We're closing in on the end of Volume 2, but not before we revisit Rockstar and Team Bondi's 2011 crime thriller, L.A. Noire.
I remember the response being fairly mixed, and running the gamut from extremely positive to damningly negative. Cole Phelps' temper, 1940s Los Angeles, film noir aesthetic, the interrogation system and the use of MotionScan technology are sure to creep into the discussion, but what are your memories?
L.A. Noire
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Kevo32A
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
La noire didn't exactly grip me. It started out pretty cool to me when I found myself scowering a random Alley for clues and then interrogating a witness. I couldn't get to grips with the whole doubting a person vs accusing them off lying and that was a problem that just would not go away. Me and Cole just never seemed to be on the same page during those things. I liked the little bits of dialogue between the characters which funny enough means my favorite bits of the game are the bits you spend just driving or walking from place to place. They weren't that exciting though.
The game it most reminds me of its the ace attorney games. In those you also spend one half of a chapter meticulously looking around a crime scene for clues and the other half using those clues in dealing with suspects and witnesses but the interrogations are never as enjoyable as the courtroom scenes in phoenix Wright.
The shooting and chasing scenes aren't particularly interesting although it is the first game I've played where I try to avoid damage so as not to lose my hat or ruin my suit.
I can't decide if it makes any sense that its a sandbox. Roaming around and doing the usual sandbox stuff barely came into it but it does lend itself nicely to the idea that this is a city where things happen. All in all though I wasn't sold. Never been the biggest fan of point and click adventure games to me this is like a blown up point and click adventure game.
The game it most reminds me of its the ace attorney games. In those you also spend one half of a chapter meticulously looking around a crime scene for clues and the other half using those clues in dealing with suspects and witnesses but the interrogations are never as enjoyable as the courtroom scenes in phoenix Wright.
The shooting and chasing scenes aren't particularly interesting although it is the first game I've played where I try to avoid damage so as not to lose my hat or ruin my suit.
I can't decide if it makes any sense that its a sandbox. Roaming around and doing the usual sandbox stuff barely came into it but it does lend itself nicely to the idea that this is a city where things happen. All in all though I wasn't sold. Never been the biggest fan of point and click adventure games to me this is like a blown up point and click adventure game.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Never has a game plummeted to its death like a Lemming off a cliff for me. I absolutely loved it all the way, solving crimes and chasing the bad guys was superb! It all went downhill when the change of character happened after that absolute balls up of a story twist. I was confused and bored. I did enjoy the cast. From Mad Men to Fringe, it was stellar acting even if the mouths looked like Adam & Joe were doing another sketch show from the 90's. Regards to the story problems I had are spoilered below.
- Spoiler: show
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Xavier Desmond
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Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
I have very much mixed feelings on this game. The first impressions were entirely positive, as I thought the set up for the story was truly outstanding and everything about the presentation gives a wonderful sense of time and place.
In terms of gameplay, the first impressions again were great. Combining driving, shooting, investigation and interrogation seemed at first to give you a great sense of being a policeman in this world.
As the game progresses, however, the flaws in the game begin to emerge. The game world is visually stunning but empty and lifeless. The story, despite consistently excellent voice acting and solidly written dialogue, is poorly told and manages to be less than the sum of it's parts. Worst of all are the interrogation scenes which are unfair, frustrating and ultimately pointless as the outcome had no significant impact on the game.
Ultimately, despite these flaws there is much to like in the game. For the most part I had great fun playing through the story and the overall presentation is truly peerless in many ways but this game never quite delivers like it could have done or what I hoped it would.
In terms of gameplay, the first impressions again were great. Combining driving, shooting, investigation and interrogation seemed at first to give you a great sense of being a policeman in this world.
As the game progresses, however, the flaws in the game begin to emerge. The game world is visually stunning but empty and lifeless. The story, despite consistently excellent voice acting and solidly written dialogue, is poorly told and manages to be less than the sum of it's parts. Worst of all are the interrogation scenes which are unfair, frustrating and ultimately pointless as the outcome had no significant impact on the game.
Ultimately, despite these flaws there is much to like in the game. For the most part I had great fun playing through the story and the overall presentation is truly peerless in many ways but this game never quite delivers like it could have done or what I hoped it would.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Welcome to the forum... Xavier Desmond! I agree with username choice! 
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countstex
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- Location: Bodilsker, Nexø, Bornholm, Denmark
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Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
I lie very much in the positive camp for LA Noire. I found the fixed storyline quite normal, being an old school point Ans click adventure gamer. The fact that the game moved on despite how badly you do seemed an interesting take on policing of the time. The result didn't matter just that there was someone to lock up for it. I still go back to the game fairly often to replay a case or two or just drive around taking on street cases. Sure it's no Red Dead, but I still prefer it to a GTA game.
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Xavier Desmond
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Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Thanks very much, dezm0nd 
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Diesel Phantom
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire was nothing quite like anything I'd played before. In my first hours with the game I genuinely felt as though I was experiencing, if not a new genre, then a new and fresh mix of existing mechanics.
If anything, those mechanics were probably stretched a little thin, and the cracks began to show once Phelps left the traffic desk, leaving the story of each case (and the overarching plot) as motivation to continue. Phelps disagreeable actions outside of the main cases reinforced the feeling that I was 'role-playing' a character, rather than say, Mass Effect, where my Commander Shepherd is just a projection of myself.
The richly designed open world was an unexpected bonus from the game's problems in development, and the sparseness of side missions made the game a more manageable completion. I spent several hours motoring around collecting film reels and police badges, and enjoyed the diversity of the city.
Determined to suck every drop of the experience out of the game, I replayed all the cases with a guide, to see all of the clues and experience the 'full' story. It was interesting to see where my original play-through had diverged from the true path.
Most of the DLC was forgettable, but the 'Nicholson Electroplating' case was everything that a piece of story DLC should be. It featured some big set-pieces, and the case was unlike any of the others which had gone before.
For me, the game is a defining one of the generation.
If anything, those mechanics were probably stretched a little thin, and the cracks began to show once Phelps left the traffic desk, leaving the story of each case (and the overarching plot) as motivation to continue. Phelps disagreeable actions outside of the main cases reinforced the feeling that I was 'role-playing' a character, rather than say, Mass Effect, where my Commander Shepherd is just a projection of myself.
The richly designed open world was an unexpected bonus from the game's problems in development, and the sparseness of side missions made the game a more manageable completion. I spent several hours motoring around collecting film reels and police badges, and enjoyed the diversity of the city.
Determined to suck every drop of the experience out of the game, I replayed all the cases with a guide, to see all of the clues and experience the 'full' story. It was interesting to see where my original play-through had diverged from the true path.
Most of the DLC was forgettable, but the 'Nicholson Electroplating' case was everything that a piece of story DLC should be. It featured some big set-pieces, and the case was unlike any of the others which had gone before.
For me, the game is a defining one of the generation.
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Woodfella
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Woodfella
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
The most memorable thing about this game for me was the sound your hard soled leather shoes made on the pavement. I loved it. I walked about much more than I should have done. I may sound mental but I think stuff like that adds to the feel of the game, it makes controlling the character satisfying and adds to the texture of the game world. That's it really can't remember much else. Just shoes.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
I came into LA noire expecting a GTA clone, and was pleasantly surprised. Its not quite at red dead level standards of excellence, but it far outstrips GTA 4. Not being able to just pull out your gun whenever you like was a paticularly good distinguishing feature, and I quite enjoyed the interrogations, even if it was a tad difficult to read people at times. Overall, pretty good.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
I love this video. The bit where he flicks his tongue in and out had me in stitches!
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
It still surprises me how much of a basic mechanic underpins the techonoly of LA Noire. While I have a huge amount of admiration for what the creators did in creating some incredibleI sets and realistic looking actors I struggled with the same issues I had with games as far back as Monkey Island.
It is that while you as the player can formulate an argument using evidence discovered the game is a lot stricter on criteria. Either it works or it does not, there is no grey and no chance to explore arguments beyond an internal ruleset that does not always make the most amount of sense. So what is left can provide moments of intellectual satisfaction or irritation as the game designates you incorrect.
I also feel it went on a bit too long, and intertwined a tale that became overly complex for no real reason than to pad out a game length that had already verged on the silly.
But when it all clicked, when you did manage to identify the clues, interrogate the witnesses and solve the case it felt incredibly good and to its credit i think this game is still the closest we have come to a proper sense of being a detective. And those are the moments I really remember from the game, the ones that stick in my mind. I took it so seriously that at points i even obeyed the traffic laws...
Did anyone else have issues with some of the internal logic of theis game, or was i just being immensly dense?
It is that while you as the player can formulate an argument using evidence discovered the game is a lot stricter on criteria. Either it works or it does not, there is no grey and no chance to explore arguments beyond an internal ruleset that does not always make the most amount of sense. So what is left can provide moments of intellectual satisfaction or irritation as the game designates you incorrect.
I also feel it went on a bit too long, and intertwined a tale that became overly complex for no real reason than to pad out a game length that had already verged on the silly.
But when it all clicked, when you did manage to identify the clues, interrogate the witnesses and solve the case it felt incredibly good and to its credit i think this game is still the closest we have come to a proper sense of being a detective. And those are the moments I really remember from the game, the ones that stick in my mind. I took it so seriously that at points i even obeyed the traffic laws...
Did anyone else have issues with some of the internal logic of theis game, or was i just being immensly dense?
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
The arc of it's plot seemed a little weird to me. Having you...
The more GTA elements of it felt added in just for the sake of it, especially the 'dispatch' missions, just because someone somewhere felt it couldn't stand up without them. A little like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified' it's very clear that it's been through lots of different hands and changed design direction on multiple occasions. There are elements that feel like they're left over from something that isn't there anymore, it perhaps needed a stronger editorial hand to chop out the irrelevant parts and focus it down.
The performance capture was pretty good, being able to actually recognise the actors themselves is pretty impressive. I've not really seen anyone else try to go to that extent, and to be honest if you're going to make the characters look that close to their actors you're probably better off just, you know, filming them.
While I don't think it being open world adds anything of value to how it plays, there's no denying it's a very impressive recreation of that time and place. There's an article on Eurogamer where a guy plays it with his father, who was a kid in LA at the time the game is set and who's own father was on the force. Go find it, it's really great.
- Spoiler: show
The more GTA elements of it felt added in just for the sake of it, especially the 'dispatch' missions, just because someone somewhere felt it couldn't stand up without them. A little like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified' it's very clear that it's been through lots of different hands and changed design direction on multiple occasions. There are elements that feel like they're left over from something that isn't there anymore, it perhaps needed a stronger editorial hand to chop out the irrelevant parts and focus it down.
The performance capture was pretty good, being able to actually recognise the actors themselves is pretty impressive. I've not really seen anyone else try to go to that extent, and to be honest if you're going to make the characters look that close to their actors you're probably better off just, you know, filming them.
While I don't think it being open world adds anything of value to how it plays, there's no denying it's a very impressive recreation of that time and place. There's an article on Eurogamer where a guy plays it with his father, who was a kid in LA at the time the game is set and who's own father was on the force. Go find it, it's really great.
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Woodfella
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
dezm0nd wrote:I love this video. The bit where he flicks his tongue in and out had me in stitches!
That's the best bit! Yeah, it's brilliant. It also shows how great the technology behind it is
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strickenmcq
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Atmosphere wise it reminds me of the Dragnet radio show that was originally broadcast after world war II until the late 50's. Phelps even reminded me of Joe Friday in the early part of the game before he falls for the lounge singer (not something conservative Joe Friday would do). It isn't a great driving game nor a great shooter, it doesn't tell a marvellous story either but I did enjoy playing it.
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AndyKurosaki
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Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Personally, I loved LA Noire. It has it's faults, for one thing there wasn't enough to do in the open world. I certainly didn't bother hunting down all the collectables. And the cases definitely peaked in Homicide, I found the remaining cases nowhere near as exciting.
But it remained a satisfying game to play, reading people's facial expressions and trying to suss them out. Spotting people was fun (It's Ken from Mad Men! And Pete Campbell! And the cop from Heroes!).And everytime you made a wrong choice, and that sad tone played, it always sounded to me like "You just fucked up".
But it remained a satisfying game to play, reading people's facial expressions and trying to suss them out. Spotting people was fun (It's Ken from Mad Men! And Pete Campbell! And the cop from Heroes!).And everytime you made a wrong choice, and that sad tone played, it always sounded to me like "You just fucked up".
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
That tone when you make the wrong choice is as annoying as getting hit by a blue shell on Mario Kart when you're in first near the end of the final lap.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
LA Noire will always be a disappointment for me. I followed its production and was really looking forward to reading people to see if they're telling me porkies.
La itself beautiful and I enjoyed driving around it and the mechanic to get your partner drive was a genius idea. Snooping around the crime scenes was fun and picking up inanimate objects has its charm for a while. Interrogations were fun until you got one wrong and that irritating chime played, I would've preferred nothing and maybe by chance failing a case?. The fact you replayed each interrogation until you got it right made it lose credibility for me. Also the fact you had to follow a case very linearly was fine until the Dahlia case when I can't have been the only one to have guessed it was the barman way before Phelps does yet they decided to milk it to get a set piece out of it later on.
My main fault with the game and what made me not have great memories was Phelps himself and his actions which I believe could've been fixed easily. When you find out that Phelps has cheated on his wife and is disgraced seemed totally bizarre and came out of nowhere. There was no context as you'd only seen his family on screen for seconds at one point. They should've put a tutorial at the beginning where you spoke to your kids and one of them was lying and you could've seen his relationship with his wife. You should've also made the decision yourself on whether to cheat or not then it would've at least made sense. Phelps could then have cleared his name instead if it was lies rather than being pushed out purely to progress the story along.
Ending on a positive note the face work is great and it's a shame it's not been implemented since elsewhere. Should you play LA Noire? I would say so for the ambition but much like Fahrenheit it lets itself down towards the end.
La itself beautiful and I enjoyed driving around it and the mechanic to get your partner drive was a genius idea. Snooping around the crime scenes was fun and picking up inanimate objects has its charm for a while. Interrogations were fun until you got one wrong and that irritating chime played, I would've preferred nothing and maybe by chance failing a case?. The fact you replayed each interrogation until you got it right made it lose credibility for me. Also the fact you had to follow a case very linearly was fine until the Dahlia case when I can't have been the only one to have guessed it was the barman way before Phelps does yet they decided to milk it to get a set piece out of it later on.
My main fault with the game and what made me not have great memories was Phelps himself and his actions which I believe could've been fixed easily. When you find out that Phelps has cheated on his wife and is disgraced seemed totally bizarre and came out of nowhere. There was no context as you'd only seen his family on screen for seconds at one point. They should've put a tutorial at the beginning where you spoke to your kids and one of them was lying and you could've seen his relationship with his wife. You should've also made the decision yourself on whether to cheat or not then it would've at least made sense. Phelps could then have cleared his name instead if it was lies rather than being pushed out purely to progress the story along.
Ending on a positive note the face work is great and it's a shame it's not been implemented since elsewhere. Should you play LA Noire? I would say so for the ambition but much like Fahrenheit it lets itself down towards the end.
Re: This week's podcast: L.A. Noire
Am I too late for this? My thoughts...
I was looking forward to LA Noire for ages. Here's a rundown of my first three hours with the game.
10 minutes - hey this game is pretty good.
1 hour - oh my god, this is the best game ever!
90 minutes - Ok, yeah this story is getting good!
3 hours - Oh. I've seen everything the game has to offer.
It was an absolute sham of a game. The same mission wrapped in different skin 20 times over, with no variation, no interest, nothing. Let's forget about the fact the main story seemed to end halfway through the game and you're left investigating some boring insurance fraud or something for the remaining 5 hours, nothing about the game was fun. You can't do the side missions because you get penalised if you take too long arriving at a crime scene, and you cannot access the city outside of a main mission. It was such a wasted opportunity, and by far and away Rockstars weakest hour.
(I'd have loved to have been able to write more, but I only played it once the week it was released and never touched it again).
I was looking forward to LA Noire for ages. Here's a rundown of my first three hours with the game.
10 minutes - hey this game is pretty good.
1 hour - oh my god, this is the best game ever!
90 minutes - Ok, yeah this story is getting good!
3 hours - Oh. I've seen everything the game has to offer.
It was an absolute sham of a game. The same mission wrapped in different skin 20 times over, with no variation, no interest, nothing. Let's forget about the fact the main story seemed to end halfway through the game and you're left investigating some boring insurance fraud or something for the remaining 5 hours, nothing about the game was fun. You can't do the side missions because you get penalised if you take too long arriving at a crime scene, and you cannot access the city outside of a main mission. It was such a wasted opportunity, and by far and away Rockstars weakest hour.
(I'd have loved to have been able to write more, but I only played it once the week it was released and never touched it again).