The Ballad of Gay Tony: Difference between revisions

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'''Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony''' (official abbreviation '''TBoGT''') is the second [[GTA IV Episodes|episode]] of two downloadable add-ons for [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] for the [[Xbox 360]]. It was released on October 29, 2009. The Playstation 3 and PC versions were later released on April 13, 2010 in North America and on April 16, 2010 in Europe.

The stories for [[Grand Theft Auto IV]], [[The Lost and Damned]], and The Ballad of Gay Tony were written by [[Dan Houser]] and Rupert Humphries. All 3 stories happen at the same time, intertwining with each other,

== Synopsis ==

In contrast to [[The Lost and Damned|''The Lost and Damned'']], a gritty and hardcore account of life in a biker gang, ''The Ballad of Gay Tony'' shines light on arguably the most glamorous place on earth - the celebrity nightclub scene. [[Luis Fernando Lopez|Luis Lopez]] and [[Gay Tony|Gay Tony Prince]] are the two main characters struggling with, as Rockstar Games says themselves, "the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price". Being in debt to gangsters, Luis and Tony are barraged with the temptation to sell out their beliefs and even each other for money - their beliefs often taking the symbolic form of their shared nightclub, [[Maisonette 9]]. The duo surprisingly turn their noses at some substantial opportunities ([[Yusuf Amir]] franchising them, or [[Cloe Parker]] bailing them out), but are heavily tempted and will even abuse each other's trust for others ([[Ray Bulgarin]] buying them out, [[Mori Kibbutz]] having a high-stakes bet, [[Rocco Pelosi]] threatening them, and Tony himself resorting to fraud). Very few if any characters make it the entire game without telling a lie; sometimes because of business, other times because of a social imbalance (such as Yusuf wanting to impress Luis, or Tony mocking Mori behind his back while flattering him in person) - which gives the impression that no one is to be trusted. At the end of the game Tony and Luis have resolved trust issues they have with each other, successfully erased their debt and tell Yusuf Amir they won't franchise, leading to the moral that loyalty to "family" (blood or otherwise) should not be sold for all the money in the world.

'''Characters:'''

*[[Luis Fernando Lopez|Luis Lopez]] and [[Tony Prince|"Gay" Tony Prince]]: The two main characters of the story, Luis being the playable protagonist. They are very much like a father and son pair, despite getting frustrated with each other. They are forced to make decisions about loyalty, often having to consider how their decision effects each other.

Another important set of characters, though they do not effect the main storyline, are the fictional celebrities met in the [[Club Management]] missions. Luis and Tony are made the peers and trusted confidants of extremely powerful celebrities parodying [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Hilton Paris Hilton] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Harry Prince Harry] among others. Beyond the comic value of pop culture, it is meant to portray opportunity raining from the sky for Tony and Luis, some of which might lure them to abandon or endanger each other.

{{quote|Luis Lopez is a man who solves problems, and when you are the nightlife legend, [[Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince]]'s right-hand man and bodyguard, there are many problems to solve. A playground for vapid celebrities and tragic socialites, [[Algonquin]]'s nightlife scene is all about glitz and glamour, and owning the two hottest clubs in town ([[Hercules]] and [[Maisonette 9]]) makes Tony the undisputed party king of [[Liberty City]]. He appears to have it all - wealth, power, respect - but, in debt to mobsters, loan sharks and the tax man, facing up to a changing world and the terrible economy, and under threat from pretenders to his crown, Tony begins to spiral more and more into a midlife crisis from hell. Join Luis as he fights to save Tony's empire from the brink of collapse and to make his own mark in a world defined by decadence and excess, all while keeping his mother, [[Adriana Yanira Lopez]] quiet and stopping his friends, [[Armando Torres]] and [[Henrique Bardas]] from calling him a sell out. The party is almost over. It is up to Luis to keep it going.}}

==Story==

Luis Fernando Lopez is being [[Three Leaf Clover|held hostage at the Bank of Liberty]], during a robbery involving [[Niko Bellic]], [[Patrick McReary]], [[Derrick McReary]] and [[Michael Keane]]. A local gun club member lying next to him, [[Eugene Reaper]], shoots and kills Keane and is then killed by the McReary brothers in retaliation. The scene cuts to the aftermath of the robbery; Luis is being questioned by the police about the incident before proceeding to Gay Tony's loft. On the way, he is nearly run over by Niko Bellic (returning from the robbery) and [[Johnny Klebitz]] who rides past him. [[Rocco Pelosi]], a senior [[Ancelotti Family|Ancelotti]] mobster, and his accomplice [[Uncle Vince|Vince]] enter the loft and collect Tony's club income for the week as interest repayment on an outstanding loan. Tony then discusses with Luis his dire financial situation with his two clubs, [[Maisonette 9]] and [[Hercules]]. In an attempt to curry favour with Rocco, Tony and Luis go [[Chinese Takeout|to Chinatown to negotiate a deal with a senior Triad]]. [[Billy Grey]], President of The Lost Motorcycle Gang is seen [[This Shit's Cursed|arranging an ambush]] on Johnny Klebitz and [[Jim Fitzgerald]] with the Triad as Tony and Luis enter the room. The negotiations with the Triad soon turn awry, and Luis protects Tony as they escape Chinatown.

As for the diamonds, they in the end are found by a street dweller among a heap of garbage when Luis accidentally bumps against him en-route to meeting Tony at Meadow park.

==See also==

*[[The Lost and Damned]]

*[[Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City]]

==External links==