-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Team Bondi's L.A. NOIRE |OT| Watchin' Faces, Solvin' Cases
- Thread starter ColonialRaptor
- Start date
BackwardsSuggestions
Member
I like the game more than I thought I would. Some positive/negative points: (PS3)
+ Graphics. Really like the graphics with only one slowdown so far.
+ Interesting setting
+ Fun gameplay. Interrogations are always fun, even if I do suck at them.
+ Interesting characters. (Traffic partner was amusing)
- The driving. Seriously hate it. I move the stick slightly to the left and do a full 360. (Well, not that bad but still!)
- Overall story isn't interesting to me (yet)
- Doesn't satisfy my "I can free roam?! DIE EVERYONE DIE" need. (My fault more than the games)
Also, the only game where I have to keep subtitles off since I need to concentrate more on the suspect's face than the subtitles.
EDIT: Above: Regen health. Screen will go grey until you find cover.
+ Graphics. Really like the graphics with only one slowdown so far.
+ Interesting setting
+ Fun gameplay. Interrogations are always fun, even if I do suck at them.
+ Interesting characters. (Traffic partner was amusing)
- The driving. Seriously hate it. I move the stick slightly to the left and do a full 360. (Well, not that bad but still!)
- Overall story isn't interesting to me (yet)
- Doesn't satisfy my "I can free roam?! DIE EVERYONE DIE" need. (My fault more than the games)
Also, the only game where I have to keep subtitles off since I need to concentrate more on the suspect's face than the subtitles.
EDIT: Above: Regen health. Screen will go grey until you find cover.
macfoshizzle
Member
so after some time now with the game. what do you guys think about the game?? some impression please. still waiting to buy this or not.
anything you wish they had added in terms of mode, gameplay, anything? what do you or you guys feel is missing?
sorry for the 20 question?
anything you wish they had added in terms of mode, gameplay, anything? what do you or you guys feel is missing?
sorry for the 20 question?
Investigating crime scenes and interrogating people are fun. The facial technology is impressive. Everything else is either lackluster or just sucks. Investigating and interrogating I would say are the majority of the main story so it may push you to actually finish the game.macfoshizzle said:
bigwinnerx
Member
Zeenbor said:
I tried to do this at the beginning right after it told me any door with gold handles could be opened. And I went into black and white in front of an openable door, it just looked black and white.
Are you supposed to see gold handles in black and white? Did I just trip up on a bug and maybe after a restart it would have worked? I just went back to color at that point.
Patrick Bateman
Member
I'm watching LA Confidential right now in anticipation of tomorrow, when the game hopefully arrives.
macfoshizzle
Member
bigwinnerx said:
anything you wish they had added in terms of mode, gameplay, anything? what do you or you guys feel is missing?
sorry for the 20 question?
Yeah, before I got the game, IGN's 8.5 blew my mind. How could they give it such a low score? Then I played it. Now I'm thinking even 8.5 is really a bit too generous. Not sure what the backlash will be like since there haven't really been any buzz words associated with it like GTAIV.K' Dash said:
CitizenCope
Member
I don't want to feel like I'm watching a TV show. I want to feel like I was in those times. In those times there were colors. So no it's not A MUST.Zeenbor said:
indigo-cyclops
Member
Zeenbor said:
The palette is straight out of an Edward Hopper painting, a great painter of the times. No way would I replace that with the dull, low contrast black and white. Now, if I could raise Contrast in comparison to the B/W, then yes I would agree.
There was one crime scene that really gave me what I was looking for in this game, and it was a bummer because the ones before that were so cut and dry.
MarshMellow96
Member
Just watching Ghostbusters 2 in the UK..
Vigo's smile totally reminded me of the tech being used here.
Seriously, if you've played the game recently, watch that part in GB2!
Vigo's smile totally reminded me of the tech being used here.
Seriously, if you've played the game recently, watch that part in GB2!
The Lamp said:
I feel exactly the opposite. Granted, it tells you the numbers, but you can still progress a case without steering an interrogation the "right" way. L.A. Noire does exactly what you say it doesn't do: It does lets you play and investigate as you wish, because no matter what happens in the interrogations, the case will move on -- branching in different ways depending on what clues you find and how you get people to respond to your questioning, if I'm understanding people's impressions correctly. You can live with the consequences of the different interrogations just fine, so long as you let go of meaningless completionism.
I do really wish they didn't mark the questions you got "right" or "wrong," though; I feel like that was a video-game concession they made for Achievement/Trophy hunters.
And I actually prefer the lack of a hard game over state in L.A. Noire. I like the Phoenix Wright courtroom segments for what they are, but really, what purpose did the life meter/5 strikes policy really serve? You could save-scum at any point, and the only thing it did was force you to restart the court case anyway.
As a dude who generally likes adventure games, I'm really loving L.A. Noire so far (I'm on the Red Lipstick Murder case in Homicide). Compared to something like Phoenix Wright, L.A. Noire isn't as "funny" in that over-the-top anime sense, but it has comic moments; there's a lot of sardonic humor on the traffic desk from your partner, Bekowsky, and I enjoyed the banter in the Happy Marriage case (or whatever it was called).
José Mourinho
cocknose
I feel like the game is getting samey (just started disc 2). Also, hate when you pick truth for example and the person wasn't lying but just because they might of left out 1 tiny fact that has no real point, it's marked as wrong.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
Yes, but it's not fun to drive, so this point doesn't fly with me. It just feels bad.nephilimdj said:
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
A few cases into the traffic segment, really enjoying it so far, but I can see replay value not being so great. Can seriously mucking up segments change the outcome of the case? If so, cool, but I've got a feeling that's not quite the case.
VeryGooster
Banned
I want to redeem my bonus DLC goddamn it.
I've been doing the Streets of L.A., responding to dispatch calls. Made it to Rank 20.
I've been doing the Streets of L.A., responding to dispatch calls. Made it to Rank 20.
Finished the story today. Just going back and doing some of the more "fun" (to me) stuff. I think I'll probably trade the game in when I'm done though. There are some great aspects, especially early on, but I personally thought the difficulty of investigating didn't progress well through the game - instead of becoming more challenging they just added more steps.
That's not to say I don't think it's a good game, but unlike RDR, I just don't feel the need to keep it. I don't keep a whole lot of games, only those that feel special to me. I just don't see myself really going out of my way to re-play this game (even if I'm going to redo a few cases immediately).
A job well done, but I can envision some improvements on the concepts.
That's not to say I don't think it's a good game, but unlike RDR, I just don't feel the need to keep it. I don't keep a whole lot of games, only those that feel special to me. I just don't see myself really going out of my way to re-play this game (even if I'm going to redo a few cases immediately).
A job well done, but I can envision some improvements on the concepts.
The more I think about this game, the less I like it. I mean, does anyone here actually find the crime scene investigation fun? You just walk around waiting for the controller to rumble, then the game TELLS you if what you've found is significant. No thinking needed. Thanks Team Bondi!
Meanwhile, the driving is shit, the shootouts are shit, the interrogation system doesn't seem to make sense most of the time. The foot chases were exciting the first few times, but why does every suspect run?
This was one of my most anticipated games this year and now I'm thinking I won't even bother finishing it.
I wanted a game that allowed ME to solve cases. Instead I got a game that allowed me to WATCH Cole Phelps solve cases while I move him from place to place.
Meanwhile, the driving is shit, the shootouts are shit, the interrogation system doesn't seem to make sense most of the time. The foot chases were exciting the first few times, but why does every suspect run?
This was one of my most anticipated games this year and now I'm thinking I won't even bother finishing it.
I wanted a game that allowed ME to solve cases. Instead I got a game that allowed me to WATCH Cole Phelps solve cases while I move him from place to place.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
Turn off the vibration and music cues. Makes the investigating fun.
I mean, I agree the game has a lot of issues and maybe isn't everything I hoped it would be, but that doesn't seem like a fair complaint.
I mean, I agree the game has a lot of issues and maybe isn't everything I hoped it would be, but that doesn't seem like a fair complaint.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
I don't like hearing that more suspects run and there's more shooting 
That's exactly what I don't want from the game.
Bah.
That's exactly what I don't want from the game.Bah.
burgervan said:
It does get to the point where you're just spamming the action button until he picks something up, but it rumbles for everything and not just for the significant objects. Usually he'll say 'inconsequential' or whatever, but sometimes he doesn't so you don't know until you've spent time twirling the object around hoping for a lock-on. That might be a bug though, but it definitely makes the investigating part more drawn out.
Can always use those intuition points to point out the relevant clues.
The problem with that idea is that the camera is pulled so far back that you're going to miss a lot of clues unless you're constantly pushing the A/X button. If there was first person view for crime scene investigations, it would help a lot.
It would also be nice if the game allowed me to mark items as 'evidence' instead of telling me what is and is not important. I simply don't feel like I'm using any kind of deductive reasoning while playing.
The more I play, the less I enjoy it. Facial technology and the detective genre aside, this game isn't offering me that much. Will admit, after playing Red Dead Redemption, the bar for atmosphere setting has been moved by a mile and a half. Now, not expecting games to reach that bar or even get close but once you have a game with Rockstar so deeply involved, I was expecting so much more. No awesome weather effects, the city just feels so barren and without soul, there is no sense of immersion into the character or the era and considering the mature and more authentic based nature of the game, you'd think they would go the route of almost every other game in the free-roam stratosphere; heavy, meaty car handling - Instead we get the worst car handling since Saints Row.
And touching on the core of the game and by core I mean core as there's basically no meat on this bone besides that, the investigation and interrogation. I really expect I'd enjoy walking around homes and crime-scenes looking at everything and finding those crucial clues but not only with the non-existent atmosphere, which makes the immersion fall apart, you quickly realise it's just a bunch of wandering around picking up a ton of useless objects and a few crucial evidence pieces until the game pats you on the back. Well aware you can turn off hints but the very nature of the game's state would just make it all that much worse and repetitive.
Interrogation wise, it's okay. The facial 'hints' given are very apparent but with good reason but some of Phelp's response and handling of victims / subject is a joke, I don't feel in control whatsoever - He's just badgering people or being a real dick constantly, even when people are being very forthcoming and honest, another immersion breaker.
Combine all these things and you have a very watery soup. The investigation part is pretty decent at best but you just know there's no more meat, no more sustenance in this bun - You'll be desperate to lick the plate clean for every crumb left behind. Already dread when I complete the game and the only thing left to do is either replaying cases or drive around in awful handling cars, being mister nice guy in a souless city, chasing hidden cars and these siteseeing spots.
I'm sure a lot of gaffers will disagree and have a lot of counter-arguments, some might enjoy the game very much but it certainly ain't for me. Not because I don't enjoy the IDEA of the setting, the gameplay and the mindset, it's just the fact that they didn't pull it off in any way, shape or form to send that great tingle down my spine.
Oh and a murder that was supposedly done with a blunt object, perhaps a baseball bat ( Coroner mentioned ) and you go to a suspects home, only to find a baseball bat on the floor and Cole says "It's probably nothing", you can only go "derp".
And touching on the core of the game and by core I mean core as there's basically no meat on this bone besides that, the investigation and interrogation. I really expect I'd enjoy walking around homes and crime-scenes looking at everything and finding those crucial clues but not only with the non-existent atmosphere, which makes the immersion fall apart, you quickly realise it's just a bunch of wandering around picking up a ton of useless objects and a few crucial evidence pieces until the game pats you on the back. Well aware you can turn off hints but the very nature of the game's state would just make it all that much worse and repetitive.
Interrogation wise, it's okay. The facial 'hints' given are very apparent but with good reason but some of Phelp's response and handling of victims / subject is a joke, I don't feel in control whatsoever - He's just badgering people or being a real dick constantly, even when people are being very forthcoming and honest, another immersion breaker.
Combine all these things and you have a very watery soup. The investigation part is pretty decent at best but you just know there's no more meat, no more sustenance in this bun - You'll be desperate to lick the plate clean for every crumb left behind. Already dread when I complete the game and the only thing left to do is either replaying cases or drive around in awful handling cars, being mister nice guy in a souless city, chasing hidden cars and these siteseeing spots.
I'm sure a lot of gaffers will disagree and have a lot of counter-arguments, some might enjoy the game very much but it certainly ain't for me. Not because I don't enjoy the IDEA of the setting, the gameplay and the mindset, it's just the fact that they didn't pull it off in any way, shape or form to send that great tingle down my spine.
Oh and a murder that was supposedly done with a blunt object, perhaps a baseball bat ( Coroner mentioned ) and you go to a suspects home, only to find a baseball bat on the floor and Cole says "It's probably nothing", you can only go "derp".
I'm getting close to the end now.
I'd say this game is like a high 7/10 if I'd have to rate it. There's a lot of successes and a lot of failures, and a lot of things I sort of don't know what to think of yet.
To preface, i turned off rumble and clue chimes and never used intuition, so I had to actually find things and examine things and put them together. The clues themselves are really only important as they apply to the way you interrogate people and call them out on their lies, which is the heart of the game's appealing structure. It IS appealing to find a clue, it IS appealing to put it together in the context of the crime and it IS fun to realize someone is lying and then, due to the way you interpreted the crime, nail them with the evidence you've found.
There's still structural issues with it though. They really needed more control over HOW you responded in the interrogation. Should have been more open ended than TRUE, DOUBT, LIE. Also, they really needed to retool how you responded during some selected answers. Sometimes you (Cole, I think?) responded so over the top if you chose even 'doubt' that it came off as forced. Like, one time he was chewing out a fifteen year old girl when I selected 'doubt' and I was like 'fucking jerk.'
But still, the foundation is in place. It works pretty decently.
The voice acting as well needs to be commended... the writing is wildly inconsistent so it's hard to give it straight praise, but the actors all seemingly delivered their lines consistently and the facial animation system is so astounding that their performances actually come through. This aspect needed to be nailed and they did it.
The story is a little mixed. This game is more like a series of episodes than a total appealing narrative. On the micro level, individual cases can frequently be engaging, mysterious and even well written. On the macro level, the main characters are often poorly mapped out and not given enough characterization to really get in line with. I know Cole has a family and a kid, but we almost never see them. Seems an important part of his life to be so overlooked. We know he went to war, but other than contextual commentary on how difficult it was to adapt to America after coming from the horrors of war, it never seemed particularly relevant to what Cole was doing. His war history didn't actually seem to change him as a person, in other words, so it didn't feel natural.
Now the gameplay itself is where the game tends to be the most controversial.
One, I liked the open world. I have no issue with this aspect whatsoever. It was hugely atmospheric, fun to traverse and filled with sights and sounds. Like Mafia II, it's not filled with boring little mini-games or sidequests. it is there specifically to heighten the experience of being a detective and actually performing your duties in the context of L.A. This is incredibly appealing as the apparent glamour and prosperity of L.A. directly contrasts with how the reality of the city is for most people, and I think it's important it was contextualized by this open world format. I'm honestly not even sure it's worth complaining about even if you DIDN'T like it, since you can just have your friend instantly drive you to whatever location you need to go to, thus effectively acting as if the game was a linear romp anyway.
Two, the driving is too loose for my liking. It's slippery around corners, the handling is often awkward for vehicles and so chases aren't as fun as they could be. That said, it's functional and I actually prefer it to the changes they made the vehicle controls in GTA4 compared to GTA3-San Andreas. But GTA3, VC and San Andreas have better vehicle controls than L.A. Noire easy.
Three, the shooting never gave me a problem. I've seen people say 'the shooting sucks', but this is inconsistent with my experience. The guns each have a healthy benefit or downside, I never had any problem with nailing my targets (auto aim off plz) and I was slipping in and out of cover with simplicity. I think a lot of the weapons are completely non-essential since the game takes a more realistic approach to how enemies go down (1-3 shots is all it ever takes), but I did like how if I tried to use my pistol to nail people from a roof Cole would try and miss 99.9% of the time saying (it's too far, I can't make it). But if I picked an appropriate distance weapon, all would be go.
Finally, I played the game in black and white and it really did capture that noir feeling. In this way, some of the visual issues seem to matter less. But it's not a completely attractive game... framerate can be iffy in a lot of the more intense action moments and outside of the facial animation, I'd term the rest of the game's visuals as "functional, but underwhelming." The audio however was consistently amazing throughout and is one of the best soundtracks of the year, hands down. The original stuff is just as incredible as the old classics, proving once again that whenever Rockstar helps out with anything, you can at least count on the music rocking.
So, yeah, I'd say... 7.5/10 if I had to go with a final score. Definitely liked it more than RDR.
I'd say this game is like a high 7/10 if I'd have to rate it. There's a lot of successes and a lot of failures, and a lot of things I sort of don't know what to think of yet.
To preface, i turned off rumble and clue chimes and never used intuition, so I had to actually find things and examine things and put them together. The clues themselves are really only important as they apply to the way you interrogate people and call them out on their lies, which is the heart of the game's appealing structure. It IS appealing to find a clue, it IS appealing to put it together in the context of the crime and it IS fun to realize someone is lying and then, due to the way you interpreted the crime, nail them with the evidence you've found.
There's still structural issues with it though. They really needed more control over HOW you responded in the interrogation. Should have been more open ended than TRUE, DOUBT, LIE. Also, they really needed to retool how you responded during some selected answers. Sometimes you (Cole, I think?) responded so over the top if you chose even 'doubt' that it came off as forced. Like, one time he was chewing out a fifteen year old girl when I selected 'doubt' and I was like 'fucking jerk.'
But still, the foundation is in place. It works pretty decently.
The voice acting as well needs to be commended... the writing is wildly inconsistent so it's hard to give it straight praise, but the actors all seemingly delivered their lines consistently and the facial animation system is so astounding that their performances actually come through. This aspect needed to be nailed and they did it.
The story is a little mixed. This game is more like a series of episodes than a total appealing narrative. On the micro level, individual cases can frequently be engaging, mysterious and even well written. On the macro level, the main characters are often poorly mapped out and not given enough characterization to really get in line with. I know Cole has a family and a kid, but we almost never see them. Seems an important part of his life to be so overlooked. We know he went to war, but other than contextual commentary on how difficult it was to adapt to America after coming from the horrors of war, it never seemed particularly relevant to what Cole was doing. His war history didn't actually seem to change him as a person, in other words, so it didn't feel natural.
Now the gameplay itself is where the game tends to be the most controversial.
One, I liked the open world. I have no issue with this aspect whatsoever. It was hugely atmospheric, fun to traverse and filled with sights and sounds. Like Mafia II, it's not filled with boring little mini-games or sidequests. it is there specifically to heighten the experience of being a detective and actually performing your duties in the context of L.A. This is incredibly appealing as the apparent glamour and prosperity of L.A. directly contrasts with how the reality of the city is for most people, and I think it's important it was contextualized by this open world format. I'm honestly not even sure it's worth complaining about even if you DIDN'T like it, since you can just have your friend instantly drive you to whatever location you need to go to, thus effectively acting as if the game was a linear romp anyway.
Two, the driving is too loose for my liking. It's slippery around corners, the handling is often awkward for vehicles and so chases aren't as fun as they could be. That said, it's functional and I actually prefer it to the changes they made the vehicle controls in GTA4 compared to GTA3-San Andreas. But GTA3, VC and San Andreas have better vehicle controls than L.A. Noire easy.
Three, the shooting never gave me a problem. I've seen people say 'the shooting sucks', but this is inconsistent with my experience. The guns each have a healthy benefit or downside, I never had any problem with nailing my targets (auto aim off plz) and I was slipping in and out of cover with simplicity. I think a lot of the weapons are completely non-essential since the game takes a more realistic approach to how enemies go down (1-3 shots is all it ever takes), but I did like how if I tried to use my pistol to nail people from a roof Cole would try and miss 99.9% of the time saying (it's too far, I can't make it). But if I picked an appropriate distance weapon, all would be go.
Finally, I played the game in black and white and it really did capture that noir feeling. In this way, some of the visual issues seem to matter less. But it's not a completely attractive game... framerate can be iffy in a lot of the more intense action moments and outside of the facial animation, I'd term the rest of the game's visuals as "functional, but underwhelming." The audio however was consistently amazing throughout and is one of the best soundtracks of the year, hands down. The original stuff is just as incredible as the old classics, proving once again that whenever Rockstar helps out with anything, you can at least count on the music rocking.
So, yeah, I'd say... 7.5/10 if I had to go with a final score. Definitely liked it more than RDR.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
I dunno about that, I feel like all of the clues are laid out in ways that they're easy to find with the third person camera. Of course, if you're looking for a real investigation and challenge, then having everything conveniently lying around probably isn't really going to do that much for you.burgervan said:
I personally don't find the investigation elements disappointing, but everything else around it gets more tedious the more I play.
I think most of the time the camera is perfectly adequate, but there's definitely some occasions where it makes certain objects hard to see. In one of the earliest cases, there's some bullets on the sidwalk, right out in the open and I had no idea until I walked over them and the controller rumbled. Even knowing they were there, I still found them difficult to see.
I think if there was a first person view, you wouldn't need so many cues.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Wow Ami, great impressions. I'm actually quite surprised by your reaction. It's pretty much in line with how I'm feeling. A lot of strengths, but also some weaknesses that can't be overlooked.
I love the open world aspect of the game, without a doubt.
I love the open world aspect of the game, without a doubt.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
But I don't use any cues and I didn't really have a problem finding them. I certainly don't walk around mashing X constantly.burgervan said:
Perhaps I just have better eyesight?
disappeared
Banned
I was hoping to find - and went searching for - Bukowski's apartment complex (or at least what it was at that time) on De Longpre Avenue, but it's just out of range on the map. The street/block is visible (north-east corner), but a trail leading to it is cut off. Oh well.
brentech said:
To me RDR was just all atmosphere and good shooting, I didn't find a lot else to like actually. But what an atmosphere it was! Those thunderstorm moments were in-credible.
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Why surprised? Surprised in what way?
Yeah, it's clear this game is a labor of love but it's just one of those games where you sorta see what they were going for but wish you could have been there to nudge them in the right direction so that they would have really stuck the landing.
As it stands, the foundation is there for an incredible L.A. Noire 2 provided they most particularly focus on making the games interrogations more open-ended and contributory. I want to more directly "tailor" my questioning in response to answers given, so perhaps give a few variational responses so I can measure the level of anger or empathy I show someone.