When looking for a new game to play, I decided to pick up the expansion pack for Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost and The Dammed.  I think this came out a while a go but I just wasn't compelled to download it then.  One of the reasons I was a bit disappointed in the new content was the fact it did not revolve around the game's anti-hero Niko.  Instead the expansion tells the story of a member of the biker gang The Lost and The Dammed. 

Getting back into Liberty City has reminded me of how much I really liked this game I played nearly a year ago.  Driving around, listening to the radio is a great way to waste time in a game.  Driving around as a biker adds a new wrinkle to the game play for me.  I hated the bikes in the original game but now they play much better in the expansion. 

Just like in the original game, the expansion pack is a look at the underbelly of America.  I tend to think GTA4 is a very twisted view of America seen through the eyes of people with a clear desire to embellish the dark sides of society.  Taken with a grain of salt that this is just a game, the expansion is an interesting escape.

So far I've gotten to about half way through the game I think.  The game looks to be a nice length for an expansion with plenty of side activities to complete.  I've hit a point where I'm no longer going down the main story and instead I'm completing the gang wars.  The gang wars show up as items on your map and when you drive to one you are joined by other gang members to go kill members of some other gang.  There are 25 it seems and so far I'm over half way through them.

I'm curious to see how well this expansion is doing for Rockstar and Microsoft.  It was highly rumored that Microsoft paid $40 million for two exclusive download expansion packs.  At $20 a pop I'm not sure Microsoft will get it's money back but I'm sure they are on their way.  It is rumored that the content sold over one million copies so far so Microsoft could be half way there.  It would be interesting to see if when the second expansion comes out at a lower price which would improve sales.  I'm not aware of this content coming to any other platforms.