L. A. Noire (video game)

[ScionPI2005]

I'm wondering if the reason some say the game is boring is because it's not a constant "shoot 'em up" type game. I love the fact that you can observe and think through the crime scenes, and review evidence as you question subjects. Of course, I've always been more interested in analytical puzzle games, of which LA Noire definitely has. I can see how that could be boring for some who expect constant action.

[samtemporary]

Yes - very cool game!

[Bob_Fixico]

I got the game and played it for a couple of days. I liked the game really did except for one problem I hated the interview questions. They were no where near what I would have asked. Just drove me crazy.

[lindylady]

My husband bought me the game as an anniversary present. I love the concept of it, although I was upset about the storyline of the main protagonist. I'm still waiting for news of a sequel. Jack Kelso is my favorite character.

[MisterGrey]

I'm wondering if the reason some say the game is boring is because it's not a constant "shoot 'em up" type game. I love the fact that you can observe and think through the crime scenes, and review evidence as you question subjects. Of course, I've always been more interested in analytical puzzle games, of which LA Noire definitely has. I can see how that could be boring for some who expect constant action.

For me, the boredom came from the poor execution of the concept. In theory, it'd be cool to play detective and solve crimes by searching for evidence and interrogating witnesses/suspects, but too often the "answers" were arbitrary or esoteric. The interrogation system was terribly flawed-- the tells were either blatantly obvious, or so close in animation to the suspects' "bored/annoyed" faces that there was no differentiating between the two.

I also found the way that the cases were to be solved too rigid-- for ostensibly being a sandbox style game, there's a very definite progression in each of the cases, with no room for your own style. A much more intriguing game would have allowed the player to go the good cop/bad cop route, a'la "Fallout." I know that this game was partially an antidote to the amorality of the Grand Theft Auto games, but, c'mon-- LA Police in the 1940s, and you're not going to let the player indulge in a little "questionable" behavior?

Then there's the pacing. The move to homicide comes too quickly, and once it happens, the events of the game appear to move towards a climax. The Black Dahlia case is a miniature game unto itself, and after it's over, I at least got a "What now?" kind of feeling. The plot about Cole and his war past was too unevenly distributed throughout the game to make it engaging, especially if you miss one or two of the newspapers; it's completely possible to get to the end of the game and have no idea what in the world is going on.

And the end of the game-- what a jumble! You're with Cole for 95% of the game, only to be switched to a guy you could feasibly have little to no connection with for the final missions, with Cole being left to drift out in the ether. Then, for a game that's been nominally about puzzle solving and interrogations, it randomly becomes a shoot-em-up. I'd been anticipating the final case to involve getting an air-tight arrest on the evil psychiatrist; his abrupt "off-screen" death and the introduction of the firebug as the game's ultimate villain felt sloppy.

Overall, I thought that the game was an example of a wonderful concept with an awful execution.