Despite the promise of DLC for the Xbox 360 version, I still bought Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3. I’ve always played the series on Sony consoles and I’m more comfortable with the controls on the PS3 controller. After hearing great things about both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, I was a bit jealous, but plenty of other games held my attention. With the release of Episodes from Liberty City on the PS3 last week, I was finally able to take the reigns in the GTA IV expansions. Was it worth the wait? Read on, my friends.

If you’re familiar with the DLC packages from their Xbox 360 versions, there isn’t much difference here. The gameplay is identical for both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, both in the single player campaign and multiplayer components. With around 20 hours of new content, PS3 and PC players have a solid reason to go back to Liberty City. While I enjoyed The Lost and Damned, I very much preferred The Ballad of Gay Tony. The introduction of mission scores, base jumping, and the ability to restart missions are welcome additions to the GTA IV world. If you want a breakdown of each one, take a look at Steve’s in depth breakdowns (The Lost and Damned / The Ballad of Gay Tony)

The shortcomings are minor in Episodes from Liberty City and there is nothing that will detract you from playing, unless of course you’ve already bought the content on your Xbox 360. With a slight lull in new releases at the moment, it’s a perfect time to get back to Liberty City. I hadn’t played Grand Theft Auto IV in over a year and felt right at home going back with Episodes. Going for 100% on each is on my agenda. You get a solid amount of content for your $40, or you can buy them individually on the PSN for $19.99 each. Well worth your gaming dollar.

[A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]