L.A. Noire
- Thread starter fillyacup
- Start date
Here we go. I'm typing this and not spell checking or anything so excuse all typos. I should also mention that I am not paid to make this review and this review is strictly based on my experience and therefore it is my opinion.
As I type this I really don't know where to begin with this game. I went in looking for a great single player game and what I have on my plate is some type of "experience" that I can't put my finger on. I'm not saying the game is bad, the game is good, does some great things (for the most part) and overall I've enjoyed all the hours I've pumped into the game.
Graphics: Honestly, I feel the graphics aren't the strong point of this game. I've noticed some pop ins, a little bit of slowdown in some areas and some other hiccups. Moreover, while some of the facial animation stuff is cool, there are many instances where the animation of the characters body is questionable. I also noticed problems with shadows and in certain areas when looking at the ground for evidence; the textures seemed to be really low quality. Are the graphics something out of the 8 bit realm? No, but don't go in thinking this is Crysis 2, Uncharted 3 or Gears 3 when it comes to graphics because it isn't.
The city is HUGE and sometimes I think there are too many cars and people on the street. However, the monuments look cool, the car models are varied, the different neighborhoods and locals are good so I can't complain. I didn't have any trouble with the night time sections (driving or on foot) nor did I have an issue going through tunnels and other dark areas. Also, what I noticed about locations is that different people will be in a location or a place may not have certain people. An example of this is when you go into the bar looking to speak with the owner about a certain woman in a certain case (don't want to spoil it but it's when you get the homicide desk.) You walk in and speak with the owner and some of those people sitting down may not be there or they may be in different areas. I didn't play GTA 4 so I don't know if that game did that but I know RDR did so it's like that in some aspects.
So despite the graphical shortcomings, this game does a good job of recreating a bustling city/metro type environment.
Sound: Sound is hit and miss and I'm going to touch on that right now. All of the voice acting is top notch. I take my hat off to the actors and voice talent as they did a great job. Moreover, whoever did the foley work/sound fx did a good job also. The soundtrack and songs you hear while playing are on point and fit the mood (for example, the song I heard about an alcoholic women while I was trying to solve a case about an alcoholic woman.)
Sound plays a big role in this game and if you want a more DIFFICULT GAME, you need to go into the options/sound menu (I'm not in front of the game right now so I can recall exactly where it is) but you need to turn the music and chime cues OFF. I don't know if many of you know this but aside from the controller rumbling, there are audio cues when you are near evidence, audio cues when you are near evidence you've already examined and audio when evidence is still present. Once the audio/music concludes, that is how you know there is no more evidence to search for. Again, if you want to make the game more difficult, turn these things off.
Where sound falls off is in two places. The first place it falls off is when you're just walking about in the city and people say random things that absolutely have NOTHING to do with anything. I'm not talking about the "He's the cop from the newspaper" dialog or things of that nature. I'm talking random shit that pops up, sometimes even if no other characters are around.
The second area it falls flat is consistency with the vocal mixing. I swear some of the vocals sound like they have phase issues and some of them you can tell were recorded in different environments/studios. Is it enough to complain about and does it break game play? NO, but I'm mentioning it because I noticed it.
Story: The story in this game really starts to come together when you reach the middle portions of the homicide desk. There are flash backs that shed light on the subject, the newspapers shed light on the story and the conversations Cole has with his partner(s) will also shed light on what's going on. You're playing this game for the story. Fuck everything else. The story is what matters and this is a good story. None of the dialog is cheesy, there is a lot of snake shit going on, a lot of people can't be trusted (I'm talking cops here not just criminals) and the way they break things up into episodes or a case scenario actually works. There is one case in particular that had me thinking that we live in a fucked up society. I don't recall the name of the case but it's the one that involves the person who left home to become a movie star. Again, I don't want to spoil anything but that whole situation was fucked up.
Gameplay: Since I wasn't a fan of GTA4 I can't compare it to that. What I can compare it to is RDR and Mass Effect (1 and 2) which are games I enjoy. There are a lot of shooting segments in this came, and while I think how you take cover and shoot are awkward, I can still say shooting segments are fun (you can adjust aiming help and other aspects of shooting in the options area.)
You can shoot a variety of weapons in this game (shotguns, machine guns, pistol, rifle), but you don't upgrade them, buy ammo etc. You can reload, and enemies drop weapons you can pick up, but again, this isn't a game like the other games I mentioned where you have to worry about item management of weapons, healing items, etc. Your item management, if I can even call it that, comes in the form of evidence you've collected at the scene (crime scene, home, etc) or evidence that someone has given you.
Like ME, this is a conversation driven game. You talk to people, ALOT, and what you tell them and what they tell you can make or break your case. However, unlike ME, the choice of "morality" doesn't really exist. You're a "good guy" so you can't draw your gun and blap people like you would in RDR or GTA 4. Moreover, if you run someone over and tear shit up, it will cause your case rating to go down. So like I said in another post, if you are looking for the type of freedom provided in RDR or GTA4, this is NOT the game for you.
What you say, how quick you get to a scene, and in which order you go to a scene can dictate what clues you get and who you speak with. So talk to EVERYONE you can encounter and make sure you plot your course before you go to a location to speak with someone because it could cause you to miss out on something.
This game doesn't give a fuck who is locked up. Someone is going to get locked up and why they get locked up is up to you. This is more about the journey to get to point A to B and no so much about the results even though you'll be given results/grades in the form of stars. For me, all my cases have been 4 stars, so I can see this game has a ton of replay value (especially with the extra missions from preordering and the DLC that is on the way.)
There are a lot of items to collect in this game like movie reels and hidden cars and you get EXP for finding new landmarks. You level up your badge and the more EXP you get, the more unlockables like suits, intuition points and hidden cars you can get. Speaking of cars, all the vehicles drive differently and you can have your partner drive for the most part. However, choosing to let your partner drive will cause you to miss out on landmarks and street cases, so you probably want to do the driving yourself.
Speaking of street cases, for those of you who have played RDR, the street cases are like the side missions and random encounters in that game. They are small set pieces designed to break the monotony and can be in the form of tracking down a robber to shooting it out with a cop killer. You don't have to do the street cases but again, they yield EXP which helps you out with intuition.
So what is intuition? Basically it is a life saver or helper that removes an option when you're interrogating someone. Moreover, intuition can also be used at a crime scene to highlight all pieces of evidence. You don't get a lot of intuition in this game because you have to rank up so it's best to save it when you're really stumped in an interrogation and you lack evidence. And this reminds me, DON'T select "lie" unless you are sure you have the evidence to back it up. Sometimes the body language and facial expressions don't give you the clues you need but if you have the evidence to support the accusation (and the RIGHT evidence) you'll earn that checkmark instead of the "x."
Remember, this game is about the story and the main element of game play is the conversations you have with people. The shooting and driving are elements that enhance the story and main game play element, but make no mistake about it, asking questions, getting answers, listening to people, etc is the meat of this game. It’s a different experience than the games I’ve mentioned and certainly does have that R*vibe that the company is known for (even though they published the game and didn’t actually make it.)
In closing, as you all know I only do PLAY or PASS and I can definitely say this is a PLAY. If you can gamefly it or buy it used do so because you will enjoy the campaign if you’re looking for something with elements from Heavy rain, RDR/GTA 4 and the ME series. Pass on it if you’re looking for something exactly like those titles or with the freedom of R*’s previous titles because that isn’t what this game is about. MP isn’t what this game is about, so if you want a strong SP game that is lengthy with a good story, PLAY this game.
BTW, if anyone is still sitting on the fence and want to know specifics, just ask away and I’m sure others and myself will be able to answer your questions. However, I’m not going to answer any questions that may potentially lead to spoilers.
Oh yeah, if you want the game as difficult as possible, turn off the musical clues/chimes, turn off aiming assist and anything that will help you when it comes to shooting and play the game with the black and white option.
As I type this I really don't know where to begin with this game. I went in looking for a great single player game and what I have on my plate is some type of "experience" that I can't put my finger on. I'm not saying the game is bad, the game is good, does some great things (for the most part) and overall I've enjoyed all the hours I've pumped into the game.
Graphics: Honestly, I feel the graphics aren't the strong point of this game. I've noticed some pop ins, a little bit of slowdown in some areas and some other hiccups. Moreover, while some of the facial animation stuff is cool, there are many instances where the animation of the characters body is questionable. I also noticed problems with shadows and in certain areas when looking at the ground for evidence; the textures seemed to be really low quality. Are the graphics something out of the 8 bit realm? No, but don't go in thinking this is Crysis 2, Uncharted 3 or Gears 3 when it comes to graphics because it isn't.
The city is HUGE and sometimes I think there are too many cars and people on the street. However, the monuments look cool, the car models are varied, the different neighborhoods and locals are good so I can't complain. I didn't have any trouble with the night time sections (driving or on foot) nor did I have an issue going through tunnels and other dark areas. Also, what I noticed about locations is that different people will be in a location or a place may not have certain people. An example of this is when you go into the bar looking to speak with the owner about a certain woman in a certain case (don't want to spoil it but it's when you get the homicide desk.) You walk in and speak with the owner and some of those people sitting down may not be there or they may be in different areas. I didn't play GTA 4 so I don't know if that game did that but I know RDR did so it's like that in some aspects.
So despite the graphical shortcomings, this game does a good job of recreating a bustling city/metro type environment.
Sound: Sound is hit and miss and I'm going to touch on that right now. All of the voice acting is top notch. I take my hat off to the actors and voice talent as they did a great job. Moreover, whoever did the foley work/sound fx did a good job also. The soundtrack and songs you hear while playing are on point and fit the mood (for example, the song I heard about an alcoholic women while I was trying to solve a case about an alcoholic woman.)
Sound plays a big role in this game and if you want a more DIFFICULT GAME, you need to go into the options/sound menu (I'm not in front of the game right now so I can recall exactly where it is) but you need to turn the music and chime cues OFF. I don't know if many of you know this but aside from the controller rumbling, there are audio cues when you are near evidence, audio cues when you are near evidence you've already examined and audio when evidence is still present. Once the audio/music concludes, that is how you know there is no more evidence to search for. Again, if you want to make the game more difficult, turn these things off.
Where sound falls off is in two places. The first place it falls off is when you're just walking about in the city and people say random things that absolutely have NOTHING to do with anything. I'm not talking about the "He's the cop from the newspaper" dialog or things of that nature. I'm talking random shit that pops up, sometimes even if no other characters are around.
The second area it falls flat is consistency with the vocal mixing. I swear some of the vocals sound like they have phase issues and some of them you can tell were recorded in different environments/studios. Is it enough to complain about and does it break game play? NO, but I'm mentioning it because I noticed it.
Story: The story in this game really starts to come together when you reach the middle portions of the homicide desk. There are flash backs that shed light on the subject, the newspapers shed light on the story and the conversations Cole has with his partner(s) will also shed light on what's going on. You're playing this game for the story. Fuck everything else. The story is what matters and this is a good story. None of the dialog is cheesy, there is a lot of snake shit going on, a lot of people can't be trusted (I'm talking cops here not just criminals) and the way they break things up into episodes or a case scenario actually works. There is one case in particular that had me thinking that we live in a fucked up society. I don't recall the name of the case but it's the one that involves the person who left home to become a movie star. Again, I don't want to spoil anything but that whole situation was fucked up.
Gameplay: Since I wasn't a fan of GTA4 I can't compare it to that. What I can compare it to is RDR and Mass Effect (1 and 2) which are games I enjoy. There are a lot of shooting segments in this came, and while I think how you take cover and shoot are awkward, I can still say shooting segments are fun (you can adjust aiming help and other aspects of shooting in the options area.)
You can shoot a variety of weapons in this game (shotguns, machine guns, pistol, rifle), but you don't upgrade them, buy ammo etc. You can reload, and enemies drop weapons you can pick up, but again, this isn't a game like the other games I mentioned where you have to worry about item management of weapons, healing items, etc. Your item management, if I can even call it that, comes in the form of evidence you've collected at the scene (crime scene, home, etc) or evidence that someone has given you.
Like ME, this is a conversation driven game. You talk to people, ALOT, and what you tell them and what they tell you can make or break your case. However, unlike ME, the choice of "morality" doesn't really exist. You're a "good guy" so you can't draw your gun and blap people like you would in RDR or GTA 4. Moreover, if you run someone over and tear shit up, it will cause your case rating to go down. So like I said in another post, if you are looking for the type of freedom provided in RDR or GTA4, this is NOT the game for you.
What you say, how quick you get to a scene, and in which order you go to a scene can dictate what clues you get and who you speak with. So talk to EVERYONE you can encounter and make sure you plot your course before you go to a location to speak with someone because it could cause you to miss out on something.
This game doesn't give a fuck who is locked up. Someone is going to get locked up and why they get locked up is up to you. This is more about the journey to get to point A to B and no so much about the results even though you'll be given results/grades in the form of stars. For me, all my cases have been 4 stars, so I can see this game has a ton of replay value (especially with the extra missions from preordering and the DLC that is on the way.)
There are a lot of items to collect in this game like movie reels and hidden cars and you get EXP for finding new landmarks. You level up your badge and the more EXP you get, the more unlockables like suits, intuition points and hidden cars you can get. Speaking of cars, all the vehicles drive differently and you can have your partner drive for the most part. However, choosing to let your partner drive will cause you to miss out on landmarks and street cases, so you probably want to do the driving yourself.
Speaking of street cases, for those of you who have played RDR, the street cases are like the side missions and random encounters in that game. They are small set pieces designed to break the monotony and can be in the form of tracking down a robber to shooting it out with a cop killer. You don't have to do the street cases but again, they yield EXP which helps you out with intuition.
So what is intuition? Basically it is a life saver or helper that removes an option when you're interrogating someone. Moreover, intuition can also be used at a crime scene to highlight all pieces of evidence. You don't get a lot of intuition in this game because you have to rank up so it's best to save it when you're really stumped in an interrogation and you lack evidence. And this reminds me, DON'T select "lie" unless you are sure you have the evidence to back it up. Sometimes the body language and facial expressions don't give you the clues you need but if you have the evidence to support the accusation (and the RIGHT evidence) you'll earn that checkmark instead of the "x."
Remember, this game is about the story and the main element of game play is the conversations you have with people. The shooting and driving are elements that enhance the story and main game play element, but make no mistake about it, asking questions, getting answers, listening to people, etc is the meat of this game. It’s a different experience than the games I’ve mentioned and certainly does have that R*vibe that the company is known for (even though they published the game and didn’t actually make it.)
In closing, as you all know I only do PLAY or PASS and I can definitely say this is a PLAY. If you can gamefly it or buy it used do so because you will enjoy the campaign if you’re looking for something with elements from Heavy rain, RDR/GTA 4 and the ME series. Pass on it if you’re looking for something exactly like those titles or with the freedom of R*’s previous titles because that isn’t what this game is about. MP isn’t what this game is about, so if you want a strong SP game that is lengthy with a good story, PLAY this game.
BTW, if anyone is still sitting on the fence and want to know specifics, just ask away and I’m sure others and myself will be able to answer your questions. However, I’m not going to answer any questions that may potentially lead to spoilers.
Oh yeah, if you want the game as difficult as possible, turn off the musical clues/chimes, turn off aiming assist and anything that will help you when it comes to shooting and play the game with the black and white option.
wow..this game NEEDS to be played in black and white. as a fan of noir and detective films from that period this is sick
edit.
MOTHERFUCKER...i knew what would be shed to light would be shed to light..sucks you cant just go around acusing people..then again that would be half the game lost i guess..
edit.
MOTHERFUCKER...i knew what would be shed to light would be shed to light..sucks you cant just go around acusing people..then again that would be half the game lost i guess..
