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Team Bondi's L.A. NOIRE |OT| Watchin' Faces, Solvin' Cases

snoopeasystreet said:
The start menu's music is amazing. I've left the game idling there for about 30 minutes. Hope they release a soundtrack.

There was a downloadable soundtrack included in my preorder of the game, it's pretty good
 

Animator

Member
jett said:
The only time I've had an interrogation "restart" on me was on the tutorial one. Afterwards, game hasn't given a single fuck if I've blown every question. Speaking of, the questioning system they have in this game is fucking god awful. Why can't you realistically follow a line of questioning? No, I have to go through all these tidy questions the game has prepared for me! Ask a question, get an answer, move to the next bullet point! Such fucking horribleness, the more I think about this game the more I dislike it.


This is the one and only time I totally agree with you.
 

BobsRevenge

I do not avoid women, GAF, but I do deny them my essence.
Papercuts said:
The complaint with Phelps is that he flips a switch and goes batshit crazy on a whim, and the interrogation continues on as normal regardless. He seriously acts like he's bipolar.
People really exaggerate that point. Phelps is usually pretty hot-headed going into the discussions in the first place. He's trying to be intimidating. Sometimes the game misunderstands why you chose doubt or lie, and that's awkward, but if you were thinking what the game was pushing for it makes sense.

edit: There are other times you can lose an interrogation than the first one. I think I ran into two other times I got fail-screens and had to redo some part that weren't violence related.
 

jett

D-Member
BobsRevenge said:
People really exaggerate that point. Phelps is usually pretty hot-headed going into the discussions in the first place. He's trying to be intimidating. Sometimes the game misunderstands why you chose doubt or lie, and that's awkward, but if you were thinking what the game was pushing for it makes sense.

edit: There are other times you can lose an interrogation than the first one. I think I ran into two other times I got fail-screens and had to redo some part that weren't violence related.

This is another reason the interrogations in this game are such fucking trash. So many times I've a chosen a perfectly logical answer, or confronted the suspect with pertinent evidence, only for the game declare LOL FAIL.
 

hamchan

Member
Phelps suddenly going crazy during interrogations reminds me of that one part in Heavy Rain when Norman Jayden just randomly explodes in anger at Carter Blake during a presentation. It was hilarious.
 

jett

D-Member
One thing I'll say in favor of this game is that the title screen music is amazing. Why isn't the rest of the soundtrack as good? :p
 

ultron87

Member
So I just finished the first Homicide case, The Red Lipstick Murder (or something like that).

I'm mildly annoyed that I got the license plate number from the bar owner that would lead me directly to the murderer (who had every piece of damning evidence in a convenient box in his apartment), but had to waste time interrogating the husband because this was one of the times it took magic operator lady a bit to find the registration for the plate.

It would've been nice to figure out some motive or something for the murder. And why did the victim's house apparently get broken into at some point? : /

I'm still enjoying the game, but I really hope that the next murder case is better.
 

jett

D-Member
Ugh I'm interrogating some guy, I'm giving him pertinent evidence that says he's lying but the game says LOLZ NO anyway. Fuck you, game.

edit: this game would be better if it simply didn't tell you that you asked the wrong or right thing. it's simply infuriating sometimes. The conversation aspect of this game is like the incestual red-headed child of Mass Effect, make me want to get a better PC and play Witcher 2.

NullPointer said:
Let me know how that goes.

lol
 
jett said:
This is another reason the interrogations in this game are such fucking trash. So many times I've a chosen a perfectly logical answer, or confronted the suspect with pertinent evidence, only for the game declare LOL FAIL.
I highly suggest you stay away from the Phoenix Wright games, then. This kind of shit happened all of the time.
 
jett said:
edit: this game would be better if it simply didn't tell you that you asked the wrong or right thing. it's simply infuriating sometimes.

I think this is one of the points in which they decided to follow the lowest common denominator and insert the obvious queues. It would have been a richer experience for me if I didn't really know if I got the best answer possible until the case was completed. There are aspects of this game that make me wish Team Bondi had included a hardcore mode, that removed all hints, all queues, and all the grades entirely.

ultron87 said:
I'm mildly annoyed that I got the license plate number from the bar owner that would lead me directly to the murderer (who had every piece of damning evidence in a convenient box in his apartment), but had to waste time interrogating the husband because this was one of the times it took magic operator lady a bit to find the registration for the plate.

It would've been nice to figure out some motive or something for the murder. And why did the victim's house apparently get broken into at some point?

If you do things differently in this case, you don't actually have this dilemma.
I never interviewed the cabbie, and only visited Grosvenor on a follow up.
 
Had my first two glitches in the game today, both of them pretty hilarious. The first one I was driving at night in the rain, and up ahead I see a car hit something and flip end over end over end. Lots of crashing sound effects. I drive up to the intersection.....and the car was floating upside-down in mid-air. I was so surprised I literally rubbernecked with the camera to get a good look at the glitch and ended up plowing through some benches and light poles because I forgot to watch where I was driving.

The second glitch wasn't as funny, but as I got into my car after investigating a scene, there was a strange noise, then a Matrix-like glitch appeared over the parking lot in front of me and a car materialized out of nowhere and dropped into the lot with a crash.

Starting to think there are secret aliens hanging around in 1940s L.A.
 
In "The Driver's Seat" I got all questions right and only missed a single clue, yet when I went back to replay it, it said I got two out of five stars. Is there any reason for this? What exactly is factored into your rating, because by the looks of it I did pretty good. Did I take too long or something? Too much car damage?
 
CartridgeBlower said:
In "The Driver's Seat" I got all questions right and only missed a single clue, yet when I went back to replay it, it said I got two out of five stars. Is there any reason for this? What exactly is factored into your rating, because by the looks of it I did pretty good. Did I take too long or something? Too much car damage?

Car damage, damage to surroundings, damage to innocent people, arbitrary reasons all figure in to your case score!
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
It seems like damage contributes a lot to your final score. There was a case that I got everything right and found all the clues, but vehicular and environmental damage brought me down to three stars. I guess if I replay I'll either have to drive really slow or just let the partner drive everywhere. The latter makes more sense, but I doubt the developers think that's the ideal way to play the game. It's pretty silly.
 

Sectus

Member
jett said:
BTW, what the fuck happened to the narrator at the beginning of the game? Dude disappeared.
I'm pretty sure he is
your partner from the arson desk. His voice is very similar. Although, if it's the same guy, I don't see the significance of it. I guess they just wanted that kind of narrator to suit the style of the game and to lead the first parts of the game.

CartridgeBlower said:
In "The Driver's Seat" I got all questions right and only missed a single clue, yet when I went back to replay it, it said I got two out of five stars. Is there any reason for this? What exactly is factored into your rating, because by the looks of it I did pretty good. Did I take too long or something? Too much car damage?
Maybe you missed a suspect or witness you could talk with?

That happened with me in a case and I got a huuuuge penalty for that.
 
CartridgeBlower said:
In "The Driver's Seat" I got all questions right and only missed a single clue, yet when I went back to replay it, it said I got two out of five stars. Is there any reason for this? What exactly is factored into your rating, because by the looks of it I did pretty good. Did I take too long or something? Too much car damage?

3f32a69a74b7.jpg


But yeah you probably missed a suspect and interview. That eats away at your score. I once missed a star in The White Shoe Slaying because I totally missed a section of the game where you search for and interrogate a certain witness.

If you didn't know, sometimes the order in which you visit locales can have an effect on how the case plays out
 

ZeroRay

Member
Sectus said:
I'm pretty sure he is
your partner from the arson desk. His voice is very similar. Although, if it's the same guy, I don't see the significance of it. I guess they just wanted that kind of narrator to suit the style of the game and to lead the first parts of the game.

Or more than likely they had a bigger part for
Herschel
, but they couldn't finish his narration bits. Actually, that's probably why everything feels so disjointed; I believe Rockstar just wanted the game out after all this time even without Team Bondi finishing details of the story.

Beat the game two days ago my desk rankings are Arson > Traffic > Vice > Homicide (I don't count Patrol).
I loved playing as Kelso and I did enjoy the whole conspiracy storyline. Although Kelso isn't a very good detective either: He just left the film implicating the conspirators in the movie studio. WTF.
Enjoyed it for what it was, hopefully they get to improve on what they have and do an Assassin's Creed I -> II.

7/10
 

Kevitivity

Member
Y2Kev said:
I hate open worlds so much. Crutch for people who can't design linear games.

I obviously can't help you if you don't like open world games, but trust me, they are not a crutch. If anything they are risky for devs because of how difficult to code and QC.
 

Kevitivity

Member
Papercuts said:
The game won't just leave you in a dead end, it has to make you progress somehow. And because it doesn't consider the actual case outcomes, you'll still become Cole Phelps The Super Cop. There was a few cases where I WAS in a dead end and instead it makes you reinvestigate the crime scene or something to find specific evidence to move forward again.

The alternative to the way this case segment is handled, and one that most any other game of this type would employ, would be to force you to replay the segment over and over until you get it right, which has the effect of breaking the fourth wall, bringing the game mechanics center stage, and taking the player out of the world.

in my opinion, the devs played this one with finesse. The outcome is the same, but the player believes he's in control the entire time and not taken out of the world.

I'm not saying that all games should work this way, only that it works here.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....
 

Kevitivity

Member
@Chiggs

If you are expecting a shooter, return it.

If you are expecting a GTA clone, return it.

If you're expecting a noir themed adventure game set in 1940s Los Angeles, ENJOY!!!
 
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....

Just play the fuckin' thing, don't mind the naysayers.
 
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....
General consensus seems to be rent it.
 

jgminto

Member
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....
It's a good game. Just don't get sucked into the hyperbole on either side and you'll enjoy it.
 

Fjordson

Member
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....
The game is nothing short of amazing. Best I've played in a while.

Opinions are opinions. Try it out. Or return it and pick it up for cheap down the line if you want the cash.
 
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

i'm glad i played it - it's a big, glorious mish-mash of everything that could possibly go right & wrong with an 'innovative', over-ambitious, big-budget, too long in development triple-a western title, &, on that level, very instructive as to where we've arrived afa the 'state of video gaming' goes...

seriously... but if, by the time you finish, you're not walking away from the whole thing, shaking your head, now sadder but wiser, you likely've missed something :) ...
 

rdrr gnr

Member
Does anyone know the name of the song that occasionally plays when driving? The first and only instrument you hear is what sounds like a harp or a light guitar, followed by horns. It's not part of the official OST as far as I can tell.

Also. Just found the 95th car. Fuck that trophy.
 

Tobor

Member
Heard some Billie Holiday while working on a Vice case last night. I had to drive around the block a few times before getting to my destination. Man, I love this game.
 
Acquiescence said:
Just play the fuckin' thing, don't mind the naysayers.

Some of the detractors have a point, IMO, when it comes to the gunplay and cover system (although I think some exaggerate the issue). The narrative has some issues, and of course for what the game is, it's clearly not going to be for everybody.

With that said, Chiggs should play L.A. Noire if he knows not to expect GTA in 1947, doesn't mind the gunplay/cover stuff from RDR, and has enjoyed any kind of adventure game from LucasArts or Police Quest or Snatcher, even.
 

jett

D-Member
Chiggs said:
Help a fellow Gaffer out here.

Just finished The Witcher 2 and was going to start LA Noire, but some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is making me concerned.

The game is still shrink-wrapped and I have the receipt. What to do, what to do....

If you don't mind repetition ad nauseam, go ahead. You'll have a mind blowing experience the first two hours.
 
Just beat the game. Overall I'm pretty happy with the game but I really didn't like the last part of the game and the ending I found pretty bad too.
 
Tobor said:
Heard some Billie Holiday while working on a Vice case last night. I had to drive around the block a few times before getting to my destination. Man, I love this game.

I almost squealed like a little girl when Louis Armstrong came on. Damn, radio back in the 40's was ten times better than it is now.
 

Clunker

Member
whytemyke said:
60s Detroit would rule. Vietnam, race riots, Motown... it'd be bad ass.
This is completely out of left field, and it would have no real gunplay to speak of, but what occurred to me last night while playing is that the L.A. Noire engine and mechanics would absolutely be perfect for a video game adaptation of All the President's Men.

Tobor said:
Heard some Billie Holiday while working on a Vice case last night. I had to drive around the block a few times before getting to my destination. Man, I love this game.
I heard some Duke Ellington during my long drive in an Arson case last night too. If Rockstar had to stretch the truth a bit and imply the game had more GTA components in order to stealth-introduce people to more jazz greats, I'm okay with that.

The stomping jazz backdrops to the foot chases are probably the main reason I enjoy them so much.
 

LiK

Member
snoopeasystreet said:
The start menu's music is amazing. I've left the game idling there for about 30 minutes. Hope they release a soundtrack.
You can get original AND remix albums on iTunes.
 

styl3s

Member
Dechaios said:
Personally, I don't get the complaints about shooting. Works fine for me. Are people mad you can't lock on or something?
It does lock on the second you pop out of cover, anyways the shooting is perfect fine for me, then again i don't have problems aiming a dot at someones face :)
 
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