"L.A. Noire" is a game that will entertain just about anyone, but it's also in need of some improvements.
Concept:
Thinking back to even my earliest days of gaming, I don't recall ever playing a game that is anything like "L.A. Noire". I've played the occasional "investigation" type of game, but this is a completely different experience. You play as Cole Phelps, a detective for the L.A.P.D. The story takes you through the streets of L.A., solving various types of crimes, as well as leveling your character up. Progression through each main story case also progresses the story and promotes/demotes your level in the police department. But what "L.A. Noire" specifically does (that has never been done before) is let you handle the crimes the way you please. Every time you are put on a case, there is interrogation that takes place. This can be people that may have witnessed what happened, suspects, family members, etc. Depending on clues that you have found at the crime scene, your detective notebook will produce a series of questions that you will then interrogate someone with. The fun part of it is that the people that you are questioning aren't always being truthful. It is your job to figure out whether they are or not, using body language/story inconsistencies. You have three options - truth, doubt, or lie. If you believe someone is being honest about something, you choose "truth". If they were really telling the truth, then it is likely that you would then get more key information out of it. Using "doubt" is just taking the instinctual route (for whatever reasons you may have). You are only supposed to choose the "lie" option if there is a secondary piece of information that you have gathered. Once used, your notebook opens up to the clues that have been collected throughout the case. If one of them contradicts what the suspect may be saying, you can call them out on it, and they will end up cracking and spilling valuable information out. But choosing the wrong options is also potentially bad. You could get the completely wrong idea of what really happened in a case simply because of poor honesty judgment during interrogation. It could cause you to get the entire case completely wrong, and put the wrong guy in jail. That's the great thing about "L.A. Noire". It is completely dependent on the way you handle to the game. Just knowing that the outcome of situations relies so heavily on you is very satisfying. With that said, however, the game's actual story doesn't change, and it's a boring one too. I won't spoil anything (even though there's not much TO spoil), but it's just not very intriguing. Rockstar made the game's style the main source of effort. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it could've been more even.
Graphics and Sound:
"L.A. Noire"suffers from horrendous amounts of bugs, glitches, and frame-rate issues. While this was a problem for Rockstar's past experiments, this is by far the worst, and it really affects the experience. There are too many to start listing off, but be prepared for the annoyances. With that said though, the game's entire presentation is an absolute winner when you look past those issues. It is absolutely beautiful, first of all. It is so detailed at ever corner of the game. It's ridiculous. The character models are beyond amazing (even better than I expected with the new technology Rockstar is using), and the voice-acting that goes along with each character is just as realistic. Facial expressions and the vibe you get from people talking are key to interrogations, and it was ensured that this was done well. In those respects, this is one of the best games ever. Along with these key elements, the game's soundtrack is also very good. The radio stations have the Rockstar comedy hidden in it, but it's also full of legitimate music from the 40's. The orchestral score during crimes and crime scene investigations are also spot-on. They are drenched in the emotion that the game needs. Simply put, "L.A. Noire" is beautiful to the ears and eyes.
Gameplay:
The game's style of play, like I said, is revolutionary. It works brilliantly, and feels so natural. But exploring the city and driving of vehicles feels totally faulty in my opinion. Cars don't control the way they should, and dealing with the frame-rate drops once you hit a certain speed can be unbearable at times. As long as you pick this game up for the right reasons and are able to look past its faults, the gameplay should entertain you for a long time. The way that it plays out also adds to game's overall replay value. Maybe you weren't satisfied with the way you solved a case. You can simply choose what case to restart from the menu, and take a completely different route. In that sense, the game is utterly addictive. At the same time, though, don't expect much in the freedom/sandbox department that Rockstar is so well-known for adding to each game they release. In addition to the game's consistent hiccups, it's also a game that doesn't allow much freedom. Doing things outside of the investigations are extremely limited, and never very satisfying. Other than driving around and exploring certain landmarks and finding collectibles throughout the city, there's not much you are allowed to do. It's disappointing to a degree, but it was made this way so that the detective stuff could be a huge focus.
Overall Opinion:
Is "L.A. Noire" an incredible, genre-breaking game? Yes. It brings so many new ideas to the plate, that it just leaves you so pumped up for a follow-up game. At the same time, that's also part of the problem. The game leaves you craving a lot more polishing. It can, and will, be done correctly, but the issues leave you in suspense. I can see why some people are calling this one of the best games ever, but I feel a bit fooled. The game needs more freedom, a better story, a wider variety of cases, and a lot less bugs. These are all fixable things, and it's just a bit disappointing that the game lacks these things. Still, I can only imagine that a sequel to this game will redefine games forever. I mean that. There is a lot of potential here, and there's no question in my mind that Rockstar will deliver in the long-run. It's far from a perfect experience, but it's a decent execution of a simply incredible idea. The sky is the limit for the Noire series. That's why I'm giving this game a very solid 8.5/10.
The Good:
Incredible graphics; fantastic sound; revolutionary game mechanics; emotional/involving case solving; brilliant ideas
The Bad:
Lack of freedom; ridiculous amount of bugs; poor overall story; not enough variety; repetition