L.A. Noire

Rockstar have been slowly draining away at my insanity for the release of this game, the teasers were enough to wet the appetite of myself and other players respectivly who were interested in this type of game.

It wouldn't seem fair to compare this to GTA as other reviwers have ,purely because it has taken a completely different direction. Yes, you can still take cars, yes you can shoot and yes you can still drive around like a maniac but its all cleverly been done in the line of duty. They have taken an approach which has been unorthodox but who cares...it works! The story of Phelps (the player) is very neatly tied in to all the cases that the player must solve. All the previous cases come together and are referred back in later cases. The story has an incredibly thick plot and at times can leave you with a heavier brain once you put the controller down. It's very time consuming but well worth seeing it all the way to the end. Need i say the last case made me shed a tear....so it can be emotional for some.

Gameplay wise, L.A. Noire is no where near fast pace by any means, but there is always something new going on, whether it be a police call for a shooting/robbery or even a real case to solve, there's nothing that ever lets the player feel bored or exhausted of the same thing. However this being said, the game has a slight use of repetitiveness in it, but is actually necessary for the development of the story. The controls are very natural and rockstar have really pulled out their finger to achieve something that no other game has achieved, realistic and emotional characters. The whole truth/doubt/lie system is just genius and gave me a warm sense of accomplishment when i actually got the correct answer. The facial animations using the facial motion capture are just breath taking, i sometimes forget i'm playing a game and instead watching a movie, it's that realistic! Graphically stunning, buildings look very real, cars are modelled perfectly and the characters need nothing more added. The whole environment is just brilliant with props to both environment artists and the level designers. Hats off the story board guys, to make a story that ties in so well with each other must make them incredibly imaginative.

Overall L.A. Noire has really taken me by surprise, I really wasn't sure what i would expect to get until i played it through and my god you get hell of a lot for your money. If you don't come out with an IQ higher than 100 after completing this game, you went somewhere wrong. The game has been intelligently put together and has really left a mark on me. I'd recommend this to any player who likes an interactive, action, mystery and an adventure game packed all in one.

Well done Rockstar!