L.A. Noire

LA Noire is the newest game from Rockstar who have an uncanny ability to turn games into gold after working their magic. Red Dead Redemption was a fantastic game and Grand Theft Auto speaks for itself in terms of quality. So after working seven years on LA Noire, the company obviously had a lot to live up to. So does LA Noire deliver? Well it does and it doesn't.

Set in the late 1940s and following war hero/LAPD star Cole Phelps after the war, the game plays out like a typical detective story as Cole works his way up the ranks in the police force. Starting at the very bottom, the feeling of progression is felt throughout with more complicated cases coming to the table as you progress through the four different areas of traffic, homicide, vice and arson.

Right from the off its clear that LA Noire is unlike any other game out there. The facial detail is astonishing and is clear to see even from the opening credits. The setting of LA is brilliantly realized and the detail put into the area and the buildings is excellent. The feeling of being pulled into the time and the crazy goings on is really felt here but never truly explored fully. What I mean by that is the one big downside to LA Noire.

The game is strictly linear and although there is opportunity to go off and explore, do street crimes (more on that later) and collect things the nagging feeling that you're supposed to be doing the cases is always felt. There's never a moment away from a case and the only deviation is when you're supposed to travel between crime scenes etc. and you venture off and explore. This is a real drawback as you can't fully get immersed into the world like other Rockstar games and I think personally the game could have been made less linear.

The cases themselves are excellent though and form the main bulk of the game. Every case is handled to perfection with a crime scene always the starting point and then as clues are found by wandering around the crime scene and pressing X, more locations and suspects are discovered. Being thorough is the key to this game and unlike other games not paying attention to the cut-scenes can actually hinder your experience.

The interviews in particular really boast the facial detail put into this game and you'll find yourself staring intently at the screen during the interviews to find the slightest little twitch or eye rolling to try and suss out a lie. Interviews are handled via three buttons to press. Triangle for a lie where you can pin hard evidence against what a person is saying that doesn't quite add up, X for the truth and Square for a doubt. This sounds simple enough but as the game gets going it becomes very difficult and really does challenge you.

The game is made slightly easier by the inclusion of some goodies including 'Intuition Points'. These can be gained by going up a rank and gaining experience points via finding landmarks around the city, finding collectables, finishing street crimes or getting questions right in interviews. These 'Intuition Points' can then be saved up and used during crucial interview sessions to Ask the Community what they did via a percentage marker or removing one answer so its a 50/50 gamble. It's an excellent system and one that is well implemented.

The action is well spaced out and although Rockstar have been given a lot of stick for the lack of action by fans, its not an action game after all and I personally found the different emphasis refreshing and something a bit different and this needs to be addressed as its the one thing that many people have complained about in the game. It's a detective game at heart and the action comes second as it should do in a game like this.

The biggest problem with LA Noire, as seems to be the case with many Rockstar games, is the ending. Without spoiling too much, I found it to almost ruin the whole experience and the infamous "Oh...is that it?" as was the case in Red Dead Redemption and to an extent Grand Theft Auto, is even more evident here and the lack of exploration and continuation after the game has finished also hinders the experience.

Furthermore all the usual Rockstar bugs come into play here including buildings that pop into view as you drive past ruining the experience. It's not a deal-breaker but after numerous games with the same problems, its shocking that the errors are still in play here, especially after seven years of production on this game.

Overall though, LA Noire is a fantastic experience that breathes a breath of fresh air in the videogame market and delivers something fresh and different. The graphics are excellent and the facial design is the best seen in any game. The music and sound design are also very good and although the bugs are annoying and the ending is almost a dealbreaker, the rest of the game is sensational and one of the most unique experiences on PS3. A must have.

To start with this review, I need to state that the lower than average score isn't down to me wanting this to be a GTA game. In fact, the whole reason I bough this game is because of press waxing lyrical over how it breathed new life into the adventure genre. While L.A. Noire does have it's fun and interesting moments, it often feels like the game is holding you at arms length rather than drawing you in like it should be.

Strange mechanics and a lack of variety really dampen the overall experience. The interview system is much more simplified than it was touted to be by the developers. Throughout the game, it was fairly obvious when a character is lying as they roll their eyes around like they've come loose in the socket. Frustratingly, the question branches sometimes defy logic. For example, (being careful not to give spoilers), say you need to prove that the suspect had a key item registered to them and you have come across evidence to back that up. When questioning them about this and seeing your chance to call them out, sometimes the subject will change completely meaning a different piece of evidence is needed, or there isn't actually a way to call them out. Other mechanics such as being able to pop off a warning shot or tackle a fleeing suspect are only present when the game wants them to be, giving the feeling of the action being overscripted.

That's not to say it's all bad, the facial capture work really does look great and the performances are generally very good. The main storyline is very intersting too. Although I must say, the game has probably one of the worst endings I've seen in such a story driven game. Driving is very responsive and theres a great variety of cars and the game world is well fleshed out, which makes the lack of any meatier side missions rather tragic. The game will take between 15-20 hours on your first play through depending on how well you do. It's also very easy, which is a mixed blessing as it actually detracts from the fun of the investigations in some cases.

So in summary, if you're looking for something interesting to play, I would reccomend giving this a try, just don't expect it to be as amazing as the majority of the hype will lead you to believe. I would recommend to rent or wait until the price comes down though as it doesn't hold much in the way of replay value. With a bit more freedom, more challenge, a bit more depth to game play and some tighter writing, this could have been a classic. As it stands, its merely an above average title which coasts along on its graphics tech a bit too much.

i think the problem many people had with this game is that they were mistaken about what the game was like, maybe expecting
more of a GTA kinda game. i remember looking forward to the release of this for ages and when i finally got it i wasn't disappointed. the story is great (topped off with a dramatic finale) and exploring crime scenes, hunting for clues and piecing together the mystery is a great change from the usual games that are thrown at us. You start at the bottom of the PD on patrol and work your way through traffic, vice, arson and homicide. there are many different crimes to solve and an over arcing story that feels like you're playing out a movie. a lot has been said about the facial recognition technology and while it is usually easy to see if a suspect is lying it still adds to the realism and gets you invested in the story. overall this is one of my fav games of all time and a must have for any gamers collection. i really hope they make a sequel to this and after seeing the ending it will be interesting to see which direction they go!