81. L.A. Noire|Xbox 360|2011|action adventure|24h 54m|8/10
L.A. Noire set out to be an epic noir infused action adventure game, wherein the player is a veteran war hero turned detective. The 1947 atmosphere feels authentic, bolstered by amazing graphics and a believable world. Characters are wholly convincing as well, thanks to innovative face scanning technology that successfully overcomes the uncanny valley. Not to mention the solid acting of the entire cast. A huge and sprawling story takes nearly 20 hours to unravel, harboring plenty of surprises and dark secrets to discover. Crazy driving sequences and blistering shootouts help offset the more languid pace of investigating.
Unfortunately L.A. Noire's writing and direction is not as amazing as its graphics or sheer scope. The lead protagonist is never humanized enough, to truly draw the player into emphasizing with said character's end game rash decisions. Cases often become tedious and repetitive due to their associated nature, rather than being proper unique vignettes. The most standout aspect of the game design; the interrogations of suspects, far too often becomes a game of chance rather than proper deduction. And for being of such astounding size and detail, the open world 1947 L.A. offers barely anything to entice the player to actually explore it. Exploratory side diversions and mini-games would have helped to reward the inquisitive player. Another big complaint is this game is super easy. I mean, you'd have to try really hard not to be able to finish L.A. Noire.
All of that criticism however hardly matters when examining L.A. Noire's core strength. This is a mature game for actual adults. That is why so many younger gamers found L.A. Noire to be "boring'. The true enjoyment is to be found in its myriad subtleties and thoughtful reflections. And while the nitty gritty of the writing isn't so hot, the big picture is. L.A. Noire's plot itself is not traditionally rewarding, hardly anything goes as planned, plenty of questions are never answered, and there's no real happy ending. That sort of design is spot on noir though, so kudos for Brendan McNamara knowing his genre. I have to also commend L.A. Noire for not pulling punches when it comes to its subject matter. Be it rape, murder, pedophilia, etc. L.A. Noire does nothing to sugarcoat its harsh realities.
L.A. Noire is not 1947 GTA, plenty of people were disappointed when they realized that. There's plenty of gameplay here all the same, and there are dozens of other reviews of this game on the internet to explain that part to you. I just want you to know that L.A. Noire is an important experience, flawed as it is. A game that really tried hard to push its medium's slowly unfolding envelope a little wider. If you are a patient gamer who loves mysteries, and can appreciate the subtle details, you should find L.A. Noire to be a fine experience. Yes the end game is a let down, but it was still one helluva fall. Sometimes it's the euphoric descent that counts more than the bitter end. And this game built its gallows high, baby.
All the voices are in Japanese, but that's no biggie.
