L.A. Noire

If this game doesnt win game of the year ill eat my 1940's trilby.

Wow, the first moment I heard some of that sexy noire music I knew that I would love this game. Its totally brilliant, not for the younger genertaion and i even think that the older teens and early 20's wont fully appreciate this game, its deffiantley aimed at an older generation or a younger generation (like me, being M23yrs) that can appreciate the work, style, feel and gameplay of LA Noire.

Its a very lenghty game and not for people who dont have a lot of gaming time as some of the case's can take a few hours and its not just that they take so long but you wont want to walk away from your tv until youve caught the crim, very intersting and gripping game.

My only fault with the game is that there isnt much to do while not on a case, yes i know your a cop so duh what else would you be doing. But I kinda feel that with the size of LA, the detail in the game and how much work has obviously gone into creating it, I dont want to finish the main story and have nothing left to do. Personally I would of like to have seen a bit more customisation eg, BUYING your new suits and maybe choosing your car from a garage and choosing your weapons and equipment from the guy in the cop shop who looks after everyting, (you know what i mean). Now this may be included in some DLC but as it stands youve got this huge open world and only 2 things to do, the main story or the side missions (which are just other case's) I know its not GTA but it deffinatley needs some of its older brothers elements, eg clothes shops etc. Just something small to pass the time before you take on another GIANT case. But I suppose with you playing a cop ( a good cop) he's not going to be driving around looking for hookers and people to drive-by.lol Although Im sure Rockstar/Bondi will have better ideas than me for what they can add to the game. But that is my only problem, not much to do other than the case's leaves the game feeling a little (dare i say it) EMPTY.

But still I love this game, theres nothing else like this out right now and I think it should win game of the year, not everyones cup of tea but for those who appreciate what it is you will totally love it.

Peace

Ok so I have read the reviews for the X-box and PS3 and the same common theme pops out when some people are being negative about this game - having to reload the case as you get a few questions wrong.
Let me say that picking the wrong option does not mean that you will not solve the case, it just probably means that it will take you a while. Getting the option right helps you with experience points and to unlock some secret achievements as well as giving you a STAR rating for each case.
At the end of each case it give you some clues to what you could have done.
Do not worry about reloading a case unless you want to play it again to get a better rating. This does not effect the gameplay at all.

This is an excellent game and I would recommend it to everyone.

Enjoy!

Very atmospheric game that drawers you into the various criminal investigations with some nice set pieces and gameplay touches. The graphics and character acting is superb. Only done the first dozen missions so far but its so addictive!!
Then to top it all off, you can drive around a massive map of 1940s LA a la GTA style as a cop.
Top Game, Highly Recommended xx

Positives:
I believe there wasn't a game like this until now, at least not as hyped. Interrogations are the crucial part of the game and despite some glitches they make it stand out. Challenging and unique. I like them.
Also I simply enjoyed it. It was like I was watching a good movie, not an excellent one, but one that is engaging and keeps you going.
Graphics are good, not excellent, but just the presence of the huge area and many detailed landmarks is due credit to the creators of the game.

Negatives:
Now, despite its uniqueness the game also has its downsides.

- Driving
I find it bad. Cars are pretty hard to control and honestly it is good that they introduced the ability of skipping driving parts, because I took no enjoyment whatsoever in crashing around. When it comes to crashing, I mean CRASHING. I find it silly on its own that as an LAPD cop you are able to crash around and take no responsibility for it at all, but hey, that's Rockstar and GTA habits for you. It's silly that as a policeman you can basically kill people in hit-and-run situation and disrupt the traffic so easily. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind to be able to drive at high speeds (because sensibly in such games it would be stupid to have to obey the traffic rules), but then the driving should be made easier or there should be at least some repercussions.

- Interrogation and storyline glitches
Whilst playing the story mode I have noticed some imperfections during interrogations. In some cases the reactions of people do not match their overall state of mind eg. a girl gets told that her mother is dead, but is able to maintain composure and undergo interrogation by LAPD cops without presence of a parent, how realistic.
Also the Black Dahlia Homicide part of story is very dodgy. I mean how in the world can you investigate five murders, collect stone-hard evidence against your suspects eg. finding matching bloodied rope in the slum or a bloodied knife and scalpel in the locker of a crazed salesperson and then for it to turn out that it was actually a Black Dahlia killer ? If there was a connection between the killer and all the suspects they should have included it in the game and not just throw the evidence around random people linked to the victims.

Also, I'm not the kind of person to enjoy running around a giant map unless it's actually worth something and it seems to me that the only purpose of having FILM REELS with those old noir films is exactly just to make you drive around the city to explore it. Same thing with DIFFERENT HIDDEN VEHICLES which are there for you to find, but there is nothing extra about them. I really think the developers could have come up with something a bit more original than just a way to make you do sight-seeing in order to get the trophy if you desire (and I don't). Just add something more and much more people would be interested in looking into the new cars or the old films.

And personally, I would want the game to be a bit more strict when it comes to pursuits, because too often those street crimes and pursuits end up in the death of the suspect. But again, that's just my opinion and I realise that maybe shooting those criminals adds more to the game somehow, someway.

OVERALL
I think the game was good. I enjoyed the story mode and I think it has a good potential for a sequel if Rockstar decide to create one. After all the story of the characters has not ended with the last scene and it could be continued.

Rockstar have again released a breakthrough game. I am currently just over half way through the game and have enjoyed every minute. The game doesnt seem original at first glance, playing as a detective solving crimes, but the new facial technology used introduces a whole new aspect to gaming. At first the game annoyed me a little because I messed up with a few suspects and I did replay a couple of sections however I realised I was getting nothing from the game doing this, as with anything there is a learning curve and if you bear with it and look for any facial clues in interviews and search properly for clues then you will soon become a good detective, heres a tip dont say lie unless you have concrete proof to back it up this means check every nook and cranny for clues before interviewing a suspect. Driving in games has never been my strong point but it is ok here and if you put your siren on you get away with things, you can have your partner drive if you dont want to however you will miss out on despatch calls (side missions) if you do so and these help to improve your experience level which leads to unlockables, intuition points (very useful) and bonuses. Im hoping the rest of the game is as good as what I have played so far. A warning once you start a case you will struggle to put your controller down until you have solved it. Happy gaming to you all!!