Support NeoGAF

[rhino4evr]

I can give exact reasons why picking between truth, doubt, and lie is not guess work..even if it seems like it is. But I don't really feel like doing a wall of black bars. It's not JUST about wether a person looks like they are lying. Its also about your own intuition about that particular character based on what you have heard from other people or found as evidence.

Kinda like real detective work. Not everything is wrapped in a little bow..you have to use your own instincts to figure stuff out. Those instincts are what make or break you. The shifty eyes are just there to lead you in the right directions.

Personally I think it's brilliant.

 

[The Elite]

I can give exact reasons why picking between truth, doubt, and lie is not guess work..even if it seems like it is. But I don't really feel like doing a wall of black bars. It's not JUST about wether a person looks like they are lying. Its also about your own intuition about that particular character based on what you have heard from other people or found as evidence.

Kinda like real detective work. Not everything is wrapped in a little bow..you have to use your own instincts to figure stuff out. Those instincts are what make or break you. The shifty eyes are just there to lead you in the right directions.

Personally I think it's brilliant.

The thing is, I apply my own intuition in situations (not the games version, my own) and I still get called out on getting a question wrong, even though my intuition ultimately was correct and I had the evidence to back it up.

 

[scoobs]

What you're suggesting would completely break the narrative. Do not want.

Well I guess I just don't see how the game benefits from being open world then. There's a weird disconnect when you try to drive through a crowd of people and EVERYONE manages to get out of the way. I agree with the guy on the last page, this game would be better off being structure more like heavy rain

 

[kaskade]

Has this been mentioned yet?

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/read-naked-angel-from-l-a-noire-the-collected-stories/

They are making a series of short noire stories it seems.

Amazon is going to have the kindle version for 99 cents.

 

[The Elite]

Well I guess I just don't see how the game benefits from being open world then. There's a weird disconnect when you try to drive through a crowd of people and EVERYONE manages to get out of the way. I agree with the guy on the last page, this game would be better off being structure more like heavy rain

It doesn't benefit from being open world, but there is no negative effect as well. I like the fact that it's there even though I don't use it.

 

[Tobor]

Well I guess I just don't see how the game benefits from being open world then. There's a weird disconnect when you try to drive through a crowd of people and EVERYONE manages to get out of the way. I agree with the guy on the last page, this game would be better off being structure more like heavy rain

Hold down the Triangle button. There you go, it's now more structured like Heavy Rain, and I still get to enjoy the open world.

It doesn't need to be removed when it's already optional.

 

[ScOULaris]

It doesn't benefit from being open world, but there is no negative effect as well. I like the fact that it's there even though I don't use it.

I like it too, but it does seem like a whole lot of work for very little reward in this case. It's bigger than any of Rockstar's other open-world settings, but for what?

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

The difference in the truth, doubt and lie reactions by Cole is hilarious and I demand a Penny Arcade strip dedicated to it.

Granted I'm only up to the third case on the Traffic desk but so far it seems Cole's reactions depends on the P.O.I. In A Marriage Made in Heaven,

Spoiler

when Cole is interviews the witness to the hit and run there is a moment where Cole doubts the witness. Since she really isn't a suspect his "doubt" reaction was much more relaxed. However when you interview the wife and select doubt, it's much more aggressive.

What I find more humorous is Cole always seems to be yelling.

 

[rhino4evr]

The thing is, I apply my own intuition in situations (not the games version, my own) and I still get called out on getting a question wrong, even though my intuition ultimately was correct and I had the evidence to back it up.

Let me try to explain with spoilers

You may think that it's obvious a character is guilty and feel like you have enough evidence...but there is usually only enough to warrant questions not a conviction. You have to have them tell you they are guilty.

For instance in the abandoned car case...

Spoiler

how could you possibly know if the guy had looked into his wallet

there is no real proof of this but by thinking...what would you probably do given the situation then you would guess correctly. That's where the doubt comes from.

Also in the beginning of Fallen Idol...you have to ask yourself

Spoiler

would a movie star really not know more about a producer?

it's a lot about common sense. Not just about "tells" and evidence.

 

[Lord Error]

I was standing next to a wall, not moving and the game was chugging at about 15 frames.

That sounds bad. Does this happen often, only in the open world environment, on on X360 version or on PS3 as well?

 

[borghe]

The thing is, I apply my own intuition in situations (not the games version, my own) and I still get called out on getting a question wrong, even though my intuition ultimately was correct and I had the evidence to back it up.

how often though? if you are constantly getting things wrong, then I am really not thinking you are as "correct" as you are saying you are.

if you are getting some things wrong but getting most right.. well, that's just the nature of the game. look at it like this:

if you select truth, and they're not telling the truth.. well, this is obviously wrong. they can lead you around forever on the question.

if you select doubt when they are lying, just because you are badgering them for a truthful answer doesn't mean they're going to crack. in this case doubt isn't going to work because they're not going to crack without contradictory evidence.

if you select lie and either don't have the evidence or they're telling the truth, well.. again very obvious.

I agree with many here... doubt seems to be the most controversial aspect of these interrogations, but if you think about it... that's what it is.. controversial. you are are trying to get more information out of the suspect with absolutely nothing to base it on. It's a total gamble.

also I think many people (myself included a lot of the time) feel like getting incorrect answers is "playing poorly" or "failing". I almost agree with some that they should have done away with correct/incorrect until the end of the case. It literally wouldn't have changed the game one single bit and would eliminate this anxiety that many of us are feeling over "omg I'm not getting ANY of these questions right!!" IMHO they did such a great job with the interrogation portion, that telling you immediately if you are "unquestionably" right in your choice or not is more just cause for instant gratification or frustration unrelated to the actual case.

I think at this point making a new game or episodes with such a change would be awkward.. but I sure would like to see an option added at some point.. like the clues options.

 

[rhino4evr]

I haven't had any frame rate problems yet..but have seen some late texture pop in once. PS3

 

[MrPink93485]

Son of a bi.....L.A. Noire was supposed to arrive today only to get an e-mail from Amazon telling me that UPS damaged the item and that it's on the way back to Amazon. Well at least I got upgraded to the $20 credit.

 

[rhino4evr]

how often though? if you are constantly getting things wrong, then I am really not thinking you are as "correct" as you are saying you are.

if you are getting some things wrong but getting most right.. well, that's just the nature of the game. look at it like this:

if you select truth, and they're not telling the truth.. well, this is obviously wrong. they can lead you around forever on the question.

if you select doubt when they are lying, just because you are badgering them for a truthful answer doesn't mean they're going to crack. in this case doubt isn't going to work because they're not going to crack without contradictory evidence.

if you select lie and either don't have the evidence or they're telling the truth, well.. again very obvious.

I agree with many here... doubt seems to be the most controversial aspect of these interrogations, but if you think about it... that's what it is.. controversial. you are are trying to get more information out of the suspect with absolutely nothing to base it on. It's a total gamble.

also I think many people (myself included a lot of the time) feel like getting incorrect answers is "playing poorly" or "failing". I almost agree with some that they should have done away with correct/incorrect until the end of the case. It literally wouldn't have changed the game one single bit and would eliminate this anxiety that many of us are feeling over "omg I'm not getting ANY of these questions right!!" IMHO they did such a great job with the interrogation portion, that telling you immediately if you are "unquestionably" right in your choice or not is more just cause for instant gratification or frustration unrelated to the actual case.

I think at this point making a new game or episodes with such a change would be awkward.. but I sure would like to see an option added at some point.. like the clues options.

Totally agree with this. I can see why OCD gamers get frustrated...but you don't have to be right all the time. I'm sure achievement folks will obsess over this aspect..but I think they are missing a key point of the game.

I also Find that "true" statements sound more like facts..and less like interpretations.

True statement would be "I haven't seen this person"
False would be "who that person, Ive never heard of him"

If they are lying then tend to lie big time.

 

[The Elite]

how often though? if you are constantly getting things wrong, then I am really not thinking you are as "correct" as you are saying you are.
.

I can't possibly be wrong.

I usually get the majority correct but I'm sometimes surprised by what I get wrong.

 

[TheExodu5]

The Golden Butterfly

Spoiler

-Your mother is dead
*sob* *sob*
-Do you think you could answer a few questions for us?
-I'll try

Awkward.

 

[BKXB]

There is a lot of valid criticism in this thread, but this game has one over-riding quality: my fiancee actually wants to sit down and play this with me!!!

 

[The Lamp]

I like it too, but it does seem like a whole lot of work for very little reward in this case. It's bigger than any of Rockstar's other open-world settings, but for what?

This is the problem. The framerate suffers, the actual areas you go to could be better designed and focused, among other things, all in the name of being able to tack on "open world" to the box. Lol.

 

[JambiBum]

I haven't had a single frame rate problem since the opening title sequence. Other than that the game has been perfect. 360 version.

 

[JonCha]

Done my first case. Got more than half of the questions right, and only missed two clues. Really good stuff so far.

Also, it is definitely true that facial expressions alone don't provide all of the clues as to what the right choice is. When I was interviewing one guy he seemed to be dead-cert lying but was telling the truth.

 

[Evlar]

This is the problem. The framerate suffers, the actual areas you go to could be better designed and focused, among other things, all in the name of being able to tack on "open world" to the box. Lol.

The places I go have all been immaculately designed. Almost freakily well-built period reproductions, honestly. And as for framerate, I don't know that the open world is the culprit at all. The game involves tailing suspects by foot and by car, chasing suspects by foot and by car, both of which benefit immensely by the open-world design. You can't foresee where they might go because they literally have an entire city open to them. In other closed-design games these sequences would have to be set in smaller play areas, either big arenas with buildings or long well-disguised tunnels with invisible walls stopping you from driving off the map. That's never an issue here... You can decide to take side-streets to try to catch up with the perp with no concern that you might hit an invisible wall. It's fantastically immersive compared against closed-world set piece design in my opinion.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

There is a lot of valid criticism in this thread, but this game has one over-riding quality: my fiancee actually wants to sit down and play this with me!!!

this. my GF actually asked me to play it last night. she has never asked me to play a videogame

 

[speculawyer]

LA Noire was on NPR's Morning Edition
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136428796/l-a-noire-is-a-video-game-thats-like-a-film

May 19, 2011
A new video game offers up another way to experience life in the Los Angeles Police Department circa 1947.

The much-anticipated L.A. Noire is out this week. Players are put into the shoes of Cole Phelps, a returning World War II veteran who solves crimes and works his way up from beat cop to detective. He is surrounded by a host of suspects: from a sketchy Hollywood movie producer to crooked cops.

L.A. Noire is from Rockstar Games, the company behind Grand Theft Auto. For this latest game, Rockstar meticulously re-created Los Angeles of the late 1940s, using old maps and aerial photographs.

Video game critic and scholar Harold Goldberg, author of All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture, has been playing it and calls it "very filmlike."

"It just feels like, you know, anything from Hitchcock to Scorsese," he tells Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. "Feels like being in a film sometimes."

Goldberg says players get engrossed in scenes so deeply that "sometimes you don't want to leave."

"I ended up in a diner in one of the cases. I kind of wanted to sit there and order pancakes and not continue on my quest to find out why this devious Hollywood producer did what he did," he says, laughing.

 

[Jhoan]

I haven't had a single frame rate problem since the opening title sequence. Other than that the game has been perfect. 360 version.

I'm surprised. It seems that my copy hitched during that part and I installed the disc and everything. Elite Xbox 360 too so maybe it has to do with the 360 model.

For other people who have the 360 version, has the frame rate hitched for you during this part or during other parts?

 

[TheExodu5]

Is it me, or is the woman on the police phone the voice of the Star Trek computer?

 

[The Elite]

I'm surprised. It seems that my copy hitched during that part and I installed the disc and everything. Elite Xbox 360 too.

For other people who have the 360 version, has the frame rate hitched for you during this part or during other parts?

Only during the title sequence. Xbox 360 S

Is it me, or is the woman on the police phone the voice of the Star Trek computer?

It sounds a lot like her but Majel Roddenberry is dead.

 

[Takamura-San]

Yeah, I don't like the way clue-finding in this game really works. Regardless of whether you have hints or music on or off, there's a set number of clues in an environment you're expected to pick up to get a perfect case, and there's useless items thrown around the environment to make it harder for you. So you walk around and tap A/X until you run into something important. And when you run into something important, you know it is, because you'll zoom in and log it. It's almost oversimplified and overcomplicated at the same time. And once the clues are found, the crime scene is now useless to you.

My dream for a clue-based game is where you just search around the environment, they DON'T tell you what is a "correct" clue to log or record, you just look for everything you can that might help you, and maybe you'd be able to photograph evidence for observation later. Also, clues wouldn't be so black and white, good or bad. It wouldn't be like...oh...here's this useless cigarette.....and here's this bloodstain.

I don't know, I just feel like the way LA Noire does it encourages a very shallow type of detective investigation. You walk around until you bump into something outrageously significant, it's neither subtle nor encourages you to think or explore for the sake of piecing together events in an environment. I've never looked around to have to think "hmm....how did those bloodstains trail there...and then curve around there....and disappear here all of a sudden?" The game doesn't make you think like that, which is a pity. It just makes you walk around the blood trail tapping X until Cole stoops over and examines something significant. It's very unintuitive and disappointing in that regard, for a clue-finding game to be so shallow.

Still enjoying the game so far, but I really want a sequel. A sequel that gets rid of the open-world, designs intricate, polished levels for each case (similar to Heavy Rain), that allows Cole to be much more interactive with the environment (using a gun or tools, or shoot off locks or something), and a game that uses a much less subtle interrogation and clue-finding system. I'd imagine it'd be more frustrating for new gamers, but I don't want my detective game to be so shallow and thoughtless, otherwise it kinda destroys its justification for existing.

This approach would make the game too much work. There are time were realism is not fun IMO. Also that would break the dialog system since you would have to create line for every piece of environment that you want to present as evidence.

 

[CitizenCope]

To the point where I think it doesn't matter how I answer in my Interogations. And when I do "answer" wrong some times it makes no sense. The person is obviously lying but I guess I should have doubted them. WTF!

 

[plagiarize]

is anyone else playing through in black and white in their first run?

i am, and i love it, minor things like 'Doors with gold handles can be opened' aside.

when i'm done i'll turn on the colour and do the scavenger hunt things, and any side quests i've missed. navigating in black and white is a bit harder it seems (stuff looks samier) but there's plenty of ways around that.

i just love the mood of the game in black and white.

 

[TheExodu5]

It sounds a lot like her but Majel Roddenberry is dead.

Guess so. Sounds almost exactly the same...really threw me off.

 

[Penguin nerd]

is anyone else playing through in black and white in their first run?

i am, and i love it, minor things like 'Doors with gold handles can be opened' aside.

when i'm done i'll turn on the colour and do the scavenger hunt things, and any side quests i've missed. navigating in black and white is a bit harder it seems (stuff looks samier) but there's plenty of ways around that.

i just love the mood of the game in black and white.

As do I. Played through the majority of the game in black and white and it just feels like that's the only way to play for me. It just adds to the whole experience the game provides and I'm so happy they included the option for it.

 

[kaskade]

This is the first game were a dead person felt like a dead person too. It was during the hit and run case that I really noticed it, seeing the characters blank eyes staring off. I never felt that feeling before in a game, so that's a win in my book.

 

[rhino4evr]

I actually like playing in color...it reminds me more of later film noir stuff like Vertigo or China town

 

[RPGCrazied]

So how does the game look on PS3? Most PS3 games don't use any AA, I'm looking at you RDR. You'd think this late in the PS3's life, they'd know how to use it.

 

[Jhoan]

is anyone else playing through in black and white in their first run?

i am, and i love it, minor things like 'Doors with gold handles can be opened' aside.

when i'm done i'll turn on the colour and do the scavenger hunt things, and any side quests i've missed. navigating in black and white is a bit harder it seems (stuff looks samier) but there's plenty of ways around that.

i just love the mood of the game in black and white.

Yeah, I turned on the black and white filter as soon as I was able to switch the option, took off the vibration cues, and haven't looked back ever since. The game looks awesome in black and white; it really feels like you're watching an old movie except that you're controlling it.

So the frame seems to dip during the opening cut scene for most people I see. The frame rate hasn't dipped for me since then. But I will if I notice anything else. I told my friend to get the PS3 version over the 360 because of obvious reasons, so if I had a PS3, I would have probably have gone with that version myself.

And by the way for those of you who are on the fence about getting it, get it K-Mart as they throw in a free $20 game of your choosing plus a $20 gift coupon, but don't go in expecting it to be like GTA, but more like Phoenix Wright in that it's story oriented.

 

[rhino4evr]

A Twilight Zone/Xfiles DLC is like the greatest Idea ever.

 

[Evlar]

I actually like playing in color...it reminds me more of later film noir stuff like Vertigo or China town

:nods It looks and feels quite a bit like Chinatown... Which was of course an homage to the original wave of noir films, and was itself reproducing 1937 Los Angeles 35 years after the fact. I love the look of Chinatown.

I'm playing in color with the intention of going back and playing some parts in b&w.

 

[bob page]

So how does the game look on PS3? Most PS3 games don't use any AA, I'm looking at you RDR. You'd think this late in the PS3's life, they'd know how to use it.

It looks great- no jaggies on my end. I was actually worried about picking up the PS3 version over the 360 version this time, but it really does look great.

 

[borghe]

Yeah, I don't like the way clue-finding in this game really works. Regardless of whether you have hints or music on or off, there's a set number of clues in an environment you're expected to pick up to get a perfect case, and there's useless items thrown around the environment to make it harder for you. So you walk around and tap A/X until you run into something important. And when you run into something important, you know it is, because you'll zoom in and log it. It's almost oversimplified and overcomplicated at the same time. And once the clues are found, the crime scene is now useless to you.

just pointing a couple of things to point out here.

1) if you don't have the hints turned off, there is very little guesswork to the clues. Should be very little effort put into them at all aside from walking around the crime scene.
2) if you do have hints turned off (at least vibration), the game actually turns into a "click every pixel" old school adventure game. I have to tell the truth.. I'm not at all hating that
3) regarding your last point:
3a) this is kind of redundant. if you gather all of the evidence from a crime scene IRL, of course it's useless to you. A crime scene won't tell you anything more beyond the evidence. In a TV show how often do you see a crime scene revisited outside of... going back to get more evidence.
3b) by turning ALL clues off (audio and vibration), you will never really know if you've gathered all clues or not until the end of the case. so the crime scene is really not useless to you until you feel you've gathered enough clues to solve the case.

Honestly, the driving, gunplay, open world.. these are all gray areas imho. I can see why some dislike them. but honestly, I don't think it's possible for them to have done the investigation or interrogation elements any better. granted they pretty much ripped both styles from old adventure games and most recently the Ace Attorney titles (themselves sharing many similarities with old adventure games) but really... those two parts of the game IMHO are the two easiest parts to call perfect.

Yeah, I turned on the black and white filter as soon as I was able to switch the option, took off the vibration cues, and haven't looked back ever since. The game looks awesome in black and white; it really feels like you're watching an old movie except that you're controlling it.

I stopped playing it in B&W for one reason and one reason alone... when you get the occasional >30fps sequence in the game it looks REALLY awkward IMHO. <30fps sequences definitely have a gorgeous and wonderful film-like feel to them. But the >30fps sequences just look weird. like a B&W video game.

So I've left color on. Fortunately as someone else pointed out, the coloring of the game on a calibrated TV is REALLY inline with later noir films like Vertigo, Rear Window, Charade, or even modern ones like LA Confidential. Clearly nailing the look and feel of the game wasn't just models, textures and architecture. Color timing and saturation are totally spot on for this game.

To the point where I think it doesn't matter how I answer in my Interogations. And when I do "answer" wrong some times it makes no sense. The person is obviously lying but I guess I should have doubted them. WTF!

did you have the hard evidence to prove it was a lie? Lie is rough because you have to have that one piece of evidence (and present it) that will make them crack.

also folks, don't forget intuition points. ESPECIALLY if you think they're lying. removing an answer will do a few things:

1) if you do not have evidence to support a lie accusation (whether you missed it or they're not "lie"ing), it will remove the lie option. As far as I can tell, if you use intuition and Lie is an option, it means they are lying and you have evidence.
2) almost as importantly, it will remove many incorrect evidence support options for the lie
3) if you are playing with all clue notifications turned off, it can give you a freebie at a crime scene on obtaining all of the clues.

 

[plagiarize]

I stopped playing it in B&W for one reason and one reason alone... when you get the occasional >30fps sequence in the game it looks REALLY awkward IMHO. <30fps sequences definitely have a gorgeous and wonderful film-like feel to them. But the >30fps sequences just look weird. like a B&W video game.

not that it's really noire, but i'm used to seeing B&W at more than 30 fps from a number of older TV shows i've watched that were shot on black and white video, and interestingly it kind of fits that TV show feel.

in older TV shows (at least in britain), they were mixed medium. they were shot indoors on video at 50 fps, and outside shoots would be 25 fps on film. just an interesting coincidence that the higher framerate indoors kind of matches that. the episodic nature of it, with the black and white TV feel, is doing it for me.

 

[BeEatNU]

I can give exact reasons why picking between truth, doubt, and lie is not guess work..even if it seems like it is. But I don't really feel like doing a wall of black bars. It's not JUST about wether a person looks like they are lying. Its also about your own intuition about that particular character based on what you have heard from other people or found as evidence.

Kinda like real detective work. Not everything is wrapped in a little bow..you have to use your own instincts to figure stuff out. Those instincts are what make or break you. The shifty eyes are just there to lead you in the right directions.

Personally I think it's brilliant.

I agree, I had the problem at first, but when I actually paid attention to their face and their voices.
It helped me out.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Just have to pop in an say that, this piece of Police House Banter left me rolling:

"When I got married, it was by a judge. ... I should have asked for a jury."

 

[JetBlackPanda]

It looks great- no jaggies on my end. I was actually worried about picking up the PS3 version over the 360 version this time, but it really does look great.

I would have to agree, I have my own issues with the Dual Shock3 but besides that the game looks amazing on PS3 (there are still a few areas of slowdown) but everything looks AMAZING!

It seems to me that gamers are hating on the fact that its not open world like RDR but every game journalist I have heard talk about it are praising it for doing it in chapters that move the story along.. weird.

 

[VeryGooster]

Do $925 in vehicle damage.
.
.
.
.
Valorous merit.

:lol

 

[mickcenary]

Ah, man. I think I'm done. I'm sorry, guys, but after playing through the majority of the 'The Fallen Idol' just now, it seems that I was actually far too lenient on how poorly this game controls. Let me give you my take on things:

> The cover system is the worst I've ever come across; it is no doubt a step-back from RDR and even GTAIV. It's fucked, plain and simple; an utter chore to use. Any game that forces you to suffer through certain facets of its gameplay loses a lot of points in my books. And what the fuck is with the speed at which Cole moves amidst a shootout when not sprinting? Idiotic.

> I see that a lot of you are brushing this aside, saying that it's not the focus of gameplay. While this may be true, as Marleyman said, it's still there. You still need to use it; you're even encouraged to use it and it really doesn't work. Those of you claiming that it's not that bad need to familiarize yourselves with the Uncharted/Gears of War franchises. Extrapolating on this...

> ... If you take out the gun-play and the not-far-behind-in-utter-mediocrity driving mechanics, all you have is basically a point-and-click adventure. And while that still may tickle your fancy, that's not what this game is holding itself out to be; it would hardly be the package that I - and probably many others - fell in love with.

> The "open world" is also completely irrelevant. Not only can you not do anything, you can barely interact with it in any meaningful way due to the game's absence of competent controls.

"YEAH, BUT IT'S NOT THE MAIN/BEST PART OF THE GAME, YOU NONG!", retort the opposing faction. Then why the balls is it in the game?! It hurts the game's flow SIGNIFICANTLY. Yes, the open-world doesn't actually hinder anything, but it's fucking STUPID; it's a waste of assets and resources and it comes off as your text-book 'bullet point on the back of the box' cheap-shot.

I love what this game is good at (despite some of Cole's questions/allegations being completely unpredictable to the point of annoyance), but I loathe what this game fucks up so royally and I still have to trudge through it, no matter how minimal its presence. It breaks the flow, the suspension of disbelief and the impression that you're playing a AAA title.

Don't buff your game with SHITTY SHIT, is what I'm getting at, I guess.

On a positive note, though, the game looks fantastic. Some of the lighting/shadow work indoors is sublime.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I'll be returning it; I'm just not happy with it is a package.

Your picture kills me. Anyway, I just wanted to say how I agree about the gunplay being total shit. I mean, it really sucks bad.

Haha. Yanni is such a babe.

 

[borghe]

It seems to me that gamers are hating on the fact that its not open world like RDR but every game journalist I have heard talk about it are praising it for doing it in chapters that move the story along.. weird.

gamers are put off by the open world setting minus the sand box environment. I honestly don't think there is a single person out there who hates that Team Bondi has recreated 1947 LA.. just a bunch of folks who wish they would have made it a sandbox game to go with the open world (and those who don't realize you can fast travel to most locations).

The game IS open world.. make no mistake. But it's not a sandbox title. You can't play darts.. hang out at a bar and order a drink... become a criminal overlord.. it's a very structured game experience inside of this open world, and that's something that's never been done before.. hence many being thrown for a loop by it.

Is it overkill? Maybe... but who cares? Those who want to explore can, those who don't want to don't have to and can fast travel. I just like that all of the heavy lifting is done for DLC cases, desks and episodes (please please please)

> I see that a lot of you are brushing this aside, saying that it's not the focus of gameplay. While this may be true, as Marleyman said, it's still there. You still need to use it; you're even encouraged to use it and it really doesn't work. Those of you claiming that it's not that bad need to familiarize yourselves with the Uncharted/Gears of War franchises. Extrapolating on this...

no offense, but putting a game where shooting is almost a secondary or even tertiary game function up against the creme de la creme of third person shooter/action titles is completely asinine. akin to comparing the driving gameplay to gran turismo.

I also disagree with you entirely. Is shooting sub-par? As in not exciting and not particularly difficult? absolutely.. is it broken or unplayable? considering I'm not great at shooting games and have never failed a shootout, CLEARLY it's not broken, unplayable, or incredibly difficult.

I guess that's the exception I take with your comments. It's nowhere near the deepest shooting title released, but nothing is overly broken or difficult about it. The worst that can be leveled is that it's not deep and very easy. Yet I hardly see how that condemns it as "shit"

 

[Korosenai]

After each desk you unlock a free roam for that desk. Think of the free roam as its own seperate case.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

I asked this a page or two back but I don't think anyone answered, but:

I botched The Golden Butterfly case (one-star) and I wanna do it again. If I choose it from the Cases menu, can I continue the game from there upon finishing the case or will I get kicked back to that menu and in my main playthrough that same ranking and effects remain?

Edit: I am somehow at the bottom of the page. I doubt anyone will read this.

 

[rhino4evr]

I guess I dont find the "gameplay" as weak or terrible as others. It really doesn't bother me at all. It's not exceptional, but it's servicalbe enough that I don't get turned off by it

 

[firehawk12]

I asked this a page or two back but I don't think anyone answered, but:

I botched The Golden Butterfly case (one-star) and I wanna do it again. If I choose it from the Cases menu, can I continue the game from there upon finishing the case or will I get kicked back to that menu and in my main playthrough that same ranking and effects remain?

Re-play cases is independent of your main playthrough.