You don't need the original release. The whole point of this is that it is just a standalone game.

Anyway, I am still waiting for the PS3 versions to come, but by next summer if they have not arrived, I will probably pick this up cheap

you more than likely do. most of the time when they release discs like this it installs on your hard drive. like the oblivion andf forza content

No, you definitely do NOT need to ever own GTAIV to play the episodes disk.

"This retail disc, titled Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, won't contain the core GTA IV game -- nor will it require GTA IV to play"

source

damn, they have wikipedia wrong!

The difference is that this stuff has nothing to do with GTA IV in terms of storywise you being required to play 1 to play the other, so the Oblivion content was an expansion to your existing campaign

@ toastboy, no it isn't: 

Both episodes will be released as a standalone game called Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City that will not require the original Grand Theft Auto IV media to be playable.

Oh and I'll probably buy it, since I never bought The Lost and the Damned.

same here!

To clarify: You DO NOT need GTA4 to play "Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City". Well thats what it said on the email i got from Rockstar.

Well, I'll buy the disc and keep my copy of GTA 4. Still not a bad deal. They did this a while back with Tomb Raider Anniversary/Tomb Raider Legend. I wound up buying the disc for TR: Anniversary because it had 1000 extra achievement points and I'd prefer a physical copy over a digitally downloaded copy. There's no guarantee that I can download a game again 10 years from now. Physical media FTW!

stop making GTA4 threads. You made the official thread (which I'm assuming is without permission) so go post everything in there rather than flooding the forums.