An engaging game that is literally like no other.
L.A. Noire is without a doubt, the most original game I've ever played. It's promise is to deliver a game that makes you feel like you're in a film noir in the roaring 40's. And it delivers. The gameplay is so innovative and unique, that at first, it feels so foreign and strange that its difficult to grasp. But within minutes, you are simply plunged into a world of crime, corruption, and pure awesomeness. The story is so engaging, to the point that you can't resist but do another case after you've done three in a row. The characters are intricate and complex, as is the dialogue. And Rockstar's pride of the game, the facial animation, is simply jaw-dropping. It works absolutely perfectly with the game's interrogation mechanic in the most clever ways.
Sadly, L.A. Noire isn't a perfect game. It's got some story holes and inconsistencies. There are certain limitations that seem to make no sense. And every once in a while, your faced with just some weird hiccup in the game's mechanic that sometimes affects the gameplay. But one of the most dissapointing things about this game (and perhaps the most interesting thing at the same time) is that its miles away from other Rockstar games. Particularly, the open world. The open world is mostly lifeless. There's not much to do aside from street crimes and collectibles, which extend the game to several hours but doesn't even come close to bring the open world to the alive and bustling worlds that Rockstar has brought us to in the past. The graphics are a tad dissapointing as well. The facial animation is just simply incredible but it was as if Rockstar forgot to work on the rest of game. The graphics are actually good but its not very impressive by today's standards. The only significant problem with this game is that it babies you too much. The game does most of the sleuthing for you, and in turn, you feel like you're just a witness to the detective work instead of actually being the detective. There's not much thinking you need to do, as the game figures things out for you. It would have been so much more engaging, if there were certain mechanics that forced you to think, instead of just acting like a bridge between actions. For instance, a conversation tree would have improved the game's mechanic greatly. If I had to make one more criticism, I would have to mention that the ending ***SPOILERS*** is fairly disappointing, mainly because the last few cases aren't really murder cases. In fact a majority of the game doesn't revolve around homicide cases, which is what most people might expect from a detective game. Another disappointment is that you don't even play as the main character during the last few cases! it was very unnerving considering that Cole dies at the end of the game, and you don't even get to play as him. It diminishes the effect somewhat, but it doesn't really ruin the game, just hinders it back a few steps. ***END OF SPOILERS***
L.A. Noire is a slightly flawed, truly unique game with an amazingly imaginative gameplay mechanic that can't even be classified under any genre. There are a few minor hiccups, but nothing that ruins the experience. The open world is disappointing, and is very different from other games by Rockstar. But admittedly, Rockstar had said that they have intentionally deviated from their usual formula. If you're expecting GTA set in the 40's, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting an amazing unique experience that's different than any game you've ever played, if you're expecting to feel like you're inside of a Humphrey Bogart film noir from the 40's, or if you're expecting to simply have a great time playing, then you will certainly not be disappointed in the slightest.