GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second installment of GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, a stand-alone version that also includes GTA: The Lost and Damned. Developed by Rockstar North and set again in Liberty City, the game introduces a new protagonist and a plot intertwined with Grand Theft Auto IV and The Lost and Damned.
The game will feature new weapons, new vehicles, new radio stations, new multiplayer modes and of course a new storyline.
Luis and Tony reach Maisonette 9The main character is Luis Fernando Lopez, a part-time criminal and full-time assistant in Tony Prince’s clubs, also known as “Gay Tony”, hence the title of the game. Below is the official list of exclusive features of the game, compiled by Rockstar Games.
- Completely new missions that provide an incredible experience from start to finish. You can replay missions for the first time ever in a Grand Theft Auto console.
- You will play as Luis Lopez, personal bodyguard, confidante, business partner and friend of Liberty City’s most important nightlife impresario, Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince. Drink, dance and collaborate in the direction of Tony Prince’s clubs: Maisonette 9 and Hercules.
- New powerful weapons including Sticky Bomb and an improved sniper rifle as well as assault rifles and machine guns.
- A fleet of new vehicles including sumptuous new cars and a collection of special vehicles including an attack helicopter and N.O.S.E. APC.
- Brand new TV programs for when Luis decides to stay at home, and new Internet content to browse the Tw@ Café.
- Brand new shows and music added to Liberty City radio stations.
- The multiplayer modes preferred by Grand Theft Auto IV fans, now enhanced with new environments and weapons and new vehicles.
- A full range of new side missions and mini-games.
How to get The Ballad of Gay Tony
There are two ways to get the second episodic GTA content: The Ballad of Gay Tony.
As part of GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, a standalone album that includes both episodes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.
The official price at launch was €39.99 per console and €29.99 per PC. Episodes from Liberty City does not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.
Buy the single expansion on XBox LIVE Marketplace (360), PlayStation Network (PS3) or Steam Store (PC) at the official launch price of €17.99 for the console version.
This expansion also requires an original copy of Grand Theft Auto IV. Players will not need to have completed the GTA IV storyline to play The Ballad of Gay Tony.
Editions and Covers
The two episodic contents of Grand Theft Auto IV, GTA: The Lost and Damned and GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony, were initially only released on Xbox 360.
The exclusivity of the two contents by the Microsoft console was paid 50 million dollars.
GTA: The Lost and Damned was released on February 17, 2009 simultaneously worldwide, only as a download on Xbox Live MarketPlace.
GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony was released on October 29, 2009 simultaneously worldwide, both as a single download on Xbox Live MarketPlace and as a retail version in the Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City pack, along with GTA: The Lost and Damned.
Later, on January 29, 2010, Rockstar Games announced GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, a stand-alone package containing both GTA: The Lost and Damned and GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony, also available on PS3 and PC platforms.
The original release date was supposed to be March 30, 2010, but due to requests from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for some technical changes (in particular the modification of some radio stations, TV and internet content), Rockstar Games was forced to postpone the release of the two contents by two weeks.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City was then postponed to 13 April 2010 in the US and 16 April 2010 in Europe.
