Support NeoGAF

[watershed]

This game is definitely a mature title..and I'm not talking about the nudity. Takes a little sophistication to truly appreciate what Team Bondi is doing here. This is probably the most "adult" game I've ever played. Which explains why so many People on this board dislike it.

Seriously? You may like the game, and you may not like that other people on GAF don't but the game takes "sophistication to truly appreciate what Team Bondi is doing"? C'mon. Its a game with a lot of flaws in every gameplay aspect, driving, running, shooting, interrogating, (the clue searching is the best executed mechanic). And the narratives in the cases can be pretty ridiculous/frustrating (looks at homicide desk), and the crazy outbursts, emotional inconsistencies, and disconnects in story and gameplay (kill people left and right in side quests) but "it never gets any easier" when I kill people as part of a case. If anything the game lacks the necessary "sophistication" and maturity that it would need to be taken seriously by the gamer.

 

[Kung Fu Grip]

Spoiler

I chose him too, because more stuff linked him to the crime. Silly me, logic doesn't like this game.

Thats exactly why i chose him. It can't be the other guy.

"As cool as you like"

I lol'd by the way when he said that.

 

[disappeared]

Just finished the Homicide cases.

Ugghh I need a break.

Yeah, this is definitely one of those games where fatigue sets in at regular intervals. I've been trying to pace myself since picking it up on Tuesday.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

The best thing about this game for me was seeing half the cast of Mad Men in it.

Pete's cameo was the best one though.

 

[butter_stick]

I'm referring to the overall pace and importance of dialog compared to pretty much any game on the market. There is a reason you can't skip certain cut scenes. The script much more important then in most games.

Yeah. Such wonderfully mature dialogue as

"I'm sorry your mother is dead"
*forced tears for 5 seconds"
"OK so i'm going to ask you some questions"
"OK!"

There are countless games with more complex, involving and mature scripts than LA Noire. Besides, most people's issue with the game is the mechanics and gameplay design, not the "maturity" of the game.

 

[Grisby]

The best thing about this game for me was seeing half the cast of Mad Men in it.

Pete's cameo was the best one though.

Yeah, I love everyone showing up. I wanted Don to appear at some point.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

no, tuesday

Aw, nuts.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

Yeah, I love everyone showing up. I wanted Don to appear at some point.

Seeing Don showing up as some regular schmuck would have been disappointing though, if he was in I'd want him to be someone of some significance.

 

[watershed]

I'm referring to the overall pace and importance of dialog compared to pretty much any game on the market. There is a reason you can't skip certain cut scenes. The script much more important then in most games.

I'd say dialogue and its subtle and not so subtle effects on gameplay and the overall narrative are much better executed in the Mass Effect titles. At least in ME you get dialogue trees, branching scripts with consequences, and a sense of control over what you want your character to do and say. There is no consistent emotional connection between Phelps' responses and the options I choose. Also in ME you can "skip" the dialogue. Much better.

 

[NullPointer]

Yeah. Such wonderfully mature dialogue as

"I'm sorry your mother is dead"
*forced tears for 5 seconds"
"OK so i'm going to ask you some questions"
"OK!"

Yeah, that made me wince it was so bad.

But on the other hand your homicide partner has a lot of good insights and dialogue. The times I felt the game was mature was when I was examining a crime scene and talking with the coroner, etc. You really have to go through the motions of what is a grisly and pretty depressing job.

And then it all goes Hollywood with the long shootouts and car chases. The chases are sometimes pulled off really well, but the shootouts so far have felt really hollow and at odds with the mood set in the rest of the game.

 

[semiconscious]

If anything the game lacks the necessary "sophistication" and maturity that it would need to be taken seriously by the gamer.

& there you go. there's no way a game this 'serious' should have more unintentional than deliberate comedy in it... but it does ...

 

[tiff]

The reason you can't skip cutscenes in this game is the same reason you can't skip cutscenes in any other game: the developers think the plot is way better than it actually is.

 

[Grisby]

Seeing Don showing up as some regular schmuck would have been disappointing though, if he was in I'd want him to be someone of some significance.

Well, yeah. I'd want him to have a good part.

 

[Buckethead]

Nice spoilers

Nice spoilers. Minor but silly.

 

[rhino4evr]

Yeah. Such wonderfully mature dialogue as

"I'm sorry your mother is dead"
*forced tears for 5 seconds"
"OK so i'm going to ask you some questions"
"OK!"

There are countless games with more complex, involving and mature scripts than LA Noire. Besides, most people's issue with the game is the mechanics and gameplay design, not the "maturity" of the game.

Please name these games you speak of.

 

[WrikaWrek]

Here i am enjoying the game and i come here and whoa so much hate.

It's not perfect, but it's a big step in the right direction.

 

[CyReN]

Damn Cole..

Spoiler

Was cheating that horrible back then? I realize it's a horrible thing that people do, but today it seems somewhat "standard". Back then it seemed like he was going to get the death penalty.

Just finished the first arson case.

 

[Dabanton]

Loving the game but you can see where R* has had input on certain sections the chases both on foot and car are reaching comical levels as are the fact that Cole kills everyone he tries to 'apprehend' in the side missons but they are a necessary evil.

The actual investigations are amazing doing homicide at the moment and each new case brings another grim sight to look at. The fact you are looking at a battered human body with no fuss or pretentions is quietly cool especially in the world of gaming where a lot of other games would have made a song and dance about tits and pubic hair being on show,but here we have a understanding that this is their world.

 

[bonesmccoy]

Loving the game but you can see where R* has had input on certain sections the chases both on foot and car are reaching comical levels as are the fact that Cole kills everyone he tries to 'apprehend' in the side missons but they are a necessary evil.

I got the feeling that the side missions were a product of Rockstar saying "You've built this city, but there's nothing for the player to do in it!" Some feel fun and fleshed out, while others like they were added on simply for depth.

 

[Trent Strong]

"As for his involvement, you just leave that to me and my husband to worry about."

Truth or lie?

Umm...what? That's not a true or false statement. How am I supposed to answer truth or lie to that? This game...kind of sucks.

 

[laika09]

Damn Cole..

Spoiler

Was cheating that horrible back then? I realize it's a horrible thing that people do, but today it seems somewhat "standard". Back then it seemed like he was going to get the death penalty.

Just finished the first arson case.

Spoiler

Yeah, the entire thing with Elsa and his adultery getting him suspended/demoted seems so contrived. A shame because I enjoyed the story otherwise.

 

[rhino4evr]

The reason you can't skip cutscenes in this game is the same reason you can't skip cutscenes in any other game: the developers think the plot is way better than it actually is.

You can skip the side mission cut scenes. The truth is that the dialogue is very important to solving the case. Even the off hand comments tend to be important. The game
Is about listening and watching. which explains why so Many people Are having a hard time. So many gamers have been brainwashed to shoot first as ask questions later.

 

[Dabanton]

Well Team Bondi have a base now i'm hoping that with any future DLC they try a few different things out experiment a bit.

 

[chubigans]

Well Team Bondi have a base now i'm hoping that with any future DLC they try a few different things out experiment a bit.

Nah, all of that DLC is in the can.

I can't imagine them hiring out any more actors for some simple DLC.

 

[pargonta]

"As for his involvement, you just leave that to me and my husband to worry about."

Truth or lie?

Umm...what? That's not a true or false statement. How am I supposed to answer truth or lie to that? This game...kind of sucks.

her eyes are darting every which way, her answer is not sincere. you should doubt her answer

press doubt.

 

[Himself]

It's nice to see some critical/dissenting opinions on this game. I was disgusted with the amount of unanimous praise RDR was getting when I thought it was unbearably long, shallow and uninteresting. Please don't let my opinion derail the thread...I'm just sayin'...I'll be more prepared to give L.A. Noire a reasonable assessment when I can get it for super cheap.

 

[BagSquad]

Just finished this, great game. It definitely has its flaws, but overall its high points outshine its lows. The overall plot with Phelps didn't really grab me, but I thought the individual cases were in general a lot more compelling. The shooting and driving were fine too, although I got sick and fucking tired of those goddamn chase sequences by the end of the game. The shooting was always fun for me though, it just felt super satisfying.
The atmosphere is fucking incredible in this, and its definitely my favorite part of the game. There's something incredibly immersive about exploring crime scenes, they pack a lot of detail into them. Picking up random items and investigating the shit out of them was always strangely enjoyable. Too bad there wasn't much inspecting toward the end, which probably explains why it was my least favorite part of the game. But the end didn't soil the rest of the game for me, it was still a great experience, even with its flaws. And I would love a sequel.

 

[Dabanton]

It's nice to see some critical/dissenting opinions on this game. I was disgusted with the amount of unanimous praise RDR was getting when I thought it was unbearably long, shallow and uninteresting. Please don't let my opinion derail the thread...I'm just sayin'...I'll be more prepared to give L.A. Noire a reasonable assessment when I can get it for super cheap.

I thought it was a brillant and lovely game with plenty to see and do there was plenty of dissenting opinion on it as well.

 

[Papercuts]

You can skip the side mission cut scenes. The truth is that the dialogue is very important to solving the case. Even the off hand comments tend to be important. The game
Is about listening and watching. which explains why so Many people Are having a hard time. So many gamers have been brainwashed to shoot first as ask questions later.

You get punished for listening and watching more often than not...as mentioned in the earlier pages, it's much better to be "gamey" and say lie to everything and back off if it doesn't seem right, even though that obviously wouldn't fly in any real situation. Stop blaming the gamers for everything L.A. Noire doesn't do right, the game has flaws. Everything about the homicide cases are exactly what this game shouldn't have been.

 

[Animator]

The first mission of homicide really soured me on this game.

Spoiler

You get the nice setup but you go to the last suspect and he has the murder weapon and lipstick in a fucking box next to his bed in the open. Like he just left it there as he went outside to order pizza or some shit, come on. They might as well put a blood trail leading from the apartment lobby to his door. I was expecting it to be a frame job by the husband because of how convenient the murder weapon is found but no the case just ends there and you solved it.

Its shit like what I described above that makes this game pretty terrible. There is no challenge whatsoever so far. I wish they made it so there wasnt a controller vibration in front of a clue yet you can pick up everything that can be picked up in a place and come to your own conclusions. I wish there was even the slightest incentive for exploration and not just "click x till music stops > go to next location > repeat till case ends"

I really hope later cases will introduce some challenge.

 

[MarshMellow96]

They definitely need to work on how the interrogations work if they go back.

 

[Trent Strong]

her eyes are darting every which way, her answer is not sincere. you should doubt her answer

press doubt.

I did press doubt. But the point is that a statement like: 'Leave him to me' isn't true or false.

They definitely need to work on how the interrogations work if they go back.

I'd rather they work on the framerate.

 

[MarshMellow96]

I did press doubt. But the point is that a statement like: 'Leave him to me' isn't true or false.




I'd rather they work on the framerate.

Snap. It's everywhere.

How about both?

 

[saunderez]

They definitely need to work on how the interrogations work if they go back.

I'm thinking maybe some kind of construct-a-question system.

Perhaps you have a list of nouns, verbs and evidence and you create the questions yourself. In the end anything would be better than the Truth, Lie, Doubt system.

 

[Balphon]

Its shit like what I described above that makes this game pretty terrible. There is no challenge whatsoever so far. I wish they made it so there wasnt a controller vibration in front of a clue yet you can pick up everything that can be picked up in a place and come to your own conclusions. I wish there was even the slightest incentive for exploration and not just "click x till music stops > go to next location > repeat till case ends"

I really hope later cases will introduce some challenge.

Just turn the hints off.

 

[tiff]

The first mission of homicide really soured me on this game.

Spoiler

You get the nice setup but you go to the last suspect and he has the murder weapon and lipstick in a fucking box next to his bed in the open. Like he just left it there as he went outside to order pizza or some shit, come on. They might as well put a blood trail leading from the apartment lobby to his door. I was expecting it to be a frame job by the husband because of how convenient the murder weapon is found but no the case just ends there and you solved it.

Its shit like what I described above that makes this game pretty terrible. There is no challenge whatsoever so far. I wish they made it so there wasnt a controller vibration in front of a clue yet you can pick up everything that can be picked up in a place and come to your own conclusions. I wish there was even the slightest incentive for exploration and not just "click x till music stops > go to next location > repeat till case ends"

I really hope later cases will introduce some challenge.

Just keep playing.

Also you can turn the controller vibration and the musical clues off.

I did press doubt. But the point is that a statement like: 'Leave him to me' isn't true or false.

It's poorly explained but they often use Doubt to press for info if you know they're withholding some. It's kinda like when you Press in Phoenix Wright.

 

[MarshMellow96]

I'm thinking maybe some kind of construct-a-question system.

Perhaps you have a list of nouns, verbs and evidence and you create the questions yourself. In the end anything would be better than the Truth, Lie, Doubt system.

Interesting, could work.

Definitely, TDL is way too vague for me. There are obvious flaws in the system, as displayed if you screw up the first interrogation in 'The Naked City'.

 

[BagSquad]

Turning the hints off definitely makes it harder, but it's really not worth it imo, you're pretty much just going to run around the crime scene mashing A until you find something you can pick up. It's especially shitty in indoor enviroments, seeing the amount of objects is much greater than in an outdoor area, and you can't always tell what's supposed to be important and what isn't.

 

[funkystudent]

not sure I like how it telling you how many questions you got correct after each interview.

Kind of takes away from the dynamic-ness of it if they tell you there is a right way to do everything.

 

[THRILLH0]

Wait, was rhino3evr banned for his posts in this thread? Just because he said people dislike the game because it's mature (in his opinion)? If so that's harsh.

Anyway, another issue i'm not sure if I like or dislike is that you collect so many pieces of evidence but only 2 or 3 ever really end up being used. I like the fact that you find stuff which helps you work things through in your mind but Cole ends up doing all of that thinking anyway. You don't really exercise your own brain.

 

[Square Triangle]

Wtf, The Red Lipstick Murder Case-

Spoiler

Had everything perfect and I miss one fucking clue at the end. The size 8 shoe in the apartment before the chase scene. I didn't even have a chance to get it since the game quickly went into the next scene after finding the murder weapon -___-

 

[brandonh83]

Wtf, The Red Lipstick Murder Case-

Spoiler

Had everything perfect and I miss one fucking clue at the end. The size 8 shoe in the apartment before the chase scene. I didn't even have a chance to get it since the game quickly went into the next scene after finding the murder weapon -___-

heh that's the one I'm playing as we speak.

Spoiler

titties!!!

 

[Incendiary]

Okay just finished The Golden Butterfly:

Spoiler

I botched Hugo's questioning, getting 2/4 right. I went over and questioned Eli and got 3/4 right. I wasn't sure, so I got up from his interrogation....then decided to go with my gut that Eli was the guy. I sat back down, Phelps charged him with the murder.

Here's what I don't get: I get a cut scene of a policeman putting Hugo in jail, then the captain reads me the riot act saying I'm going to have to do street crimes until he feels like I'm up to the task of solving cases again. The case report tells me "Hugo sits in jail contemplating a murder charge while his daughter contemplates being an orphan." What did I miss here? I thought I charged Eli?

Also, after a flashback, I immediately go into the next case where the captain says "Hey, I was just telling your partner here how great a job you're doing." What happened to doing street crimes?

I love this game so far, but this is my first bout with some seriously confusing inconsistency.

 

[NME]

I see a lot of the same complaints I've had of the game, both for specific incidents and general issues.

One thing I haven't seen, perhaps missed, is how every time you select Lie, the person you are interrogating responds with something along the lines of "I bet you can't prove that I'm lying."

This annoys me in two ways. First, it seems like a pretty unreasonable reaction to a police interrogation, especially when it is so consistently the reaction. Not that I've ever found myself being interrogated by the police, but I doubt I'd antagonize them in that fashion. I could see if one or two of the characters responded in that way on occasion, but not all of them and not every time.

Secondly, it's eliminates the immersion of the game, such as it is. The reaction to my calling them a liar is, essentially, the game saying "ok, now don't forget that we have a mechanic in place for this." I know that the mechanic exists. It was explained very early on, and I didn't forget about it during the subsequent two dozen or so missions.

I've just completed the game. I hope the ending varies based on how you do on all of your missions. Mine was underwhelming.

Despite the numerous problems with the game, I want to go back and play it again. I think this is mostly for vanity's sake. I feel pretty stupid and annoyed that I got certain TDL choices incorrect. My concern is that I'll go back though the game and find that little if anything changes either within the cases themselves or regarding the conclusion of the game.

I don't think it's a very good game, but I guess it says something that I am at least initially willing to replay it.

 

[Gary Whitta]

LA NOIRE 2 starring Jon Hamm = Game of the Forever.

 

[RoninChaos]

I'm enjoying it. On a forum that complains a lot about originality, I'm suprised this game is getting the flak it is. Yes, there are things that could be worked on, what game doesn't run into this? For me it's mostly technical issues so I can look past that and enjoy the fact that a game like this came out while this generation has been damn near nothing but sequels.

I'm also taking my time since I have very little of it. Maybe that's why I'm not as frustrated as some people. I'm sure playing 15 cases in a row would feel really repetitive.

 

[mattiewheels]

LA NOIRE 2 starring Jon Hamm = Game of the Forever.

I can't believe he WASN'T in the game, since he's pretty much the only guy on that show missing.

This game's a flawed masterpiece, and I can't get enough of it. I'll probably buy every new case they release. It definitely gave me a Police Quest 1947 nostalgia trip, and all the forgivable jankiness of the adventure game genre that it entails in the pursuit of a great experience.

 

[NullPointer]

Every time I think this game has a system in place that makes sense I have those hopes dashed.

Case in point: The Golden Butterfly

Spoiler

The first time I did this case I failed miserably, so I decided to give it a replay. I just replayed it twice and made sure to use all my intuition points to eliminate false paths. Even still, with 18/19 questions correct I still had no evidence to convict either suspect and had to do the same chase and end with getting chewed out.

There are so many aspects of this case that go wrong it almost epitomizes the problem with the game.

Starting my third runthrough of the case I got 100% of the opening questions on the daughter and father. Didn't seem to matter much though.

First there are true statements, such as the one made by the daughter about waiting around to be picked up, that while true, you should doubt. Why should I have doubted this?

When I bring the father in for interrogation and ask him about ropes, he says that he knows some things from being a scout and from his Army days. Once again I'm supposed to doubt this? Doubting just causes Phelps to ask whether he murdered people with ropes in the Army whereupon the father talks about his training. When I ask him about the tire iron he says he has nothing to do with it and clams up when I doubt him, but I have no evidence to link him to it. I ask him where he puts his work clothes and he says he uses the locker at work... how is this true, false, or doubtful?

What was the breakthrough I was supposed to make and why? So much of this system seems like the roll of the dice, and in this case it feels like I didn't make the one weird
leap in logic (in terms of when to doubt or call a lie) and the whole case falls apart. What the hell am I missing here?

One other thing too. I've turned off the vibrations and only use the music for detecting clues and to know when there isn't anything more to find. I found all clues (according to the music) in the crime scene, the home, and at the car in the parking lot, yet when the case was finished I was missing one. Is the music not enough?

This game is really starting to wear down on me. I'm still struggling to find any true consistency in how I'm supposed to work through interrogations. Please tell me that I'm just being dense and missed something obvious.

 

[Papercuts]

Every time I think this game has a system in place that makes sense I have those hopes dashed.

Case in point: The Golden Butterfly

Spoiler

The first time I did this case I failed miserably, so I decided to give it a replay. I just replayed it twice and made sure to use all my intuition points to eliminate false paths. Even still, with 18/19 questions correct I still had no evidence to convict either suspect and had to do the same chase and end with getting chewed out.

There are so many aspects of this case that go wrong it almost epitomizes the problem with the game.

Starting my third runthrough of the case I got 100% of the opening questions on the daughter and father. Didn't seem to matter much though.

First there are true statements, such as the one made by the daughter about waiting around to be picked up, that while true, you should doubt. Why should I have doubted this?

When I bring the father in for interrogation and ask him about ropes, he says that he knows some things from being a scout and from his Army days. Once again I'm supposed to doubt this? Doubting just causes Phelps to ask whether he murdered people with ropes in the Army whereupon the father talks about his training. When I ask him about the tire iron he says he has nothing to do with it and clams up when I doubt him, but I have no evidence to link him to it. I ask him where he puts his work clothes and he says he uses the locker at work... how is this true, false, or doubtful?

What was the breakthrough I was supposed to make and why? So much of this system seems like the roll of the dice, and in this case it feels like I didn't make the one weird
leap in logic (in terms of when to doubt or call a lie) and the whole case falls apart. What the hell am I missing here?

One other thing too. I've turned off the vibrations and only use the music for detecting clues and to know when there isn't anything more to find. I found all clues (according to the music) in the crime scene, the home, and at the car in the parking lot, yet when the case was finished I was missing one. Is the music not enough?

This game is really starting to wear down on me. I'm still struggling to find any true consistency in how I'm supposed to work through interrogations. Please tell me that I'm just being dense and missed something obvious.

You aren't, it's the gripe I complain about all the time. In interrogations, cole needs to press people for more information. Doubt and Truth both do this, and it's completely random which one actually triggers it. You have to doubt truthful statements at times for this to work, like the stuff you mentioned...the system is completely broken.

 

[Square Triangle]

My PS3 is still kicking into high gear when I play this game and this game only. I almost don't want to play it anymore.