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[Knoxcore]

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.

I thought the driving controls were very good. Compared to GTAIV which had terrible turn radius, I could actually turn a corner without hitting a street lamp.

I will agree with the lack of free roam. I know there are free roam modes, but we are given a large beautiful city to traverse expect without any incentive or means to explore. We are very limited in what we can do. Really unfortunate and I think that's the biggest let down of the whole game.

 

[burgervan]

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.

Perhaps I just have better eyesight?

Ha, maybe.

Honestly, I tend to think most games would be better in first person. I just find it more immersive. However I do think it would allow for more creative clue placement and more detailed crime scene investigations in general.

 

[MalboroRed]

i think most of.hate comes from.the expectation of an open world game when its an adventure game

Not sure why an "adventure game" is entitled to have clunky controls, it doesn't matter what kind of game it is as long as the experience is fun, sluggish controls is a fucking annoyance, the game has a number of novel ideas but the fundamentals are a bit iffy, pretty typical of McNamara who really doesn't have a solid sense of what good gameplay should feel like.

 

[Sethos]

I thought the driving controls were very good. Compared to GTAIV which had terrible turn radius, I could actually turn a corner without hitting a street lamp.

Because the handling was actually unique, requiring some thought before just mashing your car into a corner. This game has none of that, cars handle like houseflies.

 

[VeryGooster]

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.

There isn't much of a narrative until late in the game. My problem with it is that the more important aspects of characterization seem to come completely out of nowhere and feel derailed. I could also argue that part of this is my own fault for having certain expectations of the characters as a whole. Reading TV Tropes, however, and this was something I wasn't completely aware of, the DLC actually fills in some gaps in the narrative due to all the cuts Team Bondi had to make to make this game fit as it does on the discs.

I agree with the most of your post. I absolutely loved the investigation and the interrogation. There is room for improvement. I honestly hope I get to play another game like this in the future, perhaps putting a dialogue wheel in the interrogation scenes to make the dialogue a little more varied and feel more natural in a way.

I still don't mind the driving, the shooting, or the cover system. It's not great, but I don't agree with it being broken or unbearable.

But as far as scoring the game goes it's a solid 8/10 from me.

 

[TheExodu5]

I was hoping for more story related complaints by amir0x. Things like not surrounding the premises, not detaining a suspect properly (they always run, don't you learn?), not calling for backup when a suspect pulls out a gun and barricades themselves in a building. The interrogations are largely pointless, as you seem to reach the same outcome regardless of what happens. A lot of the doubts/lies are indistinguishable...it's only a question of whether or not the game will accept that one specific piece of evidence as enough to call the suspect out on a lie. Sometimes your evidence is purely circumstantial and it's a 50/50 chance whether or not the game will accept it. The doubt responses, as you've said, are way over the top. All I want to do is say "are you sure you're telling me everything?" and Cole just yells "you murdered him didn't you!?".

I have a lot of issues with this game. My main issue is that the cases are simply not interesting. I've never felt like I actually had to piece anything together myself. A good example:

Spoiler

The first vice case, The Black Caesar, has you finding popcorn cups with tape underneath them. The game should have left it at that...I figured out what was going on and felt a sense of accomplishment as I figured I could use that information to leverage the suspects. However, I turn the next corner, find another cup, and there's morphine taped underneath it.

I feel like every time, the game feels the need to spell everything out for me. Honestly, it feels about as challenging as the puzzles in Uncharted. The investigations are not nearly as rewarding as the ones in the Phoenix Wright series, where you're forced to make some creative leaps in logic.

I'm probably not too much past the half way mark now, and I just wish it would end. It's been a boring and unmemorable experience so far.

 

[Amir0x]

I never once felt Lie/Doubt was indistinguishable. It's pretty clear that Doubt is when you think they're fibbing but can't prove it with evidence. To me it was always extremely obvious when this was the case.

I was actually a little surprised when I read that from a few people in this topic. It seemed very well defined in that respect.

Also...

Things like not surrounding the premises, not detaining a suspect properly (they always run, don't you learn?), not calling for backup when a suspect pulls out a gun and barricades themselves in a building. The interrogations are largely pointless, as you seem to reach the same outcome regardless of what happens.

This is actually far more accurate to 1940s L.A. police force than you'd think

Also, the interrogations definitely aren't pointless, they directly lead to different leads and clues, and this leads to better case results. It is the case result you're going for.

Of course, a lot of it is more just game logic than anything to do with the story. They throw in too much shooting and chasing in general to try to heighten the excitement when they should have taken a more restrained and varied approach for sure.

 

[NullPointer]

I feel like every time, the game feels the need to spell everything out for me. Honestly, it feels about as challenging as the puzzles in Uncharted. The investigations are not nearly as rewarding as the ones in the Phoenix Wright series, where you're forced to make some creative leaps in logic.

I'm still early in the game but so far you've perfectly captured how I feel when playing the game.

And when you remove the difficulty from solving the cases all you're left with is half baked driving, combat, and imprecise movement controls.

Is there really no way to just go exploring outside of the context of a case?

 

[TheExodu5]

I never once felt Lie/Doubt was indistinguishable. It's pretty clear that Doubt is when you think they're fibbing but can't prove it with evidence. To me it was always extremely obvious when this was the case.

First Vice Case Spoilers:

Spoiler

Take J.Jones in the first Vice case. At one point, he says "oh, those tickets have nothing to do with the drugs". You have zero evidence suggesting they do...and yet the game expected you to pick something, I don't know, to nudge him along.

It always seems very arbitrary. Why do suspects always crack when you select doubt if they were hiding something? It all feels very forced, much of the time. None of the characters seem to act consistently. Using the example above again:

Spoiler

He says how he wants to make a deal. And then when you use the doubt option and say "blabla you're gonna do life if you don't tell me", he just says "are you gonna put that in writing asshole?".

Up until that point, he was spilling the beans on everything and giving up everyone. Now, suddenly, he decides to say nothing because I didn't point out a specific piece of evidence.

The dialogue gets annoying as well. Any time you select lie, it's "you got any proof asshole?". Have them say "no, I swear I didn't!" instead of coming off as the bad guy in an unnatural way.

 

[VeryGooster]

Is there really no way to just go exploring outside of the context of a case?

You have to finish your run in a division first. So once you finish your Traffic assignments, for example, you unlock the free roam to get landmarks and respond to dispatch.

 

[NullPointer]

You have to finish your run in a division first. So once you finish your Traffic assignments, for example, you unlock the free roam to get landmarks and respond to dispatch.

Good to know, thanks. I'm mostly looking forward to some quality roaming time to see how much character there is to the world.

 

[cacophony]

This is OT but I've seen so much RDR praise in this thread. I've always put it off because I'm not too big on the western setting, should I try it anyway?


On topic, I'm agreeing with those saying this is getting boring. I'm near the end of homicide and it's pretty tedious. It feels kind of like AC1 in that it's so formulaic. The crime scene investigations have just become frustrating to me. I think a sequel could allow them to improve everything a lot and go the same route as AC2.

 

[TheExodu5]

It feels kind of like AC1 in that it's so formulaic.

Very good comparison.

 

[VeryGooster]

Good to know, thanks. I'm mostly looking forward to some quality roaming time to see how much character there is to the world.

I forgot to add. I was looking at my Social Club page and apparently all of the dispatch calls (there are about 40 of them I believe?) are spread out to different divisions. So you'll have to select the free-roam from the Traffic folder to do ten maybe, then 5 in Vice and so forth. Kind of a weird choice. Why didn't they just make it an extra game option in the main menu?

 

[Lionheart1827]

For the badge pursuit challenge, do you have to load up the Naked City case in order to find the badges? Or can I find them in my normal save file?

EDIT-Nevermind, just found one in my normal save.

 

[The Elite]

I did a good job of really botching up the interrogations on The Golden Butterfly. Fuck!

 

[Plasmid]

Okay so.

I've done

40/40 Street Crimes.
4/50 Gold Reels
13/13 landmarks
21/21 Cases
50/95 Cars.


When you do all of a "desks (arson, vice etc)" street crimes it tells you, but are there specific cars to specific desks, if so, this is gonna be annoying.

e:

fuuuu i went back to vice and it doesn't have a (?) so i guess i have to find 44 random cars :x.

 

[Dan]

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.

I never once felt Lie/Doubt was indistinguishable. It's pretty clear that Doubt is when you think they're fibbing but can't prove it with evidence. To me it was always extremely obvious when this was the case.

I was actually a little surprised when I read that from a few people in this topic. It seemed very well defined in that respect.

Yeah, that's what I really find myself wanting after a couple hours in. I kind of find that the character is usually way more aggressive in his questioning than I want or intended, so I start a mental calculation for what to choose to tone down the rhetoric. And yet, that's not ultimately what the game wants me to decide. It really only wants you to decide whether the person is "telling the whole truth", "lying but I can't prove it/ not telling the whole truth" or "lying and I can prove it". It's not how I, and I assume most people, think. So there's a weird disconnect between the player and the game.

I kinda find myself wanting dialogue trees... or what you said, some choices in tone and tactics. One way or another, I want more input than three basic options.

Like, one time he was chewing out a fifteen year old girl when I selected 'doubt' and I was like 'fucking jerk.'

I find him pretty much constantly overzealous. We should be able to influence the character's basic personality traits in some way. It makes it really hard to relate to this guy and connect to the game when I have to put myself in the shoes of this hardcore detective who's always pushy and aggressive no matter what.

 

[Angry Fork]

I'm watching LA Confidential right now in anticipation of tomorrow, when the game hopefully arrives.

Good man. I was gonna play this in black and white but after a while of playing I realized I kind of wanted the experience to be more like Confidential than of the 40s noir's, so I changed it to color.

But yea LA Confidential is one of my favorite films. I love the noir's too but for some reason it doesn't feel right playing the game in black and white only because I like it exclusively on films for me. In the game it just feels forced. You know you're playing a game so having it in black and white feels more pseudo-noir than a real noir film. At least in color you leave those feelings in the backseat and can just enjoy the game.

The black and white is very well done though and i'd advise everyone to try it out for a while, I just personally prefer color for a video game and black and white for noir films. I also think the color in this game is very well done, they feel more like color photos from the 40s rather than modern day coloring. It seems like the whole world is painted and has that 40s color-photograph look.

I was going to post my impressions here but I can't really do detailed impressions without spoiling a bit of the game, and I also don't want to lead anyone on into getting the game and then if they don't like it that would be a shame. I'll post what I can without spoilers.

I'm a huge noir fan, as well as neo-noir. I've seen tons of noir films and I love this game. It really captures the atmosphere and style of that era. The investigations (finding clues + interrogating) for me are incredibly interesting and even though you do pretty much the same thing every mission, it feels like every mission is very different. As the game goes on much more depth comes into play and you can juggle between 2 possible suspects, cross-interrogating both, finding clues that both support and defend both suspects etc. and you have to really get to the bottom of it and do your interrogations properly in order to get the real killer. I've had one case where I actually locked up/wrongfully charged the wrong guy because I fucked up on the interrogation of one of the suspects. Unfortunately this doesn't really alter the game storyline much though you just get a lower rating and get chewed out by your boss, and you're led to assume that his lawyer will be able to dispel the charges later on in court (since the evidence isn't as solid as for the other suspect).

There's been some people here saying that the cases become less varied as you go on but I disagree. Even though some of the murders are the same, the way they're murdered and the clues left behind etc. are completely different every time. Every 'goose chase' you go on feels different and you're always wondering where you're going to end up and where this lead will take you and so on. It's awesome. I think i'm halfway through the game right now and there's no way I'm getting tired of it or feeling like it's repetitive. I could understand other people saying this, but I'm loving the gameplay, the interrogations are difficult sometimes but that just makes you try to understand it even more and make sure you look at your evidence, look at all the clues etc. and try to build an argument before you even question them. I find myself paying attention to names, characters, people's allibies etc. more than I would in a movie because I feel like if I don't get the right killer and if I don't do the victim justice then I will have failed as a detective and the game really pulls me into that mentality (even if you don't really get that much of a penalty besides a lower rating).

I do feel there's room for improvement. I think a sequel adding a possible morality thing would be amazing. I think the game should allow you to choose whether you let a person go or not, and not do everything by the books. I think it should let you be a crooked detective if you want etc. stuff like that, BUT the choices have to be very complex. I hate games that only have a good and bad morality thing. Everything would have to be very well thought out and affect the storyline greatly piece by piece with many possible endings in order for it to feel like a real living breathing detective game.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I'm really feeling like this is Assassin's Creed 1 Part 2 (to a lesser extent). I come to Gaf, and a lot of people seem to be pretty down on the game for w/e number of reasons, but every time I pop it in to play for two hours, I'm having a great time. I'm a huge noir fan, I love detective movies, I love the era, the face capturing is amazing, the graphics are nice, and it's just so different to any other big budget game I've played this generation. I feel like I can forgive most of the annoyances, just accept what's here, and thank God there are developers like Team Bondi, and Rockstar willing to take a chance on something like this even if it doesn't work 100%.

 

[Irish]

On topic, I'm agreeing with those saying this is getting boring. I'm near the end of homicide and it's pretty tedious. It feels kind of like AC1 in that it's so formulaic. The crime scene investigations have just become frustrating to me. I think a sequel could allow them to improve everything a lot and go the same route as AC2.

To me, the individual cases in L.A. Noire don't come anywhere near the heights of AC1's actual assassinations. It definitely follows a similar structure though where you focus on a single thing at a time and I do like that, but it also learned nothing from the mistakes made in AC, which were the missions that accompanied each 'case.' They were extremely repetitive in each game. The problem is this: there were only 9 cases in AC while there were 21 in LAN. Crime scene-->interrogation-->footchase-->car chase-->finale shootout. Another problem was that a lot of the cases themselves, especially in homicide, were the same exact thing. That really hurt the flow of the game considering you had to repeat certain tasks a number of times only to be forced to arrest a person you knew had no part in the crime.

The game fell apart after the traffic desk for me. Still, I think they can definitely improve the formula for a LAN II.

 

[Dan]

I'm really feeling like this is Assassin's Creed 1 Part 2 (to a lesser extent). I come to Gaf, and a lot of people seem to be pretty down on the game for w/e number of reasons, but every time I pop it in to play for two hours, I'm having a great time. I'm a huge noir fan, I love detective movies, I love the era, the face capturing is amazing, the graphics are nice, and it's just so different to any other big budget game I've played this generation. I feel like I can forgive most of the annoyances, just accept what's here, and thank God there are developers like Team Bondi, and Rockstar willing to take a chance on something like this even if it doesn't work 100%.

There is a whole lot to love, but it's also easy to see how much better this could be. Perhaps we'll get that if the dev team gets to iterate on the concepts.

 

[Smithy C]

Just got to the end of the first disc. It's a pretty cool game. Least fun part is the interrogations though, Half the time I'm getting questions wrong and it's not really telling me why. I guess that's how the game works, but it just ends up pissing me off.

 

[Plasmid]

Ugh, Social club isn't updating! ...

 

[Irish]

I definitely think I would have liked this more if I had only played a case or two a day instead of rushing right through it in a day or so.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

There is a whole lot to love, but it's also easy to see how much better this could be. Perhaps we'll get that if the dev team gets to iterate on the concepts.

I agree, but scores in the 7/10 range? That's crazy to me. I think some people haven't played actual 70% rated games in a while. Either that or this game and developer (more like the publisher) are being held to some super high standards.

 

[KaYotiX]

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

 

[Irish]

I agree, but scores in the 7/10 range? That's crazy to me. I think some people haven't played actual 70% rated games in a while. Either that or this game and developer (more like the publisher) are being held to some super high standards.

Seems like a reasonable score on a proper scale. I float between a 6 or 7 for this game as well. Of course, my tastes are different from everyone else on GAF because I would give Bioshock a 5 based solely on its setting/atmosphere and AC a 9.

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

VERY TRUE!

I honestly might have liked it more if I had gone through it at a much slower pace. Maybe even spread it out over a couple of weeks.

 

[VeryGooster]

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

Yeah. Taking breaks between cases or before major interrogations actually pumped me up for questioning, trying to be as methodical as a good detective could.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

I think I'm going to go at it this way. I finished up the traffic desk, replayed the first case to get a 5 star rating, just to get a feel for how well you have to do to achieve it, and was about to start on the first homicide case but decided to call it a night.

 

[TheExodu5]

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

I take a break after every case. In fact, I take a break during cases because I'm bored. =\

It's not a bad game or anything, I just don't find it particularly engaging.

 

[autobzooty]

Okay, I seriously cannot get interview questions right to save my life and it's driving me crazy. Can anyone give me any advice here? I feel like I have no idea what the game is actually asking me to do by saying "Truth, Doubt, or Lie." I can't really get a good idea of what Phelps is gonna do until I click the button and make an irreversible mistake.

Anyone got any pointers? It's really frustrating me :\

 

[cacophony]

Okay, I seriously cannot get interview questions right to save my life and it's driving me crazy. Can anyone give me any advice here? I feel like I have no idea what the game is actually asking me to do by saying "Truth, Doubt, or Lie." I can't really get a good idea of what Phelps is gonna do until I click the button and make an irreversible mistake.

Anyone got any pointers? It's really frustrating me :\

i see it as

Truth: be gentle, kind
Doubt: be aggressive
Lie: you have evidence they are lying

 

[autobzooty]

i see it as

Truth: be gentle, kind
Doubt: be aggressive
Lie: you have evidence they are lying

So even if I think the possible rape victim is lying, I should click truth unless I have evidence? And I should save "Doubt" for the more scumbaggy people that I wanna turn the screws on a bit?

 

[xxracerxx]

So even if I think the possible rape victim is lying, I should click truth unless I have evidence? And I should save "Doubt" for the more scumbaggy people that I wanna turn the screws on a bit?

If you think they are lying about something but don't have the evidence to prove it, choose Doubt.

 

[abundant]

So even if I think the possible rape victim is lying, I should click truth unless I have evidence? And I should save "Doubt" for the more scumbaggy people that I wanna turn the screws on a bit?

No. Choose Doubt whenever you feel someone is lying, but you have no proof.

Choose Truth whenever you think they're telling the truth.

Choose Lie when you have proof that they are lying.

 

[TheFuryMGS3]

IMO the way to play the game is do a few cases then take a break for awhile and come back to the game. it seems like the ppl who really are getting bored with it just sit and marathon the game all at once.

To me that is an admission that the pacing in a game is fucked. You don't watch movies in 20 minute chunks, to enhance the experience.

 

[The Xtortionist]

To me that is an admission that the pacing in a game is fucked. You don't watch movies in 20 minute chunks, to enhance the experience.

I think of the cases as episodes of a TV show rather than a continuous movie, so taking breaks is totally fine in my book.

 

[Makoto]

Yeah, it really is more of a television season and people do take breaks when they marathon a television season.

 

[The Lamp]

Because the handling was actually unique, requiring some thought before just mashing your car into a corner. This game has none of that, cars handle like houseflies.

Great. Turning a car should be as simple as turning a car in a video game. Requiring "thought" for meager tasks quickly takes the fun out of a game, especially if the feature is just a means to an end.

Im not talking about GT5 obviously though. And im on my phone so I can't really elaborate on what I mean.

 

[Necromanti]

No. Choose Doubt whenever you feel someone is lying, but you have no proof.

Choose Truth whenever you think they're telling the truth.

Choose Lie when you have proof that they are lying.

This is the general rule, yes. However, there definitely seem to be exceptions... There will be cases where the statement is true, but they are withholding/forgetting certain parts, so Doubt would be chosen. Then there are the instances that are quite sketchy with their use of logic (where the correct answer is Truth, even though you know that it's a lie, and the statement that follows after you choose the option just reinforces the fact there was more to the answer).

 

[VeryGooster]

This is the general rule, yes. However, there definitely seem to be exceptions... There will be cases where the statement is true, but they are withholding/forgetting certain parts, so Doubt would be chosen. Then there are the instances that are quite sketchy with their use of logic.

While this is true, sometimes I feel tone of voice should be taken into consideration. I interviewed one witness who was very brief with his testimony, but his first sentence sounded pretty genuine and then worked from there as his next sentences were met with a few "Uhhs" and "Hmms."

Also, IMO, anyone you interview who shows the slightest hint of douchebaggery has a very little chance of being straightforward with you, at least in my experience. Keep that in mind when considering hitting the Truth button.

 

[JABEE]

I'm just starting the

Spoiler

Homicide

desk. How much more is there left?

 

[BannedEpisode]

I'm just starting the

Spoiler

Homicide

desk. How much more is there left?

A lot.

 

[VeryGooster]

I'm just starting the

Spoiler

Homicide

desk. How much more is there left?

Like halfway through is my estimation.

 

[Knoxcore]

I'm just starting the

Spoiler

Homicide

desk. How much more is there left?

As someone said, half-way through. In fact, you have the majority of the game left. Homicide has a lot of cases.

 

[watershed]

Is there a way to skip movie scenes/dialogue?

I've put in 5 or so hours now and the game is still feeling very slow to me. I think the controls for walking and driving are making the experience less enjoyable thus making it harder for me to stick with it.

 

[KaYotiX]

I think of the cases as episodes of a TV show rather than a continuous movie, so taking breaks is totally fine in my book.

Agree 100% thats why they are titled just like TV Episodes are.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

Fuck the AI drivers. Did people in the 40's not realize that you don't turn during a green light until there is no crossing traffic?

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I take a break after every case. In fact, I take a break during cases because I'm bored. =\

It's not a bad game or anything, I just don't find it particularly engaging.

I'm finding myself doing the same thing. After each case I am just worn out doing the same thing. Though a lot of the things about each case I find interesting. I think there is just something about the mechanics that is missing.