The downloadable content expansion "The Lost and the Damned" still takes place inside of the newly remodeled Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV but takes the place of our main character Niko and places the character Johnny into the storyline. Johnny is a new recruit into the motorcycle gang The Lost. A motorcycle gang that you may have run into a number of times when playing the original content and Grand Theft Auto IV. I know that some people were looking forward to an expansion pack that perhaps placed a new storyline inside of a entirely different city. But being a native New Yorker myself I have to say that there is probably no better city to launch multiple storylines from than a mockup of New York City. Anyone that feels they are being shortchanged in "The Lost and the Damned" doesn't have their heads screwed on tight. The first edition of the game barely scratched the surface on how many different locations and secret spots can be found inside of the city itself. Also being a motorcycle rider myself I can't wait to immerse myself into the intrigue of motorcycle gangs and initiation while still sitting safely in my living room. So I'm going to be one of those eager people waiting up all night for just the opportunity to download the content right onto my Xbox 360 hard drive.

"The Lost and the Damned" places our main character Johnny in the tough world of biker gangs. We watch as Johnny attempts to make his bones in the biker gang The Lost. Johnny of course struggles with being a tough guy but at the same time having some sort of heart and some sort of loyalty. Basically the same qualities that we have seen throughout the entire Grand Theft Auto series and will probably continue to see in most games launched by rockstar. Rockstar has also made sure to fully integrate and design the game for the fact that you're now using a motorcycle as your primary means of transportation. The last thing that rockstar wanted in "The Lost and the Damned" was to have the primary character Johnny a motorcycle gang member riding around in cars or trucks as his primary mode of transportation. To ensure that gamers were not tempted to use mainly cars inside of the many missions rockstar designed the downloadable content expansion pack missions around a smaller vehicle. This is a great idea by the developers and the game designers. Since it forces the users into some sort of guaranteed authenticity.

“Making these episodes has enabled us to expand the narrative and the experience of interacting with a game world in really innovative ways,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We hope fans of the game enjoy the new way of experiencing life in Liberty City contained in this first episode.”

The game will of course integrate new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music. I wonder what type of music will be primarily disclosed on the soundtrack. I don't think anyone would be able to stand Born to Be Wild on repeat 24 hours a day during videogame, but then again maybe they wouldn't mind at all. ;-) I think the music selection will be entirely important for you to become immersed into your new character as Johnny in "The Lost and the Damned" . Okay, maybe I'm just too much of a geek and enjoy getting into character a bit too much when playing these types of games. I know I was probably the only person on my block who is dressed up in a nylon jumpsuit when playing the first version of the game. Hey they are comfortable. :-)

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned requires players to have the full version of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download. Further details, including pricing, will be announced soon.