LA Noire: Review - The Good and The Bad

                               L.A. Noire, recently released last 5/17/11, is a dark and violent crime thriller set against the backdrop of 1940s Los Angeles. It utilizes a revolutionary new facial animation technology. Noire blends the breathtaking action of chases and shootouts with true detective work including interrogations and clue-finding, as newly-minted officer Cole Phelps embarks on a desperate search for truth in a city where everyone has something to hide.

Here is where I'm at. I actually just finished the game and have gotten a hold of a few vehicles, mostly the rare ones. I haven't been looking for the film reels and just half-assed the landmarks. I pre-ordered the game for the ps3 which unfortunately, because of the hack, hindered me from accessing my exclusive contents. Yeah I know it's BS, but what the heck. I'm going for 100% in game and platinum trophy to honor this game.


What's really great about this game is that it's a breath of fresh air. By that I mean the setting of the game and most especially the investigation part of the game. Finally, a game where you actually use your brain.

Let's talk about the graphics. One word, revolutionary. Yes, this IMO, sets the bar higher for future video games especially those that focuses on the story a lot. Rockstar games really made my ps3 worth buying. The graphics are perfect! Smooth, detailed, very high quality. The environment is amazing in every way. Definitely makes walking around worthwhile. There's one feature that really made me go "woooah". It's the black & white option from the pause menu under display. This gives the game a feel for the classic movies. Playing this game is like watching a movie. There are no scenes where the graphics change. There are no transitions from gameplay graphics to mini movie graphics. Why not a perfect score for graphics you say? Simple, it's not perfect. You can still see overlapping of character to character or character to objects. Some graphic glitches here and there. Fortunately, this seldom happens.


The story for the cases are outstanding. Very well thought out. It's like watching CSI except in the wrong year. It's like reading a good detective book or watching a good police investigation show/movie. Just when you think you got it all figured out, something else comes up. Twist and turns are always exciting in stories.
I don't fancy the entire story that much though. Especially the ending. What about the ending? Hmmm... I find it kind of dry for a very well written plot. The story in general is quite impressive. I'm just a little hard to please when it comes to the story.

Gameplay is excellent. Very focused on investigation and on problem solving. There are shootouts, car chases, tailing a suspect, and on foot chases. My favorite would be the on foot chases and tailing the suspect. Maybe the latter just gets my juice flowing. There are also a great deal of interrogations which I enjoy a lot. There are 3 options in the interrogation part. Truth, lie, and doubt. I'll be talking about these things in my next post so keep posted.

I only have one problem with this game though. Where's the multiplayer mode? I'm talking about something similar to Red Dead Redemption's online multiplayer mode. Yes the story, graphics, and single player modes are great, but my $60.00 felt like it didn't get what it deserved.

Overall I'm quite disappointed. After finishing the story what do you do? Collect boring 100 reels? Yeah, 100! They made it a hundred just to extend playing time. It's my fault not researching about the game entirely. I was just too excited I guess. I wouldn't have recommended this game to my past self if I only knew.

I give this game a 6.7 due to the lack of modes in the game. If it only had a simple online game with the likes of RDR's multiplayer online, I would've added 3 more to the score.

Don't hesitate to comment. peace!!!