L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire is on my personal Game of the Year list. The game appeals to me on so many levels and delivers on the same that overlooking the occasional graphical glitch and annoyance with some of the chases is easy. I'm really looking forward to what Team Bondi comes up with next to fill-out this already fantastic world.

L.A. Noire is not a game for everyone. For those expecting a GTA style experience then you may be disappointed with the outcome. However if your open to a new experience then this is one game that you shouldn't miss.

L.A. Noire is an intelligent game with stellar acting, game changing technology and a cast of memorable characters. It's also Rockstar Games' most refined product, making it one of the best games this high profile company has ever published.

If we were being super critical, L.A. Noire can feel a little repetitive – and slightly linear – at times.

If gaming's holy grail is a thousand stories, well told, L.A. Noire might be the first to come within spitting distance.

A defining moment in video games on this generation, and more than just because of its use of MotionScan technology. The free-roaming genre has become a little stale in recent years, yet LA Noire manages to inject a renewed sense of vigour to the scene and capably demonstrates that video games don't have to be just about your trigger skills.

L.A. Noire is a bold release, because it defies the expectations not just for the type of game Rockstar usually releases, but also for the type of game that receives this degree of care and proficiency in its execution. The world already has enough open-world action games, but a game which marries that open world to such a methodical style of gameplay, with a budget this big, is a rare thing indeed.

This is vastly different from the countless first- and third-person shooters and all the "me too" open-world games sitting on store shelves. All the things I've only read about in Dashiell Hammett novels, or seen in film classics like Double Indemnity, have all come to interactive life in L.A. Noire.

There's something entrancing about the way this game plunges you into the violence, the corruption, and the sadness of post-war Los Angeles. Each of the four major desks has a remarkably different tone, and while the slow reveal of Phelps himself is the major narrative thread, it's equally true to say the dark heart of the city itself is an equally important protagonist.

It's a bold, cinematic step forward in a genre that's dying for innovation, and its implementation of the MotionScan technology is truly a game-changer.

Fabulous writing, a distinct and stylized noir setting (including a soundtrack that's just begging to be put on your MP3 player) along with the both balanced and intriguing investigative gameplay makes for a journey that no gamer should miss.

L.A. Noire is still a video game at heart, and an excellent one at that, but it feels like it's more than that. It has almost reinvented a few genres while at the same time providing something entirely new and different.

Not for the faint-hearted, L.A. Noire rarely pulls punches when discussing (or indeed showing) the victims of some truly horrific crimes, from paedophilia and rape to arson and cold-blooded murder – but it's well presented in a tasteful and mature manner, meaning it's less about baiting the Daily Mail and more about creating a unique, captivating experience. By turns disturbing, idling and utterly compelling, L.A. Noire is a triumph for Team Bondi and Rockstar that will no doubt earn the latter yet another nomination for Game of the Year. All things considered, they deserve it too.

On paper, LA Noire sounds like an open-world sandbox fused with an interactive movie, but in truth, it's so much more. It's groundbreaking, effortlessly engaging and utterly sublime. To miss playing LA Noire would be a heinous crime. Simply put, it's a work of unbridled genius.

Though it may be thin on the extracurricular activities, Cole Phelps' journey from flatfoot to crime-buster is the interactive equivalent of a good whodunit book. Once it begins, you won't be able to put it down.

Overall, L.A. Noire is an absolutely amazing title. The development team over at Team Bondi and Rockstar have hit a homerun here and have set the bar for any future titles in this genre.

LA Noire is a very special adventure. An interactive thriller with interrogations, detective sources, charismatic characters and a great plot that make it into one of the best games of this generation.

From the multi-threaded plot down to the variety of suits Cole wears, LA Noire has an unmistakable charisma about it - it's a fantastic game. A few anomalous missteps hold it back from being 'the next big thing', but if it was perfect to begin with they'd have nowhere to grow. As it is now, I really want to see what Team Bondi do next.

Rockstar has excelled in producing a truly innovative title that sets the high-tide mark for inquisitive gamers looking for a real challenge. It's not to be missed.

It is not perfect, and each player will find his own vices and virtues, but we don't remember many projects with such ambition that comes so close to perfection.

L.A. Noire is a revolution in videogaming, both in technological and narrative terms. Its peculiar structure won't make it accessible to everyone though, as the more action oriented players will have to comprehend its sometimes cryptic and episodic structure to fully appreciate the mix. It's still largely recommended to every player out there, since ignoring it would mean losing a fundamental step forward for videogaming as a rich and noble entertainment form.

There will no doubt be some gamers taken aback by the amount of listening required and lack of control in L.A. Noire. It's a certainty that a large amount of the public could be expecting a GTA clone set in the 40's, and they may be disappointed by the result. Enter L.A. Noire with an open mind and readiness to experience something you've never experienced in gaming before and there's something special waiting for you.

Los Angeles is the perfect playground for all the freaks, creeps, thugs, and murderers you could want to see in a morally ambiguous game, and Noire doesn't pull any punches with its blunt and often graphic depiction. L.A. Noire isn't a perfect game, but it does represent a new benchmark both for realism in the medium as well as for the adventure genre.

Truly this is the most mature game that Rockstar has been a part of. In the end it is something that will go down in history as one of the most innovative games of our time, and for good reason. You are simply supposed to have this game in your collection, if you consider yourself a gamer by any definition of the word.

The presentation is staggering, even managing to make Mafia II look second-rate. It really all comes together in a complete package that no one should missed; and that, folks, is case closed.

If you're thinking about picking up a copy of L.A. Noire (and I recommend that you do), don't judge it as you would other third-person, open-world games. It's not trying to be a new GTA, Red Dead or Saint's Row. It's not about action, it's about investigating. It's not about changing the course of history, it's about experiencing a history. It's not about random encounters, it's about planning, watching and reading encounters. That may not sound like many people's cup of tea at first, but stick with it and you'll reap the rewards.

While the 360 version will not be remembered as a graphic masterpiece, the game should continue to be lauded for what it truly is - An innovative stepping stone into the next generation of strategic gaming.

All in all, an absolute treat for the eyes and the ears... that is if you can stomach the content. Anyone interested in L.A. Noire must understand that this is a game for an adult audience. The grisly crime scenes can be very off-putting to some, and considering the subject matter of the game is to solve serial killings and clean up a town notorious for being the Sodom & Gomorrah of the era, players should know what they are getting into beforehand. The dialogue is also quite strong and this title may actually be the first video game title to use a specific acronym for "see you next Tuesday" so liberally (or at all).

A few ill-judged action sequences, occasional leaps of logic during the interrogations and some gunplay that just about scrapes through on the positive side of functional prevent this from being a stone cold classic in the same way Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption are. But if they're A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this is surely Rockstar's Return of the Jedi – not the best of the bunch, but still loads better than most of the other stuff out there. Highly recommended.

Team Bondi did a wonderful job of creating an enjoyable game that takes interactive storytelling to a new level. The production values and graphics are up there with Heavy Rain, but the gameplay is more appealing to longtime gamers.

The ending lets it down. The most intriguing story arc ends midway through, leaving a grander but less interesting twist to play out in an endgame that ties off the story in a clumsy and unsatisfying fashion. It's an ignoble end to a game that works so hard to keep you involved, but it doesn't stop the journey being a fascinating one, and something that manages to feel like an entirely fresh experience.

Though its gameplay is less successful or interesting than its presentation, LA Noire definitely advances the art of digital storytelling.

Team Bondi and Rockstar have made something completely unique and appealing. Los Angeles is full of bad guys and finding them may not always be that difficult. It is however always fun to do so. Making L.A. Noire a truly inspirational game that will last for hours.

It's engaging, thoughtful, mature and currently one of a kind. Unless you're the type who only looks for quick, dumb action from their video games I'd recommend this to just about anyone.

LA Noire is the type of game we jump up and down over - full of story and style and oozing playability and charm. Unfortunately the single, awkward mechanic of the interrogations mars what could have been a flawless recreation of a classic genre.

Many people have been expecting L.A. Noire to be Rockstar's answer for Mafia II. They are bound do be disappointed - the games don't have much in common. Team Bondi's game is a detective story, a new generation of adventure games, an original, unusual and extremely absorbing product. I had the best time playing L.A. Noire. I grew to like Cole Phelps and was glad to help him fight evil lurking in dark corners of The City of Angels, especially that each case was interesting and intriguing on its own.

L.A. Noire offers an experience that will not be quickly forgotten with a cast of characters that will be remembered fondly after the credits roll.

L.A. Noire isn't perfect, and some flaws even in core gameplay mechanics, like the interrogation system, keep it from being e real masterpiece. But thanks to the great advancements made in performance and storytelling, it's a must buy for every lover of story-driven titles.

We wanted to start it again as soon as we'd finished it, which should tell you a lot about L.A. Noire's quality. In the ways that matter it's genuinely excellent. [Issue#72, p.74]

It's hard to remember anything so avant-garde as L.A. Noire. Team Bondi puts forth some truly amazing gameplay concepts as to what balance between graphic adventures and action games in the future should be.

L.A. Noire is a fascinating interactive thriller that will suck you in with its story. With its fresh gameplay, L.A. Noire stands out from many other games that lack this kind of innovation.

The cooperation between developer Team Bondi and publisher Rockstar led to an amazing final product, in which characters and plot twists take centre stage, with MotionScan as the director. Of course it includes action in the form of fire fights and chase sequences, but L.A. Noire should be played for its atmosphere, many intrigues and the fact that you can get wonderfully caught up in that web.

There are few games that I would attribute the word "important" to, but L.A. Noire is one of them. As long as you're not married to the idea of a balls-out action game coming from Rockstar, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

It's good to see the company broaden its horizons more and more; L.A. Noire plays its tropes well, and it's a fine exploration of the crime-adventure genre's flip side.

Brilliant storytelling mixed with stunning graphics and gripping interrogations make L.A. Noire somewhat of a modern classic.

The content isn't much more graphic than your average TV cop drama (apart from the occasional nudity), but it's heavy subject matter for a game, and Noire plays it surprisingly straight, with very little of the wry humor that characterizes most Rockstar releases.

You really should play L.A. Noire: it's an adult, interesting and engrossing experience that deserves your attention as well as your money.

One of the most important games I've ever played.

A stunning technical achievement but also an evolutionarily leap in adult storytelling and intelligent action gameplay.

LA Noire is the next step in the process that is blending movies and videogames. Players don't interact with characters, but with digital actors, admiring the most thrilling and exciting screenplay ever created for a videogame.

L.A. Noire's absorbing investigations and intoxicating sense of style make it an unforgettable journey through the seamy side of the City of Angels.

A disappointing level of freedom then, a choice of either hand-holding or hardcore clue hunting and a typical Rockstar lull in the middle is what holds L.A Noire back from being absolute genius. Thankfully the experience, the story and the characters do more than enough to entertain during the simpler gameplay points in a way that no game has previously.

L.A. Noire feels and plays like an attempt at doing what Uncharted did in regards to Indiana Jones, in translating its genre of crime drama to video games. Despite its flaws and the one game-freezing glitch I ran into, it's worthwhile to explore the detailed city streets that might as well be a time capsule from the 1940s. Although this ambitious combination open-world adventure with complicated cases fell flat at times, Rockstar has certainly laid down a solid base for games like L.A. Noire to grow from.

At times, L.A. Noire is one of the most vivid, gripping game experiences I've had. Other times, it can be plain boring. As in much noir fiction, the truth lies in the gray area between those two extremes. It's an adventure I won't soon forget, filled with characters as fascinating as they are flawed – a bit like the game itself.

Presents an insanely detailed world and a game unlike any you've played before. [Aug 2011, p.96]

L.A. Noire is something different, something new, sometimes frustrating, but an experience not yet seen in any other game.

You will get fresh gameplay and a beautiful Los Angeles in the 1940s. Sometimes the interviews in the cases are really difficult to master.

L.A. Noire is a new breed of adventure game. It's quality and scale completely eclipse even the most important achievements in this genre and I strongly recommend it as the best interactive detective story of all time. [June 2011, p.52]

L.A. Noire may have a handful of gameplay faults, but overall, it's an incredibly engrossing experience you won't want to miss out on.

L.A. Noire superbly reproduces classic film noir, and combines great new gameplay ideas with groundbreaking technology and smart designs.

In spite of its flaws, L.A. Noire is still easy to recommend based on its incredible presentation and new take on the old adventure genre. The blemishes likely won't be enough to dissuade many from trying the experience. Rockstar also gets points for making a game where "mature" means more than a rating on the box, as it delivers a deeper experience than we may have come to expect from most games. L.A. Noire isn't the company's best offering, but it's still definitely worthy of your time.

L.A. Noire is a grand and technically superior game, and possibly a bit too big for its own good. whilst there's no denying that you'll be hooked into the story and intrigued by the presentation, the gameplay perhaps lets the overall experience down.

L.A. Noire may not reach the emotional heights of a game like Heavy Rain, but it's something everyone must try out. It reaches high and almost succeeds as a brilliant new type of video game narrative.

For all the attention to detail and convincing immersion during the investigation and questioning-the bulk of the main storyline-there are inevitable moments that pull you back out. You'll earn experience as you do well, which pops up on the side of the screen to indicate how close you are to your next rank. There's nothing like virtual points adding to an arbitrary numbered rank to remind you that you're playing a video game.

The bottom line is that like the world of "L.A. Noire" itself, the game is neither black nor white; it has its grey areas and it's up to the gamer him or herself to determine how those grey areas affect their playing experience.

In many ways it feels ahead of its time and once this technology becomes accepted as an industry standard, L.A. Noire will no longer feel as significant. Until then, it's a testament to Rockstar's ability to create characteristically rich worlds with top-notch production values and is also a pretty good homage to film-noir.

Despite some technical hiccups and a slow story, L.A. Noire challenges the way you think about how great games can and perhaps should be made. It is undeniably interesting and shouldn't be passed up.

L.A. Noire is a superb adventure game soaked in the atmosphere of the post-WW II Los Angeles. The stocky storyline is held back only by minor gameplay issues, and Team Bondi created the first Rockstar game in which you don't mind whether you fire a gun or not. At all.

A huge production that might be one of the greatest game worlds ever with amazing soundtrack and fantastic animations. But under the extremely well-polished surface hides a somewhat broken control and a very linear and too-prolonged experience.

Yes, it's flawed, but L.A. Noire is an honest-to-goodness detective crime thriller - a genuine breath of fresh air that values narrative and story above all else in an age where scripted action sequences and online deathmatch rule the day. It's the closest thing Xbox has to PlayStation's unique adventurer Heavy Rain.

And though the final hours are somewhat trite and contrived in the way they weave seemingly unrelated threads together, L.A. Noire won't be remembered for its slightly disappointing finale – it'll be remembered for its pioneering technology, its adept fusion of genres and the respect and talent with which it opens a window on the past.

If you want a period piece action-adventure with a great story then Mafia II is still the game of choice. If you prefer a slower-paced game that requires you to collect evidence to fill your notebook then subsequently check off those items in your notebook one by one, either through travel or intense conversations, then L.A. Noire is the game for you. Loaded with style but short on substance, L.A. Noire is definitely worth checking out, if only to witness the best facial mo-cap in gaming history, but you can do that with a rental.

Nonetheless, LA Noire is a success story. Over its 20-hour-plus length, it cuts a cross-section through the moral, social and geographical landscape of a city that carefully treads the line between a plausible '40s LA and the morally bankrupt City of Angels found in hardboiled fiction.

L.A. Noire is undoubtedly a foray into a new kind of adventure game, and most specifically of investigation games. Beyond the technology, which is not perfect but still breathtaking, its a brilliant example of actors' talent and humanity, both at the service of gameplay. With polished writing and a tight plot, and well-described atmosphere, it's easy to overlook some of its shortcomings in order to dream of the future it gives a glimpse of. A title that we'll remember years from now.

There's not enough actual game underneath the lavish setting and interactive movie trappings to elevate LA Noire to the heights reached by GTA, and the crime scene formula soon loses some of its shine.

In attempting to ape the triumphs of another medium, it overlooks the triumphs of its own. The result is disappointing game, but an impressive interactive experience.

L.A. Noire is a game you should play, if for no other reason than to experience how one game can be both brilliant and yet relentlessly tedious.

One thing I need to say before I forget her: this was an adventure title through and through. On the outside one might get a glimpse and think "She's just like the girl down the street, Grand Theft Auto", but make no mistake: this here dame shares more in common with a point-and-click title more than any other genre.

While it feels like it falls short of its potential, it provides a solid enough foundation that can be developed on and improved in future titles, and is still one of the most wildly innovative and daring experiences to be released this year.

Quotation forthcoming.

Look past the glitz of technical achievements, richly designed sets, ostensibly interactive environments, and you will see the real L.A. Noire – a vapid adventure with a hole-ridden plot, a boring unsympathetic hero, and rough stitches in places where content should be.