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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Boilrig
    Nov 19, 2011
    8
    While there is mention that this game is 'unplayable', which is not the case. L.A. Noire beings a whole new genre to the gaming industry, using certain camera technology to actually show between lies and the truth, its an unforgettable experience. While not fully optimized for the PC, it is playable, the errors people get are the same with every game and just a simple restart of the gameWhile there is mention that this game is 'unplayable', which is not the case. L.A. Noire beings a whole new genre to the gaming industry, using certain camera technology to actually show between lies and the truth, its an unforgettable experience. While not fully optimized for the PC, it is playable, the errors people get are the same with every game and just a simple restart of the game fixes them. It's storyline and graphical system are different from other games, this is a game which allows you to actually play detective, and its a game which you cannot leave behind.… Expand
  2. loloynage
    Nov 27, 2011
    8
    It's a great game, other then the rather bad visuals, the crimes are very well made and controls are easily mastered if given a chance. Needless to say, it's worth playing, but don't think this is some kind of great gaming revolution.
  3. strangermoon
    Sep 27, 2019
    8
    best rockstar game on Pc to focuing facial story telling and dedective gameplay. action was 2nd here but feels like old movie really good one.
  4. largallama
    Jan 4, 2012
    8
    After taking a few levels to get to grips with this game i think that it is a brilliant game,it does have its flaws tho. I am playing it on a pc with 2x 1gig 4870`s in Crossfire,8 gig of ram and a AMD Phenom BE quad core @3Ghz and i cannot get this game to play smooth at all. I have gone from CF to a single card,had settings on max,had settings reduced,changed GPU drivers but nothing helpsAfter taking a few levels to get to grips with this game i think that it is a brilliant game,it does have its flaws tho. I am playing it on a pc with 2x 1gig 4870`s in Crossfire,8 gig of ram and a AMD Phenom BE quad core @3Ghz and i cannot get this game to play smooth at all. I have gone from CF to a single card,had settings on max,had settings reduced,changed GPU drivers but nothing helps which is a big shame because i think its a brilliant game. The thing i don`t get tho is that apart from the characters faces the graphics arn`t all that,i can run Crysis better than this game and that game is in a completely different league when it comes to graphics. I thought that when this was released later for the pc that they had not just ported it from console but it seems that they have done just that.Also the controls are a bit awkward but with all that said,i do think its a clever game,not just some shoot`em up,it does get you thinking,lets just hope that with the second one,they iron out the faults and its because of these faults it only gets a 8.… Expand
  5. DrownedDrone
    Jul 22, 2012
    8
    Rockstar once again proven to me that it is probably the most innovating company. The game is- New. I have never played another game like this. I don't say its the best game I've played but its really nice to play something so different from other games. The action in this game (gun fights, car chases, melee fights, etc...) are unrelevant near the main feature which is the investigations,Rockstar once again proven to me that it is probably the most innovating company. The game is- New. I have never played another game like this. I don't say its the best game I've played but its really nice to play something so different from other games. The action in this game (gun fights, car chases, melee fights, etc...) are unrelevant near the main feature which is the investigations, and specificly the questioning- where you have to decide by observing body language if the suspect telling the truth or not, and if not, whether or no you have proof for it. All possible investigations choises are well played by the actors, not just by sound but also by body language which is captured in the game using new technology. There are problems- sometimes your proof isn't what the game intended in which case u lose the question. The game is still easy and linear, so don't expect too much challange regardless, but it is a nice expirience.
    Something wierd about this is game is that it included a very big and detailed map but since I always let my partner drive I ended the game not knowing the map AT ALL. I usually like exploring and I knew locations in previous GTA titles better than I knew my own city, but in this game I can;t tell you where the police office is, and since its all about investigations the game has no replay value.
    I would estimate the worth of this game in about 7.5-12.5$    … Expand
  6. humor4fun
    Feb 6, 2012
    8
    This game is a ton of fun. The story takes a very strange turn towards the second half, but it was very well written.

    I had a few small complaints about the game, but the only things I want to mention here is that there is ZERO replay value other than achievement hunting.
  7. reanimatrix
    Feb 19, 2012
    8
    Beautiful game, brilliant plot-- love the way they interwove three stories into one game. I'm also incredibly fond of all the characters, and the animation is brilliant, particularly the expressions. LA is beautiful, and so are its cars. Someone really knows their history as well, and it shows. Over all, excellent and under rated game.
  8. offspring3003
    Feb 22, 2012
    8
    Very nice game.A great story. Poor management and optimization = 10-2 = 8 A lot of people compare this game with the Mafia game is absolutely wrong they have in common only the fact that the action games there in the first half of the 20th century in this respect, the game is much closer to those games like Heavy rain and Alan Wake. Most of the game like a very sad ending is drawn inVery nice game.A great story. Poor management and optimization = 10-2 = 8 A lot of people compare this game with the Mafia game is absolutely wrong they have in common only the fact that the action games there in the first half of the 20th century in this respect, the game is much closer to those games like Heavy rain and Alan Wake. Most of the game like a very sad ending is drawn in detail the injustice of our lives, where the good die first, and the bastards are still living… Expand
  9. Budget_Security
    Oct 6, 2014
    8
    Excellent cinematic atmosphere, story, soundtrack, and great characters. The interrogation gameplay was interesting, but sometimes also frustrating. At times the correct choices seemed a bit far-fetched or inconsistent, even if you were very careful. Maybe the developer pushed this gameplay mechanic a bit too hard in an atempt to keep the difficulty high enough. This prevented me fromExcellent cinematic atmosphere, story, soundtrack, and great characters. The interrogation gameplay was interesting, but sometimes also frustrating. At times the correct choices seemed a bit far-fetched or inconsistent, even if you were very careful. Maybe the developer pushed this gameplay mechanic a bit too hard in an atempt to keep the difficulty high enough. This prevented me from enjoying an excellent game as much as I should have. The combat also feels out of place (when gunning down hordes of nameless bad guys like in GTA) in a mature game. Flaws aside, this is still a milestone and an example of video games slowly growing up. The open world city is also amazingly authentic, arguably better (and certainly larger) than Liberty City in GTA 4. Porting from consoles was done acceptably well - you get HD textures and enough options, but there is a console checkpoint save system, 30-fps lock and a little mouse lag. Sadly Rockstar Social Club is mandatory.… Expand
  10. SJ555
    May 20, 2012
    8
    Its good thing to try ... may get boring in sometime .. but still with good narrative plot and nice facial motion .. this game is cool .. The interrogation events can be bit letdown too .... just need to have focused mind
  11. Heresticus
    Dec 26, 2012
    8
    With a beautifully designed 1940's, L.A. Noire is a remarkable game that makes you entirely feel like reading a detective novel. Plus, it offers good graphics, outstanding character emotions, mystery and adventure.
  12. zareh_m
    Aug 13, 2012
    8
    If you ever wanted to be a detective, interrogate people and find clues, then play L.A. Noire. A great detective game with bunch of cases, interesting and groovy story. You don
  13. eyeball002
    Dec 3, 2013
    8
    L.A. Noire is solid adventure game overall. Narrative is top-notch, and the overall setting is authentic enough for most of gamers to immerse themselves into this game. I can confidently say that L.A. Noire is just like GTA, but taking place in 1950's Hollywood. This means, that L.A. Noire suffers same shortcomings that GTA has also suffered.

    I want to start off with interrogation    L.A. Noire is solid adventure game overall. Narrative is top-notch, and the overall setting is authentic enough for most of gamers to immerse themselves into this game. I can confidently say that L.A. Noire is just like GTA, but taking place in 1950's Hollywood. This means, that L.A. Noire suffers same shortcomings that GTA has also suffered.

    I want to start off with interrogation system first, as it is the main focus of the game. Here, you need to find out whether suspect is hiding something or speaking truly by looking at their facial animations. Then, players can choose three options after listening to the suspects you can either believe them, doubt them, or prove them that they are lying. This is where the problems with interrogation sequence kicks in There are no place for player's reasonings to come in. You just choose one of three options, and your avatar Cole Phelps or his sidekick will do come up with all the reasonings. It is fatal flaw for game that focuses heavily on investigations for its gameplay. Rather than feeling like detective in 50s, it feels more like watching detective film. That said, if you buy this game looking for action, you better look for other games.

    This is same problem suffered by the GTA series. You'll feel freedom when you're racing through highway with cops on your tail, but there are little to no freedom regarding what you do in in-game missions. In L.A. Noire, whole game is basically an in-game mission of GTA, so there aren't any freedom in it, except maybe running over some innocent citizen with bouquet on their hand. Lack of freedom leads to one conclusion L.A. Noire didn't do well enough to utilize its open world setting. Although there are whole world to explore, after finding few hidden cars and solving emergency dispatch missions, you'll just going to hear lot of "straight through the intersection." You'll find the open world interesting at first, but it will just all come down to boring rollercoaster ride once the amazement has weared off.

    The action part of the game is... questionable. Since it is an adventure game that focuses on the investigation, it is normal that the action part cannot compare to other AAA quality TPS games. One might argue that the action part is good enough for games like this, but one might also argue that the developers could've done better job with it. It depends on your perspective really, so there aren't much to say to it. Only problems I've found is that each emergency dispatch missions basically all boils down to "run from point A to point B" or "Shoot all the baddies" or "Smash baddies' car", or "run point A to point B, shoot all the baddies in process and smash baddies' car" so even though there are over 40 emergency dispatch missions, there aren't a lot of incentives to play it unless you want to desperately prolong your playtime of this game.

    So, from what I just said, L.A. Noire just looks like a adventure game with questionable action sequence and questionable investigation sequence, but here is a catch this game is heavily narrative driven, and L.A. Noire does supreme job with their narrative. Believable settings, authentic looks and reference to the 50's culture all adds up for great narrative factor. This game feels like watching detective film, but a good one at that. Also, all those flaws I've listed, I didn't notice it until I completed the whole story mode. Each cases in story mode takes almost an hour to complete, and even more if you're looking for all five-star completion. There are many cases to solve in this game. So, what are you waiting for? grab your fedora and detective badge. The case isn't going to solve itself, right?    … Expand
  14. Treeroy
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    Like most of Rockstar's games, L.A. Noire is a horrendous port. But once you resolve the technical issues (which can be done with the help of PCGamingWiki[dot]com), the game is marvellous. It's an interesting concept pulled off very well.
    + Interesting world with believable characters
    + Exceptional acting and face technology. It's truly incredible, really. Every detail of emotion is    Like most of Rockstar's games, L.A. Noire is a horrendous port. But once you resolve the technical issues (which can be done with the help of PCGamingWiki[dot]com), the game is marvellous. It's an interesting concept pulled off very well.
    + Interesting world with believable characters
    + Exceptional acting and face technology. It's truly incredible, really. Every detail of emotion is shown off.
    + A good pace, with generally great missions
    + Wonderful atmosphere it really feels like a movie
    - It's a pain to figure out what the "Truth, Doubt, Lie" buttons actually do
    - AI is dumb as bricks in shootouts, and in a chase, they will quite literally stop and wait for you if you're being slow    … Expand
  15. WestLil0
    May 30, 2015
    8
    If you ever happen to see one of the old "Dragnet" TV episodes you will really understand how this game relives much of that old attitude towards crime (the facts m'am, just the facts). You must have the patience of a detective to play, well, the detective. This can be a pro or a con, depending on your preferences. It was interesting and fun to play it once, and it's worth it if the priceIf you ever happen to see one of the old "Dragnet" TV episodes you will really understand how this game relives much of that old attitude towards crime (the facts m'am, just the facts). You must have the patience of a detective to play, well, the detective. This can be a pro or a con, depending on your preferences. It was interesting and fun to play it once, and it's worth it if the price is right. The DLCs do add other interesting cases. This game has great potential if it's ever re-released with more sophisticated game play and investigative cases.… Expand
  16. BudSpencer
    May 13, 2013
    8
    This game gets a 8 not a 7 or 6 because many people exaggerate totally and they don´t enjoy the atmosphere, they don´t play with controller, they don´t play the game how it should be played, so they ruin their own experience. It´s on the PC yes, but non or less the game has to be played with a controller, because you have to sit in a comfortable chair and enjoy the world. The graphics areThis game gets a 8 not a 7 or 6 because many people exaggerate totally and they don´t enjoy the atmosphere, they don´t play with controller, they don´t play the game how it should be played, so they ruin their own experience. It´s on the PC yes, but non or less the game has to be played with a controller, because you have to sit in a comfortable chair and enjoy the world. The graphics are not as beautiful as people expected. The new technology which has been used for the facial expression which is a essential gameplay factor in this game, let animations be so smooth and realistic that you think this game was touched by god! The game is mainly about being a detective solving cases so if you are more the action guy, you shouldn´t buy this game especially because all the action happens only in side quests. The side quests are emergency calls from your police station, you can answer to in your police car. Sometimes you have to stop a bank robbery and sometimes smaller things like killing some gunmen. The story is fantastic and well written and you will suck it up fast. So the game is good, it has it´s flaws in graphics and it has not enough action for most people, but everything else is just perfect. WELL, the PC port is not quite as good as the console versions. The framerate is limited to 30 frames because that gives the game a movie like feeling. I understand that. No fps drops though, its stable, but they up DX11. DX9 runs smooth, but DX11 has some technical issues for some. Just test it out. It´s recommended to play the game with a controller, but the mouse and keyboard works fine too. Despite the fact that the technical side of the game is non or less weak except for the animations which are the best ever seen, the game is really only for slow paste type guys who like a adventure with case solving elements. Go and get it, lick the sexy looking box and play more than 20 hrs of pure climax! OH before i forget it: GET A QUADCORE YOU HILLBILLY! What do you expect? A dev who never developed for PC to optimize the game on your oldass Dual Core which can´t even play Black Ops straight? you should get a console then, you poor bastard. OR maybe getting a new job. Idiots… Expand
  17. pomidomi
    Jun 8, 2013
    8
    Brilliant detective story with amazing characters
  18. jcasetnl
    Jul 1, 2013
    8
    First, to those with performance issues, create a shortcut to the game with these switches:
    lanoire.exe -str -npd +jobs_numThreads 0

    I'm sort of surprised LA Noire got made, but I'm glad it did. This game is to Rockstar what Punch Drunk Love was to Adam Sandler. It confused the heck out of people but if you kept an open mind it paid off.
  19. SpacedSkunk
    Aug 20, 2013
    8
    Now I start this review about halfway through the game and I really am loving it, it feels fresh and unique. I'll get the bad out the way first in I feel the game gives you too much help finding clues, it will make a noise or if you're using a controller like me it will also rumble on a clue even if you're not looking at it.

    The other reason is the car physics are pretty much awful,    Now I start this review about halfway through the game and I really am loving it, it feels fresh and unique. I'll get the bad out the way first in I feel the game gives you too much help finding clues, it will make a noise or if you're using a controller like me it will also rumble on a clue even if you're not looking at it.

    The other reason is the car physics are pretty much awful, assuming this game was based on the same engine as GTA IV I'm surprised the cars feel really light and quite...well...derpy, they felt heavier in GTA IV. To put it bluntly, if you imagine a 1940-50s American car...they were large, heavy and had a turning circle of the moon. Whoever was in charge of this made them look right, but decided they were lighter and more nimble than a go-kart.

    That aside the story making and acting is excellent and really builds L.A Noire, you do various different types of cases from homicide to arson. The difficulty increases as you'd expect because the crime scenes get bigger so it's not so easy to find the clues, and as they get bigger so does the amount of people you have to speak to in order to solve the case.

    The atmosphere has been captured with brilliant detail from the environment of a developing city, to the cars, attire and scripting. There are some strong references to 1950s cinematography.

    All in all this is an excellent game which in my eyes a few changes could have made it a masterpiece but the gameplay niggles means it doesn't enter that category in my opinion, but this has been so far a game worth reviewing and recommending; I feel that if they make a second one based somewhere else hopefully this feedback will make it into an amazing accomplishment.    … Expand
  20. iddqd4
    Mar 19, 2018
    8
    Так теперь выглядит жанр квестов в современных реалиях, умерев в конце девяностых, и переродившись в интерактивные фильмы.
  21. ArjanS87
    Sep 2, 2013
    8
    Loving the fact that games can think outside the box.
    Similar games such as the modern CSI family cannot even come close in terms of story telling, atmosphere and thrill.
    Even though investigating cases usually meant going through the same routines, the differences in story background, persons of interest and action scenes kept me playing right up to the last case.
  22. Mahdiar
    Jul 6, 2016
    8
    Gameplay : 7
    Graphics : 7
    Story : 9
    Sound : 7
    **********************************************************************************
    Overall : 8
  23. theSplund
    Oct 14, 2022
    8
    Not without its flaws but a good game nonetheless. Just played it again, though on my second playthrough I did notice it does suffer from a lack of variety but the story makes up for it
  24. adyneghina
    Jan 3, 2014
    8
    The game is great awesome graphics and nice concept but the optimization on PC version is bad and the game despite is considered an open-world game is more like an interactive movie
  25. AstiX
    Aug 2, 2021
    8
    GOOD

    - Amazing movie-like atmosphere that does a great job of throwing you back into 40s USA. - Top-notch voice acting and enjoyable characters. - Fun detective gameplay and dialogue. - Awesome detective music! BAD - The storyline is solid, but drifts of after a while and gets in the way of the crime solving gameplay. Sometimes the detective stuff doesn't make much sense for    GOOD

    - Amazing movie-like atmosphere that does a great job of throwing you back into 40s USA.
    - Top-notch voice acting and enjoyable characters.
    - Fun detective gameplay and dialogue.
    - Awesome detective music!

    BAD

    - The storyline is solid, but drifts of after a while and gets in the way of the crime solving gameplay. Sometimes the detective stuff doesn't make much sense for the sake of drama.
    - No anti-aliasing options other than FXAA.    … Expand
  26. Tomle1202
    Feb 4, 2016
    8
    Expertly written and filled with wonderfully technical aspects, L.A. Noire is one hell of an amazing ride to remember, despite some redundancies along its path.
  27. ShakerMike
    Dec 11, 2014
    8
    + Великолепный сюжет
    +Актёрская игра
    +Музыка
    +Атмосфера
    +Революционная лицевая анимация
    +Яркие персонажи
    -Однотипные погони и драки
    -Надоедающий игровой процесс
  28. H_Salehi
    Oct 26, 2018
    8
    The graphic and game-play was awesome just as you expect from Rockstar. But the mystery solving part would get a bit dull in the end of each chapter. I liked the chapter for solving murder mystery the most. Oh, and I didn't finish the game. I left it somewhere in the arson mysteries.
  29. Yamorimlo
    Aug 2, 2015
    8
    L.A. Noire is a fun detective game. Although, it doesn't come without faults. The game is clearly not very optimized for PC, as there are bugs concerning keyboard and mouse control. Using a mouse to select stuff while doing detective work can sometimes be frustrating. The options menu is lackluster with the video options, making you have to fine tune everything in the .ini file. Also, theL.A. Noire is a fun detective game. Although, it doesn't come without faults. The game is clearly not very optimized for PC, as there are bugs concerning keyboard and mouse control. Using a mouse to select stuff while doing detective work can sometimes be frustrating. The options menu is lackluster with the video options, making you have to fine tune everything in the .ini file. Also, the game is capped at thirty frames per second.

    I've enjoyed my time with L.A. Noire so far though. The voice acting is well done, the lip sync technology is awesome. I'm generally not very peeved off by clunky controls; I get over them quite well. Some people might not though, so you might want to play the game with a controller or on a console.    … Expand
  30. Overvulture
    Nov 9, 2015
    8
    A great experiment with mixed results, the use of face capture technology is very impressive but probably won't age well. Tying the unique tech to an interrogation mechanic is a great idea, though sometimes the interrogations themselves can be frustrating and illogical, even to the point that I'd just restart the mission if it became a wash. Shooting and driving are both passable andA great experiment with mixed results, the use of face capture technology is very impressive but probably won't age well. Tying the unique tech to an interrogation mechanic is a great idea, though sometimes the interrogations themselves can be frustrating and illogical, even to the point that I'd just restart the mission if it became a wash. Shooting and driving are both passable and functional, except for a frustrating sequence in the finale which involves way more shooting than the rest of the game.

    What I love most about this game is its adherence to Noir style, complete with all the backstabbing intrigue that comes with it. Nearly every Noir trope is in full effect here, and there's some truly excellent acting to be found, on par with Hollywood productions, probably because there are a great deal of talented character actors involved that you'll probably recognize from this thing or that. The story is solid and kept me hooked, and its final scene is brilliantly delivered. As with others I've enjoyed, this is a game I recommend not for the strength of its mechanics, but for its "feel", and in terms of making you feel like a hard-boiled Noir detective, you won't find anything better on the market.    … Expand
Page:

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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »