L.A. Noire

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L.A. Noire - 18/5/2011 5:07:47 PM

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Post #: 1

So far, disappointed... - 19/5/2011 8:38:08 PM

lauriedunsire

Posts: 59
Joined: 5/11/2008
From: Edinburgh, Scotland

I was really looking forward to this game, but have thus far been disappointed. I've been playing it sporadically over the last few days, but have so far failed to really get into it. Yes, there is some interesting new concepts, but so far they seem like a novelty that isn't really enhancing the game. Searching for clues has grown tiresome already, and becomes a monotonous and straightforward task. The fact you can pick up pointless things and inspect them simply adds to my annoyance. The clues are generally very obvious, and even then you are spoon fed information to progress the narrative. The interviewing suspects part is a great idea in theory, but I find it offers little so far. You only have three options (truth, lie, doubt) to react to suspect's answers, and often I find the reaction is not what I really wanted. And for some strange reason if a suspect gets upset or angry, you can't continue your interview even though you had a vital piece of incriminating evidence you wanted to go over. I must remember this if I ever happen to be arrested and interrogated. The main annoyance for me however is that it seems to matter little anyway, as even if you muck things up with your suspect the game lets you get your man anyway, just by a different means. I hoped this might at least affect the game overall, and I thought maybe it had after one botched investigation which ended with the captain saying we were going to be back on street crimes until we proved ourselves again. I thought that was pretty cool, having to go back because of the poor performance and may encourage more focus on how you treat suspects. But no, it simply skipped to the next cutscene when he was giving us our next homicide case and talking about the last one as if we performed admirably. The street crimes also feel very repetitive, fire-fights are too simple to come out on top and chasing suspects becomes too much of a commom occurence, as is again too easy - as simply holding down R2 (Run) and staying in line with your target is all that is required to come out on top.

Don't get me wrong, I think the game is good. And I HAVE only played for 4/5 hours. The graphics are smashing, and the facial animation and lip movement is REALLY impressive. I just find so far the clue finding and evidence gathering is spoon fed and more of a novelty than an enhancement, and the game doesn't seem challenging enough.

< Message edited by lauriedunsire -- 19/5/2011 8:43:24 PM >

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Post #: 2

An Instant Classic... - 21/5/2011 9:38:30 PM

filmfanatic123

Posts: 144
Joined: 22/9/2009
From: Arse End of Nowhere.

I picked the game up on release day (Friday for me), and when I got home I immediately began playing, and immediately felt like I was the detective.
Rockstar, in case you don't know, have a ph phenomenal track record charting GTA and Red Dead Redemption as their best efforts, in my opinion and so, I must admit, I approached this game with trepidation, fearing that it wouldn't stand up to it's predecessors.
Oh,how wrong I was.
The facial animation technology is more than groundbreaking, it is the single best thing to happen to video games since their invention. It breaks the mold and makes you feel as though you are playing a movie.
The plot is grisly, yes, but the way that it is done is sensational.
Even though I haven't finished it, L.A. Noire is the best game to grace my 360 all year.

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Post #: 3

Good but not great! - 22/5/2011 11:37:57 AM

tallaght24

Posts: 734
Joined: 20/2/2007

I played this for 7 hours solid, and what started out as promising , quickly dovetailed into repetitiveness. It's the same process. Attend crime scene, inspect crime scene, interview witness, attend another scene, chase suspect, interrogate suspect, arrest suspect...rinse and repeat. The story is predictable, and shows it's hand too early, leaving you to complete the rest of the game out of obilgation, or because you spunked £40 quid on it, I can't remember. The 3 disc thing is also very decieving, it's not that big of a game. It's only 3 discs because of the astounding detail in the game. A missed oppurtunity!

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Post #: 4

RE: Good but not great! - 24/5/2011 4:32:35 PM

bobjacks1

Posts: 1
Joined: 24/5/2011

I have to disagree with the above poster, loving the game so far. Not finding it repetitive at all, if your going into it just to play a game and enjoy the gameplay then I can understand a little why it might be repetitive, but its the story that keeps things fresh! New characters, new plots and new people to bust in every case, honestly the level of detail and the quality of the acting and voice work is oustanding, its like watching a movie.

Gameplay is good, has that similar red dead type feel to the controls and combat, but thats a good thing. The on foot chase scenes are a lot of fun, and look like something lifted straight out of a detective movie. And there seems to be tons to do, im currently only on on 3/40 side missions so far (you answer them as radio responses on your police radio and then head off to them).

Honestly there is no other game out there like this, if theres any game to get the medium of video games more respected and viewed as a genuine form of interactive story telling and entertainment rather than 'toys' or an immature past time, THIS is the game to do it.

Brilliant.

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Post #: 5

RE: Good but not great! - 24/5/2011 5:39:07 PM

lauriedunsire

Posts: 59
Joined: 5/11/2008
From: Edinburgh, Scotland

quote:

ORIGINAL: bobjacks1

I have to disagree with the above poster, loving the game so far. Not finding it repetitive at all, if your going into it just to play a game and enjoy the gameplay then I can understand a little why it might be repetitive, but its the story that keeps things fresh! New characters, new plots and new people to bust in every case, honestly the level of detail and the quality of the acting and voice work is oustanding, its like watching a movie.

Gameplay is good, has that similar red dead type feel to the controls and combat, but thats a good thing. The on foot chase scenes are a lot of fun, and look like something lifted straight out of a detective movie. And there seems to be tons to do, im currently only on on 3/40 side missions so far (you answer them as radio responses on your police radio and then head off to them).

Honestly there is no other game out there like this, if theres any game to get the medium of video games more respected and viewed as a genuine form of interactive story telling and entertainment rather than 'toys' or an immature past time, THIS is the game to do it.

Brilliant.

A lot of people certainly do love LA Noire and what it offers, and there will always be divided opinion on games and films. Personally, I just didn't find it very gripping. I'm quite fussy with games these days, but I really liked Heavy Rain and the narrative development and consequence aspect. Red Dead was also fantastic, but I just found LA Noire a disappointment. It all seemed a little too easy and straightforward gameplay wise, if I'd found the story more engrossing that may have countered it but it just wasn't for me.

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Post #: 6

I've Got What I wanted...Almost - 5/6/2011 1:19:53 AM

MarkOhMighty

Posts: 1
Joined: 14/11/2010

L.A. Noire is one of the most anticipated games of this year, and it totally deserves to be. Rockstar's crime epic is not for everyone, but it definitely delivers on slick and stylish story, some great performances and solid gameplay. The first half of the game plays like a dream. Those of you who love movies (for real) will notice some references to classic noir films which makes you want to watch them again. The new motion capture is phenomenal (it makes other games look dated) and makes every character very believable. As most Rockstar games L.A. Noire isn't very challenging, however it makes you think about your actions unlike GTA or RDR. My only problem with this game is the fact that there isn't much freedom. The missions feel slightly to linear and your choices do not change story as much as you would hope for. But it is a very original game and also a first of it's kind so some flaws are acceptable. However the lack of freedom is mostly felt during a free roam mode where you have no option to go on a rampage. I know that Team Bondi has said that the game is not trying to be GTA and that it is completely different, but that is not true (to me). Yes, some missions feel nothing like GTA or RDR, however the overall feeling of the game still reminds us of old school open world. I understand that your character is a 'good guy' and shooting people for no reason would not make sense, however it is still a sandbox game. If the story mode would not let you go on a rampage it would be fine unless that option would be included in a free roam mode. To me the idea of scraping out the free roam (when I refer to free roam I usually mean rampage) was unnecessary. But overall L.A. Noire is a fantastic experience.

< Message edited by MarkOhMighty -- 5/6/2011 1:22:54 AM >

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Post #: 7

RE: L.A. Noire - 13/6/2011 1:34:58 PM

andrewmac1

Posts: 16
Joined: 10/6/2011

I am simply in love with this movie. It got great acting and direction.

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Post #: 8

RE: L.A. Noire - 19/6/2011 5:01:34 AM

flyngryter711

Posts: 4
Joined: 15/6/2011

I think that the game does so many things right but there is so many things that can be improved. One one hand the facial animation is top notch but it looks strange next to the stiff jerky body movement. The game does get repetitive.Interviewing suspects is not as good as it could be.

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Post #: 9

A Smart And Mature Addition To Rockstar's Catalogue - 27/6/2011 5:21:43 PM

blaud

Posts: 722
Joined: 13/12/2007

There's a lot of people comparing this game's quality to other Rockstar titles (such as the GTA franchise or Red Dead Redemption). However, it is safe to say that LA Noire is as much a quality product, if not more so, as anything else Rockstar has ever published. The difference is, this is a completely unique experience, totally unlike anything ever made before. The game's slow pacing will undoubtedly turn some gamers off, and some players who love action games will be nonplussed by the game's lengthy interrogation sequences. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad. To the contrary, they're captivating. But the fact of the matter is, they're little more than cutscenes. The game itself is brilliantly atmospheric and probably one of the most polished experiences ever to hit game shop shelves. It's not perfect, however. I did notice several lapses in production values, especially later on in the game, primarily on the arson desk. AI is also sometimes a bit moronic,but this is quite rare. Voice acting is, for the most part, excellent and fits the mood perfectly. With the exception of one character, however, who sounds like he recorded his lines at knifepoint. Graphics are very sharp, and the facial motiontrack technology is astounding. Animation of the character's bodies is, unfortunately, sometimes a bit wooden, but only in the cutscenes. The ending's also something of an odd thing. But I'll leave that for now. On the whole, L.A Noire is hugely original and well worth your time as some of the cases are superb and very gripping.

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Post #: 10

RE: A Smart And Mature Addition To Rockstar's Catalogue - 5/8/2011 3:29:26 AM

hrdcrgamer

Posts: 3
Joined: 5/8/2011

I was so excited about this game ... well, that is, until I read the comments on this forum. I think I'll just rent the game instead. Thanks for all the feedback and saving me some dough.

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Post #: 11

Unique and highly addictive - 12/9/2011 9:56:03 PM

trainedasninja

Posts: 206
Joined: 25/5/2011
From: Kidderminster

Although not at the same level as Red Dead Redemption or GTA this is still a quality addition to Rockstar games. It is easy to pick faults in comparison. Whilst the crimes are highly detailed, Los Angeles itself is quite limited. The story too lacks any genuine thrills but you could admire how intelligently it has been constructed. Some of the dramatic action sequences feels artificial too considering this is set in the past and all. Yet such criticism seems totally unfair, This is highly infectious and clever gaming. Solving crimes, interviewing people is just as fun as shootouts and chases. Also, the characters are realistic and well acted. Such ambition and fresh style shoud be highly praised.

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Post #: 12