content in the DLC's main campaign, we can now confirm that the multiplayer goodies are just as plentiful. Featuring all of the new weapons that Rockstar revealed in our last preview (i.e. grenade launcher, automatic shotgun, sawn-off shotgun, automatic pistol, and pipe bombs), Episode 1's multiplayer will also boast a wide range of new modes for GTA IV fans to digest. Some are clever variations on the modes already present in GTA IV (e.g. 'Own the City'), while others throw new gameplay styles into the mix (e.g. 'Chopper vs. Chopper'), but they're all anything but dull.

A greater emphasis has been placed on team play for the new modes, mirroring the elements of squad play that Rockstar has introduced into Episode 1's single-player constituents. 'Witness Protection', for example, presents a variation of VIP that has certain similarities to GTA IV's 'Cops n' Crooks' mode. One team plays as the police and is responsible for protecting a heavily armoured N.O.O.S.E. van, which is driven by one member of the team who has to drop off witnesses at checkpoints across the city. At the same time, the second team takes on the role of Johnny Klebitz's The Lost biker gang, which has to destroy the van before it has the chance to drop off all of its witnesses.

Similarly, 'Lone Wolf Biker' is another variation on VIP, although there's no team defending the VIP. Instead, when someone is playing as the lone wolf biker they must scarper through as many checkpoints across the city as possible while every other player is trying to take them out. Once the lone wolf dies, another player is selected from the game's population to continue running the gauntlet as the lone wolf. As is the case in most of the modes we played through during our hands on, your default vehicle is a chopper (i.e. a Harley Davidson style bike) in 'Lone Wolf Biker'. It's another piece of bespoke GTA IV tailoring that Rockstar North has employed for The Lost and Damned DLC.

A further variation on a theme is presented in 'Own the City', which is essentially GTA IV's 'Turf War' with a couple of novel twists that give the new mode a more balanced feel. As with 'Turf War', 'Own the City' divides players up into two teams that have to fight against each other in order to gain control of and retain territories across Liberty City. The novel twists in 'Own the City' come in the form of a weapons van and bots that inhabit each territory.

By default, each territory is controlled by a number of these bots and your team can take control of the area by eliminating them. Once you've taken over a territory, these bots will then respawn and fight on your side to defend the territory against the opposing team. The problem is that these bots aren't particularly well equipped. In order for you to give them a better chance of defending the territory, it's possible to drive around a weapons van (a gothic looking take on the old-skool Ford panel van) that automatically upgrades each bot's weaponry whenever you pull-up alongside them. It's a nifty little addition that adds a spark to 'Turf War's' original formula, making for a tighter gaming experience in the process.

Come Through With A Big Baseball Bat

New Races have also been included with new vehicles classes, all of which are made up of bikes. You'll find a wide range of choppers in both The Lost's vehicle class as well as the class of their sworn enemies, The Angels of Death. Additionally, there's a class of superbikes thrown in there for good measure, allowing gamers plenty of scope across the new track routes. Weapons have also been given a biker twist, with not only pipe bombs being included as new weapons in the race events but also the not so humble baseball bat. By using either the X or B buttons to swing on the left or right hand side of your bike respectively (Road Rash style), players can then charge up a swing by holding down either button for a longer period of time.

But it's not all variations on a theme or additional race events and vehicle classes. Rockstar North will also deliver an original take on Cat & Mouse when The Lost and Damned DLC arrives in only a few days time on February 17th. Utilising helicopters in a way that GTA IV has been crying out for, 'Chopper vs. Chopper' is a 2 player mode that pits one biker against a helicopter pilot. While the biker must find their way to checkpoints across the city, the chopper pilot must hunt them down and take them out before they get there. In order to help pilots on their way, Rockstar North has tweaked the helicopters in this mode by giving them devastating rockets as well as a more durable frame. Additionally, there are no hard and fast rules governing how you should take down the biker, meaning that rotor blade decapitations are fair game.

'Chopper vs. Chopper' is certainly the most exhilarating and original new mode for Episode 1, but they all have their strong points. In addition to the modes we've spoken about above, there will be one further new mode for The Lost and Damned that we didn't get a chance to play during our hands-on. Rockstar informs us that 'Club Business' will be a take on GTA IV's 'Mafiya Work', offering both team and individual modes where players will join The Lost's biker gang as they scour Liberty City to complete as many criminal mini-missions as possible within the usual time limit.

There's certainly going to be plenty of new multiplayer mayhem in Episode 1, and then some. The new modes not only add to the already jam-packed roster from GTA IV, but they also explore themes laid out in the Episode 1's single-player such as biker gang team play and an added emphasis on the chopper vehicle.