L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire is a gritty, single player detective game set on the infamous streets and in the smoke-filled back rooms of post-war Los Angeles. Designed and developed with a nod to the classic film noire movie genre, L.A. Noire blends crystal clear graphics that bring the iconic look and feel of the era to life, with a combination of innovative technology and unique gameplay that allow you to solve crimes through interrogations and investigation. Additional features include: five LAPD based crime desks to work, the ability to analyze the case as well as suspects for clues, an accurate block-by-block recreation of eight sq miles of 1947 Los Angeles, multiple difficulty settings and more.

Synopsis

Amid the postwar boom of Hollywood's Golden Age, newly minted detective Cole Phelps is thrown headfirst into a city drowning in violence and corruption. Utilizing groundbreaking new technology that captures an actor's facial performance in astonishing detail, L.A. Noire is a violent crime thriller that blends breathtaking action with true detective work to deliver an unprecedented interactive experience. Interrogate witnesses, search for clues and chase down suspects as you struggle to find the truth in a city where everyone has something to hide.

Cross the police line to solve the worst crimes of Los Angeles' infamous postwar era.
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Against an overarching plot of violence and betrayal, L.A. Noire challenges players to solve a series of self-contained cases as they work their way through the ranks of the LAPD. Each case features a distinct storyline with a beginning, middle and end, and each successfully solved case brings new challenges and leads Cole closer to the true story at the dark heart of the Los Angeles criminal underworld.

Key Game Features

• Solve a variety of cases across the crime desks of: Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson
• Search crime scenes for clues, question witnesses and interrogate suspects as you search for the truth in each case
• Use your wits to analyze suspect's behavior and separate the truth from the lies
• Experience a stunningly accurate block-by-block recreation of 8 sq miles of 1947 Los Angeles
• Rise up through the ranks of the LAPD from a beat cop to other positions as LAPD detective Cole Phelps
• Solve brutal crimes, plots and conspiracies inspired by famous crimes from 1947 Los Angeles, one of the most corrupt and violent times in the City of Angels' history
• Multiple difficulty settings give players of all abilities the chance to step into the shoes of a detective in postwar L.A.

Additional Screenshots

Crystal clear graphics. View larger.

A historically correct 1947 L.A. View larger.

Work 5 different crime desks. View larger.

 

Customer Reviews 

By 

SrCN1 Finally a different game
Its good to finally play something that is somewhat different from the rest of the pack. La Noire feels almost like gta and heavy rain combined which I think some people like myself will like a lot and others could find it a little too slow paced. I am a big fan of rockstar games and have been for a while so I'm glad they have picked up Team Bondi who created the game they did a great job with this title that took about 5 or 6 years to create so hopefully we will see some type of sequel in the near future. A couple of things that I don't care for are that there should have been some more consequence to failing an interrogation by having different turns in the story, that would have been really good depending on what you do when interrogating. Also the side missions could have been better I still like them but would have liked a different variety of outcomes it seems to be the same most of the time.

As far as game play I would say its good not great I don't like that you can't remap buttons cause running and shooting with the same button R2 is kind of annoying to me, some people also complain about the gas pedal for R2 but that doesn't bother me. They should have also made ammo limited I don't think you should have unlimited ammo. Graphics are really something else especially the facial animations which are the best I've seen in any game and the world of LA is very good I actually feel like I'm almost playing a next gen game cause everything looks amazing. I have heard some people complain about the visuals not being that impressive but I find them just fine and I'm playing on a 32 inch lcd hdtv which to me is the perfect size for playing cause you really see everything perfectly its not too big and not too small. Before you purchase this make sure you understand what your buying I see to many people complaining about the style of game play because they thought they were buying a 1940's gta. 

By 

VA Gamer(A leap forward,)
From the opening scene, L.A. Noire has a level of story telling rarely found in games. I was immediately sucked in by an immersive atmosphere, compelling narrative, and interesting characters. It's a new twist on several genres with a solid presentation and setting. Definitely a must buy for gamers of all stripes.

(+) A perfect blend of mechanics and gameplay from various genres - adventure, interactive gaming (ala Heavy Rain), and open world - it feels like L.A. Noire is a step forward for gaming. As iD did for first person shooters with Castle Wolfenstein, Mario 64 for platforming, and GTA3 for sandboxes, Rock Star has moved gaming into new territory - one in which character interactions and development feel something closer to authentic - without the "gamey" feeling that has plagued previous attempts. They accomplished this a few ways. The first is the pioneering facial capture technology - it eliminates "dead eyed" and robotic video game characters, allowing the player to observe true reaction and emotion. The second is a combination of characters and environments that have nearly realistic locomotion and life. It feels like the next generation of animation and AI in gaming has arrived

(+) You guide the lead character through his life as a police officer in 1940's Los Angeles. As you progress through the story you're given glimpses, via flashbacks, into the character's past and how he came to be the man he is. A supplemental side story can be followed by finding and reading news papers within the open world. Cases and transitions within cases are handled via superbly acted and directed cinematics. Although not all cases are related, there is a main plot line that ramps up and becomes as tangled as any good noire thriller. The game does drag a bit towards the end, in my opinion, but the conclusion is ultimately very satisfying

(+) The bulk of the gameplay revolves around traveling throughout the city, locating and manipulating clues, speaking with and/or interrogating persons of interest, and piecing everything together to uncover as much as you can about a case and resolve it without any loose ends. In some ways it's relaxing, while interrogations can be both entertaining and thought provoking. It's a style of gameplay that I am sure will be emulated by a hundred derivatives in the coming years

(+) You earn experience by finding clues and successfully getting persons of interest to answer questions truthfully, ranking up and earning "intuition points" based on how well you did. Intuition points can be used to make interrogations easier or uncover clues at a scene. You can also look at statistical data of how the community at large approached a problem. Action sequences that you have failed several times can be skipped, allowing the story to proceed. All together it's an interesting system that can help to alleviate difficulty for more casual players and keep them engaged - rather than frustrated

(-) The controls are mostly flawless, however, positioning your character to interact with a clue can sometimes be awkward and clumsy. This doesn't occur often, but when it does it can really take you out of the immersion

(+) Movement during combat and action sequences is similar to other recent Rock Star games, such as Red Dead Redemption. However, they've refined the controls a bit and character movement and interaction with the environment is much more cohesive and natural. The character grabs and swings around railings while chasing a perp up a flight stairs, adjusts stride and position to avoid pedestrians, or vaults over an obstruction - all in very realistic-looking animations. Little touches like this add to the immersion that I've already gushed about

(+/-) Although the game appears to be an open world/sandbox like GTA or Red Dead Redemption, be aware that looks are a bit deceiving. The narrative is much more guided, and you're prevented from drawing your weapon outside of dedicated segments - which doesn't give much leeway for mayhem. You are free to explore the city to your heart's content, however, discovering landmarks and responding to short action-oriented dispatches (there are 40 of these side missions in all, each with a bite sized story involved).

But aside from those things, no, L.A. Noire is not an open world game in the same vein as Rockstar's previous titles. If you can enjoy each individual game for what it is, rather than how it compares in functionality to some other game the same developer has made, then you should be fine. But I could see this being a problem for some players 

By 

Rizza The Hizza "Rizzle"(Everything it's supposed to be)
I'm 33yrs old and I've been playing video games most of my life and I can honestly say that after playing this game for five hours this is one of the best games I have ever played. It is like watching a (mystery) movie and being able to control the plot. Graphics are excellent, controls are very easy to use.

I pre-ordered this game from amazon, they honored the pre-order price of $59, and I got a $15 credit towards my next game...I also ordred the .99 release day delivery and received it on time. Today (one day after the game came out) they increased the credit $5, but I'm not concerned about it.

Just a note, that this game is rated M and is definitely not for kids...You do very graphic detective work on brutal raped/murdered victims.

Aside from the controls, this game isn't like any other Rockstar game made...You can't go running around going crazy causing chaos like Red Dead Redemption or any GTA series. It is what they say it is, it is innovative and a very refreshing experience. I would say that this game could open a totally new Genre in the near future.

Buy this game here at amazon and enjoy it. 

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