Storyline - 4/5
L.A. Noire takes place in 1947 Los Angeles, California. A time where America was just coming out of World War II, and slowly returning to a life of relative peace.
The story focuses on a man named Cole Phelps, just returning home from the war, honorably discharged after sustaining an injury on the battlefield. However, Phelps still wants to continue serving his country, so he joins the L.A.P.D., which is already suffering from a public relations nightmare after accusations of corruption and brutality.
This is a well-written storyline, complete with twists and turns, intrigue and suspense. It may not have the most original way of telling the story, but it's a story we haven't heard before.
Graphics - 5/5
Undoubtedly, the first thing you'll notice when you start the game is the remarkable detail surround each and every character. This is thanks mostly to a new motion capturing technology called MotionScan. This incredible new technology allowed Rockstar to capture every little nuance and detail of an actor's facial and body movements and translate them faithfully into the game.
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| "Sorry I'm late. I was single-handedly saving L.A. from corruption... and stuff." |
Just about everything about the graphics are flawless. Rockstar hired literally hundreds of actors so that each and every individual in the game, even random passers-by, are unique from one another.
Rockstar has truly outdone itself in faithfully re-creating a full 8 square miles of 1940's Los Angeles, complete with architecture, cars, weapons, and clothing styles. Everything looks authentic, and extremely detailed.
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| "You go that way. I'll go home." |
The only things I saw that mar the perfection is an animation twitch and a late render, but it takes a sharp eye to see, so most people probably won't even notice. Other than that, the game is graphically perfect in just about every way.
Audio - 5/5
Not enough good things can be said about the audio in L.A. Noire.
The musical soundtrack is comprised almost entirely of genuine music from the 1940's, and just about all of it is entertaining and easy to listen to.
The sound effects are crisp, clear, and authentic. All the bells and whistles, from the engines running, to the guns firing, sound exactly as they did back in their day.
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| "I had a really convincing story for you just a moment ago, officer. I swear!" |
Again, Rockstar has done a stellar job with the voice acting. No spoken dialogue sounds like it was forced or even rehearsed. If it wasn't so well done, one may think that they're all real conversations that were recorded as they were ad-libbed.
Gameplay - 4/5
The gameplay in L.A. Noire is a mix of old and new.
On the old side, you'll find that the open-world portions play almost identically to just about every Grand Theft Auto game that has been released since the Playstation 2. Not that this is a negative, it presents a generally familiar and comfortable control scheme that has been tried and true for years, allowing it to be picked up by fans and newcomers alike.
The new side will be a pleasant surprise for those who enjoy CSI or Phoenix Wright-style of gameplay. You can search crime scenes for clues to help you out in your investigations, and you also can question witnesses and interrogate suspects, using your own intuition and face-reading skills to decide if a witness or a suspect is telling the truth, is hiding something, is not coming completely clean, or is straight-out lying to you.
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| "Wait, were you supposed to be the bad cop, or was I supposed to? I can't remember." |
If there's any real issue with the gameplay, it's that movement controls can be a little too loose. Running around on foot shouldn't be as restrictive as driving in a car. But for some odd reason, it is.
That's about all for the in-depth review, let's break down the scores.
Storyline - 4/5 Not the most original presentation, but a wonderfully-woven tale that could easily become a movie in and of itself.
Graphics - 5/5 Flawless animation and character detail. Excellent use of new technology. Incredibly faithful re-creation of 1940's Los Angeles, brick by brick.
Audo - 5/5 Music, sound, and voice work are all where they need to be. Sheer audio perfection.
Gameplay - 4/5 Familiar-yet-unique controls will appeal to many. However, controls can be a little loose.
Total - 18/20
Whether you're a Rockstar fan, or a total newbie, L.A. Noire has the makings of a great entertainment presentation. The only real complaints some may have about the game is that there aren't enough words in the English language to describe how awesome this game is. Definitely worth anyone's hard-earned $60.
Thanks for reading my review! As always, you can send questions, comments, concerns, or requests for a review to grifsgamereviews@gmail.com.
Until next time, happy gaming!
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