L.A. Noire

I know that I will probably get a lot of comments about the tag line I used, but I sincerely believe that L.A. Noire had the potential to be an amazing game, but it fell short in several areas. It's a success because it -is- a great game, fun to play, good story... but it is a failure (to me) because it's the first Rockstar game I've scored less than 9. It fell well short of its potential.

I'll get right to it.

Graphics - 10/10 There's really no doubt that the game is absolutely gorgeous with the new facial scanning feature. This, coupled with the wonderful lighting and amazing detail to the city makes for a beautiful game to look at.

Sound - 10/10 The voice actors are phenomenal. They deliver believable performances without going over the top and they add a perfect amount of emotion to the dialog. The music is also amazing, adding to the overall engrossing atmosphere.

Controls - 8/10 There aren't any -major- complaints here. The shooting system leaves something to be desired, especially following in the wake of Red Dead Redemption. Driving controls aren't perfect either, but there have been much, much worse.

Story - 9/10 L.A. Noire has a very interesting story behind it. I've heard it said before: GTA meets CSI. That's an accurate assessment. Be prepared for an interesting journey.

Fun Factor - 7/10 Here's where things get interesting. Don't get me wrong, the game is fun, challenging at times, and interesting. My main problem with the game is after the first few cases, you'll notice that things get repetitive. You go to a crime scene. You look for clues. You go talk to suspects. You use your clues to get answers. That's about it. It also feels -way- too linear for me, often pushing you from one case to the next without giving you much time to explore the world and have fun.

There's a reason for that: There isn't much to do other than the main cases. Sure, you can respond to random calls from dispatch, but even - they- get repetitive. Go to the scene. Shoot out/chase/hostage situation. Rinse and repeat.

The major appeal to this genre for most people is the ability to go where you want, do what you want. While you might be able to go anywhere you want between cases, there isn't much to do when you get there. You can't even draw your weapon if you're not on a case. So all of those random rampages you love in GTA/RDR? Forget it. You won't be having those in L.A. Noire.

Another part of the game that some may not enjoy is that it often feels as though you're watching more than you're playing. There are a lot of cut scenes. Most of the game is cut scenes.

Replayability - 5/10 Since there isn't much to do beyond the main cases... No interesting side-quests, no random gunfights in the street, no stores or mini games or stunt challenges.... You'll already know all of the interrogation techniques, you'll already know who murdered who and why... You'll already have all of the answers. Where is the appeal to play again?

Overall - 8/10 It's a great game and an interesting concept. I know it wasn't meant to be a GTA clone, that it was meant to focus on the detective work and case cracking that hadn't successfully been used in a game before. But since the game is so narrow in its options as far as cases/case order/extracurricular activities, it's really hard to justify giving it any more than an 8/10. You'll have a blast playing through the first time. But when the credits roll, you'll find yourself wondering if it's destined to collect dust on your shelf.

Rockstar have been slowly draining away at my insanity for the release of this game, the teasers were enough to wet the appetite of myself and other players respectivly who were interested in this type of game.

It wouldn't seem fair to compare this to GTA as other reviwers have ,purely because it has taken a completely different direction. Yes, you can still take cars, yes you can shoot and yes you can still drive around like a maniac but its all cleverly been done in the line of duty. They have taken an approach which has been unorthodox but who cares...it works! The story of Phelps (the player) is very neatly tied in to all the cases that the player must solve. All the previous cases come together and are referred back in later cases. The story has an incredibly thick plot and at times can leave you with a heavier brain once you put the controller down. It's very time consuming but well worth seeing it all the way to the end. Need i say the last case made me shed a tear....so it can be emotional for some.

Gameplay wise, L.A. Noire is no where near fast pace by any means, but there is always something new going on, whether it be a police call for a shooting/robbery or even a real case to solve, there's nothing that ever lets the player feel bored or exhausted of the same thing. However this being said, the game has a slight use of repetitiveness in it, but is actually necessary for the development of the story. The controls are very natural and rockstar have really pulled out their finger to achieve something that no other game has achieved, realistic and emotional characters. The whole truth/doubt/lie system is just genius and gave me a warm sense of accomplishment when i actually got the correct answer. The facial animations using the facial motion capture are just breath taking, i sometimes forget i'm playing a game and instead watching a movie, it's that realistic! Graphically stunning, buildings look very real, cars are modelled perfectly and the characters need nothing more added. The whole environment is just brilliant with props to both environment artists and the level designers. Hats off the story board guys, to make a story that ties in so well with each other must make them incredibly imaginative.

Overall L.A. Noire has really taken me by surprise, I really wasn't sure what i would expect to get until i played it through and my god you get hell of a lot for your money. If you don't come out with an IQ higher than 100 after completing this game, you went somewhere wrong. The game has been intelligently put together and has really left a mark on me. I'd recommend this to any player who likes an interactive, action, mystery and an adventure game packed all in one.

Well done Rockstar!

The best detective game on the earth, amazing tech, great story, good character development. Almost 10 years and still need a sequel.

Excellent cinematic atmosphere, story, soundtrack, and great characters. The interrogation gameplay was interesting, but sometimes also frustrating. At times the correct choices seemed a bit far-fetched or inconsistent, even if you were very careful. Maybe the developer pushed this gameplay mechanic a bit too hard in an attempt to keep the difficulty high enough. This prevented me from enjoying an excellent game as much as I should have. The combat also feels out of place (when gunning down hordes of nameless bad guys like in GTA) in a mature game. Flaws aside, this is still a milestone and an example of video games slowly growing up. The open world city is also amazingly authentic, arguably better (and certainly larger) than Liberty City in GTA 4. Porting from consoles was done acceptably well - you get HD textures and enough options, but there is a console checkpoint save system, 30-fps lock and a little mouse lag. Sadly Rockstar Social Club is mandatory.

Greetings from Lithuania.

The only reason i did not gave "L.A. Noire" (2011) a perfect 10/10 is the fact that i played it and finished it a 100% for the first time in 2020, nearly 10 years after its initial release - and games unlike movies do age. I played remastered version.

Games like this do not come out anymore. "L.A. Noire" has more in common with a great movie "L.A. Confidential" then any other game i have ever played. It has superb story, amazing writing and compelling characters, with great acing by many actors. Music was great, and game does look great when playing it on PS4 pro 4K - its just that open world feels empty and repetitive. But those are minor complain. Other then that, this is a fantastic game, very unique one.