L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1358 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 994 out of 1358
  2. Mixed: 268 out of 1358
  3. Negative: 96 out of 1358
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  1. Skoggra
    Nov 13, 2011
    5
    After playing this game for five days I am still just giving it a 5 out of 10 due to technical issues. Despite some people claiming its the users fault, the game is simply not optimized for some hardware. Numerous reviews have also commented on the less than acceptable FPS on many systems.I am playing on a Intel Duo core 3ghz, 4gb ram and geforce 560 ti, and even on low it is unplayable. IAfter playing this game for five days I am still just giving it a 5 out of 10 due to technical issues. Despite some people claiming its the users fault, the game is simply not optimized for some hardware. Numerous reviews have also commented on the less than acceptable FPS on many systems.I am playing on a Intel Duo core 3ghz, 4gb ram and geforce 560 ti, and even on low it is unplayable. I can run Shogun 2 and Skyrim in full glory, no FPS slowdown whatsoever. There is no reason why LA Noire needs a quad core to run acceptably on low using a mid range system. The fault lies with a shoddy port, not with peoples' systems. If you make a port, do it right, or don't do it at all.… Expand
  2. Dm2k12
    Jan 11, 2012
    7
    I first played this on a mates ps3 so when it came to I got it on the first day this comes with all the extra add on stuff that ps3/xbox360 owners had to pay extra for on pc the only fault is the controls They will make you mad at first but I got used to them the fight controls are stupid this is worth a try
  3. killer1237
    Oct 24, 2018
    7
    A cool and unique detective game that gets stale and repetitive about halfway through.
  4. MetaCthulhu
    Oct 28, 2018
    7
    This is a good detective investigation game for sure. But sadly, it has many flaws: Driving car is clunky, the open world is not very interactive and the cases and investigation styles are repetitive. Biggest problem: Very often this isnt about deduction or interrogation techniques but just random choice clicking, hoping for the best result. You can't judge the face movements and behaviorThis is a good detective investigation game for sure. But sadly, it has many flaws: Driving car is clunky, the open world is not very interactive and the cases and investigation styles are repetitive. Biggest problem: Very often this isnt about deduction or interrogation techniques but just random choice clicking, hoping for the best result. You can't judge the face movements and behavior of the interrogated suspects properly because they are not well done. So in the end good new ideas and concepts, but somehow not the best implementation.… Expand
  5. achittranshi
    Feb 9, 2022
    5
    One of the most overrated games I have ever played. So banal. I was bored to death
  6. Uarabei
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    Great noir atmosphere, cool facial animation for its time.

    But the game is terribly long, and the last part has already become a little boring.
  7. theadam
    Apr 22, 2012
    7
    Boooring. I love noire movies. But those convey atmosphere and an interesting plot. The L.A. city looked very convincing, but the atmosphere was barely there. There was something missing. In the retrospective I cannot imagine how this could have worked in a sem sandbox world. The "noirness" of the noir movies comes from conersations, camera work, rightly cued music. Many of those elementsBoooring. I love noire movies. But those convey atmosphere and an interesting plot. The L.A. city looked very convincing, but the atmosphere was barely there. There was something missing. In the retrospective I cannot imagine how this could have worked in a sem sandbox world. The "noirness" of the noir movies comes from conersations, camera work, rightly cued music. Many of those elements cannot take palce when you are running around etc.… Expand
  8. PeyoteCoyote
    Jan 24, 2012
    7
    Pretty much just a storytelling game. The extent to which a player actually effects the outcomes is fairly limited. Sure you can pin a murder on x when it was probably y, but... so what. You still slog through the story same as before. As far as graphics and gameplay complaints voiced by others, I did not experience any problems whatsoever. I ran the game on full graphics with minimalPretty much just a storytelling game. The extent to which a player actually effects the outcomes is fairly limited. Sure you can pin a murder on x when it was probably y, but... so what. You still slog through the story same as before. As far as graphics and gameplay complaints voiced by others, I did not experience any problems whatsoever. I ran the game on full graphics with minimal tweaks and did not experience any framerate or crash issues at all. The detail level was fairly impressive. This game will keep you busy for a day or two, but after that, you'll either be finished or bored, and it's replay value is non-existant.… Expand
  9. mitzle
    Mar 22, 2014
    7
    I don't know if I am just too incompetent to play this game right or if it is the game itself that manages to demoralize me every step of the way. This game is about interrogation and I think it's a great idea but sometimes I get the feeling that you can't really predict anything Detective Phelps is gonna say nor do I know if there is anything to back up doubts or accusations. This feelsI don't know if I am just too incompetent to play this game right or if it is the game itself that manages to demoralize me every step of the way. This game is about interrogation and I think it's a great idea but sometimes I get the feeling that you can't really predict anything Detective Phelps is gonna say nor do I know if there is anything to back up doubts or accusations. This feels kinda blurry to me and crashes the fun a bit because you're not being rewarded. And even if you get 90% of the questions in a case right the tall grump (your boss) is gonna diminish your police work - that sucks at best!
    Okay, away from that main point to game mechanics:
    Walking and driving feels dull and clumpy. Your mouse won't respond the way you'd expect. Thanks for porting the game so badly... The shooting sequences should've either been taken out of the game or done better - those are really boring to be honest. Run. Duck. Wait for the others to reload. Quick shooting session. Done. Always the same. I don't even want to get started on certain bugs as auto climbing failing to work, your keyboard/mouse input is just being ignored by the game and so on...
    Conclusive it is a decent game with a very neat idea and overall awesome facial expressions that unfortunately WON'T give you any hint what people are up to... sad but true. So it's either me and my minimalized mind for crime or really the game. That's why 7/10    … Expand
  10. TheBank
    Dec 28, 2011
    7
    First off, the game runs fine for me. I had a glitch off the bat when I got it through steam: all of the animations and actions involving facial animation were omitted until I restarted steam, and then the game updated. Just so you know the game was about 12 gigs, and then a 2 gig update to fix the problem I mentioned (if bandwidth is an issue, buy it in a store). There are a couple ofFirst off, the game runs fine for me. I had a glitch off the bat when I got it through steam: all of the animations and actions involving facial animation were omitted until I restarted steam, and then the game updated. Just so you know the game was about 12 gigs, and then a 2 gig update to fix the problem I mentioned (if bandwidth is an issue, buy it in a store). There are a couple of gripes I have with this game. I would like to play through scenes a little more specifically rather than doing every case over from the beginning to try and obtain a perfect score (the save and load features didn't seem that obvious). This is a good game, but if you're buying this based off of "I like GTA" then this might not be for you. While the game does have a GTA feel, it is not really a sandbox and they give you the option to let your partner drive you to locations for a reason (saving time, and causing city damage lowers your score). This is a game for people who like point and click adventures, mystery games, or puzzle games more than a game like GTA.… Expand
  11. MagSun
    Mar 4, 2014
    6
    Hyped as it was to be an amazing detective game where you can see people lie to you, by using a state of the art facial motion capture system, this game should be a milestone in video gaming. I think the facial animations are not that good. They seem accurate to the dialog, but look like blending over images from a 3D scanner: teeth and lips morph into a goo of polygons.... Driving throughHyped as it was to be an amazing detective game where you can see people lie to you, by using a state of the art facial motion capture system, this game should be a milestone in video gaming. I think the facial animations are not that good. They seem accurate to the dialog, but look like blending over images from a 3D scanner: teeth and lips morph into a goo of polygons.... Driving through this city is horrible. Despite you are a cop obeying the traffic laws, other cars stop in front of you at green lights for no reason or pedestrians run in front of your car, dropping their bags, turning around, heading a totally different direction and don't give a damn about their missing stuff. Do people actually not want to go somewhere!? Are they just aimlessly wandering around!? Interrogation is also difficult. You can tell, when people are holding back or lying to you (looking around after the statement). But it is weird, that it is incorrect to accuse them of a lie using a piece of evidence on them, where it was correct to doubt their statement, where the dialog uses exactly that evidence you originally failed with (replayed the game). Street crimes are also resolved by killing every armed criminal, no chance to overpower them or persuade them to give up like "Hey, I just shot your ten friends! Do you want to die as well!?" This makes so little sense. *** The game has its good ideas but some of them are poorly executed. Details the player sees cannot be pointed out in the game (Lemma of player knowledge vs. character knowledge). Some general things are repetitive and annoying (better let your partner drive when you can!). It is -- as said -- a diamond in the rough.… Expand
  12. kane148
    Dec 13, 2012
    6
    This game has some interesting concepts, but largely fails in the execution of them: the shootout action sequences are clunky and boring, driving the streets is tedious and the vehicles handle poorly, and collecting clues for your cases is a rather haphazard affair. Then there's the interrogation segments, which regularly involve your character verbally abusing a suspect when you chose toThis game has some interesting concepts, but largely fails in the execution of them: the shootout action sequences are clunky and boring, driving the streets is tedious and the vehicles handle poorly, and collecting clues for your cases is a rather haphazard affair. Then there's the interrogation segments, which regularly involve your character verbally abusing a suspect when you chose to "doubt" them, followed by you apologizing and backtracking. The whole interrogation system is just too illogical and unpredictable: you have no idea what your character will actually say, given any particular option, and backing up your accusations relies on having previously discovered particular clues--catching them in a lie or making reasonable deductions doesn't seem to count for much. One thing the game does do well is providing a detailed and convincing environment of 1940's LA, and the facial graphics are pretty advanced. But these aren't enough to make LA Noire more than a mediocre game in my opinion.… Expand
  13. EmuChicken
    May 10, 2012
    6
    I managed to grab this on some sale at steam or other, but it did actually shine out amongst the other games as you actually get to play as a detective, in what-seems to be a GTA game (from Rockstar, so what do you expect?)
    Starting out the game, its a standard GTA-like story driven game. The "sand-box", or "free" style of gameplay however, is very lacking in comparison however. The game    I managed to grab this on some sale at steam or other, but it did actually shine out amongst the other games as you actually get to play as a detective, in what-seems to be a GTA game (from Rockstar, so what do you expect?)
    Starting out the game, its a standard GTA-like story driven game. The "sand-box", or "free" style of gameplay however, is very lacking in comparison however. The game follows the career of a Detective, some "bad-ass" veteran from WW2 and his hijinx. It would be reasonable to say that this is a cross between an adventure game and a very small part action. - That said, there is also an "interrogation" mini-game to find clues or whatever.
    Whilst on the cover it seems to sound pretty damn cool, it is actually let-down by a number of issues. Firstly, them damn graphics. I mean, they'd be quite good... if it was released by the same time San Andreas came out. But by the release, them flickery shadows, and jaggy edges - you can see that they must have been cutting a few corners. Dated.
    Secondly- the "motto" of Rockstar, so far, (if you looked at GTA, or even Red Dead)- would be SAND BOX. This game is VERY linear. there are "street crime" events that happen in the city, but you'll be doing the same thing for each - Chase, shoot, suspect dead, repeat. To progress the story line, you had to go around interrogating people. you get 3 options "TRUE" , "FALSE", or "DOUBT". - there were many-a-time I had meant things in a certain way and the detective goes nuts for no reason-poopie! That said. > you could actually ask mostly wrong questions for all your suspects- then STILL manage to continue the story. - as punishment, solve street crimes- then carry on the story. pagnnhn!

    Conclusion > I actually had a good time for the first hour or two. I mean, the story isn't bad, but it's vastly inferior to anything that GTA gave out. Graphics? They're OK. Game-play? Not too good- not going to touch this for a LONG time. Instead of a detective game like I wanted, it was more like a Japanese style graphic novel where you just watch.
    As a Graphic novel, Im gonna give this a 7, but cos its in the "Games" section, ... 5? but... I did actually want to know what happened... so.. 6? yah...

    - I think its time I dug out that copy of "Blade Runner" again, now THAT was detective work!    … Expand
  14. calla
    Dec 30, 2011
    7
    L.A. Noire is a good game, but it's far from perfect. The story is great, the facial animations are amazing, but the controls are a bit off. I played the PC version and it took a while to get used to. The controls aren't terrible, but I'm guessing the game is better on a console (bad port?) or with an actual controller. This game is definitely not for everyone. It requires a lot ofL.A. Noire is a good game, but it's far from perfect. The story is great, the facial animations are amazing, but the controls are a bit off. I played the PC version and it took a while to get used to. The controls aren't terrible, but I'm guessing the game is better on a console (bad port?) or with an actual controller. This game is definitely not for everyone. It requires a lot of patience and if you're the type of person who just wants to kill everything in sight and be done with it, this game is not for you. TL;DR ver. Rent. It's a good game, it just doesn't have a lot of replay value. I've been waiting a while for this to be released on PC and while it's not the best game I've played in a while, it's still worth checking out.… Expand
  15. kravenhart
    Nov 18, 2011
    7
    Very good and interesting game. But the fact of play the full scene again and again, and don't be able to manually save frustrate me a bit, bad player experience for me. I feel like Groundhog Day. And some random crashes of the full pc... bad optimized for PC like ALL the Rockstar's games
  16. ineffable
    Nov 19, 2011
    7
    So the top rated negative comment blathers about bad controls... I would like to know what the hell this guy is talking about. The controls are fine. Took me about 5 minutes to get used to them.

    Anyway, it may be a bit early for me to write a review, as I have not finished the game, but oh well. The game is good. Not great. The cases are interesting (as are the WWII sequences). The    So the top rated negative comment blathers about bad controls... I would like to know what the hell this guy is talking about. The controls are fine. Took me about 5 minutes to get used to them.

    Anyway, it may be a bit early for me to write a review, as I have not finished the game, but oh well. The game is good. Not great. The cases are interesting (as are the WWII sequences). The gameplay is fun, good mix of detective work and violence (maybe a bit light on the violence for certain tastes). All in all, worth playing, even though I know it will have no replay value whatsoever.    … Expand
  17. Dalek
    May 28, 2012
    6
    This game is rushed, and could had been optimized better. The driving in this game is very unrealistic. Its EXTREMELY linear, there is no freedom in this game what so ever, its just mission after mission and I've played up to detective mode and a few missions after-wards. However the facial expressions in this game are amazing and are really well done and are great for asking questions toThis game is rushed, and could had been optimized better. The driving in this game is very unrealistic. Its EXTREMELY linear, there is no freedom in this game what so ever, its just mission after mission and I've played up to detective mode and a few missions after-wards. However the facial expressions in this game are amazing and are really well done and are great for asking questions to see if they're lying or not. However it doesn't really show if they're lying enough to make a clear suggestion right.… Expand
  18. Fr0s7y
    Nov 18, 2011
    7
    Considering that this title was ported by Rockstar, I'm rather surprised at how well it was optimized for PC (in comparison to GTA4, that is). The game is thoroughly enjoyable, and the new facial animation technology is really quite incredible. My only real complaints are with gameplay, in that the game feels quite linear and the enormous city of Los Angeles feels pretty dead outside ofConsidering that this title was ported by Rockstar, I'm rather surprised at how well it was optimized for PC (in comparison to GTA4, that is). The game is thoroughly enjoyable, and the new facial animation technology is really quite incredible. My only real complaints are with gameplay, in that the game feels quite linear and the enormous city of Los Angeles feels pretty dead outside of whatever investigation you happen to be on. That said, I find this game to be fun and would recommend it to anyone interested in the adventure genre.… Expand
  19. qwasm
    Nov 19, 2011
    7
    Good adventure game with great characters, graphics, and atmosphere. The faces in the game are simply amazing. I have never seen a game yet with this detailed facial animations and expressions. I also really love the setting: a noire story set in the late 40's.

    However it's far from perfect, the controls are bad and the game is too short.
  20. HuckleberryPie
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    Yet another brilliant port from Rockstar. *sarcasm* In all seriousness, I guess this is what happens when you focus more on the consoles than on all platforms, or maybe they're just too plain incompetent, as the only good port I saw from R* was the PC version of Vice City. And it didn't help that they used a clunky DRM system that reminds me of some draconian anti-cheat system from Korea.Yet another brilliant port from Rockstar. *sarcasm* In all seriousness, I guess this is what happens when you focus more on the consoles than on all platforms, or maybe they're just too plain incompetent, as the only good port I saw from R* was the PC version of Vice City. And it didn't help that they used a clunky DRM system that reminds me of some draconian anti-cheat system from Korea. The storyline and overall concept is brilliant though, plus the addition of licensed cars and a (mostly) accurate depiction of downtown Los Angeles adds to the charm.… Expand
  21. Gamed2long
    Mar 8, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just completed this game. At least the main "case load" including DLC. While I found the overall gameplay experience joyful at times I also found it quite tedious other times as well. Overall I rate this game a bit above mediocre.
    I must give Rockstar props. Its an original concept no-one has ever tried before. I am a fan of Film Noire and so when I learned that a game based upon the same style and philosophy was being created I was very excited. In practice, sadly, I've got to say the plot of the game often disappoints. It is frustrating in the middle of the game when you know full well your fingering innocent people for the black dahlia murders but have no real option other than to arrest innocent people for the crimes. Case completed! You locked up some innocent sap. The main plot line of the game doesn't really rise up except in newspaper clippings until you are 2/3 through the game and I found that disappointing as well. You never really see the bad guy's get the comeuppance. One of them is killed by the doctor who gets choked by his own servant later on (So you weren't involved at all) and another gets shot in the leg. Thats it. As well there is the bizarre move for you to take command of another avatar for 3 of the last 4 missions. You've been playing as Phelps for the entire game and his blank by the book manner is great if not tiring after a while but why switch to a different protagonist? Or if your going to go that route integrate it into the whole game experience. Not just the last couple of missions. Strange.

    This brings me to my largest complaint of the game. Mismanagement of time allocation. How much time does it take to program a set of pipes? Some. And yet you need to "build" them to fine a piece is missing and it counts as a clue. There are some odd finesse pieces in the game that are often completely retarded. Swear to god. Only game I've ever played that required me to use an in game calculator. And guess what? Its less intuitive and harder to control than the actual calculator that comes with windows. All to unlock a clue. What sort of skill testing is that? What were they thinking?
    I could understand these points if the main body of the game was more polished but they aren't. As others have complained the driving mechanic (where you end up spending about 50% of your time) is reminiscent of one of the early GTA games. We know they have better code for a driving mechanic than that. Why? The shooting mechanic is also sub optimal. Either pretend bullets are endless or show how many you've got left. Nothing like your big gun running out mid fight only to have to go back to you handgun. Some of the "street crimes" were rewarding however I eventually began to dread them. It's like they were programmed to pop up on the farthest corner of the map at the least opportune times to stretch the game out. Additionally I liked the unlockable cars even if they all drove somewhat badly. However being unable to trigger street crimes in them meant I stopped using them and didn't go back. The main feature of the game was the "interview" mechanic. It was certainly the most hyped feature. However in practice I found it became like taking a quiz after a while. And as pointed out before sometimes the evidence for a lie made no sense whatsoever. In practice I ended up doing each interview multiple times and quitting before it saved so I could repeat it until I got the "right" answer. Not the most enjoyable experience. Especially when I had to re-search a scene before the interview. Overall though its not a bad game. It is a finished product. There were some novel elements and fun to be had. They did a good job of the noire feel while driving between clues, and at a lot of the cut scenes. It just easily could have been a better game. With a bit better direction and a smarter plot. If they had re-focused their energies on the components most used it would have been a better experience. The last mission for instance you get a flamethrower right before the end but it is so horrible to use you wish you could go back to your handgun to take out the last 6 thugs. Outside of gameplay I should comment I had major issues with the game installation for the first time in my life (And I am a quite seasoned gamer). The necessary download patch that came out after I purchases a hard copy of the game failed to install correctly preventing me from playing the game and it was a month before they released an improved patch which fixed it. Rockstar tech support is a step above useless it turns out. Lastly I'd like to point out to anyone looking to purchase this game. According to Rockstar social club 9% of the people who started this game are doing the last missions or more likely finished the game. They show a nice breakdown of which 1/5 of the game people are in. It looks like a lot of people got 1/4 to half way into the game and quit because the numbers didn't change the entire month I played    … Expand
  22. ingreenblue
    May 1, 2014
    7
    An interesting concept. The interrogation gameplay is fun and exciting on your first playthrough and the storytelling is excellent. The city of L.A. is beautifully presented but somehow doesn't feel alive. Do not expect a well optimized port.
  23. holtafd
    Dec 12, 2011
    6
    The game has a great story with some inventive mechanics. however for the pc Version it is clearly a port. the are lots of problems with objects that just pop in even on advanced pcs.
  24. giskard
    Mar 15, 2012
    5
    Poor console based controls on the PC Version, poor support of hardware forcing you to turn down the detail to play a game that should easily be able to run smoothly on max settings and a cut scene heavy game to tell a story with very poor sections of game play in between. This is more movie than game and the game play elements are really pretty poor over all. If you like movies, perhapsPoor console based controls on the PC Version, poor support of hardware forcing you to turn down the detail to play a game that should easily be able to run smoothly on max settings and a cut scene heavy game to tell a story with very poor sections of game play in between. This is more movie than game and the game play elements are really pretty poor over all. If you like movies, perhaps renting the movie version of this if they make one would be a better and cheaper than buying it full price as a game only to end up watching the best parts because the interactive gameplay parts really suck.… Expand
  25. crackuh
    Mar 16, 2012
    7
    A very unique and original game in my opinion. Loved the 1940's LA setting. Driving is one of the highlights - controls feel very smooth. One of the few PC games I preferred a gamepad over mouse/kb. With over 20 cases in the Complete Edition the storyline started to drag in the middle, but picked up toward the end. Interrogations can be frustrating if you repeatedly guess wrong. FeelsA very unique and original game in my opinion. Loved the 1940's LA setting. Driving is one of the highlights - controls feel very smooth. One of the few PC games I preferred a gamepad over mouse/kb. With over 20 cases in the Complete Edition the storyline started to drag in the middle, but picked up toward the end. Interrogations can be frustrating if you repeatedly guess wrong. Feels like too much time is spent watching cut scenes. Overall a quality experience, recommended.… Expand
  26. GolovA
    Jan 23, 2016
    7
    By no means is it a GTA. No. L.A. Noire is rather an interactive movie. It is not a bad port - i have seen much worse, so this one is ok, although there are a couple of bugs like disappearing cars (when you drive around in one car, park, and enter another - the previous car is gone). Also - DRM. Really, devs - can you please stop with this DRM crap already? And the auto sign in doesBy no means is it a GTA. No. L.A. Noire is rather an interactive movie. It is not a bad port - i have seen much worse, so this one is ok, although there are a couple of bugs like disappearing cars (when you drive around in one car, park, and enter another - the previous car is gone). Also - DRM. Really, devs - can you please stop with this DRM crap already? And the auto sign in does not work, by the way, so every time i log into the game i need to input the Rock Star Social Club password. Seriously, i have good internet connection, but sometimes my internet goes down. What then? I'm pissed is what then! So minus one point just for that.

    Alright. Got that out of my system. Moving on.
    The story is pretty good and damn extensive - it's really a novel of a game. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing that kept me playing L.A. Noire. I thought long and hard about why the game just isn't working and i have come up with this - the style of the gameplay just does not fit the mechanic chosen by the developers. This is a detective game, but it's not an adventure in the classical sense - you don't really solve any puzzles. You blindly hunt for clues in a limited area, then confront the potential culprit via a dialogue. Yes, you do have choices as to how the dialogue proceeds, however, they are limited to three ambiguous groups which almost never fit the situation, namely "Truth", "Doubt", and "Lie". My game experience was that almost never could i predict the response of Phelps (the protagonist you play) based on these three vague categories. You would think that "Doubt" would mean what it says, but instead, when you choose this specific branch of response, Phelps intimidates, threatens, accuses, and verbally assaults his interlocutor, instead of politely and politically correctly doubting with some logical reasoning and supporting arguments. When you choose "Lie", Phelps will accuse the suspect of something and then has to present the evidence in support of the allegation. However, once again, you never know what he will accuse the suspect of - and many a times, i was completely surprised as to where the dialogue went, since i had no supporting grounds for the accusation. So, in short - dialogue is pretty unpredictable, "streamlined" as they call it, made for children who can read only one-syllable words. But RockStar, let me ask you this - you make such a deep game, with such convoluted and twisted criminal cases, and them you give us three dialogue choices which plunge a good game into the arcade genre? Why?

    Moving on. Phelps. As the protagonist, i did not enjoy playing him. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. He is a very strong character, very well portrayed, pretty deep, and believable. However, playing him was not a joyful ride - it wasn't a torture - but i would rather play his "friend" (not gonna give away any spoilers).

    The gameplay basically comes to this - look for clues, talk to suspects, next case. You don't even have to drive around the city, since there is an automatic get-to-the-place feature. From these two, clue-hunting is interesting during the first few cases, then - it becomes a monotone routine. As for the dialogue - see above. Thus, the game is very repetitive and one dimensional. Compare, for example with GTA - every mission was so different it was amazing. Why not do this here. I mean every case in L.A. Noire is pretty damn good, interesting, intense. The characters (suspects and partners) are so damn good. The voice overs are amazing, the facial mimicry is photo-realistic! And yet the monochrome gameplay ruins it all with a wave of a wand.

    Well, thanks to the story which kept me going, i finished the game in 30 hours.
    Can i recommend it?
    For $5, Yes. Not for more. And keep it mind - DRM.

    Overall, such a good chance was missed in this project. Ouch.    … Expand
  27. JimCorbett
    Apr 21, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If this game wasn't so unique it would have fared far worse than a 7/10. The crime solving and scouring for clues and reading peoples face expressions are all just so damn fun to do and you get a real sense of accomplishment when you correctly call someone out who was lying. The groundbreaking technology used for the facial expressions is amazing, unfortunately not every character in the game has it so the animations for those characters looks really bad when they are side-by-side with one that does. Also, sometimes people will do the exact same thing when they tell the truth and when they lie, making telling the difference quite difficult. The game also has numerous "noobie friendly" features such as intuition points that can show you locations of clues or tell you whether someone is lying. If you fail a chase sequence or shootout a few times in a row you will get the option to skip it and continue on with the crime solving.

    Unfortunately this game has a large amount of bugs and flaws. I have only played the PC version so I am not sure if some of these are specific to the PC version or not. The sound can glitch during some cutscenes. I had the sound of my machinegun firing throughout an entire cutscene a few times and then it continued after as well, forcing me to quit the game and restart. The actors use modern lingo a few times such as "legit" and that really bothered me as the voice acting was suberb and lingo from the 40's was prevalent throughout. Sometimes cars will just disappear off the screen. THis one was quite common and I found cars just vanishing from my screen as I approached an intersection. The controls are floaty and when you run you feel like you are that fat cop who eats donuts all day instead of an agile ex-marine. The combat and cover system is bad. I would commonly fund myself unable to move through my cover, leave cover or even go into it. You can still get shot while behind cover. Aiming isn't fluid and you will often find your crosshair skipping along. I can see why the xbox version had aim assist as it is just hard to do manually. The graphics on weapons isn't very good, but the effects of the guns shooting and the recoil of them is very well done.

    There are a lot of collectible that are made easy to find by the Rockstar Social Club which lists all of your accomplishments in detail on their site. The story was great and the ending was great as well (But it seems some people didn't feel this way) The big twist that came near the end of the game was seemingly out of nowhere, i'm not really sure why the character did that but what came after that point was a more sensible, easier to follow story that i really enjoyed. The biggest problem i had, and this was prevalent on all version of the game, is that the FPS lags a ton. THis is very noticeable during driving sessions as your vehicle will skip forward. Luckily you can fast travel anywhere in the world which is great. Overall, the uniqueness of this game makes it well worth a look, but there are many flaws to bring it down. Do careful research before purchasing.    … Expand
  28. Xardon
    Jul 23, 2012
    6
    When I first started playing this game I thought, "How did I go this long without finding this gem?" But as I continued to play, I realized that the scenarios were basically all the same, just different suspects/crimes, etc mixed in. It follows a very linear style as it is, what I consider to be, "mission driven." With such a large city, I was shocked that you can only explore it whileWhen I first started playing this game I thought, "How did I go this long without finding this gem?" But as I continued to play, I realized that the scenarios were basically all the same, just different suspects/crimes, etc mixed in. It follows a very linear style as it is, what I consider to be, "mission driven." With such a large city, I was shocked that you can only explore it while on a mission/scenario. With the "random" events happening within a scenario which you can choose to do, or skip, it's up to you. It's not as free roaming like GTA. Hopefully a next version will make it a free flowing and working city, that's more open, with the story elements tied in. Overall, a good game, especially if you got it during Steam's Summer sale at $4.99.… Expand
  29. indyogb
    Feb 22, 2012
    7
    This is a good game. Not as much freedom as the GTA series, but the ambiance of 1940's L.A. is great. The game doesn't have much replay-ability due to the aforementioned lack of freedom. You kind of have to go from one point to the next (even though you can choose to answer calls while en route). My machine is relatively modest, but tends to play most new games at medium settings, butThis is a good game. Not as much freedom as the GTA series, but the ambiance of 1940's L.A. is great. The game doesn't have much replay-ability due to the aforementioned lack of freedom. You kind of have to go from one point to the next (even though you can choose to answer calls while en route). My machine is relatively modest, but tends to play most new games at medium settings, but this one doesn't run smoothly even on the lowest settings. It appears to be a rather poor port from the consoles (shock). Despite this, the game is pretty good. I would especially say it is worth a try especially if you can get it at less than full price.… Expand
  30. LighterThings
    Mar 29, 2012
    6
    When the game did run, L.A. Noire for the PC was one of the most enjoyable, and intriguing, video games I've ever played. The problem is, it hardly ran. Rockstar's woefully-terrible DRM methods made trying to get this game to even start almost impossible until the first patch. After that, the loading times, and general stuttering of the game made it unplayable most times. It's reallyWhen the game did run, L.A. Noire for the PC was one of the most enjoyable, and intriguing, video games I've ever played. The problem is, it hardly ran. Rockstar's woefully-terrible DRM methods made trying to get this game to even start almost impossible until the first patch. After that, the loading times, and general stuttering of the game made it unplayable most times. It's really unfortunate, too, because I played a bit of the console version and was just blown away. While the PC version has potential of playing just as well, Rockstar really needs to nail down the performance issues before this game can ever be thoroughly enjoyable.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best PC Game of 2011
26
#26 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
15
#15 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 29, 2012
    90
    A unique adventure game that borrows many features from mystery and action games, incorporating them seamlessly in the narrative flow, thus creating a truly special game that not everyone will enjoy. And that's because it has its own character, defying contemporary 'fast food' games that are churned out today and because it's reminiscent of endeavors made in another era, where immersion of an ultimate single-player experience was the first and last goal of their creators.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    90
    Ingenious game merges a classic adventure with sandbox action titles, resourcefully. Playability is not always perfect but overall impression is stunning. [Christmas 2011]
  3. Games Master UK
    Jan 12, 2012
    92
    The wannabe detective's definitive version to plump for. [Feb 2012, p.101]
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