Summary
- In the mission "The Holland Play" in Grand Theft Auto 4, players have to choose between killing either Dwayne Forge or Playboy X, with different rewards for each option.
- Killing Dwayne Forge will earn the player a large payout of $25,000, but it results in the end of their association with Playboy X and no further contact for the rest of the game.
- On the other hand, killing Playboy grants the player an apartment, the ability to wear Claude's outfit from GTA 3, and the option to call Dwayne's gangsters for assistance in fights. The rewards are unique and more beneficial in the long run.
One questline in Grand Theft Auto 4 will end with the protagonist having to kill either Dwayne Forge or Playboy X, and one option is better than the other. These two characters are both members of the North Holland Hustlers, a minor gang in Grand Theft Auto 4 that Niko becomes briefly involved with. The demeanor of the Hustlers themselves towards Niko will not be affected by his decision, but both sides offer a different set of rewards. Although this can make for a difficult choice, the advantages of one outweigh the other in the end.
Playboy X is the current kingpin of the North Holland Hustlers, and has lofty ambitions of making millions of dollars and becoming a mogul in the city. Dwayne Forge, on the other hand, is the gang's former leader who just got out of prison. Unlike Grand Theft Auto's creepiest characters, Dwayne feels no happiness about his life of crime, but he sees it as something that he had to do to survive in his neighborhood. Eventually, the relationship between the two becomes unreconcilable, and Niko will be given a choice of which of the two he would like to kill.
GTA 4's Playboy X Will Hand Niko A Stack Of Cash
Playboy X is all about making money and being a success. He sees running the Hustlers as his first step towards making himself a mogul. Playboy resents Dwayne for not sharing his lofty vision, and that drives him to request that Niko kill his former mentor. Becoming rich in GTA 4 isn't easy, which is why Playboy's reward is a big enough draw to make following his lead a serious option. Killing Dwayne will incur little resistance, as Niko will only have to take down a single enemy armed with a baseball bat before Dwayne surrenders. Not even Dwayne himself puts up a fight.
Niko is clearly unhappy doing the deed but goes through with it anyway. Once Dwayne is dead, Playboy will give Niko $25,000, a very large payout for a single mission. However, despite being the one who sent Niko to kill Dwayne in the first place, Playboy will scold him for doing the deed. From then on, Playboy will never contact Niko again for the rest of the game, with Dwayne's death ending his association with the Hustlers. Grand Theft Auto 4 has fewer things for Niko to spend money on than other games in the series, so the main use of the payout is to buy more weapons and ammo.
Dwayne Provides A House & Assistance In GTA 4
Dwayne Forge is essentially Playboy X's opposite. He knows the cost of the drug game, and it has made him jaded. He's been to jail, and he's seen friends die or have their lives destroyed by the product he and his gang were selling. He knows that Playboy doesn't think much of him, and he struggles to adjust to life outside of prison again. Although he doesn't want to get back into gang life, he doesn't know how else to make a living. Killing Playboy X for Dwayne is the tougher option since he has a whole team of bodyguards that Niko must fight through.
After Niko kills Playboy and tells Dwayne the news, Dwayne is saddened, but accepts what happened, and he will gift Niko the apartment where Playboy had been living. Not only will this give the player another place to save their game, but the apartment also unlocks the ability for Niko to wear Claude's outfit from GTA 3. In addition, Dwayne will keep in touch with Niko and become one of his friends. If the player levels up Dwayne's friendship enough, then they will unlock the ability to call him up to send some of his gangsters to help Niko in a fight.
The Right Decision In The Holland Play In Grand Theft Auto 4
The two offers in "The Holland Play" both sound fairly tempting when approached with a specific mindset. However, the best decision is the one that Niko himself would be most likely to make as the best Grand Theft Auto protagonist and one that the game itself seems to gesture towards. That decision is to kill Playboy X rather than Dwayne. Whether considering the moral implications of the choice or the purely pragmatic benefits, siding with Dwayne comes out on top.
Playboy X's reward of $25,000 is huge, but there are fewer things to buy for Niko than there are to acquire for any of the protagonists in GTA 5. Dwayne's rewards for "The Holland Play," on the other hand, are all unique. It is the only way to get Playboy's apartment, the Claude outfit, and Dwayne as a friend. In addition, the backup that Dwayne's crew offers when called is quite useful, and can even be deployed to help Niko in missions. GTA 4's controversial friendship system is one of the most overlooked Grand Theft Auto mechanics, and despite its flaws, being Dwayne's friend comes with some undeniable perks.
There are some hints in the game that killing Playboy is the right move as well. When he suggests killing Dwayne, Niko is clearly uncomfortable and outright states that he doesn't want to do it. Playboy's aggression in trying to push Niko to do it also mirrors some of the game's other antagonists. With that in mind, it's easy to see Niko siding with Dwayne in this ordeal. Dwayne is a much more intriguing character than Playboy, and his honest gratitude toward Niko is appreciated. Combining that aspect of Niko’s story with the usefulness of Dwayne’s rewards makes for a particularly attractive package overall.
"The Holland Play" is one of GTA 4's more consequential missions. It may not have anything to do with the main storyline nor Niko's feud with Dimitri, but it's a major decision involving two fairly prominent characters. The offer of cold, hard cash can make the choice a difficult one, but it’s best not to let Niko be led astray. When everything is taken into account, it's clear that the best ending for "The Holland Play" in Grand Theft Auto 4 is to kill Playboy X and pass up the money.