First our friends Down Under gave us Crocodile Dundee, then the HQ Network and SID/AID, now they've done it again with L.A. Noire. This mind tickler of a game meets and even exceeds expectations.
Picture yourself a war vet in the 1940s and new to the force. A cop with ambition, an honest cop a good cop, and a city briming with crime. Think you have what it takes to be the rising star? The new face of the LAPD?
The Good
First thing I noticed was the excellent crisp graphics and the era appropriate surroundings. With fluid cut scenes and exceptinal sound from a purely media wise perspective Rockstar has a winner. The patrolman/training level gets you well prepared for whats in store as a detective. And unlike many games it wasnt an exceedingly long and boring training level but rather it hooked me and made me anticipate what was in store. The driving control is quite nice and I give Rockstar props since I drive like a drunken monkey in video games and found the controls quite responsive. You can even make your partner play Jeeves and chauffer you around town. The fighting is also a nice touch, and doesnt require thumb crippling button mashing like many games Ive seen. The side missions are a nice touch. And finaly the interrogations are a beautiful addition and very fun, think you can spot the liar?
The Bad
I noticed when going up ladders or through doorways in pursuit of a suspect the controls can be overly sensitive and/or non-responsive. The game is slightly repetitive and strikes me as a one play wonder type of game. Also I kind of have an issue with allowing you to keep redoing the same case unti you get it right.
If you blow a case or your first interrogation it should put you back a step or two. The other thing I realy didnt like was the fact you can crash your car multiple times with no sign of damage, just a small thing but an issue none the less. And finaly anyone whos seen the movie LA Confidential will have noticed there are a number of parts that look suspiciously like they were poached from the movie.
The Ugly
There have been reports of LA Noire freezing and even crashing 360's and PS3s. Also it appears Rockstar released a bad batch of discs as there is a long list of people on the Rockstar support forums complaining about defective DVDs. Personaly Ive had no issue with my discs nor have I experienced any freezes or crashes.
Conclusion
Overal I would have to say this is a game worth buying. Its the first since Resident Evil 5 that sucked me in and had me going for 6 hours non stop. The good certainly outweighs the bad and hopefuly the issue behind the freezeing will be identified and addressed by Rockstar in the near future. The graphics, gameplay,
uniqueness and accurate period portrayal could qualify this as Rockstars best game yet. But there is one mystery left unsolved....Why you are reading this review and not playing LA Noire
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SPPV
- May 17, 2011 (US)
- May 20, 2011 (EU)
- Jul 7, 2011 (JP)
8.6
