Challenge

The missions in this pack are HARD.  You are presented right from the beginning with missions at the difficulty level of the last few missions in GTA IV.  Naturally, this aspect will be night and day.  If you have already cleared all the missions in GTA IV, this difficulty will be great for, you can pick up right where you left off.  If you haven't completed GTA IV yet, I would advise doing that first.  Fortunately the game really doesn't get too hard, even towards the end of the game there are only a few missions beyond the difficulty of the hardest missions in GTA IV.

Graphics

The graphics in the GTA series have always been good.  The city feels very real, all the landscapes and the depictions of New Yor... I mean-  Liberty City are very lifelike.  The people are still slightly cartoonish, but I feel like that is a good thing.  GTA has always been a little more lighthearted than games like Call of Duty, so they don't really need the intense hyperrealism like those types of games.

Replay Value

This is where the developers at Rockstar have taken a huge step forward for the expansion pack.  Unlike GTA IV, which simply had missions to complete, Gay Tony has goals within missions, such as minimal car damage or fastest time, as well as many side quests.  GTA games by nature have always been at the bottom of the industry in terms of replay value, but Gay Tony steps it up and provides new ways to play and will finally have some players coming back for more.

Narrative

The story is almost as good as any other GTA game or episode.  This series never ceases to provide the most captivating, keep-you-thinking plots in the industry.  Unfortunately due to this being an expansion pack and not a full game, the plot rushes a bit.  You go from being a perfectly innocent civilian to blowing up yachts and stealing helicopters in only the first hour of the campaign.  This game still has a great story, but it is a little rushed and sometimes disjointed.

Ease of Controls

They are the same as in GTA IV, so they are still a bit awkward.  Fortunately, however, the controls are explained at the beginning of the game, which gives you an opportunity to refresh your memory of the standard controls, a perk that many add-on games (namely Halo 3:ODST) omit.  One of the main problems I see is how basic controls such as punch, shoot, and aim are constantly changing depending on whether you are walking, driving, hiding in cover, or flying.  The controls are easy to pick up, but very difficult to master.

Social Playability

GTA games have always been a unique brand- a single player game that can actually be very fun to play with friends.  There is always potential for “exploring” with a friend watching or a nice “let me show you this cool thing I found” session.  GTA IV made this even more possible with online multiplayer, with competitive “Death Match” modes and wildly fun co-operative “Free Mode”.  Now, GTA Gay Tony has taken things even further, with new mini games, a new online game mode, and overall a much more expansive world.  When it comes to playing with friends, this is the best that Rockstar has done yet.

Overall

If you enjoyed GTA IV enough to play through the 30+ hour campaign, than this expansion pack is most definitely worth your $20.  Even if you haven't delved into GTA IV yet, the original game is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for only $20, you might be well advised to check it out if you want a glimpse into the life of an urban gangster.  GTA Gay Tony is the best and the brightest version in the GTA saga, which I believe to be one of the top 3 video game franchises of all time.

Final Grade: B+

It would be a B, but IT'S ONLY TWENTY BUCKS!  You can't turn that down.

Replay value

The regular storyline in this game will be enough to keep your kids going for quite awhile, and this newest GTA episode has new and improved multiplayer as well as competitive single player capabilities, so your kids will likely be going back for more even after they have “beaten” the game.  Comparing the time your kids will spend on this game to the $20 price tag, this game is probably the best value you can find.

Social Playability

This game definitely has good potential for play with friends.  It might not have the same “let's all get together tonight” possibilities as a Rock Band or Guitar Hero game, but you may often find your children and their friends playing this game all together, online or in person.  You should take note, however, that if you walk by and see what looks like your child and his or her friends piling up cars in the middle of Times Square and blowing them all up, that is probably what they are doing.  Multiplayer in this game has a tendency to err on the side of ridiculousness.

Objectionable Content

Okay, I know.  GTA probably has the worst reputation for all different kinds of bad content, of any game ever made.  I am here to tell you, it's not that bad.  Sure, there is violence.  Sure, there is blood and gore; and sure, there is very frequent inappropriate language.  But the thing is, all these things are not presented in a suggestive manner.  Your child is playing the role of a New York City gangster, which is certainly shown as a rough and undesirable life.  GTA IV and GTA Gay Tony do a much better job than previous GTA games at showing that the character's life is a difficult one, and this lack of real reward for bad behavior greatly reduces the desire for your child to emulate this kind of behavior.  I certainly still wouldn't recommend that you buy this game for your eight year old, but I think the 17+ age group that goes with the M rating could be expanded a little more.  The only thing I see as a major red flag is the frequent sexual content.  Although there is no nudity, the player controlled character is shown having sex in cutscenes several times, and in one case sex is shown as a reward for completing the “managing the club” sub quests.  Depending on your personal stances, especially on sexual content, this game may be too graphic for your children, but I would bet that any child by the age of 14 or 15 has heard enough stories and seen enough movies about drugs sex and violence that this game will be no shock to their system.

Addictiveness

Fortunately, I feel I can safely say this game is not addictive at all.  Ends of missions are frequent and are great stopping points.  The only time you might have trouble pulling your child away from the game is when they are at the climax of the plot on their first play through, GTA plots have always been very engaging and carry the same need-to-finish effect as any good book or movie.  Other than that, your kids will really have no problems getting away from this game when they should.

Academic Perspective

Some good points I was thinking of when playing the game would be the immersion provided by the enormous open ended environment, and the 15-minute decrease in aggression model.  I noticed in myself that in my first 15 to 20 minutes playing the game, I really feel like the character, trying to act normal, drive the speed limit, stop at stop signs etc, so then when I get into a firefight it's pretty exciting.  After that threshold, the sort of fun and games nature takes over and I start shooting things at will, driving trucks 100mph through Times Square, and doing various other ridiculous things.  After that 15 to 20 minutes I felt I lose the immersion a bit and play it more as just a game.  Hope this info helps.