I finished GTA 4 this week. I played about 2/3rds of it in the first fortnight after release, then got really frustrated with some of the missions where I kept dying and wasting hours regularly and I'd had enough. I stopped playing. I managed to speed through it from pretty early in the game to the end using cheats and avoiding the social call things and I guess I...liked it?

I really don't like the awkward driving, shooting and cover systems, whilst the incessant social calls and lack of checkpointing actively made me quit the game. With that said I really liked the story and the characters, and some of the mission design was inventive, even if some of it wasn't. Some ups, some downs.

Does the DLC make much improvement with checkpoints and social stuff, and still have good story and characters? If so I might give them a shot as I own them already. I probably won't get around to it right away as I have plenty of stuff to play, but I'm more thinking about whether I should just uninstall the game completely or leave it hanging around and I'll play the rest later this year maybe.

They are one of the better examples of how DLC should be done. I liked the base game though, so I dunno how someone who doesn't like that would fare with them. It was so long ago I can't remember if they changed anything about the checkpointing or not.

Sounds like you would enjoy them. They added checkpoints and got rid of most of the social stuff. The characters are pretty good too.

the ballad of gay tony has checkpoints in them. you should play the lost and the dammed aswell

Yes. Yes you should.

(I've never understood how so many people missed out that you could turn off your phone and you'd never have to deal with the social stuff -- but I'm must be weird cause I liked it)

I think Ballad of Gay Tony is the one worth playing in that respect. But it's nothing so drastic that it might not be enough. *shrugs*

Thanks guys, I think I'll play the Ballad of Gay Tony at least....eventually!

absolutely the best DLC i have bought, actually preferred them to the main game!!