Yes, finally! I have the time to write the review many people have been asking for!
The first game in HISTORY to be considered a movie, L.A. Noire pushed the envelope from gangbangers, loner mercenaries, cowboy's set in a dying era and now, a police officer barely after the escapades of the Second World War.
Of course, this review shall start of the glorious, utterly beautiful, undeniable stunning graphic works. Rockstar Games, in association with Team Bondai Sydney, worked on the project firstly in secret, capturing every actor, every extra and every slight movement on 32 individual cameras, all connected to sensor metal balls with recorded each movement of the person's face, neck, right down to eyebrows and even Adam's Apple.
With this brilliant graphic work, the game was given a lively feel that I truly believe very rare games give. In this modern age, the only true way to touch a persons' heart is with a brilliant story or even just placing them in the moment. L.A. Noire does both.
Not only was the graphic detail fantastic, the voice acting on many of the characters, especially our protagonist Cole Phelps, was quite utterly fantastic. Raw, brutal and very, very convincing. While some acting points and some characters were not as great as they could have been, but they sufficed for the storyline and pushed it forward, as many once great gaming titles has failed to do.
The audio, while only heard during dramatic moments and while driving, adds a nice classic touch to the game (Not also including the option to turn the game into black and white!) placing the game right in the middle of 1947. Also a great mention is the clever writing for the game especially the little gems you find at the end of a case. For example: "Get a life Phelps. Next you'll be calling Richard Nixon a crook!" Lastly, sound effects are perfect, right down to the ring. The sound of each weapon was just....perfect. There are no more words to put it as. Despite now showing me what type of weapon I was using when I picked up an enemy's gun, just by the sound of the bullet, or the clatter of the chamber, the weapon was revealed to me as an M1 Garand or even a Thompson.
Sadly, this brings me to the small bad points.
While the game's graphics are sublime, there can be a few hiccups. While playing online campaign, glitches were more prone and dying became more often, even when just standing still. Missions also became slightly repetitive; while the nature of each mission was different, how to solve the case and such became very repetitive. DLC's were a fresh change of pace for the game, but collecting evidence in a new way would have been great.
Lastly, while this has no complaint from me (as I thought it was quite touching) many gamers believed that Rockstar are killing off characters to make it seem interesting. This did stop a small few from buying the game, others to be turned away from the series and even handing in their game for another copy. While I believe that the ending was slightly predictable, but still great, the only part that bugged me was the game was three discs long. While this is no problem for the PS3 players (Blu-ray being compatible for just one disc) it makes me glad that the future Xbox will be Blu-ray compatible. I don't mind getting up and changing a disc, but when the game has taken you so long to try and get through a particular mission, it definately discourages continous gameplay. Add the loss of memory for installing the disc to avoid scratches and it slightly annoys more as you slowly run out of room.
However, credit were its due: L.A. Noire was definately a shot in the dark for both Rockstar and Team Bondai, and while this game has caused them both to depart from each other, what they have created together is an excellent game that deserves at least a look at. With an excellent storyline, graphics to be rivaled at Mass Effects' engine, it will be easy for any gamer, newbie and veteran, to be loss in the year of 1947 and the story of Cole Phelps and his search for redemption.
Out of 10, I gave L.A. Noire an 8.5/10
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