Departure Time

Departure Time is the final storyline mission in The Ballad of Gay Tony. This mission takes place after the final mission of GTA IV.

Description
Luis and Tony set off to Funland in Hove Beach to take out Ray Bulgarin and save the Tony Prince Empire. Once arriving in Funland, Luis tells Tony to hide in Meadows Park and if he doesn't come back for Tony, he didn't make it.

Walkthrough
Luis must clear his path and destroy 3 theme park bins filled with heroin situated in the West areas of Funland. Shoot your way through Ray's guards, sticking to cover, as the theme park is a maze with dozens of ways to be flanked and surrounded. Rifles and explosives are a good way to clear a path. Taking out the nearby vans often destroys the bins and is fairly simple, especially if you have the Explosive Shotgun, which can wreck the vans in a few shots from a considerable distance.

After taking out all three, Luis discovers that Ray isn't there. Take a moment to recuperate health if you need to, from the First Aid Kit near the last van, or with the food vendors on the boardwalk, who can be accessed during the mission, and pick up the body armor. Shoot your way through the east side of Funland, taking down more guards and destroying one last bin at the far end of the area. In a minor cutscene, Timur arrives with backup and tells Luis that he's too late - Bulgarin is about to escape back to Europe in a private jet. Quickly, equip a weapon and kill Timur before he has a chance to get away, then take control of a Bati Custom found nearby.

Luis is now ordered to drive to Dukes Expressway, and along the way Yusuf Amir calls him and asks if he needs any assistance, and consequently Luis will decline the offer. However, upon reaching the Expressway, Yusuf will appear in his gold Buzzard. The player now must follow him - he will destroy any Russians along the way with homing missiles.

After finally reaching the airport you'll see Bulgarin's blue Ghawar preparing to take off. During this time you must catch up to it before it departs. Make sure to lean forward on the bike during straight to get a little extra speed boost. Luis will then shoot a hostile seen inside and will jump onto the jet. With only three more goons left in the plane, this final section is surprisingly simple, just shoot them. Bulgarin will then appear - with a grenade in his hand which he is prepared to use. A cinematic execution will take place, with Ray falling to the ground with the grenade with the safety pin removed. The jet then explodes upon detonation - blasted in half. Miraculously still alive, Luis finds a parachute and dives out of the jet as it nosedives into the sea. The player must then safely parachute down and get to Dukes Globe where Tony will be. Note that this is one of the few moments in Grand Theft Auto where there is omnipotent music, or music not generated by a radio.

Upon arriving, a cutscene will be played that shows a homeless man walking the street, looking for food. Luis bumps into him, spilling the trash. Luis will help him up and walk away, and during this the man's finds the pouch of diamonds - Bulgarin's diamonds. He then walks away laughing with joy.

Tony will meet Luis and make amends, Tony reflecting on how he squandered his ambition to see the world by going to Algonquin, where '...the world came to me.' Luis still remains a little cynical, amused that two such different people have become so close. A little while later, Yusuf gatecrashes their reunion, still set on franchising Tony's clubs around the world. When Tony points out that his clubs are more about the people than the style, Yusuf dismisses him, stating '...piss on them!'

Mission Requirements
Time: 10:00

Player Damage: 50%

Headshots: 25

Accuracy: 70%

Rewards

 * Completing this mission also unlocks Yusuf's Buzzard, much like his car, to be collected from the Helipad on the West River in Algonquin - and as a result replaces the Swift. Also the player can now call Henrique for an APC, call Armando for a Gold SMG and finally the ability to replay all the storyline missions is now available from the phone.

Trivia

 * The song featured in the parachute scene after Ray's death and Luis' clever remark was No Security by Kelis ft The Crookers, this song can also be heard on Electro-Choc.
 * Ray's clothes might be different depending if you play this mission a lot.
 * It is possible to kill the guy shooting at you on the runway, and his body will fly off the plane, but the cutscene of Luis shooting him still plays normally.
 * Strangely, Luis asks Tony to hide from Bulgarin not far from Bulgarins house.
 * The Bati Custom used in this mission is scripted to never outrun Yusuf's Buzzard, meaning it will never get caught in Yusuf's rocket blasts, possibly to make this mission easier. It is also the only mission to obtain it.

External Link

 * Departure Time (100% Complete) mission on Youtube.

Tips & Tricks

 * Basically, you need to go for the 3rd bin, to your left where you start, the 1st bin. Straight ahead where you start, the 2nd bin, in between bins 1 and 3, and then the 4th bin, to your right where you start. Chase after Timur and kill him.
 * The amusement park is full of propane tanks, and enemies just love to stand by them- shoot the tanks to save bullets.
 * Many surrounding buildings are climbable- stand on them to quick kills to make the time limit, stocking up on sniper rifle ammo beforehand will assist you further.
 * Whilst chasing Bulgarin's jet, push the left stick (XBOX 360/PLAYSTATION 3 controller) forward to increase speed.
 * As you're parachuting to the Monoglobe, hold the left stick (XBox 360/PLAYSTATION 3 controller) back to save airtime and not have to find a car and follow the rules of the roads.
 * After destroying all bins, and Luis and Timur's conversation, quickly get out of cover and use any powerful weapon to kill him around the corner.