L.A. Noire is a game co-developed by Rockstar Games and Team Bondi. If you hear Rockstar and think Grand Theft Auto, I couldn't blame you. I could blame you, however, for thinking that this game is similar to GTA.


Story:

      L.A. Noire puts you in the shoes of L.A.P.D. officer Cole Phelps. He's a World War II vet still trying to do the right thing. The war is over. America is still recovering from the effects of the second World War. You guide Phelps as he solves various crimes in 1940's L.A..

Graphics:

     Normally I wouldn't review graphics. This is a special occasion, however. L.A. Noire uses a new technology created by Depth Analysis. Basically, an actor shows up and their performance is recorded through the use of 32  cameras. The actor's performance is captured by every angle and then digitized, where it is then put into the game. The result? Amazing facial expressions. You can literally read the characters lips if you wanted to. They've also made realistic necks, with muscle movements and everything.
      Even without the new facial tech, the game looks amazing. It captures the 40's feel perfectly. Team Bondi and Rockstar did a 90% faithful recreation of L.A., with architecture and signs and everything! Amazing!


Gameplay:
     
           As a detective of the L.A.P.D., you have various situations. I'm going to cover the 2 most prominent of these gameplay features: searching crime scenes and interrogations.
       Looking for clues - You come to a murder scene and look for clues. These can be anything from a purse or wallet, to rope marks, or even footprints. Not everything you find pertains to the case, however.
        Interrogation - When you're done looking for clues, you need to ask questions to suspects. Phelps takes out his notebook and the list of questions are displayed. You ask the question, and you judge the person. You have 3 options - truth, doubt, and lie. You can only select one, so select carefully. You can tell if a person is lying by their face. Facial twitches, avoiding eye contact, scratching their heads, whatever. Truth means that you believe them. Doubt means that you think they're lying, but don't have any proof to directly accuse them of it. Lie means that you can prove that they're lying.
         The game itself isn't action packed. It's basically drive, look for clues, and interrogate. I, having ADHD, found myself getting bored of it. If you prefer action, I wouldn't recommend this game to you. It does have action scenes, such as on-foot chases, car chases, and shootouts, but they're infrequent.
               

                   All-in-all, I give L.A. Noire a 7 out of 10. The graphics are amazing, the actors/actresses do a great job, and being a detective is good fun. The problem is that the action sequences are far too infrequent, thus meaning that you won't be playing this game while hyper.
                                             This review has been created by Rasenganfan2, better known as Rasen, for VizzedBoard. https://www.vizzed.com/vizzedboard/thread.php?id=27397&page=0

I own this game for the PS3, and I rather enjoy it.

I'm sad to hear you don't like the non action pace of it. =/ I actually found it refreshing and more realistic than say... driving around like a lunatic, trying to kill as many business men in the china town district or driving a car on the wrong side of the tracks as a train came coming by. =P

I think the game is pretty amazing, and revolutionary in terms of the facial appearances for sure. I personally would give it an 8.5, but I get why you would rate it lower.

I like that it is not like GTA. I think GTA is good, but I actually PREFER L.A. Noire over GTA IV.

May I ask if you've beaten the game completely yet? I thought it was very good at times.

 Nope, I haven't beaten it. I just started the Studio Secretary murder. It has it's great moments, sure, but I can't find myself sitting and playing it for long periods of time.

I see...

I've beaten it, but I don't want to spoil it.

The game is gonna get more fun I think for you soon. Just be patient with it. Some moments were a little bleh, but I think the game is made perfectly to convey what LA was like in that age, especially from the detective point of view.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the rest of it, i got the DLC to play, but I think you will find it fun =)

I actually am not a big fan of GTA. This, however, sounds like something I can get into. One day, when I get a PS3, this may be one of the first games that I get. Thanks for the review, you too leggy!

Nice review. My friend bought this game and this is exactly how he would put in a review. This isn't a game I would get immediately, but after getting certain games that I'm dying to get, I'll get this too.

I'm not really in to all these games but I might try it because a lot of people like it

That game is actually pretty fun to play. You did a good job reviewing it. :3