L.A. Noire

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1212 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 848 out of 1212
  2. Mixed: 259 out of 1212
  3. Negative: 105 out of 1212
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  1. Mindurbidniss
    Feb 3, 2023
    7
    The game is a classic only because there wasn't really anything like it at the time. It may even seem unfair to judge it by today's standards. That being said, it's shortcomings eclipsed it's potential even way back then. An open world LA city, recreated almost block for block, goes to waste with nothing to do in it outside of cruising around. The worst offender has to be theThe game is a classic only because there wasn't really anything like it at the time. It may even seem unfair to judge it by today's standards. That being said, it's shortcomings eclipsed it's potential even way back then. An open world LA city, recreated almost block for block, goes to waste with nothing to do in it outside of cruising around. The worst offender has to be the interrogation system though. It consists of 3 option truth, like, and doubt. Apparently these were changed late in production which explains why your character with scream at suspects at the top of his lungs when you doubt them. The 3 option system makes successful interrogation impossible, some may say that's the point of the game, but it's so jarring when you think you telling the game to do one thing and it chooses to do another. Now that the bad is out of the way, I just want to talk about how this game is still a cinematic masterpiece regarding its ability to put you in the gumshoes of a 1947 film noire character. Some of the detective work you'll do as far as finding clues will make you feel like a genius. The plot even has some nice twists and turns outside of just handling cases that will really pull you into this world. It really is too bad we'll never see a sequel to a game like this.… Expand
  2. HuevoAlce
    Jun 27, 2022
    6
    L.A. Noire introduces interesting technology. However, the game is boggled down by an empty open-world and simple gameplay mechanics.
  3. Kai82
    Apr 18, 2021
    5
    This was a truly remarkable game but the later half is weaker and the conclusion is such a downer ending that I regret playing the game. The facial motion capturing was mind-blowing especially for that time, the gameplay was excellent with interesting cases and the characters / stories were immersive. Sadly there is something like a breaking point later on were it gets weaker (CommonThis was a truly remarkable game but the later half is weaker and the conclusion is such a downer ending that I regret playing the game. The facial motion capturing was mind-blowing especially for that time, the gameplay was excellent with interesting cases and the characters / stories were immersive. Sadly there is something like a breaking point later on were it gets weaker (Common complaint by many including me) and like I said at the end of the game I think I wasted my time. The game follows the decorated World War 2 veteran Cole Phelps who starts a career as police officer in Los Angeles in 1947. There is an overall story-line including flashbacks and cases you have to solve. It is a homage to the Film Noir(e) genre and the developers put a lot of effort into its worldbuilding, crime cases of that time and feeling authentic. I praise them for this dedication and in this regard it is a true masterpiece. Gameplay: It is an open world game. You solve crime cases by investigating crime scenes, asking witnesses and interrogating suspects. Beware that depending on your performance you can end the cases earning respect (and unlocking rewards) or being scolded / made fun of by your superiors. During the interrogations the motionscan / motion capturing can truly shine. It was mind-blowing back then as no other game came even close to this performance. You can read the reactions from the suspect faces and make deductions (Still need hard evidence). I think I have to mention that the opinions differ if this worked good or bad. For me it worked but I think a warning is fair here. I say the gameplay is immersive and enjoyable while I must admit that I mostly ignored the open world aspects of the game (There are even collectibles that I did not knew existed back then). I praise the authentic approach again and that they got some familiar faces for the roles. Also some cases are familiar too like the Black Dahlia. Character wise I enjoyed the story as I learned more about Cole Phelps and his backstory. Also the supporting / other characters are well written. I never doubted them or their motives. Presentation wise I already said that they put giant efforts into making LA look and feel like 1947. The goal was to make it as realistic as possible with attention to details. There are some negatives too. Firstly the later cases are a bit weaker, the open world is neglectable for me and the most serious issue the downer ending. While I admit that it is somehow fitting I wont make make a full comparison to Mass Effect 3. However it is still so bad that I would not replay the game and it lowered my enjoyment of the game. I am still divided as on the other hand it is a great experience and too much great effort was put into the game. On a sidenote: There was a lot of crunch at the development which was back then no problem in public eyes and the developer was closed. Overall this is a dividing game to rate. It would be the stuff of legends if it had a better ending and some polish in the open world aspects. I think it is in the 8-9/10 realm without the downer ending. I give a 5/10 here because of the ending and would still recommend it partly. Just avoid the final or if you do not fear spoilers read it up to make your own judgement.… Expand
  4. DavidHoltzer
    May 9, 2019
    7
    The positive side of the game is the graphics, voice acting, characters, story, puzzles solving and the investigation/interrogation is interesting for a while.The negative side of the game is the investigation/interrogation gets tedious after a while and the game has to offer the half decent chase sections and the clunky shooting segments.They made the game way too long and it'll becomeThe positive side of the game is the graphics, voice acting, characters, story, puzzles solving and the investigation/interrogation is interesting for a while.The negative side of the game is the investigation/interrogation gets tedious after a while and the game has to offer the half decent chase sections and the clunky shooting segments.They made the game way too long and it'll become very boring, instead of making it more various and fixing its issues i mentioned.… Expand
  5. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    7
    I expected so much more from this. There isn't all that much freedom to work in, and it gets repetitive quick.
  6. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    6
    Fantastic voice acting and facial animations keep the game from being extremely boring. The stories are repetitive and the ending is rushed and poorly constructed.
  7. Empyrea
    May 3, 2018
    7
    I've just finished the game so here comes my impressions. I'm a bit disappointed with this game although I knew that I wouldn't find much action because this game it's just about the work of a policeman that investigates murders. The best of this game are the voices that are perfectly arranged with the lips. Facial expressions are also very good because it's an important part of the gameI've just finished the game so here comes my impressions. I'm a bit disappointed with this game although I knew that I wouldn't find much action because this game it's just about the work of a policeman that investigates murders. The best of this game are the voices that are perfectly arranged with the lips. Facial expressions are also very good because it's an important part of the game while you're interrogating people. Although at first the gameplay can be catchy because everything is knew, soon it can become boring or repetitive. I think that the creators could have gone one step further with this game like involving the personal life of the main character with his family for instance or give you more choices during the interrogations. For exemple, it could have been nice to let you piss off the suspects to make them speak, or give you the choice to kill or beat the criminals. This game doesn't deserve more than an 8. If the game has more gameplay like the last 4 missions (there are 21) and less than the rest of the missions this game would have improved a lot. Unfortunately they didn't. Also in this last 4 missions where you are alone you can skip driving from place to place by pushing the triangle button. It took me 20 hours to beat counting 10/40 of the extra missions completed. I recommend to push the start button and look the map before going for the optional missions because normally are far far away. Personally I would think it twice before buying this game.… Expand
  8. gennaroRonnega
    Jan 17, 2017
    5
    I have to say I didn't finish the game since english is not my mother thounge so I fond it very hard to understand the main feature of the game, the case narration and investigation through lines of dialogues. I think this game could have been much better if localized and without the action parts that are poorly developed. The game is different from any other, so I have to give rockstarI have to say I didn't finish the game since english is not my mother thounge so I fond it very hard to understand the main feature of the game, the case narration and investigation through lines of dialogues. I think this game could have been much better if localized and without the action parts that are poorly developed. The game is different from any other, so I have to give rockstar credit for the bravery, and I really appreciate what is good in the game, but there are things that didn't work. At the end this game is a crossover of a detective graphic adventure, wich is ok, and a gta sandbox, like it was made not from rockstar. I would have given 6 if i ended the game, but since i didn't care to. It's 5… Expand
  9. Duke_Nukem
    Nov 28, 2016
    7
    I went into this game with high expectations (I know that is a dangerous thing to do) and unfortunatelly it didn't deliver. Sure the graphics are very nice and the facial animation technique is great, but how about the most important thing in a game: the gameplay?

    While there is a nice openworld representation of 1940's L.A., there is really nothing to do in this liveless city. You    I went into this game with high expectations (I know that is a dangerous thing to do) and unfortunatelly it didn't deliver. Sure the graphics are very nice and the facial animation technique is great, but how about the most important thing in a game: the gameplay?

    While there is a nice openworld representation of 1940's L.A., there is really nothing to do in this liveless city. You don't have a house, there are no interesting side quests or mini-games, no crimes to solve. You can drive aimlessly around the city, that's about it. The driving is just fine btw and the cars look nice, it reminded me a lot of that other game called Mafia 2.

    There is no multiplayer or co-op, so what about the story mode? Well it's pretty linear and it gets old very fast: wander around a crime scene untill your controller starts vibrating, giving you a hit that there is a clue to be looked at. You can't leave the crime scene untill you found every clue. Then you and your partner drive to a suspect or witness to ask them a few questions which are listed in your little notebook. You have to look at their facial expression to decide if they are telling the truth.

    The system of 'true, doubt, lie' is not very efficient in my opinion: when you choose doubt your character will be yelling at the suspect but when you choose lie he will be more gentle in his approach, i don't get that! Also it doesn't really matter if you mess up during the interrogations because every time you make a mistake you have to repeat the whole thing untill you do what the game wants you to do. So you can just ask any question and make any decision, untill you found the one that the game wants you to pick.

    There are a few instances where you have to catch a criminal on the streets. Just hold R2 to run after him and shoot or arrest him when you are in close range. You don't have to push any buttons to jump over fences or roofs, the game does that for you! And there are a few shootouts too, just hide behind a car or a wall, use the handy auto-aim system to shoot a few criminals, and that's it!

    This game had so much potential but the action is simply too boring and there is no replay value in this game, no multiplayer and no interesting open world with side quests or random events. You can't talk to people on the streets, you can't use your weapon at will either.

    It's just an interactive movie without any free choices, you just have to do what the game developers want you to do to come to the right conclusions and wrap up the case. Different conclusions do not affect the games outcome, there is only one outcome anyway so there is no real thinking needed. Just trial and error over and over again untill you find the solution and on to the next case, to do the same thing again.    … Expand
  10. SharkbyteJG
    Oct 22, 2016
    5
    I paid $1.50 for this game and I think that was a ripoff. The story is very boring and switches constantly between two cops working on cases and Marine Corps flashbacks with cursing every other word. During the first 10 minutes of the game I glitched through a wall and had to reset the game. While for the most part the game is playable it is not enjoyable at all.
  11. moothemagiccow
    Jun 22, 2016
    6
    The game is uneven: immersive, addictive and a lot of fun in parts, but awkward and unresponsive in others. It's made of disparate pieces: cutscenes, looking for clues, interrogations, and a variety of action mini-games. The story is compelling. Searching for clues and interrogating witnesses are enjoyable. The mini-games are where the game falls apart.
    Every twenty minutes or so, you'll    The game is uneven: immersive, addictive and a lot of fun in parts, but awkward and unresponsive in others. It's made of disparate pieces: cutscenes, looking for clues, interrogations, and a variety of action mini-games. The story is compelling. Searching for clues and interrogating witnesses are enjoyable. The mini-games are where the game falls apart.
    Every twenty minutes or so, you'll be asked to box, chase a suspect, shoot at somebody, or perform an array of less-common tasks - sneaking up on someone, balancing on a collapsing platform, etc. If these made up the totality of the game, it would probably be fine. But you only find yourself doing the same task every few hours - you never get a chance to learn them and improve. I forgot the shooting controls after the first sequence, and forgot the boxing controls later on. Some of the buttons are shown on-screen, but there's no manual in the options section, and I downloaded the game, so I don't have a paper manual.
    Most mini-games aren't related to the main gameplay at all. Unlike car chases, which build on the driving you do in-game,
    Oddly enough, the developers understand this. If you fail three times at any task, you can press a button and skip the entire mini-game. You can also skip driving (steering and braking in low speed traffic, with analog sticks, was a pain for me) by holding a button. The odd part is that repeating or skipping the action really kills the immersion. The game tries incredibly hard to be realistic (your partner will ask what's taking so long if you leave the controller for a minute) and unless you perform perfectly, this breaks the illusion they spent so much time building.    … Expand
  12. rodericrinehart
    Jul 8, 2015
    7
    More adventure and mystery than GTA or Red Dead Redemption, mind you, but Rockstar just makes amazing games. There is still some driving (which thankfully can be skipped 90% of the time with sort-of fast travel) and some shooting, but it is mostly clue searching and question asking. The meat of the game is judging every answer you get with Truth, Doubt, or Lie - and if you select Lie, youMore adventure and mystery than GTA or Red Dead Redemption, mind you, but Rockstar just makes amazing games. There is still some driving (which thankfully can be skipped 90% of the time with sort-of fast travel) and some shooting, but it is mostly clue searching and question asking. The meat of the game is judging every answer you get with Truth, Doubt, or Lie - and if you select Lie, you have to present evidence you've found to prove it.

    It did get boring and I wish it was about 30% shorter or tightened up a bit. It also got a bit repetitive. The story was pretty good with some minor holes, but probably worth your play. It's a unique game.    … Expand
  13. bobbsyw
    Apr 7, 2015
    6
    Captures the look and feel of a 1940's style film perfectly. The soundtrack - with artists like Ella, Duke, T Bone etc - is just brilliant. The actors are credible and interesting, but I found it frustrating that I couldn't influence how my character developed, and I ended up disliking him immensely - which is a drag when you have to play his character. The crime scene investigation wasCaptures the look and feel of a 1940's style film perfectly. The soundtrack - with artists like Ella, Duke, T Bone etc - is just brilliant. The actors are credible and interesting, but I found it frustrating that I couldn't influence how my character developed, and I ended up disliking him immensely - which is a drag when you have to play his character. The crime scene investigation was fun for a while, but ultimately lost its appeal as it was pretty repetitive. The driving element was poorly finished - the cars were so wobbly, at times it felt like driving a giant jelly, but at least you can skip this if you want to.
    A solid game with some great touches, but ultimately the linear story and repetitive gameplay let it down.    … Expand
  14. midgard30
    Jun 6, 2014
    6
    If you're looking for a true investigation game, L.A. Noire may not be the one you're looking for. The 1950's Los Angeles is just amazing and technically a masterpiece from Rockstar. Unfortunately (for me), I felt it was more an interactive movie, No matter how you screw your investigations, you will always find the culprit. The difference between a successful and ruined investigation willIf you're looking for a true investigation game, L.A. Noire may not be the one you're looking for. The 1950's Los Angeles is just amazing and technically a masterpiece from Rockstar. Unfortunately (for me), I felt it was more an interactive movie, No matter how you screw your investigations, you will always find the culprit. The difference between a successful and ruined investigation will reside on missions score and your boss paying you compliments or bawling at you! But if what your looking for is an immersive adventure in the 1950's L.A., then go for it!… Expand
  15. fateappointed
    Feb 3, 2014
    6
    Story: 7 out of 10, Graphics: 7 out of 10, Fun: 6 out of 10, Controls: 7 out of 10, Difficulty: 8 out of 10, Length: 8 out of 10, Re-play: 4 out of 10, Value: 5 out of 10
  16. leonhardtalv
    Jan 28, 2014
    7
    Interesting game, but way too linear for me. It doesn't really matter if you completed the case collecting all the clues and you are accurate at the interviews. A couple of cases can change depending on that, but it doesn't affect the plot at all, and you keep advancing without any problem. I think it is a game intended to be re played until perfection, but following a walk-through guideInteresting game, but way too linear for me. It doesn't really matter if you completed the case collecting all the clues and you are accurate at the interviews. A couple of cases can change depending on that, but it doesn't affect the plot at all, and you keep advancing without any problem. I think it is a game intended to be re played until perfection, but following a walk-through guide or repeating the arbitrary interviews until I get them right doesn't seem so appealing to me.… Expand
  17. thegodfigure
    Jan 16, 2014
    5
    A unique game. Looks pretty nice. The repetitive nature of the crime solving really gets old however. I'd say this is a good game to rent for a week or two.
  18. FinnGames
    Aug 5, 2013
    7
    First of all I loved the concept. L.A. Noire was definitely something I hadn't seen in gaming before. Motion capture was absolutely awesome and at the first couple of desks it was great in interrogations, too. However towards end of the game it became much harder to read suspects facial expressions. Maybe (and probably) I was just bad but honestly it was just one big tragicomic fiasco. MyFirst of all I loved the concept. L.A. Noire was definitely something I hadn't seen in gaming before. Motion capture was absolutely awesome and at the first couple of desks it was great in interrogations, too. However towards end of the game it became much harder to read suspects facial expressions. Maybe (and probably) I was just bad but honestly it was just one big tragicomic fiasco. My boss gave me so much negative feedback that if I was a detective in 1940's LA he probably would've just shot me. And I'm not even exaggerating. At the ending he said after every case I did something wrong. The game was pretty repetitive and boring as well without any replay value. Complete it once put it to shelf. Overall I enjoyed the game at very beginning but it became, honestly, boring after couple of first cases.… Expand
  19. Syriamn
    Apr 21, 2013
    7
    It's a Rockstar game but it's not a Rockstar game. What do i mean by this? The open world, the fantastic setting of this open world, the driving, the character depth and the screenplay are Rockstar. What's not Rockstar is what should differentiate this game that is the interviews and the interpretation of that facial expressions which i might add were technically perfect. In my opinionIt's a Rockstar game but it's not a Rockstar game. What do i mean by this? The open world, the fantastic setting of this open world, the driving, the character depth and the screenplay are Rockstar. What's not Rockstar is what should differentiate this game that is the interviews and the interpretation of that facial expressions which i might add were technically perfect. In my opinion this aspect of the game is clearly unbalanced with the rest. This doesn't mean that is a bad game but if there's any sequel these aspects should be improved.… Expand
  20. Seriosity
    Mar 22, 2013
    6
    The technical achievements are undeniable, but it is simply not that entertaining with its unmemorable plot, monotonous gameplay, nonexistent re-playability, and underwhelming characters.
  21. Famedoro
    Mar 3, 2013
    5
    Why this game is a mess:
    Need a loggin to start and enter in rockstar social club... another useless iscription.
    No windowed mode.
    Only auto save data... why?
    Never ending conversation that you cannot skip.
  22. TheNeoboy
    Nov 23, 2012
    5
    Interesting but very redundant gameplay, repeating over and over every case. Breathtaking graphics and an oh-so boring stroyline. That's it, in a nutshell.
  23. sityoazzdown
    May 18, 2012
    7
    This was an alright game. I liked the detective work, but never really figured out how to read a persons expression; mostly because I just guessed from my observation. Like most "average" games, it is repetitive, I also found the driving handling a little too loose for my comfort. There is little to no action, if i remember correctly. I would only reccomend this game if your interested inThis was an alright game. I liked the detective work, but never really figured out how to read a persons expression; mostly because I just guessed from my observation. Like most "average" games, it is repetitive, I also found the driving handling a little too loose for my comfort. There is little to no action, if i remember correctly. I would only reccomend this game if your interested in things like CSI the show or stuff like it.… Expand
  24. skim123
    Apr 4, 2012
    6
    Meh. That about sums up my feelings about this game. The facial capture acting is very impressive, but the gameplay itself is pretty dull. This game feels more like watching a movie than playing a game - if that's what they were going for, then I guess they succeeded...but when I play a video game I want lots of interesting gameplay - not excessive dialogue and cut scenes. TheMeh. That about sums up my feelings about this game. The facial capture acting is very impressive, but the gameplay itself is pretty dull. This game feels more like watching a movie than playing a game - if that's what they were going for, then I guess they succeeded...but when I play a video game I want lots of interesting gameplay - not excessive dialogue and cut scenes. The interrogations are pretty limited and sometimes the question choices they give you don't make sense...or you'll pick a question that should work, only for the game to tell you it was the wrong choice - This isn't gameplay, it's just picking predetermined dialogue. Meh. The "action" sections are pretty boring and scripted-feeling. The driving isn't nearly as fun as GTA because they don't have the realistic car damage or fun driving physics from GTA. It was pretty pointless for them to spend all of that energy creating an open world but not have anything fun to do in it. The only point of driving is to get to a new crime scene - which becomes pointless, and after a while I eventually just let my partner drive there automatically rather than waste my time with the tedious driving. GTA made you want to drive, because you could have fun getting caught in a crazy police chase, or you could just have fun causing destruction and launching your car off of insane jumps...and GTA's awesome car physics made controlling cars so much more fun. But the world of L.A. Noire doesn't make driving fun - so what was the point of including driving? What was the point of having an open world environment? I do give them props for the impressive facial capture though - that went a long way in making the game more watchable at least.… Expand
  25. JayG203
    Feb 16, 2012
    6
    L.A. Noire is, like so many games on this generation of consoles, focused more on the features than the core gameplay, but luckily that's not enough to completely ruin it, for you don't get invested in the gameplay, you get invested in the story. I'm not going to get into any part of the story, all I'm going to say is that it's great, and damn well engrossing. You play a war hero turnedL.A. Noire is, like so many games on this generation of consoles, focused more on the features than the core gameplay, but luckily that's not enough to completely ruin it, for you don't get invested in the gameplay, you get invested in the story. I'm not going to get into any part of the story, all I'm going to say is that it's great, and damn well engrossing. You play a war hero turned crime investigator. The story is what makes it good, and that's enough for it to be investing, even though the gameplay is what makes it bad, for it's extremely dull. What brings this game down is the sheer time spent making it. The game just couldn't be perfect because it would of taken so much more time, and the development had already been going on for years. So what you have in L.A. Noire is a bunch of fully realized, but not fully polished game pieces. The majority of the time you play this game you will be: searching, interrogating, fighting, chasing, and shooting your way through the campaign. Now like I said: the game's features are all there and fully realized, they're just not as good as they could of been with so much more time. The shooting is absolutely horrible, it looks bad, it plays even worse. The driving is down right awkward and unrealistic, the chases are boring and all too frequent, and the investigating and interrogating is just monotonous, just like the rest of the game. The investigating is cool and complete, but you do it so often it becomes way way too boring. The interrogating is the same way, monotonous, boring come quarter way through. the game's aesthetic is what keeps it together, and that's just not a good game for you. On top of the story, the graphics are great and the voice acting and acting is outstanding. That is another thing about this game that makes it so engrossing, the acting is real. The characters faces move 100% realistically, for they're caught on camera technology (this is how you judge if someone is lying or telling the truth whence you interrogate, you look at their face). What you have with this game is a game that can never be done good within a realistic time frame. This game can never be done well because it's just too damn time consuming. Overall it's not a bad game. If you want a great story, I will recommend this, if you want great gameplay, you'll have to look elsewhere.… Expand
  26. RicochetPhoenix
    Jan 12, 2012
    6
    Just finished L.A. Noire and I honestly have to say WORST ENDING I've ever seen in a game. All of that tedium and patience built up to...blah and disappointment. I stuck it out to the end, and it's just NOT a good game at all. Ending sucked. They pulled the same protagonist switch last minute as they did in Red Dead. The Truth/Doubt/Lie system doesn't work at all in interrogations andJust finished L.A. Noire and I honestly have to say WORST ENDING I've ever seen in a game. All of that tedium and patience built up to...blah and disappointment. I stuck it out to the end, and it's just NOT a good game at all. Ending sucked. They pulled the same protagonist switch last minute as they did in Red Dead. The Truth/Doubt/Lie system doesn't work at all in interrogations and should let you see options for what your character will actually say/ask. The graphics glitch constantly. Poor camera framerate. Routine/predictable level setups. No payoff. So many problems in this game just make it a waste. Good ideas but horribly executed. This was just the biggest letdown I can recall in a long time for gaming...and I'm going to have to go watch L.A. Confidential to purge this game from my memory… Expand
  27. Psychotics
    Nov 11, 2011
    6
    The quality of the work that has gone into this game far surpasses most others but the story falls just short of expectations. I found myself at first in awe with the facial capture system and the sheer quality of the acting in this games but as you progress through the ranks and different divisions I cant help but feel that I have done this before over and over again. Every mission hastheThe quality of the work that has gone into this game far surpasses most others but the story falls just short of expectations. I found myself at first in awe with the facial capture system and the sheer quality of the acting in this games but as you progress through the ranks and different divisions I cant help but feel that I have done this before over and over again. Every mission hasthe same grind and by the midway point of the game it becomes unclear who is lying or telling the truth and you feel as if every answer you submit may make or break your case, I know thats part of the acting and shows how good of a job was done here but the difficulty involved in reading a professionaly trained actors emotions or lack of is no easy task for the typical gamer in this case. Overall its is a good solid game with great mechanics and a great new addition to the many games in this genre but it falls just short of being a standout title… Expand
  28. TheJLC
    Nov 10, 2011
    7
    Fun game, with a very interesting plot. The setting of the game feels very new and appropriate. However, it lacks in re-playability. Once you complete the storyline a few times, you will find yourself wanting more, but won't be able to find it.
  29. Goppfather
    Oct 24, 2011
    7
    Solid game. As many Rockstar games go, some absolutely amazing gaming features, right next to terrible flaws. I personally think its a great storyline, the acting is really good, and the characters are engaging. The detail of the City of LA is remarkable, but I would expect nothing less from Rockstar. As with Red Dead, I found myself wandering around just looking at the remarkableSolid game. As many Rockstar games go, some absolutely amazing gaming features, right next to terrible flaws. I personally think its a great storyline, the acting is really good, and the characters are engaging. The detail of the City of LA is remarkable, but I would expect nothing less from Rockstar. As with Red Dead, I found myself wandering around just looking at the remarkable details.
    The gameplay itself was fun, although a little tedious and grinding. But again, its a Rockstar game, so I expected that. I do agree that some of the investigative clue finding becomes very easy although they did a great job on the interrogations. I found the interogations to get more complicated as the cases progressed. My main complaint as with all Rockstar games are the CLUNKY controls. I really wish they would come up with a new system.
    For fans of mystery or Rockstar, the game will be enjoyed, but for those who haven't liked sandbox, Rockstar games in the past, you won't like this one any better.    … Expand
  30. KarthXLR
    Sep 27, 2011
    5
    Team Bondi took a huge risk making this game, it really is unlike anything else on the market. And for the most part, what's good is REALLY good, such as the story, motion captured game models, graphics, and dialogue. I mean, it's very rare that you get a story written this well in any type of video game, and that's gotta be what they worked on the most. But at the same time, there's soTeam Bondi took a huge risk making this game, it really is unlike anything else on the market. And for the most part, what's good is REALLY good, such as the story, motion captured game models, graphics, and dialogue. I mean, it's very rare that you get a story written this well in any type of video game, and that's gotta be what they worked on the most. But at the same time, there's so much wrong with the game that I can't really recommend it. Some of the vocal performances are perfect, but others are so bad that I actually caught myself laughing a little. The cover mechanic is clunky to say the least, and the controls can lag severely at times. The driving segments of the game are torturous, just another reason why this game shouldn't have been open-world. Cars either don't turn much or flip a 180 by barely turning the wheel. Unlike the GTA games or Red Dead Redemption, you're forced to be the good guy, making it impossible to go on rampages. Many obstacles are made unbreakable, such as picket and chain-link fences and shrubberies (while street lights remain delicate, easily breakable towers of glass), making chases groan worthy and driving sections uninteresting. Hell, you can't even draw your gun unless the game says so. And that's another thing, this game has no freedom, despite being an sandbox game. There's next-to-nothing to do when not on mission aside from sight seeing, there's little replayability considering each case only has one-solution (even if you fail). Too bad, the game could have had lot's of options if you could take the cruel police route a la Bad Lieutenant. The games ending leaves much to be desired, and overall, I had a lot of frustrations with the game. That said, L.A. Noire was a great idea that simply didn't live up to the hype. Was it bad? No, and I hope it does well. Maybe another developer can give the noire genre the game it truly deserves.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PS3 Game of 2011
8
#8 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 78 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 78
  3. Negative: 0 out of 78
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    90
    At first L.A. Noire seems a bit too easy, then it gets interesting and reading people's reactions makes for some of the best gaming this year. The atmosphere is spot on and the late 40's LA really feels like an authentic, living place. [June 2011]
  2. Armchair Empire
    Aug 16, 2011
    75
    Team Bondi created a technical masterpiece with L.A. Noire. The problem is that they didn't create an artistic or even entertaining masterpiece.
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  3. Absolute Games
    Jul 26, 2011
    66
    Look past the glitz of technical achievements, richly designed sets, ostensibly interactive environments, and you will see the real L.A. Noire – a vapid adventure with a hole-ridden plot, a boring unsympathetic hero, and rough stitches in places where content should be.
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