L.A. Noire

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 998 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 717 out of 998
  2. Mixed: 207 out of 998
  3. Negative: 74 out of 998
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  1. arkanoid
    May 26, 2011
    10
    L.A. Noire is unlike ANYTHING in stores now. Its worth the 60 bucks it really is. It's a slow pace game so if youre used to shooting up things then just rent it and try it but everyone needs to at least give this game a go
  2. BlaineT
    May 26, 2011
    9
    I enjoy film noir, so I wasn't a hard sell on this game at all. The clue finding and interrogations were really fun, and the story was well written and engaging. The game is a bit on the easy side, and there is no difficulty setting, but you can toggle off the clue hints and the aim assist, and choose not to use your intuition points. That toughens things up. Although it's linear, theI enjoy film noir, so I wasn't a hard sell on this game at all. The clue finding and interrogations were really fun, and the story was well written and engaging. The game is a bit on the easy side, and there is no difficulty setting, but you can toggle off the clue hints and the aim assist, and choose not to use your intuition points. That toughens things up. Although it's linear, the gameplay has a lot of flex to it. You can search out all the collectables or ignore them. You can drive and take in the scenery, or let your partner drive and skip the trip. You can break up the story by responding to street crimes, or not. You can even skip the action sequences entirely, after a couple of tries, if you're not good at driving or shooting. I like that they tried to make a game that would have wide appeal. Casual gamers who aren't good at shooting or driving can still enjoy it. Those who find the detective work too slow paced can respond to the street crime dispatches and shoot it out with perps. People who need a free roaming fix can search out film reels, landmarks, and the many different cars. Sure, some will complain it is too GTA-ish, or not enough. I personally would have enjoyed more (any!) distractions scattered around town, however, the developers have done a good job of balancing the gameplay to suit different gamer preferences and that is no easy task given how finicky some people can be, myself included. But, what's a review without a few irrational complaints: Is it just me or did it seem short considering it filled up three discs? Why do these antique cars handle like crap? And, I wish I could save at any time, so when I screw up an interrogation, I can reload right to the moment before I screwed up, instead of reloading to the last auto-save which means I may have to re-search for a few clues, and listen to some dialog over. I mean, come on here!… Expand
  3. bodean
    May 25, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. About 3/4th of the way through. Fun game, great concept. However it is a little repetitive. Chasing the suspect every other mission with the same outcome is kind of becoming common. Other than that, I would recommend the game.… Expand
  4. Deresolution
    May 25, 2011
    6
    Now, I would first like to say that I am NOT a mainstream gamer. Sure, I play Halo: Reach online every now and then, but for the most part, I would prefer a more unique experience, such as the Mass Effect series, Dragon Age: Origins, and the Dead Space series. So, when I read in GameInformer about a game called L.A. Noire, I got genuinely excited. Heck, I had only a penny left after I hadNow, I would first like to say that I am NOT a mainstream gamer. Sure, I play Halo: Reach online every now and then, but for the most part, I would prefer a more unique experience, such as the Mass Effect series, Dragon Age: Origins, and the Dead Space series. So, when I read in GameInformer about a game called L.A. Noire, I got genuinely excited. Heck, I had only a penny left after I had bought it. This game made me effectively go broke. It wasn't worth it.

    Now, the gameplay is interesting, I will say that. You scour a crime scene looking for clues, and then interview any suspects that you have. To get suspects, you may sometimes have to chase them, on foot or in vehicle. These sequences are meant to change the pace of gameplay, which, while I admire the effort, become tiresome when they happen. Also, the game has been lauded for its facial capture technology, which allows fully accurate capture of the actor's performance. The animations are solid as many of the actors give good performances, but the faces themselves seem rather low-grade in comparison. They don't look horrible, just not that good. That, or I just have a crappy T.V. The surrounding world that you inhabit is a very convincing recreation of the 1940s, from the housing to the cars to the clothes that people wore.

    Now, since you play as a detective, you happen to progress through different desks of the LAPD: Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson. In each of these stages you are assigned a partner, each of whom has their own personality. The only partner I can honestly say that I didn't like is Roy Earle of Vice. He is just an enormous douchebag. The others are fine. The character you play as, Cole Phelps, is a war hero of the Pacific campaign who has joined the LAPD to make the world a better place, and to potentially right some of the wrongs he committed in the war. He is a flawed character, eventually making a choice along the road that damages his once good name. Now, I have nothing against flawed characters, as I find that when done well, they can be the most interesting. But to be honest, I found Cole Phelps to be uninteresting and boring. Oh, and the "wrong choice" that I mentioned, yeah, I pretty much lost all sympathy in him after that. Then again, that may just be me.

    Now, while I will complement the innovation that some of the gameplay possessed, there is still one flaw in the experience: It often gets boring. It also doesn't help that the most interesting cases are the Homicide cases, which occur in the middle of the game. Perhaps it may have helped if they gave the gamer a little more in the way of choice, such as in a BioWare title, but the story itself is pretty linear, so it just makes me think that this would have been better off as a TV series. Now to be honest (and I am kind of ashamed to admit this), I didn't truly complete the game. I made it past the first case in the Arson desk, and just gave up afterwards. I looked up the ending on YouTube, and it was underwhelming. I mean, 20 hours and THAT'S all they give you? They do give you the opportunity to replay cases in an attempt to get a better rating, but honestly, I don't see the logic in playing a level in a mystery/detective game once you know what's going to happen.

    Now to be honest, this game isn't horrible. It's just not the kind of game I like. There is an audience out there for this game, of that there is no doubt. For now, however, I think I'm good with Xbox Live arcade titles instead. Or that Hunted: THe Demon's Forge game that comes out next week. Hopefully, I'll like that more. And if not, than I have to stop pre-ordering.    … Expand
  5. mandem
    May 25, 2011
    10
    LA Noire, is set in a gloriously convincing depiction of Los Angeles in 1947.
    The controls are similar to GTA, the game style is very different to GTA. You are a LAPD detective, question suspects and witnesses, solving cases. You have to analyze facial responses and bodily twitches, just like in real life.
    Overall it is an outstanding game, very fun, well worth the money. Breathtaking    LA Noire, is set in a gloriously convincing depiction of Los Angeles in 1947.
    The controls are similar to GTA, the game style is very different to GTA. You are a LAPD detective, question suspects and witnesses, solving cases. You have to analyze facial responses and bodily twitches, just like in real life.
    Overall it is an outstanding game, very fun, well worth the money. Breathtaking camera work, well done rockstar and Team Bondi for producing an outstanding game. Very addictive.    … Expand
  6. DJPurge
    May 24, 2011
    9
    I can safely say that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of GTA IV, GTA: Vice City, Alan Wake and Red Dead Redemption. It earns it's stripes in all areas of merit and playing it you do get the feeling that after this, games will never be the same again.

    The bar has been set now, and I think only GTA V will raise it. It has the second best graphics ever seen in a third person    I can safely say that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of GTA IV, GTA: Vice City, Alan Wake and Red Dead Redemption. It earns it's stripes in all areas of merit and playing it you do get the feeling that after this, games will never be the same again.

    The bar has been set now, and I think only GTA V will raise it.

    It has the second best graphics ever seen in a third person game, Red Dead Redemption being in first place. Graphically the game doesn't start off great, but your jaw will be on the floor by the end of the game. A very smart move from Rockstar, who I sense were the brains of this operation. The last taste left in your mouth is a very pleasant one, and it's easy to see how that pays off.

    With Rockstar's involvement, the game benefits greatly from their expert execution of games, but they couldn't make it better or as good as a GTA title for obvious reasons. That said, the missions towards the end of the game do bring into question whether the missions beat the latter missions of GTA IV and I'm inclined to say they do, though something tells me that they won't be as good as the latter missions in GTA V.

    The music is perfect throughout, paranoid and tense, adding to the dense atmosphere of each darkened scene, though much of the game is bright and colourful. Some parts of the score reminded me of the Donnie Darko score, other parts reminded me of 70s James Bond themes.

    It also has the best script ever written for a video game and a fantastic story that plays out at a perfect pace. Adult gamers will rejoice in how well the game is written and how good the voice acting is. It truly feels like playing a movie, and that's why it feels so revolutionary.

    Praises sung, it's not without it's flaws. The cars don't handle all that great. I know that they are 1940s cars, but their handling just doesn't feel very realistic. That said, it never once bothered me and I did take great pleasure in tearing through 1940s L.A. at 80mph. The framerate is very laggy and the game is spread over 3 discs? Red Dead Redemption is held on one...

    The game is also very linear, and while it's still the same chassis used for GTA IV and RDR, the missions are episodic and anything in between crops up while you're driving around trying your best to piece together cases, which is the worst possible time. I also found that it was obvious when interrogating whether suspects were telling the truth, but you had to guess between doubt and lie, which became irritating very quickly. However, there is a 'Free Roam' option which allows you to explore at your own pace.

    I should stress that this game is absolutely not intended to be played by those with short attention spans or those who just want to go around blowing things up. GTA veterans can still take control of any car they like and drive like a maniac, but there are consequences to your every action.

    I have a feeling that this is a delicious taste of what GTA V will be like, and I now feel like an 8 year old boy who knows what his present from Santa is going to be.

    Based on what this game promised to be, I want to give it a 10 out of 10 for bringing truly original joy to the formula that the GTA games spread out over their last 4 games (RDR not counted of course) and for setting the standard so high. However, due to it's flaws I am forced to give it a 9, which reflects it's Metacritic score of 90, which I consider to be fair. I'll continue to play it and I may even update the score if I feel that's necessary.

    I hope that discerning buyers find this review helpful, I can say safely that not since Red Dead Redemption have I felt that a game was worthy enough to warrant spending £40 on release date.

    I eagerly await the first DLC package!    … Expand
  7. VeteranD13
    May 24, 2011
    7
    Wow this game is Amazing ON PS3,to bad for Xbox users 3 discs LMAO. Overall it's a must have game that harkens back to era of simpler times.Gunplay is it not as exciting as you would expect,but the story is where it shines,think of this game as more of an interactive story and treat it as such.
  8. mustard_tiger
    May 24, 2011
    7
    Solid game but as much fun as watching paint dry. I read a review that actually said the game was too short and the length of games is always an issue for nerds but at every moment of the last quarter of this game I was wishing the game was over already. On the positive the faces are amazing, they really ad an emotional level to the characters that wasn't possible before. If you playSolid game but as much fun as watching paint dry. I read a review that actually said the game was too short and the length of games is always an issue for nerds but at every moment of the last quarter of this game I was wishing the game was over already. On the positive the faces are amazing, they really ad an emotional level to the characters that wasn't possible before. If you play with subtitles you are ruining the experience.… Expand
  9. baddeadtaste
    May 24, 2011
    9
    If you are someone that enjoys previous entries by companies like Quantic Dream you will more than likely enjoy L.A. Noire. If you are simply expecting the next Red Dead or GTA then this style of game play probably is not for you and you should give it a rent first to test the waters. I personally love the game. It has a great gritty feel and really pulls you in to the story. The castIf you are someone that enjoys previous entries by companies like Quantic Dream you will more than likely enjoy L.A. Noire. If you are simply expecting the next Red Dead or GTA then this style of game play probably is not for you and you should give it a rent first to test the waters. I personally love the game. It has a great gritty feel and really pulls you in to the story. The cast and voice acting is great along with the dream sequences that flesh out your characters story. The city of L.A. looks and sounds amazing, one of my all time favorite game to date.… Expand
  10. HaVoK308
    May 24, 2011
    10
    A truly special experience. This game was clearly meant for a certain kind of gamer. An adult gamer and one that has a mature mind. Those who scoring this game low clearly lack the maturity to appreciate it for what it is...a work of art. If you go I to this game expecting GTA not only are you a fool you will be disappointed.
  11. Marigny
    May 23, 2011
    5
    This takes all the fun of GTA and Red Dead (open environment, being a general nuisance to society) and turns it into story after story after story. The artwork and animation are amazing, but it simply IS NOT fun to play. It is painfully repetitive, and I don't understand why there is no open world experience like that of all other Rockstar games. If they would just turn open world "on"This takes all the fun of GTA and Red Dead (open environment, being a general nuisance to society) and turns it into story after story after story. The artwork and animation are amazing, but it simply IS NOT fun to play. It is painfully repetitive, and I don't understand why there is no open world experience like that of all other Rockstar games. If they would just turn open world "on" in this, it would be a hit.… Expand
  12. Gagnar
    May 23, 2011
    10
    Rockstars history is violent and bloody for sure. Known for creating Red dead redemption, Bully, Manhunt and ofcourse the 'notorious' Grand theft auto series. Rockstars team Bondi does things differently and places you on the opposite side of drug dealers, murderers and the mafia. Story

    You play Cole Phelps, a veteran who fought the japanese in the second world war and started working in    Rockstars history is violent and bloody for sure. Known for creating Red dead redemption, Bully, Manhunt and ofcourse the 'notorious' Grand theft auto series. Rockstars team Bondi does things differently and places you on the opposite side of drug dealers, murderers and the mafia. Story

    You play Cole Phelps, a veteran who fought the japanese in the second world war and started working in the city of Los Angeles for the police as a street cop. Through out the game little will be told about cole's social and personal life. Information about he's experiences in the war are told by cutscenes after certain cases you solve. They provide some info about cole's personality and past but later in the game these cut scenes will occur less often. Not much is givin away about Cole nor he's family or social ties. You will occasionally get some additional information about the protagonist from the conversations with you're partner while driving to a location but this is not enough for me to make me care about him. The entire story aspect however is not bad. As the cases you must solve have plenty of good story telling in them. They keep you interested and there are plenty of plot twists in them to make you keep guessing and investigating. Together with the sublime voice acting and face animations it will keep you hooked till the last second. Gameplay

    L.A. Noire is a sandboy game but with it's restrictions. I found Mafia 2 quite a linear sandbox game with little to do outside story progressing missions. If this made you dissapointed and trade back or not buy mafia 2 then you should not even attempt at trying this game out. There are no real side missions except for the occasional dispatch call. You are givin all the time in the world to visit all the landmarks, collect all movie reels and read all newspapers but it doesn't fit in a serious game like this as you are always investegating a case. There are 5 kinds of gameplay in L.A. Noire: Investigating, shooting, driving, interrogation and chasing. Investegating and interrogation are the primary gameplay aspects in this game. This game is about detective work. To find evidence and exctract evidence from suspects in order to succesfully solve you're case. Shoot outs are rare but a good diversion and chases on foot or car are exciting and make the experience less repetative. Investegating a crime scene or a another location is simple. Walking near an object you can investigate will make you're controller vibrate. Once you have picked up the item you are able to inspect it from different angles, making you search for information about the item you picked up. once you have discoverd all clues the investigation soundtheme will stop playing. Interrogation is not as simple as gathering clues. When interogating a suspect you will pull out you're notebook which is a tool mainly for marking a destination on the map, writing down clues and asking questions. People you interview will react differently to the questions you ask. After you asked someone a question they will either Lie, tell the truth or are in doubt. Judging by how they react to a question you can select one of the three options. It is really awesome, But there are also some little flaws here in there. Judging if someone is lying or is in doubt can be really difficult as the facial animations are alike. And since a question can only be asked once this can be frustrating. To claim that a person is lying you must always have evidence to back up you're claim. This is a risky business as you must always have the right evidence in you're notebook to prove them wrong. sometimes evidence seems most likely to prove that a person is lying. This is not always the right one and sometimes after you claim that you're suspect is lying, the clue you thought that would prove it becomes the wrong clue because sometimes after you stated that the suspect is lying the suspect will raise a question irrelivant to the question you asked. It is still very well executed never the less.

    Shootouts and chases are situations you won't come across often although chases are more common. I noticed one thing almost immediately. You don't have a weapon reel nor can you store weapons anywhere. Everytime you pull you're gun you will always use you're standard pistol. You can pick up weapons from fallen enemy's. Unfortunatly you can't keep them. Chasing someone in a car or on foot is easy but fun. the routes and car crashes are all scripted but they still managed to impress me. Presentation & Sound

    L.A. Noire looks very good and ofcourse the main selling points of this game is it's revolutionary face animations. This game would not have been that special if they did not use this technique. Graphics look smooth, realistic and the mechanics work fine. This game is very special no doubt. This game is the best in what it offers.    … Expand
  13. Ross87
    May 23, 2011
    9
    First of all let me say, this game is not everyone's cup of tea, its marmite, you either love it or hate it, this game is not a rockstar typical genre GTA game, and the phrase "GTA but in the 1940's" does not cut it, you play the other side a cop for a change, now this wont seem glamorous and at times it can be damn right boring, but cop work is, driving from location to location is brokenFirst of all let me say, this game is not everyone's cup of tea, its marmite, you either love it or hate it, this game is not a rockstar typical genre GTA game, and the phrase "GTA but in the 1940's" does not cut it, you play the other side a cop for a change, now this wont seem glamorous and at times it can be damn right boring, but cop work is, driving from location to location is broken up by emergency calls over the radio which you can choose to ignore, but are quite fun, running up to a crime " and busting some caps" to break the monotony of the actual story or cases is quite entertaining. you can skip driving by letting your partner drive which allows a short loading screen.

    The driving is good, holding handbrakes around corners is especially fun in old cars, and flying over downhill bumps is especially fun when you get some good clearance! The crime investigation is good, with some clues there to throw you off, now don't get me wrong, there is alot of junk to be found at crime scenes, but in lies the fun deciding on whether items are relevant or not, Cole ( the main character) will often say things as to whether they pertain to the investigation or not to help you along. initially the interview questions are guided along at the start of the game as a running "tutorial" but this fades out over time, leaving you to make your own decisions on questions.

    The facial expressions are some what confusing first off the bat, as they are glaringly obvious, but become more subtle as you move on, for example what might be a blindingly obvious lie at the start of the game, might be a twitch of the mouth in the middle of the game. you will get used to spotting these as you progress. I recommend playing this game with no distractions, or locking your bedroom door if you do, as you need to watch interactions with the characters very closely as a lie or twitch or a scratch of the head (yes a scratch) will not appear twice, and seeing this will mean the difference between getting more detail on the case or suspect and getting the wrong question. Clues and questions all revolve around a chime and music to allow you to find clues, and tell you whether the question you asked was correct, although initially confusing, you will get used to the music, allowing you to know whether you were correct or not.

    This game is a great game all in all. If your looking for a criminal shooter a GTA opposite this is not it, if your looking for a gritty, unusual game full of story and character development then this is it. It is not a perfect game, it isn't meant to be, getting a case wrong can leave you wondering what else was there to find, it can leave you wanting to go back and try another approach but this is what is interesting about the game, leaving you sensing that you could of caught that criminal if you'd have pushed that bit harder or complete opposite, if you'd have tried a softer approach with the woman, would she have given it up to you. This game really puts you in the shoes of a detective.    … Expand
  14. JET
    May 22, 2011
    9
    This game is, in the words of Frank West, FANTASTIC! It has one of the best storys seen in games for a while, and the atmospere is simply amazing. The music and voice acting help this. Buy this game!!!
  15. TomBee94
    May 22, 2011
    10
    This game is amazing! I've seen people complaining about the length and the lack of multiplayer but it doesn't need it. And as for the length 25 hours+ is a long game. Just don't go into it expecting the mindless violence of games such as GTA and Saints row and you'll enjoy it.
  16. Unimatix
    May 22, 2011
    4
    Very disappointed with this game especially as I had been looking forward to it for so long. It's not red dead - it lacks the freedom to go and do as you please and removes the moral choices from the game (well u are a cop after all I suppose). It's very repetitive it's the same thing over and over - go to crime pick stuff up go ask a few questions annnd go do it again! The driving feelsVery disappointed with this game especially as I had been looking forward to it for so long. It's not red dead - it lacks the freedom to go and do as you please and removes the moral choices from the game (well u are a cop after all I suppose). It's very repetitive it's the same thing over and over - go to crime pick stuff up go ask a few questions annnd go do it again! The driving feels poor and lacks any real purpose in the grand scheme. The graphics are not the greatest the environment looks quite plain IMO. There are some shocking frame rate drops, the facial animation is good but looks a bit ott at times. Stay well clear if you are looking for the next red dead or gta - my copy has been traded in already - sorry rockstar!… Expand
  17. gamesreflexoes
    May 22, 2011
    10
    The review under green don't like videogames anymore, don't like inovations anymore. L.A. Noire is the best game of the year and Rockstar proved that sandbox is a kind of game that you can enjoy FOREVER. This games is innovative, beatiful and the new motion face cap is the most wonderful thing that I've seen in a videogame. Im from Brazil. Mateus Prado Sousa
  18. Deleran
    May 22, 2011
    9
    This game is very solid. I don't normally go for Rockstar's stuff, because it's usually a mashup of poorly executed gameplay mechanics, but the interrogation system is really good and is a strong enough mechanic to carry the game. The story and acting are both competent. The driving and shooting mechanics are kinda spotty, and a somewhat short campaign that I wouldn't care to replayThis game is very solid. I don't normally go for Rockstar's stuff, because it's usually a mashup of poorly executed gameplay mechanics, but the interrogation system is really good and is a strong enough mechanic to carry the game. The story and acting are both competent. The driving and shooting mechanics are kinda spotty, and a somewhat short campaign that I wouldn't care to replay combine to drop this game to a 9.… Expand
  19. jmurray93
    May 21, 2011
    9
    First of all I'd just like to say that I have played virtually all of the rock star games over the years and have been impressed by everyone so far; L.A Noire is no exception.

    O.K so 9/10 why not 10/10? L.A Noire isn't you Red Dead Redemption Or GTA, yes its sort of free roam but not fully however when you have a fantastic story and great acting then that is quickly forgotten. L.A Noire    First of all I'd just like to say that I have played virtually all of the rock star games over the years and have been impressed by everyone so far; L.A Noire is no exception.

    O.K so 9/10 why not 10/10? L.A Noire isn't you Red Dead Redemption Or GTA, yes its sort of free roam but not fully however when you have a fantastic story and great acting then that is quickly forgotten.

    L.A Noire is a charming game graphics wise although now and again the frame rate does have a little bit of a BF ( B***H Fit ) but that is soon forgotten when you are emmeresed into a fantastic storyline.

    You play a detective working up the ranks in the police dept in L.A , you are tasked with a case at a time, you get a small mysterious intro with a basic outline of what crime has happened and the you are despatched with your assistant to help you solve the case; along the way you get regular calls for side missions not relating to the main case but these rack up your XP and ranks in the police force.

    I rarely buy games on release day 1 but this was an exception and I can say this is a piece of art, the facial scanning allows you to make judgements on whether you trust people or doubt people or think they are downright lying, this can be challenging at times, but that is half the fun!

    So looking for a new game? This is the one for you!    … Expand
  20. huffnat890
    May 21, 2011
    7
    L.A. Noire was one of the few games I was looking forward to this year. The first question most people always ask is " Is it good?" Well, rest easy L.A. Noire is a good game. Team Bondi deserves recognition for taking a gigantic risk with this title (not rockstar like people believe). They succeeded mostly. I just can't help but feel that the amazing parts of this game are overshadowedL.A. Noire was one of the few games I was looking forward to this year. The first question most people always ask is " Is it good?" Well, rest easy L.A. Noire is a good game. Team Bondi deserves recognition for taking a gigantic risk with this title (not rockstar like people believe). They succeeded mostly. I just can't help but feel that the amazing parts of this game are overshadowed by the strong and noticeable flaws. The large part of the game is very repetitive. Although, you could say this strongly represents cop work. After I got to vice I found myself groaning at the presentation of more cases. Let's get one thing straight. The graphics are phenomenal. Everything has detail and is crisp,bold, and well real. I should also point out that I am a huge fan of noir. I feel that this is a bold game, but the game overstays its welcome with repetition over a ridiculous length. It reminds me of RE4. An amazing game if it hadn't lasted as long.Buy it if you must, but don't expect any replay value.I'd say it's worth a rent, but I got bored a little past halfway.… Expand
  21. Qwik
    May 21, 2011
    7
    Creative game, new concept that works to a degree. Story driven games certainly hold interest with the broad market and this is a game that really pushes into that space. Many great things, but a few big blockers that prevent over a 7 rating: 1) Very repetitive, you do the same thing over and over with a slight twist in each story, 2) replay value is absolutely zero. No multiplayer,Creative game, new concept that works to a degree. Story driven games certainly hold interest with the broad market and this is a game that really pushes into that space. Many great things, but a few big blockers that prevent over a 7 rating: 1) Very repetitive, you do the same thing over and over with a slight twist in each story, 2) replay value is absolutely zero. No multiplayer, no change in choice. Once you beat this game it's over. In today's days, I'm not sure any game that does not have multiplayer or strong replay value of some sort gets over a 7.… Expand
  22. pizzatracker
    May 21, 2011
    10
    First before I start, don't listen to the bad reviews on the game, there just trolls who just want to rate down the game. I am so far in about 6-7 hours into the game and so far I love it .Graphics: Graphics look amazing, facial recognition is the best ever in a game, and there is a ton of detail on the city. Setting takes place in recreated 1947 Los Angeles, which means it resembles theFirst before I start, don't listen to the bad reviews on the game, there just trolls who just want to rate down the game. I am so far in about 6-7 hours into the game and so far I love it .Graphics: Graphics look amazing, facial recognition is the best ever in a game, and there is a ton of detail on the city. Setting takes place in recreated 1947 Los Angeles, which means it resembles the actual city of Los Angeles in the 40s, and the city is HUGE; biggest city ever in a rockstar game. You start out as Cole Phelps who who wants to bring justice(goodie detective) and rises through ranks of departments from cop to vice and others ranks. You mainly find clues and do interrogations of suspects and witnesses for the main story, and there are some shooting actions and car and feet chasing; there are a total of 21 story cases each are very long except the beginning ones. There are also side investigations that you can start from your police car; similar to city task in gta4 and stranger task in red dead; total of 40 side cases. There are a total of 95 cars to drive. There is a level up system where you get exp by how well you do interrogations and other stuff (20 ranks in total and each rank unlocks something such as suits and hidden cars) and you get intuition points which help you in cases. Other stuff to do are finding rare landmarks which there are 30 in total, finding film reels which are 50 in total, finding newspapers during story cases which are 15 in total which reveals a story of a psychiatrist, and hidden rare vehicles you have to find around the city (15 total). You can replay cases to get a better rank which means u don't have to start over the game and there's even a "free roam" mode which I believe some games should have; *cough* *cough* Mafia 2. Some negatives is that it is more limited than red dead and gta but isn't really meant to be a sandbox game and can get repetitive sometimes. Overall La Noire is a great game that's a mix of gta and heavy rain. It offers a lot of challenge and paying attention. Highly recommend it and also join rockstar's social club for a better experience.… Expand
  23. Funkyfoobar
    May 21, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The title, on many fronts, is quite a disappointment. It doesn't quite work as a game due to it's restrictive narrative and the way it forces you to do things in a certain way or order and it doesn't quite work as an interactive movie due to the illogicality of many crimes and the shallowness of the characters. To give a view examples: early on in the game you chase someone on a movie set which crumbles under your feet... really? That completely took me out of the detective feel and made me feel like playing Super Mario instead. After the first couple of homicides I figured out who was probably behind all of them, so when the character finally presented himself after doing tons of more of these boring cases, it was no surprise at all. When he said "Do you know who I am?!" as if it was a great mystery I found myself yawning out who he was. The main problem is: you can't go after this character or investigate him further earlier on in the game. You need to continue working all the other cases first. Endlessly trailing a woman who got money from bookies to have her stabbed in the bathroom of a bus station. Of course. Because although everyone is having a really hard time trying to find her, the shooter knew she'd be in that bus station, and especially that she'd be visiting the toilet where he was hiding out, waiting for her. Fortunately, after trailing the woman through all kinds of alleys my partner arrived at the bus station at the same moment I did, as if he had a GPS tracker on me or as if we had contact over the radio. Illogical things like that really turned me off. Another thing that was a big disappointment is the interrogation system. Instead of being able to confront suspects with evidence, you need to listen to them talk and can only confront them if you think they're lying. This I found to be rather restrictive as well. Besides that, whenever you doubt someone or accuse them of lying, Mr Phelps starts to scream and shout at the suspect like some drill sergeant. The over acting get's so bad it feels like watching a Bollywood movie at times. Accepting a call on the radio means you will arrive somewhere, chase someone (by foot or car) and eventually shoot them. I simply stopped doing them after 10 or so simply because it was always the same. The default police cars drive like crap. So get another one you say? There are tons of cooler cars hidden throughout the city, but getting them and driving those instead is a lot of hassle, especially when 9 out of 10 times you will be confronted with the standard car after a cut scene, the car you were driving simply magically disappeared. Almost run someone over during a car chase and you get a big warning on your screen, you're not supposed to do that as a cop! But you can steal any parked car anywhere without it ever being an issue. After playing more than thirteen hours I simply wonder if anyone actually tested this game, whether no one during the testing was bothered by these glitches and illogical things going on and how on earth this game got such high ratings from the 'professional' reviewers. Isn't there any good? Well, not much in my opinion. The graphics? We've seen them all before in the GTA and Mafia series. The revolutionary motionscan technology? Sure, it looks nice but it doesn't make up for all the other flaws with this game. At least you get to spend a lot of time picking up women, hanging in smokey jazz joints, drive around with your roof down while loud jazz music is blurting from your speakers, right? Nope, not even that. If only they'd hired some real detectives to play the game and point out it's flaws, hired people like James Ellroy to help write the scenario and did some proper testing, it might have been a great title.… Expand
  24. shaansagoo
    May 21, 2011
    10
    L.A Noire is just one of the best games I have ever played to be totally honest! The replayability is there, you can easily replay all of the cases again, with many different outcomes, etc. In Short: The graphics are just perfect, I would rate them 10/10
    Sound and Voice Acting is AMAZING! 10/10
    Gameplay - 10/10 Replayability - 10/10 - Trust me, I would play this over and over again, it    L.A Noire is just one of the best games I have ever played to be totally honest! The replayability is there, you can easily replay all of the cases again, with many different outcomes, etc. In Short: The graphics are just perfect, I would rate them 10/10
    Sound and Voice Acting is AMAZING! 10/10
    Gameplay - 10/10
    Replayability - 10/10 - Trust me, I would play this over and over again, it does not get repetitive, so don't listen to this negative reviews, they are just HATERS! Rockstar games and team Bondi have made history......

    L.A Noire is a Masterpiece!    … Expand
  25. KhangJim1998
    May 21, 2011
    10
    One of the best games of 2011. Thanks Rockstar GAmes, thanks Team Bondi was give us a very great game and a very awesome story mode ever! I played it and i really love it. Hope Team Bondi makes the sequel or prequel of L.A. Noire.
  26. neoFuesli
    May 21, 2011
    10
    Just like Red Dead Redemption before it, there's nothing else quite like it. Another gem from the Rockstar stable.

    If your expecting GTA does noir, then your gonna be dissapionted.
  27. Logicle
    May 20, 2011
    2
    Pros:
    - Great facial motion capture technology
    - Same control and feel of other GTA games - Good voice acting Cons: - 6 hours in and I still haven't found any fun in the game. - Very short on a variety of game mechanics - Boring play cycle: 1) Play "Where's Waldo" with clues until the music stops. 2) Interview person of interest. 3) Make an arrest (chase). 4) Interrogate and convict. -    Pros:
    - Great facial motion capture technology
    - Same control and feel of other GTA games
    - Good voice acting

    Cons:
    - 6 hours in and I still haven't found any fun in the game.
    - Very short on a variety of game mechanics
    - Boring play cycle: 1) Play "Where's Waldo" with clues until the music stops. 2) Interview person of interest. 3) Make an arrest (chase). 4) Interrogate and convict.
    - painfully linear progression through the story with inconsequential radio missions on the side.

    Overall, this game is terribly disappointing.

    There are so many opportunities for this game to be great that were wasted. The game tracks experience and will "level up" the main character, but none of the improvements make the player's character inherently better at solving crimes, making arrests or interrogation. It feels like an ambitious screen writer wanted to take a crack at bringing the silver screen to the console, but forgot that to be a great console experience requires more than being a film production. Buying a video game is buying fun, in a box, not just a passive entertainment experience. $60 later and I am still searching for the fun and trying to understand why the "professional" metacritic rating is so high while user's are panning the game as mediocre.

    Save some money and pass this title.    … Expand
  28. TheGreatGatsby
    May 20, 2011
    10
    Please, if you have any sanity, do not listen to any negative reviews; LA Noire has come under a small attack of trolls who try to trick you into not purchasing good games, as seen by Portal 2's reviews. Any serious reviews that are displeased by this game, which is unlikely, are simply done by idiots and children. This game takes many steps forward from your casual game by introducingPlease, if you have any sanity, do not listen to any negative reviews; LA Noire has come under a small attack of trolls who try to trick you into not purchasing good games, as seen by Portal 2's reviews. Any serious reviews that are displeased by this game, which is unlikely, are simply done by idiots and children. This game takes many steps forward from your casual game by introducing something unheard of by angsty teenagers everywhere-- more story than there is combat! Yes, I'm sure all of you short-witted and impatient 12-year-olds out there are angered by this, but do not worry, if you have ever played an actual videogame in your life besides Call of Duty, then you will probably love LA Noire.… Expand
  29. SMURPH44
    May 20, 2011
    10
    This is a must have game for those who place story and atmosphere at the top of there wish-lists when it comes to the things they seek for entertainment. L.A. Noire brings these elements in spades. Each case brings you deeper into the "reality" the developers have constructed. Action junkies will complain about its pace, which admittedly is not as urgent or fast as some people requireThis is a must have game for those who place story and atmosphere at the top of there wish-lists when it comes to the things they seek for entertainment. L.A. Noire brings these elements in spades. Each case brings you deeper into the "reality" the developers have constructed. Action junkies will complain about its pace, which admittedly is not as urgent or fast as some people require for it to hold there attention, but with a little patience you can enjoy this groundbreaking game in all its glory. --As a side note to those who complain about the ease with which clues may be found or interrogations can be carried out, TURN OFF THE HINTS AND DON'T USE INTUITION. They are adjustable for a reason-- To summarize, great graphics, great story, great gameplay (in its own niche), and GREAT GAME.… Expand
  30. GarethCritic
    May 20, 2011
    10
    I really enjoy this game, I think the negative reviews are coming from peple that have the wrong idea of what this game is about. It's not about killing people. It's not about shooting people up. It's not at all like Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption. If you approach this game realistically and play it realistically, actually acting like a cop and not trying to break the lawI really enjoy this game, I think the negative reviews are coming from peple that have the wrong idea of what this game is about. It's not about killing people. It's not about shooting people up. It's not at all like Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption. If you approach this game realistically and play it realistically, actually acting like a cop and not trying to break the law yourself, then it's an amazing game. You need to play this game right or you won't enjoy it.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
9
#9 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 83
  3. Negative: 0 out of 83
  1. 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.
    Read full review
  2. Play.tm
    Jul 13, 2011
    75
    In attempting to ape the triumphs of another medium, it overlooks the triumphs of its own. The result is disappointing game, but an impressive interactive experience.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Jul 1, 2011
    85
    L.A. Noire is a new breed of adventure game. It's quality and scale completely eclipse even the most important achievements in this genre and I strongly recommend it as the best interactive detective story of all time. [June 2011, p.52]
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