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L.A. Noire Review (X360) PG1

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L.A. Noire Review (X360) PG1 Rockstar
L.A. Noire isn't a typical open-world Rockstar game. It isn't a bombastic, action-oriented crime simulator where you are free to roam around 1940's Los Angeles at your leisure. It is a tightly directed and slowly paced police investigation sim that requires patience and cleverness and thoroughness instead a quick trigger finger. And it is fantastic. It does stumble here and there with occasionally awkward controls, odd pacing, and a predictable story, but the overall experience is still well worth checking out. L.A. Noire is one of the most interesting games to come out in a long time.
Game Details

  • Publisher: Rockstar Games
  • Developer: Team Bondi
  • ESRB Rating: “M” for Mature
  • Genre: Adventure
  • Pros: 1940's era perfectly re-created; investigation and interrogation gameplay is excellent; facial graphics are outstanding; great voice work
  • Cons: Cases become predictable; driving / shooting / footchases are awful; L.A. is too big and boring outside of cases; Phelps' mid-interview mood swings are distracting; investigations could be deeper

L.A. Noire takes place in 1940's Los Angeles after World War II. You play as a marine turned police officer named Cole Phelps. The story follows Phelps as he rises through the ranks of the L.A. Police Department where he becomes a detective and discovers corruption throughout the city. The story is told in multiple ways - flashbacks to Phelps during the war, newspapers you can find that present the over-arching story, and cutscenes that go along with what Phelps (you) is doing currently - and all of these story threads do connect into one mostly coherent story.

As a police officer, you start out on patrol and then move on to Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson as a detective. The game does have an overall story that ties everything together, but each of the 21 cases you'll have to solve are fairly self-contained. In this way it is possible, and recommended, to only play a case or two at a time without breaking any narrative flow. This lets the story and events sink in a bit. Frankly, the game is sort of exhausting, and taking a break to think about things rather than trying to rush through is definitely the way to play.

Rockstar
One story heading into the release of L.A. Noire was that it is 3 discs on Xbox 360. You'll switch discs every 5-8 hours, which isn't bad. You can go back and play past cases via the main menu and you may need to switch discs if the case you want to play isn't on the disc currently in the drive.

Cases

The actual cases are pretty standard police cases. A few murders. A few fires. A few drug cases. They are mostly pretty interesting. It can be frustrating, though, because occasionally you'll figure things out well before the game does (even 3-4 cases earlier than the game does) and have to slog through more investigations and police work that you wouldn't have to if the game allowed you any sort of due diligence. What do I mean? Little details that stand out during interviews that make you go "I should check that out" but the game doesn't give you an option to and then several cases later it turns out you would have been right all along. It happens several times, especially during Homicide, Vice, and Arson (basically the last 2/3rds of the game) and the whole experience really feels like a chore and you're going through the motions just to get to the end rather than really having fun anymore. The game starts off with a couple of great cases, has a rather boring middle section (what Rockstar game doesn't?), and then ends with sort of a predictable whimper. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained the whole way though, but the thrill and wow factor wore off fairly quickly. Of course, YMMV depending on how long you can suspend your disbelief and / or how clever you are.

Investigations

What about the actual gameplay? L.A. Noire is sort of a mix between classic point and click adventure games and open world action games. Most of the game is made up of investigations where you have to walk around a crime scene or other location and look for clues that relate to the case. This includes picking up objects and turning them over to find important markings or names, opening books and ledgers and other papers to find specific information, or examining bodies for clues. There are also interrogations and interviews where you talk to suspects or persons of interest and try to get information. Both of these gameplay sections are flawed, though.

Investigations only ever have a handful of relevant items, and finding them is as easy as feeling your controller vibrate or hearing a music cue that tells you something important is in front of you. You can turn these cues off, but it makes the game so difficult it isn't fun. With the cues on, the game is so easy it starts getting repetitive and not fun.

Sometimes the game lets you actually do some critical thinking about what to do next, and it is here where the investigations really shine. Using clues to find locations on a map. Finding specific information in books where you see a familiar name and go "Ah ha!". These brief sequences are surprisingly satisfying.

Interrogations

Rockstar
Interrogations / interviews open up a whole new can of worms. L.A. Noire uses fantastic facial animations that let you see if people are lying or telling the truth based on how their eyes and face move. It is absolutely amazing looking. The actual gameplay in interviews is that after collecting evidence, you then question suspects based on that evidence. After the person gives an answer, you have to determine whether they told the truth, lied, or if you doubt their answer is entirely truthful. You can only accuse them of lying if you have evidence that directly contradicts what they just said. Doubt is more circumstantial - things you know they must have knowledge of even if you don't have evidence. And Truth mostly involves looking at the faces to see how they react, and some things are so dumb you just know they wouldn't lie about it.

It is a simple system, but it is a bit too simple. The game doesn't always ask the questions you think it should, which leaves entire lines of questioning - that could solve cases a lot faster - completely in the dark. Also, the Lie, Truth, Doubt system is too extreme. There is no gray area. This is even more evident in the way that Phelps actually asks questions. One moment he'll be soft and calm like a kitten, the next he is screaming at innocent kids and threatening people and accusing everyone of murder. These mood swings happen in every interview and are completely inappropriate 90% of the time. If you had more control over the tone of the questioning, the game would be a lot better.

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