L.A. Noire

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. said:
No PC version = No buy


I might get it for the 360 one day when it's in the bargain bin but I am choosing to not support RockStar as a developer/Publisher anymore (at least paying full price for any of their games) since they no longer support me (as a PC Gamer)
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I'm with you on that principle but, like Red Dead Redemption, I'm a gamer first and I already own a PS3 so there's just no way in hell I'm going to needlessly miss out to prove some "point" that they'll never see or feel anyways. The sales on this will be fantastic same as any of their other games.

Rockstar is done with the PC as best I can tell. I don't like it, either, but it is what it is.


Like I did on GTA 4, the second they announce a PC version of any of their games, that's when the preorder goes down and the console version gets sold. But why deny myself in the mean time if there's NO other way to play a great game? I'm not going to do it.

YMMV :)




Katalysis said:
But is it, you know, fun?
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Good question.
 
The user reviews on Metacritic that are not fluff pieces or lunacy seem to have a negative view of the game.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/la-noire/user-reviews

Played it thru in 13 hours. Driving and gameplay is horrible. No replay value. The interriogatins are fun, and some of the cases are interesting and challenging others quite boring. I think Red Dead Redemption and GTA 4 are much better games. Also graphic-wise. The faces of the characters look like in a movie kind of, but it doesn´t quite support the gameplay in any way. I hate the hype about this game and how they didn´t allow early reviews yet they did release 3 reviews early all with perfect scores. Those reviews didn´t even include actual gameplay photos. It was clearly the intention by Rockstar Games to trick the general public into believing the Cutscenes are actual Gameplay. How else can you explain a review of a game with not one In-Game Screenshot? For this I rate this game 5/10 while without the hype I would have given it 6 or 7. Rent it, it´s not worth to buy as nobody would play this again. It´s a good start for a new franchise but to make L.A. Noire 2 a better or even perfect game, Rockstar has a lot of work to do.…
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dont really like this game,it has really boring gameplay,yeh the graphics are good and the technology behind it is good,but at the end of the day if the game is not fun then its not worth my time and this game was certainly not fun
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This isn't a game, it's a C-movie. There's barely any gameplay, and what's there is too easy and boring. If this is the direction gaming is going, I don't want to be there. If you want a game that relies on it's narrative play Planescape: Torment instead.
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I'll start with the game mechanics. They basically ripped the whole feel of the game including driving, walking, brawls, shooting, etcetera from the GTA engine. While this is okay, they didn't add anything new in innovative gameplay. Unless you count having your camera locked in a specific action as your character does something (searching a dead body for evidence). The cases themselves simply aren't very tough. Having played 5 hours on my 360 and 3 hours on the PS3, I can safely assume that I am out of the tutorial section of the game and that this is the difficulty the cases have. You simply gather evidence, and at first I thought this was nice, there was some dummy evidence that was useless and only meant to throw you off, but it was all scripted. It's not like they just littered the scene with things you'd find at a crime scene or a house, they made everything you can pick up there for a reason. So instead of having to cycle through hundreds of pieces of evidence or objects that I could use to extract information out of people, I basically had maybe a dozen or so items that would appear in my notebook when questioning people. I was hoping for the ability to collect thousands of useless things with only a few being of any relevance to the case and leaving me to sit down and actually THINK which piece of evidence I should use for my situation, rather it be questioning a witness or interrogating someone. The consequences are pretty limited too... I know I'm nitpicking, but this is a serious issue. What happens when you fail a case? You get thrown back to the closest check point before you messed up and failed the case. I was hoping failing a case would simply never let you replay it again in that campaign, thus making people be cautious with their actions before making sudden moves. That or they could have at least have you start over again at the beginning of the case. The witnesses and suspects are way too obvious in their emotions. It basically rolls out like this: Is he innocent? Then he'll be rational when you ask him questions. Is he not innocent? Then he'll act hostile and irrational to the slightest question you ask him. There are times when this isn't the case, but it seemed like it was too easy. Intuition points... I am nit picking now, I admit it. They're basically hint cards, and there is nothing wrong with it, but it's just that... the game is so easy. If you have any critical thinking skills, then you won't need the intuition points hardly if at all. The graphics. I know this is the icing on the cake and not anything you should grade the game on (unless it's obviously bad), but the graphics are mediocre. It looks like a game from late 2006. The cut scenes were obsessive. I simply hate cut scenes in games. They remove gameplay and any interaction you have with the scene at all. They could have at least had it scripted, because it was completely unnecessary to take ALL control away from you without letting you at least experience through your controller. They need to stop this, period. The sounds were pretty good. There are times in the game where I noticed the sound engineering at work, and I applaud them for it. It's not the greatest in terms of sound engineering, but there is clearly talent in that sector. The environment however is lacking. It's very non responsive in general. The civilians don't look up at you when you're chasing a criminal, they don't even make any acknowledgement of you unless you near run them over. This is all I can think of for this review, so I'll draw this to an end. The game was certainly a change of heart for Rockstar (they co-developed it and published it, don't you dare tell me this wasn't heavily influenced by Rockstar) and they tried venturing out into unknown territory. I'll give them a "bravo" for going beyond the medium and not simply rehasing GTA over and over, like with GTA 1911, or other wise known as Red Dead Redemption. However, they did not deliver it very well. The cases are too easy, the gameplay mechanics seem very old and not very improved upon, and it just doesn't feel like it's own game. It feels more like an expansion pack or a developers mod for GTA IV. This game will receive 10/10s from many 14 year olds, I assure you, just because it's a Rockstar publication and co-development. I almost feel like giving it a 0 to counteract the perfect scores, but I will not. A 4 seems like an appropriate grade, albeit may be viewed as a bit harsh, for this game. There was so much potential with this game, but it simply failed to bring it out.…
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That last review has only 4 out of 14 "helpfuls," which says a lot about metacritic user reviews. The biggest thing that gets me is the perfect 10 scores people are giving this and saying "ZOMG THE ART OF STORYTELLING!" Have they never read a book before? If a game has a "good for a video game" story, that means it probably has a shitty story compared to a good novel or film, so if the gameplay sucks, why bother? I really wanted to like this game, but I'm leaning toward avoiding it.
 
Did anoyhne get this from Kmart?

I got a $20 coupon with it, PLUS a free 20$ game (picked up Enslaved).
 
My biggest issue with the game is, as quoted above, the fact that when you fail, you get a do-over. In a game like this, the consequences needed to pack so much more punch than they do when you are incorrect.
That's one thing Heavy Rain has LA Noire beat hands down on. In Heavy Rain, when you fail, the game does a good job at making you aware of your failure, and you are forced to deal with it and move forward. Here, it certainly kills urgency when it should have been considered for the sake of story and setting, and it makes pacing awkward as hell.
It goes without saying that the technology behind the game is pretty amazing, and when it shines, it's brighter than the sun, but damn if it isn't hedged with samey, limited gameplay.
 
But in Heavy Rain you could do a do-over. All you had to do was replay the chapter.

LA Noire is no doubt a niche game. One I think I'll enjoy but I can see why some won't.
 
naninani said:
My biggest issue with the game is, as quoted above, the fact that when you fail, you get a do-over. In a game like this, the consequences needed to pack so much more punch than they do when you are incorrect.
That's one thing Heavy Rain has LA Noire beat hands down on. In Heavy Rain, when you fail, the game does a good job at making you aware of your failure, and you are forced to deal with it and move forward. Here, it certainly kills urgency when it should have been considered for the sake of story and setting, and it makes pacing awkward as hell.
It goes without saying that the technology behind the game is pretty amazing, and when it shines, it's brighter than the sun, but damn if it isn't hedged with samey, limited gameplay.
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Don't select the do-over option. Problem solved.



Katalysis said:
The user reviews on Metacritic that are not fluff pieces or lunacy seem to have a negative view of the game.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/la-noire/user-reviews



That last review has only 4 out of 14 "helpfuls," which says a lot about metacritic user reviews. The biggest thing that gets me is the perfect 10 scores people are giving this and saying "ZOMG THE ART OF STORYTELLING!" Have they never read a book before? If a game has a "good for a video game" story, that means it probably has a shitty story compared to a good novel or film, so if the gameplay sucks, why bother? I really wanted to like this game, but I'm leaning toward avoiding it.
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A lot of that feedback makes me think people really were expecting and/or just wanted a GTA clone set in a different time period with cops and detectives and that's simply not what this game is.

I salute Rockstar for at least trying something different instead of taking the easy way out which too many developers do: Crank out the same formula every year, maybe different coat of paint on it, sell it for full price, rinse and repeat.



http://www.destructoid.com/shipping-error-delays-l-a-noire-for-amazon-customers-201353.phtml

Heads up to any person that bought this game off of Amazon like I did. We might all be getting screwed over today via a UPS problem.
 
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K, so I really enjoyed Heavy Rain (while it lasted) and I really like the old point+click adventure games like Sam & Max, Grim Fandango, Full throttle, Phantasmagoria, etc.

If anyone else likes those kind of games - what do you think of it?
I think I'll get it anyway just because Brink is sucking already, but is it worth retail price?
 
Q-BZ said:
Don't select the do-over option. Problem solved.
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I haven't been following this game close, but this is a pretty good tip for those unaware. I'll be sure to look for that option. Thanks.
 
Domingo said:
K, so I really enjoyed Heavy Rain (while it lasted) and I really like the old point+click adventure games like Sam & Max, Grim Fandango, Full throttle, Phantasmagoria, etc.

If anyone else likes those kind of games - what do you think of it?
I think I'll get it anyway just because Brink is sucking already, but is it worth retail price?
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I think if you are a fan of those style of games you'll love it.

I am also a huge fan of classic adventure games (and tehy still make them :p) an dI'm loving it so far.

It definitely has some great cases and thing sto piece together.

As long as you don't get caught up in having to gold-star everything and redo missions along with the understanding that the story still moves along if things don't go perfect then yes, I'd recommend it to you.
 
Let me just come out and say it: this game has the best facial animations I've ever seen. Lovely proof that the consoles can provide some of the best graphical quality there is if they don't waste their time trying to push pixels and focus on the artistic design side of graphics.
 
Played about an hour of the game, so I'm still in the noobie missions. I find it pretty fun.

One strange thing is that when I brought it home and opened it, I found NBA 08 inside. Also, the DLC was missing. I purchased it at a Walmart in Ottawa, Ontario.

I had to go back to Walmart and exchange the game for another one. They opened the new box in front of me. Inside was LA Noire and the DLC.

So, my advice is that people should maybe open the game in-store. It was the first time this has ever happened to me.
 
Domingo said:
K, so I really enjoyed Heavy Rain (while it lasted) and I really like the old point+click adventure games like Sam & Max, Grim Fandango, Full throttle, Phantasmagoria, etc.

If anyone else likes those kind of games - what do you think of it?
I think I'll get it anyway just because Brink is sucking already, but is it worth retail price?
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If you liked heavy rain, you should also enjoy this game. Its not the same, but it seems to be strong in dialog, story, and crime solving. I also like Sam & Max and all the other Lucas arts adventure games, but its hard to compare those games to the modern realistic/serious adventure games.

Edit:
After playing it some more I'd same it seems like a mix of Pheonix Wright interrogation with bits of GTA. You have a case, try to collect evidence like Heavy Rain without the high tech toys and interrogate witnesses using evidence to catch them in a lie. The side quest provide mini bits of GTA style fighting and odd humor.
 
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So I played a bit tonight and definitely enjoying it so far. Love the look of the city. Love the feel of the game and the setting. Faces look great, everything looks great.

It is kinda funny how they always run.

"let me just get my things..."
 
oneils said:
Played about an hour of the game, so I'm still in the noobie missions. I find it pretty fun.

One strange thing is that when I brought it home and opened it, I found NBA 08 inside. Also, the DLC was missing. I purchased it at a Walmart in Ottawa, Ontario.

I had to go back to Walmart and exchange the game for another one. They opened the new box in front of me. Inside was LA Noire and the DLC.

So, my advice is that people should maybe open the game in-store. It was the first time this has ever happened to me.
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I bought a racing game for the PS1 from Walmart a long time ago. Instead of the game, there was some random Rap CD. The douche carefully cut the seal, and superglue the case together. I was able to exchange it, but that is the first and last time I buy games from Walmart. Their return employees don't check what they take back.
 
grendel240sx said:
Saw these pics on Neogaf, I hope the difference isn't really this bad. I ordered it for PS3 for the extra case, hope these pics are just a troll (someone on neogaf said PS3 might just have contrast turned up).

http://i.imgur.com/PojJ9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KgxNp.jpg

After some more reading it does sound like a troll.

I'll keep my PS3 preorder and stop worrying. 14 hours till midnight release! Can't wait!
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These images are bogus. I was playing the ps3 version tonight and it looks great. Nothing like these 2 nonsense images.
 
Dallows said:
These images are bogus. I was playing the ps3 version tonight and it looks great. Nothing like these 2 nonsense images.
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Bogus because the PS3 snapshots are from the Youtube trailers!
 
Dallows said:
These images are bogus. I was playing the ps3 version tonight and it looks great. Nothing like these 2 nonsense images.
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Check lensoftruth.com The PS3 is way more detailed than the 360. 360 looks like trash, for once, in a Rockstar published game (albeit Rockstar only published and not develop afaik).
 
This game is so good, the facial animations are beyond anything else and have set a new standard(also for acting). I can't wait for GTA5 with this tech. Best part was all I had to do was trade in black ops which I haven't played in months at EB and it was a straight trade for LA Noire, $40 trade-in value plus 50% bonus when buying a new title.
 
For the people trashing the gameplay: You're missing the entire point of LA Noire. The "gameplay" is secondary to the storylines and cases. I'm 5 hours in and am loving it. The player isn't supposed to be a super sleuth or gunslinger. It's presented similarly to episodes of Law & Order. You visit the crime scene, find the obvious clues and then talk to the witnesses. The evidence will lead you to the next person to talk to/scene to visit and so on, until you figure out the killer and confront him/her. It's an interactive story with gameplay added.
 
Maximus825 said:
For the people trashing the gameplay: You're missing the entire point of LA Noire. The "gameplay" is secondary to the storylines and cases. I'm 5 hours in and am loving it. The player isn't supposed to be a super sleuth or gunslinger. It's presented similarly to episodes of Law & Order. You visit the crime scene, find the obvious clues and then talk to the witnesses. The evidence will lead you to the next person to talk to/scene to visit and so on, until you figure out the killer and confront him/her. It's an interactive story with gameplay added.
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This is one of the problems that companies get if they get too devoted of a fanbase. Their fans expect the same rehashed game over and over again. And people wonder why companies seldom come up with original games...
 
darkhorse said:
This game is so good, the facial animations are beyond anything else and have set a new standard(also for acting). I can't wait for GTA5 with this tech. Best part was all I had to do was trade in black ops which I haven't played in months at EB and it was a straight trade for LA Noire, $40 trade-in value plus 50% bonus when buying a new title.
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It stunned me especially as a PC gamer primarily. I've never seen anything like it anywhere until this game.


Maximus825 said:
For the people trashing the gameplay: You're missing the entire point of LA Noire. The "gameplay" is secondary to the storylines and cases. I'm 5 hours in and am loving it. The player isn't supposed to be a super sleuth or gunslinger. It's presented similarly to episodes of Law & Order. You visit the crime scene, find the obvious clues and then talk to the witnesses. The evidence will lead you to the next person to talk to/scene to visit and so on, until you figure out the killer and confront him/her. It's an interactive story with gameplay added.
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Exactly.

I love this game. I'm still early on in the "street cop" phase but I really like how this game makes me feel like I'm really a detective. I can tell when I get past this phase that I'll have some much needed and more freedom to do things but I'm glad Rockstar tried something different here.
 
Q-BZ said:
It stunned me especially as a PC gamer primarily. I've never seen anything like it anywhere until this game.




Exactly.

I love this game. I'm still early on in the "street cop" phase but I really like how this game makes me feel like I'm really a detective. I can tell when I get past this phase that I'll have some much needed and more freedom to do things but I'm glad Rockstar tried something different here.
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I don't think most people realize Rockstar was NOT the primary developer on this. Rockstar published it and did some work on it, but Team Bondi was the primary developer. I am guessing Rockstar stepped in to acquire the tech, and attempted to add in the GTA style elements to make it more game and less movie.
 
Waiting for a sale price on this game, I can wait until the end of the year. Backlog
 
Katalysis said:
I don't think most people realize Rockstar was NOT the primary developer on this. Rockstar published it and did some work on it, but Team Bondi was the primary developer. I am guessing Rockstar stepped in to acquire the tech, and attempted to add in the GTA style elements to make it more game and less movie.
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Right.

Well, in total, it works for me. :)
 
Yeah, skipping these action sequences and just distilling it to investigation and interrogation is making me appreciate this game much more. I think maybe what I've seen prior to playing the game gave me an incorrect perspective of how I should be playing it. Much better flow of exposition.
 
Maximus825 said:
For the people trashing the gameplay: You're missing the entire point of LA Noire. The "gameplay" is secondary to the storylines and cases. I'm 5 hours in and am loving it. The player isn't supposed to be a super sleuth or gunslinger. It's presented similarly to episodes of Law & Order. You visit the crime scene, find the obvious clues and then talk to the witnesses. The evidence will lead you to the next person to talk to/scene to visit and so on, until you figure out the killer and confront him/her. It's an interactive story with gameplay added.
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YmOnc.png
 
This reminds of Shenmue game where you have to find clues and evidence and search for people to connect the dots. Loved the series and I might pick this up soon.
 
Well, I picked this up. Kind of seriously regretting the decision. I like the old adventure games, but those had overarching stories. This is not nearly as interesting.

Hype machine was on full blast for this one. The tech is cool, the acting is good, the story is good. However, the graphics on PS3, other than the face tech, are pretty lousy (maybe I am spoiled for PC gaming, but I don't think this looks anywhere as good as other PS3/360 games). Calling this gameplay is a pretty bold statement. I feel like I am watching an extended tech demo for the facial animations.

Perfect 10s? Give me a break. The only reason it is getting scores that high is because of the Rockstar name and this ridiculous "games as art" boner that game journalists get every now and then. Games don't need to compare themselves to TV, books, or movies. This would probably make a decent TV show, but it makes a pretty lousy game, imo, and I think Heavy Rain did this better anyway.
 
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