Rockstar has announced in an email that a new trailer for The Lost and Damned is set to be revealed next week.

Link: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

A new screenshot showing the "Angels of Death" has been added to the official GTA IV website:

The Lost and Damned: Angels of Death biker gang.

We just received a new batch of artwork for The Lost and Damned. If anyone out there is still using dial-up or something, you might want to grab a snack while downloading, as they're all rather high res.

We've also been given the go-ahead to tell you about an event taking place next week, which involves fan site webmasters (i.e. us along with some of these guys) experiencing The Lost and Damned hands-on in New York City. Myself, Adam and Jevon are all going, so we'll be able to tell you about the game next week purely from a fan's perspective.

Rockstar have added some new stuff to The Lost and Damned website:

• Johnny Klebitz trailer (revealed earlier on Gametrailers.com)
• Ashley Butler screenshot ("Party girl who has partied too much.")
• Republican Space Rangers Video.
• "The Martin Serious Show" Promo and Message Board.
• 7 new screenshots in total.

More Lost and Damned Screenshots...

Gametrailers.com has received an exclusive mini-trailer of The Lost and Damned:

Related Link: Forum Topic

Just got another new screenshot from R*:

The e-mail with the pic in it hinted at more info and media to come before the release date, so keep your eyes peeled. I'm guessing they still have a surprise or two up their sleeves.

Update(from uni):

R* also sent me two new screens:

More new screenshots are available at the following GTA fan sites:

• TheGTAPlace.com
• GTAGaming.com
• PlanetGTA.com
• GTA4.TV
• GTA-Series.com

Rockstar has finally released a second patch for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. The patch is 32 MB and addresses a wide range of issues which are all listed on the R* website. Download it here and install it manually, or install it automatically by signing onto LIVE the next time you load up the game.

The patch provides some new options in the graphics menu.

"Today we released patch version 1.2 for Grand Theft Auto IV on the PC. A variety of fixes and enhancements were applied, including new sliders in the graphics menu for "Water Quality", "Shadow Quality", and "Reflection Resolution" to grant players more freedom to customize graphical settings as they see fit. Additionally, as a result of the patch we had to disable the default setting for direct input device support. To re-activate your supported gamepad simply enter the commandline, "-usedirectinput". The patch also addresses a variety of issues including, but not limited to, graphical optimization; bugs introduced with the release of patch 1; multiplayer and video editor fixes; and security updates. Please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/support/IV/PC/patch/index.html for specific information about the changes and supported DirectInput devices. We want to thank the GTA community for your continued support as we continue to improve GTA IV PC so that it is the best experience possible."

- Rockstar Toronto

Related Link: GTAForums Topic

Rockstar has launched the official website for GTA IV: The Lost and Damned. The website includes two new mini-trailers ("Billy Grey" and "Malc") a game description, a list of exclusive features and an official box art. Check it out now! www.rockstargames.com/thelostanddamned

The Official Box Art

OFFICIAL GAME DESCRIPTION:

"Johnny is a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City, but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club's President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?

"Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned features a new main character, Johnny Klebitz, and plot that intersects with the storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV; new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music, all with the incredible production values that are the trademarks of Grand Theft Auto."

LIST OF EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• All-new missions and a new storyline that interweaves with the original story arc of Grand Theft Auto IV.
• Play as Johnny, a member of The Lost Motorcycle Club. Experience Liberty City now with the perspective and lifestyle of a member of a biker gang.
• Added range of weapons - including the all-new grenade launcher and sawed-off shotgun. New weapons will be available for use in single-player and in all new multiplayer modes.
• New vehicles - featuring a collection of bikes that include Johnny's own customized heavy-duty chopper.
• New and improved bike handling and physics.
• Set of new action-packed multiplayer modes - details coming soon.
• All-new in-game TV, internet and radio content featuring new radio shows and original music.
• Plus new side-missions and Xbox 360 Achievements...

As we mentioned on Tuesday, Kikizo, Games Radar, IGN and CVG (amongst others) were all treated to an exclusive look at The Lost and Damned - the first installment of downloadable content for Xbox 360, which is scheduled for release next month. So far we've counted 33 new screenshots amongst the previews.

The Lost and Damned Screenshot Gallery

Here is a general summary of what the new previews tell us:

• Rockstar say that the length of the episode is approximately one third of the main GTA IV storyline.
• Johnny (the main character) is the vice president of motorcycle gang The Lost. His brother (Billy) is the leader of The Lost, and he has been sent to rehab to avoid going to prison.
• The storyline relates closely to that of the original game. You'll re-meet characters such as Niko, Elizabeta and Playboy X - and you'll actually re-play some of the missions from the original game, except from a different perspective. For example, one of the missions involves the same scenario as "Blow Your Cover," except this time you'll play it from Johnny's perspective rather than Niko's.
• The Lost are currently at war with another biker gang called The Angels of Death.
• Billy has been frustrating Johnny by undoing a lot of the hard work he has put into the gang. Billy doesn't appear to be an ideal leader, and there is a lot of friction between the two.
• The first mission previewed is called "Angels of America." In this mission, Johnny must chase members of the opposing gang, and kill them using the sawn-off shotgun before they are able to tell everyone that the war is back on.
• The game has several new vehicles, including some motorbikes which are specific to The Lost. Johnny's starting bike is one-of-a-kind and cannot be retrieved if destroyed. However if you do destroy it, you can give someone a call who will deliver a 'similar' one.
• A new feature added to the episode is formation driving, which according to CVG "gives you some interesting rewards, such as a small heal for your bike or the initiation of dialogue between the gang members." This is done "by keeping yourself inside of a floating Lost emblem, which trails behind the convoy leader's ride at all times." In addition, "pressing down on the d-pad displays a whole list of bar-graph stats for your gang members." Talking to your biker buddies, defending them and saving them during battle will boost their stat bars, which means they become more confident and better fighters overall. If one of them gets killed, he'll be replaced by a rookie, so it's important to look out for them.
• One of the new weapons is the grenade launcher, in which grenades "pop out of the nozzle with an ever-so-satisfying sound effect, arch into the air with a trail of smoke and bounce around a corner before blowing enemies sky-high." Other new weapons include an automatic 9mm, a sawn-off shotgun, an assault shotgun, and pipe bombs.
• The Lost and Damned features brand new interiors which aren't available in the original game.
• Various mini-games are available at the safehouse - a hi-low card game, an arm wrestling game, TV you can watch (which includes new material), and you can also get weapons delivered there by Little Jacob. New internet sites have also been added.
• The radio stations are the same, except lots of new music has been added to Liberty City Hardcore, including a new (yet to be named) DJ.
• In terms of the HUD/menu appearance: the lettering on the pause-menu now has a rubber-stamped effect which appears red when highlighted, the health and armour bars are now white and blue respectively, and Johnny's phone has a different ("grungier") appearance to Niko's.
• A new grain fitler effect has been added, but Rockstar aren't sure if it will remain in the final version.
• Rockstar has introduced a feature which was badly missing from the main game - mid-mission checkpoints. This means if you die towards the end of a long mission, you won't have to redo everything.

Links:

• Kikizo.com
• Gameplayer.com.au
• ComputerAndVideoGames.com
• IGN.com
• Kotaku.com
• GamesRadar.com

R* just sent us a new screenshot from Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned:

We also had access to the achievements for this episode, which are the following:

• Get Good Wood – 50 – In the Bike Races, whack off 69 bikers with a bat.
• Easy Rider – 100 – Finish The Story.
• Full Chat – 70 – Your backup are riding at their best!
• The Lost Boy – 25 – All hail the leader of The Lost!
• One Percenter – 5 – Billy is back on his bike.

As we said previously keep an eye on the site and our forums since there's new stuff coming out on the 22nd, previews, new info and more screens and videos.

Thanks to R* for the Screen and info.