Sterling's L.A. Noire Shakedown
Review actually, but what's the difference?
Rockstar's newest venture out of the GTA Mold is "L.A. Noir". Considering all the hype surrounding the game, I expected a series of threads denouncing Rockstar (more at least), but the game is actually living up to the hype, and it continues to surprise me.
Gameplay - 9/10
Better than a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
You begin the game as a Los Angeles cop. You are responding to a murder cleanup. The detectives have already cleaned and picked through most of the scene, but they can't find the murder weapon. That's where your career begins, as people take notice of your expertise and thorough examining skills.
Gameplay revolves around gathering evidence and interrogation to get a confession. Think of it like a point and click, but it doesn't hold your hand, so some things are missable. It's never that simple though, because there are fist fights, run aways, car chases, and armed bandits you have to deal with. Which not only keep the game interesting, but it's massively amusing to chase after some guy across rooftops and gutters while making threats that they are seemingly not afraid of. It can get monotonous at times, but the game always seems to know when a twist is going to pull you back in.
Interrogation is a pretty interesting activity that is bolstered by the amazing animation style of this game. Each person has a tell that lets you know how uneasy they are. It shows that they are telling the truth, they are withholding information, or are just outright lying. The kicker is, that no one has the same sort of "tells". I have even come across several people who have incredibly good poker faces, that the only thing that gives them away is a small swallow, or the blood vessel bulges slightly. That's where this game accels, the graphics.
Graphics - 10/10
A game where the graphics really do matter.
The people in this game are so lifelike. The gameplay is really reliant on how easily people can be read. If the graphics didn't have the level of detail that has been attended to, this game would have failed. That being said, I have seen a number of glitches that suggest a few oversights, but nothing that tells me that it would detract from the experience and atmosphere.
Story - 10/10
Sometimes things aren't as they seem.
This game relies heavily on a mysterious atmosphere. Which it not only succeeds in, but throws doubt on many of your decisions. It teaches you to take nothing at face value. A great many of the cases have to deal with psychopathic killers and murderers but there is some light hearted humor to break up that feeling before it depresses you. Which is a great aspect that is almost never pulled off as perfectly as this game has done. The main story itself really sheds some insight to how things were post WWII, and the boom that came after. The drug trade was just starting to flesh out, and discrimination was still rampant. It shows that there are people on the side of the law that are corrupt, and sometimes you can't even trust the person you live with. I wish more companies would spend the amount of time on a single player mode like this, and skip the multiplayer, or at least don't tack it on to excuse a horrid single player experience. (I'm looking at you brink).
Replayability - 7/10
Unremarkable...
The only place where this game doesn't shine. The single player experience is already long. I haven't beaten the game yet (2nd disk, and 15 hours in), and the difficulty is really starting to mount. I'm unsure if there is anything to do after beating the game besides collectibles. The collectibles however contain bits and pieces of side stories that many of you won't want to miss.
Recap:
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Story 10/10
Replayability 7/10
Final Score: 9/10
Reviewer's Score: 10/10
[/p]
Review actually, but what's the difference?
Rockstar's newest venture out of the GTA Mold is "L.A. Noir". Considering all the hype surrounding the game, I expected a series of threads denouncing Rockstar (more at least), but the game is actually living up to the hype, and it continues to surprise me.
Gameplay - 9/10
Better than a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
You begin the game as a Los Angeles cop. You are responding to a murder cleanup. The detectives have already cleaned and picked through most of the scene, but they can't find the murder weapon. That's where your career begins, as people take notice of your expertise and thorough examining skills.
Gameplay revolves around gathering evidence and interrogation to get a confession. Think of it like a point and click, but it doesn't hold your hand, so some things are missable. It's never that simple though, because there are fist fights, run aways, car chases, and armed bandits you have to deal with. Which not only keep the game interesting, but it's massively amusing to chase after some guy across rooftops and gutters while making threats that they are seemingly not afraid of. It can get monotonous at times, but the game always seems to know when a twist is going to pull you back in.
Interrogation is a pretty interesting activity that is bolstered by the amazing animation style of this game. Each person has a tell that lets you know how uneasy they are. It shows that they are telling the truth, they are withholding information, or are just outright lying. The kicker is, that no one has the same sort of "tells". I have even come across several people who have incredibly good poker faces, that the only thing that gives them away is a small swallow, or the blood vessel bulges slightly. That's where this game accels, the graphics.
Graphics - 10/10
A game where the graphics really do matter.
The people in this game are so lifelike. The gameplay is really reliant on how easily people can be read. If the graphics didn't have the level of detail that has been attended to, this game would have failed. That being said, I have seen a number of glitches that suggest a few oversights, but nothing that tells me that it would detract from the experience and atmosphere.
Story - 10/10
Sometimes things aren't as they seem.
This game relies heavily on a mysterious atmosphere. Which it not only succeeds in, but throws doubt on many of your decisions. It teaches you to take nothing at face value. A great many of the cases have to deal with psychopathic killers and murderers but there is some light hearted humor to break up that feeling before it depresses you. Which is a great aspect that is almost never pulled off as perfectly as this game has done. The main story itself really sheds some insight to how things were post WWII, and the boom that came after. The drug trade was just starting to flesh out, and discrimination was still rampant. It shows that there are people on the side of the law that are corrupt, and sometimes you can't even trust the person you live with. I wish more companies would spend the amount of time on a single player mode like this, and skip the multiplayer, or at least don't tack it on to excuse a horrid single player experience. (I'm looking at you brink).
Replayability - 7/10
Unremarkable...
The only place where this game doesn't shine. The single player experience is already long. I haven't beaten the game yet (2nd disk, and 15 hours in), and the difficulty is really starting to mount. I'm unsure if there is anything to do after beating the game besides collectibles. The collectibles however contain bits and pieces of side stories that many of you won't want to miss.
Recap:
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Story 10/10
Replayability 7/10
Final Score: 9/10
Reviewer's Score: 10/10
[/p]
