We were fortunate enough to be given a review copy of Team Bondi and Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire. After many hours sitting down with the detective thriller, we share just what we thought of the game and how it stacks up amongst some of the hottest titles out there and why it may not be the best game of 2011.
Thirsty for more? You should be because there is plenty more where that came from. Head on over to our full review of L.A. Noire and feel free to share your own thoughts about the game below or on the review page itself!
Typically, I love the open world direction that most Rockstar published titles tend to have. Grand Theft Auto IV? Amazing. Sure the main plot elements were a bit hit and miss and it's actually slightly gimped when it comes to player freedom compared to say, GTA: San Andreas, but it's still a fantastic sandbox title. Red Dead Redemption? Absolutely loved it and still do to this day. Why? Because you can just go and do whatever you want in the game world and have fun doing it.
L.A. Noire is a bit of a different direction for Rockstar and game developer Team Bondi. It presents itself as an open world title but places quite a few restrictions on the player to the point it's actually a quite linear experience. Surprised? I was. Don't get me wrong here, I still find the game to be amazing and I'll explain all of that in a minute, but if you go into L.A. Noire with the mindset that you can go and do whatever you want, you might find yourself to be supremely disappointed.
Enough about that though, let's touch upon the things the game does right. Los Angeles in the 1940's was a time of insane amounts of crime and corruption and Noire captures this beautifully. The game presents itself as a series of cases from main protagonist Cole Phelps' role as he goes from a mere beat cop up to one of the most respected detectives on the force. You, as Cole, will solve a string of homicide cases, each with their own unique twists while simultaneously tying them all together into what might be the case of the century. From there it's on to the Vice squad and tracking down a string of deaths tied to illegal narcotics.(READ MORE)
L.A. Noire is a bit of a different direction for Rockstar and game developer Team Bondi. It presents itself as an open world title but places quite a few restrictions on the player to the point it's actually a quite linear experience. Surprised? I was. Don't get me wrong here, I still find the game to be amazing and I'll explain all of that in a minute, but if you go into L.A. Noire with the mindset that you can go and do whatever you want, you might find yourself to be supremely disappointed.
Enough about that though, let's touch upon the things the game does right. Los Angeles in the 1940's was a time of insane amounts of crime and corruption and Noire captures this beautifully. The game presents itself as a series of cases from main protagonist Cole Phelps' role as he goes from a mere beat cop up to one of the most respected detectives on the force. You, as Cole, will solve a string of homicide cases, each with their own unique twists while simultaneously tying them all together into what might be the case of the century. From there it's on to the Vice squad and tracking down a string of deaths tied to illegal narcotics.(READ MORE)
Thirsty for more? You should be because there is plenty more where that came from. Head on over to our full review of L.A. Noire and feel free to share your own thoughts about the game below or on the review page itself!