Gaming

NEW YORK (CBS4) ― Guns, explosions, drinking and dancing galore – are you ready for hours of entertainment that easily put several action movies to shame? The absolutely beautiful Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for the Xbox 360 hits store shelves Thursday.

South Floridians take note: despite the name, you won't be seeing palm trees or scenes from the Sunshine State. Liberty City is actually based on modern-day New York City.

What you will see plenty of, however, is the high-flying, fast-driving, drug-dealing, nearly-naked, explosion-filled and most of all, controversial action and violence that usually comes to mind when Grand Theft Auto is mentioned.

Episodes from Liberty City collects the second two games in the Grand Theft Auto IV trilogy. Episode one, Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned, was previously available only off of Xbox LIVE – requiring a copy of the original game. If you've already downloaded and played through The Lost and Damned, you can head back to LIVE to download the new episode: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

If you don't have an original copy of GTA IV, don't have a connection to LIVE, or would rather have a hard-copy of the games, Episodes From Liberty City (collecting both chapters) can be picked up for $39.99.

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony brings gamers side missions galore and expanded multiplayer options, opening up the world to friends and providing extra hours of gameplay – making Episodes From Liberty City more than worth the money.

This time around, you'll be taking control of Luis Lopez, the personal bodyguard, business partner and friend of Tony Prince ("Gay Tony"). With a focus on Liberty City's nightlife, Gay Tony finds himself in serious money – and the serious trouble that comes with dabbling with too many investors and not enough income.

Gay Tony runs Liberty City's hottest lounge (Maisonette 9) and the most famous gay club (Hercules). But with more debt than the clubs are worth, you'll juggle keeping Tony sane and keeping creditors and gangsters from putting a knife in his back as they attempt to use their stakes to move up in the world.

The Ballad of Gay Tony, much like its predecessors, offers plenty of non-linear options for raking in money and providing a bit of a break from keeping Tony in his right mind. Club management leaves you kicking out drug dealers and perverts, not to mention handling the celebrity clientele known for hitting the popular clubs.

Show off your moves to a rocking soundtrack in the clubs – a dancing mini-game can lead to picking up a girl and getting a bit of action. Think the girl's worth keeping? Take down her number and hook up with her again later.

A bit of humor takes the concept of eating and exercising to gain and lose weight to a new level – you can head to the bar for shots and find yourself getting drunk. Too much alcohol, though, has its downfalls; you'll black up and find yourself somewhere else!

Grand Theft Auto wouldn't be complete with a bit of drug-related antics. Join your in-game friends to rip off drug dealers around the city. And for sports fans, you can hit the Liberty City driving range to test your golf swing.

Of course, all these additions mean you'll be rubbing elbows with old and new friends – not to mention the one-night stands. They're people too, with lives that sometimes cross yours. From trips to the ER to self-guided tours, interaction with non-playable citizens of Liberty City open up the game in a new light.

Now, take note: unlike the original Grand Theft Auto IV, the entirety of Liberty City is open from the beginning, and despite the additions to the gameplay, there are no tutorials or missions to ease you in. You should have a working knowledge of the area and how to handle Lopez to avoid frustration off the top; Liberty City is not known for being forgiving to newcomers!

Grand Theft Auto IV opened the world of Liberty City to gamers, introducing characters and the innovative ways gameplay decisions affected the game. The Lost and Damned expanded a reliance on bikes and pushed gang-based gameplay into a bigger role. The Ballad of Gay Tony looks into family, friends and acquaintances – and how interaction can lead to success or failure. The chapter wraps up characters and story threads from the other episodes into an explosive ending.

If the single-player mode leaves you wanting more – or you'd rather take on your friends and enemies rather than creditors – The Ballad of Gay Tony overhauls just about every aspect of classic fan-favorite modes of mayhem. New weapons, new Deathmatch areas and new features (including assisted kills, kill streaks and even parachuting) guarantee both new and old players get a bit of a learning curve.

Multiplayer racing modes return with more speed, more nitro and some heavy artillery to take down your challengers far before the finish line.

Last, but definitely not least, for those of you anxious to free-fall without ever leaving your couch, grab a parachute and hunt down tall buildings, antennas, and choppers to leap to your doom (or not, depending on your skills!) – multiplayer offers a team-based aspect.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)