L.A. Noire is one of a kind. But Don't go in thinking it will be like Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption. Its not.
Its actually just a series of dialogues, the occasional (and very short) firefight and a lot of driving.
There are a few things that are innovative in this game that initially made me enjoy the experience a lot.
1.) The facial animation uses motion sensor technology which is fantastic! The characters don't look stiff when they talk. It's a much more realistic and emotional experience when the mouth that is speaking actually looks like it is talking. I have to give that aspect an A + and really hope they use that same idea on other games to come.
2.) The actual motion animations such as walking down stairs are a step ahead of many games. In fact, this was the first game I have seen yet that actually shows the character walking down each step on stairs separately as if it were real.
3.) Voice acting is done by some good actors. There is nothing better than good acting and nothing worse than bad acting. As this game primarily focuses on interrogation and solving mysteries, they delivered.
Now lets talk about why the game is disappointing.
1.) its not really that fun after a while. Solving a mystery or two can be rewarding, but after a while you realize you don't actually have to do anything. The game pretty much plays itself. You can skip the driving, the chasing, the shooting, and the stalking. All you have to do is occasionally walk to your car and press "Y" if you think someone is lying to you.
2.) The character always walks. As I am not a patient man, I find myself reading the paper as I walk my character to his car due to it being so long and boring. Even when he "runs" he is really just lightly jogging.
3.) There is almost no shooting at all in this game. You always carry a pistol and nothing else. The aim assist is extremely strong which makes it no challenge. usually, if you happen to stumble on a bad guy, there is only one person to shoot and he goes down in two shots. Then it is back to cut scenes, walking, and calling people's bluff.
4.) the driving (if you choose to actually drive) takes forever. The city is huge and detailed but at some point you realize that the developers are not using 90% of the map. Its all for show.
If I were to recommend this game, it would be to someone who does not really play video games as it requires almost no skill or use of the controller to play. I imagine my dad would like this game because he can't figure out how to use duel analog.
Definitely a "rent first" kind of game.