310
edits
The Ballad of Gay Tony: Difference between revisions
→Synopsis
m (Reverted edits by Japuoop (talk | block) to last version by Masterpogihaha) |
|||
| Line 73: | Line 73: | ||
== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
In contrast to 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 Lopez and "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 resorting to fraud). At the end of the game Tony and Luis are still a team, 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. | 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 Lopez]] and [[Anthony Prince|"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). At the end of the game Tony and Luis are still a team, 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. | ||
''As read in the booklet included with Episodes from Liberty City:'' | |||
*[[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. | |||
*[[Rocco Pelosi]], [[Ray Bulgarin]], [[Yusuf Amir]] and [[Mori Kibbutz]]: All men of wealth who are interested in owning Maisonette 9. Their motivations ranging from benevolent (Yusuf) to sinister (Bulgarin and Rocco), they are all temptations for Tony to literally sell out, and Luis to pursue more money behind Tony's back, having to lie to Tony and [[This Ain't Checkers|make major decisions]] without properly consulting him (something Luis hypocritically criticizes Tony about). Luis is eventually punished in a sense, when Bulgarin [[In the Crosshairs|attempts to kill him]] and he must confess his actions to Tony. Tony and Luis symbolically defeat their trust issues, as they literally [[Party's Over|defeat Rocco]] [[Departure Time|and Bulgarin]], and are entirely solidified as a duo in the game's finale. | |||
*[[Adriana Yanira Lopez|Mama Lopez]], [[Armando Torres|Armando]] and [[Henrique Bardas|Henrique]]: Luis's mother and childhood friends. A&H, though still very good friends, sometimes criticize Luis for quitting drug sales with them to work at a nightclub, calling him a pretentious sell out. Mama Lopez also pleads with Luis to leave both clubs and gangs to go to college and get a boring job, much like his siblings have done. Their dialogue, which appears early in the game but curbs later on, shows one of the first decisions of loyalty that Luis made in his life - a long list of issues of loyalty, dependability and appreciation with his family (including, for all intensive purposes, A&H) led Luis to work for Gay Tony and look to him as his father figure. | |||
*[[Gracie Ancelotti]] and [[Evan Moss]]: Gay Tony's two best friends, Gracie being the daughter of the [[Ancelotti]] don and Evan being Tony's boyfriend. They are symbolic of Tony's bad habits, having lead to his drug and loan shark dependencies in some way or another. Tony is not on drugs whenever Gracie and Evan are gone, and it is also notable that Luis calling them annoying in junction with criticizing Tony's drug habits. | |||
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. | |||
'''As read in the booklet included with Episodes from Liberty City''''':'' | |||
{{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.}} | {{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.}} | ||