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[Suikoguy]

Very impressed by the game, I did not follow it up to release so it was a nice surprise.

The one thing I would change though: The Investigation Mode

It needs to be first person, or perhaps have 360 views of each room. I understand the reasoning, as to not take you out of the scene, however to me it's very awkward walking around cramped areas.

First person mode would be the easy fix.

 

[revolverjgw]

What does that mean? You got 1 star? Me too on the first go, haven't got round to replaying though.

I also got 1 star on that mission despite seemingly doing everything right... I chalked it up to me killing pedestrians on the road... a lot of them... and destroying a LOT of property.

 

[Loxley]

Damn it, I'm starting to hit the point I'd hoped I wouldn't; the point where I'm starting to get a tad fatigued by the game (I'm on the third Arson case). I fucked up on the previous case

Spoiler

I convicted Varley instead of Ryans

after doing a really shitty job on the interrogations. I'm almost at the point where I just want the game to end, which is never a good sign.

Basically ever since I got to Ad vice, I feel like things have gone a bit downhill. I still enjoy the game on a basic level and don't regret the purchase or anything, but I'm really starting to dislike Phelps as character which is sort of coloring my enjoyment of the game.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Damn it, I'm starting to hit the point I'd hoped I wouldn't; the point where I'm starting to get a tad fatigued by the game (I'm on the third Arson case). I fucked up on the previous case

Spoiler

I convicted Varley instead of Ryans

after doing a really shitty job on the interrogations. I'm almost at the point where I just want the game to end, which is never a good sign.

Basically ever since I got to Ad vice, I feel like things have gone a bit downhill. I still enjoy the game on a basic level and don't regret the purchase or anything, but I'm really starting to dislike Phelps as character which is sort of coloring my enjoyment of the game.

Well, you have maybe two cases left.

 

[kaizoku]

I'm just trying to finish the game but I stopped playing earlier cos it pissed me off. Doing a case and it basically forces me down a path I don't want to go down.

Because I went to one location before another I dont have all the clues and I get forced into a bloody chase and interrogation before I even finish checking out a scene. I'm now resigned to getting a question wrong because I can't back out and get the evidence I want.

It's the gamey aspect I'm resenting. It tells me I'm getting it wrong even though I have no knowledge beyond my notebook or what I've experienced. It's stupid that the only way to get that question correct is to start again and visit another area first. And there was no hint that that's what I should have done. That's like a trial and error experience aka bad game design.

In terms of being a crime game it's nowhere near as sophisticated as Phoenix wright.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

This game becomes kind of a drag.

Really wish it had been half the length.

 

[harriet the spy]

This game becomes kind of a drag.

Really wish it had been half the length.

Are there side missions / fucking around? Basically is there any way to 'streamline' it?

 

[hank_tree]

This game becomes kind of a drag.

Really wish it had been half the length.

Yeah I like the game a lot but I can only do 1-2 cases at a time and then I get a bit bored.

 

[Rahxephon91]

I didn't think it became a drag at all. Arson was pretty awesome as the story was coming together very nicely, so pretty much every plot development was exciting to me. The only place I thought it started to drag was Homicide. It was a little too long and too repetitive, but the last mission more then made up for it.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I'm actually in awe. Who at Team Bondi thought balancing mini games would be an appropriate idea for their detective adventure game? Why is this thing in this game? Where am I. What day is it.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I found the early parts of Arson dragged because the bigger plot was obvious at that point, that the usual investigation stuff felt like busy work until the game felt like putting you on the homestretch. Which was a shame because on their own the arson cases could have been interesting.

What I think they should have done *end game spoilers*

Spoiler

introduce Jack Kelso much earlier, between Phelps going from Homicide to Vice, and have him investigate the fires for the insurance company, then make the post-Vice game just about the main conspiracy.

Edit: Anyway, just platinumed the game. Given that 'A Slip of the Tongue' and 'The Naked City' show up on the trophy list I can only assume they'll be released separately but will 'The Consul's Car'. I don't get why they'd only release that for the US? Unless I'm missing something and there's some way for Euro PS3 owners to get it as well. I want more traffic cases, I really liked Bekowsky as a partner.

 

[chubigans]

Are there side missions / fucking around? Basically is there any way to 'streamline' it?

I think the side missions are even worse.

 

[Totobeni]

I think the side missions are even worse.

Yeah, the patrol/street crimes are absolutely horrible and they are just the same thing over and over again, actually I think they should have cut the entire soulless open city from this game.

 

[Rahxephon91]

Yeah, the patrol/street crimes are absolutely horrible and they are just the same thing over and over again, actually I think they should have cut the entire soulless open city from this game.

Why? The city is great and no less empty then other open world games. Just driving around and looking at it is pretty fun.

 

[fernoca]

Yep. one of my favorites things about this game is the city. Driving around, looking at the cars, the details, the music...so nice.

And darn the ending of Vice...

 

[tiff]

This game becomes kind of a drag.

Really wish it had been half the length.

They should have just cut Homicide out entirely.

Also the open city isn't is a nice idea but they don't really do anything worthwhile with it and the game wouldn't really be any worse if it was just Phoenix Wright-style pick-locations-from-a-list.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Why? The city is great and no less empty then other open world games. Just driving around and looking at it is pretty fun.

Is it? Didn't take long for me to get really sick of driving around "looking at it". They put a lot of care into the detail but the lack of soul kills it no matter how you justify it.

Had they figured out a different system, or put less into making the game open world, they could have really developed the gameplay systems that needed it.

 

[Rahxephon91]

Is it? Didn't take long for me to get really sick of driving around "looking at it". They put a lot of care into the detail but the lack of soul kills it no matter how you justify it.

I liked driving around in thier recreation of LA, it was really immersve and that's pretty much what I wanted from this game in that regard. I don't really understand the complaints about the open world aspect. When I look at the other open world games this gen, I'm not sure what makes them feel alive other then their incredible detail.

Assassins Creed-What can you do except look for birds or flags? I guess you can do side missions which are basically just slices of the stuff in the main game, same goes for LA Noire.

GTAIV-What makes the game world interesting is pretty much the same thing for LA Noire, the incredible detail. GTA goes a little further with the radio, pedestrian dialogue, and so on. It's side stuff is pretty much like LA Noire's side stuff.

Saints Row 2-I don't like the side missions and the city is kind of a bore otherwise.

Mafia 2-Pretty much the same as LA Noire, but with far less side stuff.

So I don't see the big problem. I don't normally like side stuff, so the lack of compelling side activities is not a problem for me. All I want is a incredibly detailed world that I can drive around and explore and LA Noire has that.

 

[- J - D -]

So...I just finished the game.

Overall I guess I enjoyed aspects of this experience. I just really wished they mined some more emotion for the conclusion. It felt so insubstantial. Frankly I didn't like how the latter half of the Arson desk was handled.

 

[Y2Kev]

Yes!!! I'm so happy I just finished it. I feel so liberated!

 

[Amory]

First arson case, and the first time in the game im sorta screwed.

Spoiler

I have 2 of the heater installer guys in for questioning, and I'm pretty sure neither of them is guilty but I'm being forced to choose one of them. Plus the game seems to have completely forgotten about the dude who "likes fire" since we had him arrested but haven't talked about him since.

Sort of an interesting case, though, because a lot of the background story is coming together with the main story. I'm wondering if Cole is supposed to know everything I know from the newspaper scenes, considering they are now tying very heavily into the case and I think I know exactly what's going on.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

The Arson Cases were, in my opinion, the best. Otherwise, the ending left much to be desired. Fun game, worth forking over on day one, a shame I couldnt do any of the bonus code cases via PS3. Jack Kelso deserves a commendation for his powerful monologues.

 

[- J - D -]

Newspaper 12 was pretty boss. Wish it were integrated into the main story as a cutscene rather than something you could miss if you weren't looking carefully enough.

 

[pakkit]

GTAIV-What makes the game world interesting is pretty much the same thing for LA Noire, the incredible detail. GTA goes a little further with the radio, pedestrian dialogue, and so on. It's side stuff is pretty much like LA Noire's side stuff.

Okay, as cool as the recreation of LA is, this game in no way rivals the detail of GTAIV's overworld.

Here, the pedestrians say either stupid grade school jokes, or remark on Phelps as if he's the most recognizable character in LA. It's ridiculous.

In GTAIV, different pedestrians would say a bevy of things (i.e. talking to people on their cell phones, getting chased by police, even having their own self contained conversations). These events served nothing to the main game, yet added a lot of immersion. The radio chatter, internet, and television were all interconnected to the main game world. Commercials you saw or heard reflected real locations on the game map.

L.A. Noire's most impressive feat is capturing the superficial layer of 1947 LA. They nailed down other things as well, such as the appearance and the speech of those characters, as well as an impressive collection of cars. But as far as creating an actual gameworld that you can believe in? GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption both did a much, much better job.

Unrelated: For my second playthrough, I've been doing black and white and turned the gamma level way down. It highlights L.A. Noire's subtle but impressive lighting design, which is one of the key features of "noir" in general.

Really my biggest problem with the game was a narrative issue. I didn't mind them

Spoiler

killing Phelps but putting me in the shoes of a new character who's only been on the very periphery of the action up until then and suddenly asking me to care about him was a big storytelling mistake, IMO. I cared a lot less about what was happening after that, but that may have been compounded by the fact that the whole insurance scam plot felt inconsequential and boring.

Did you collect all of the newspapers? I got all of them in my first playthrough, and they really do add some critical narrative weight to the game.

 

[mattiewheels]

Had a pretty hilarious moment when I tried to see if I could drive this bus after the interrogation, I instead took a seat next to my service buddy and let out a wistful 'I'm stuck. Any ideas?' Then Earle comes and sits down too and gives me a pearl of wisdom....lol.

 

[Hey You]

Hopefully getting this game next week,stoked.

Hows this game selling? Really well?

 

[revolverjgw]

Rusty cornered me behind a counter in a laundromat and it took me a good 5 minutes to muscle my way past him. What a dick.

 

[Snuggles]

Onto Homicide now. I have a lot of issues with this game, but damn it's a lot of fun.

I get a real kick out of investigating crime scenes and chatting with the perps even though I'll probably turn on it later when I realize how linear it all is. At least for now I'm having a great time. Also, the menus are beautifully designed.

 

[BlueWord]

Game is fun in short doses. It feels sort of like a television season, the way the story progresses case-to-case. It's hard to play for more than a case or two at a time, though.

The technology behind the facial animation produces really stunning results. Of course, you don't really need to play it to see that.

 

[Incendiary]

Finished the Vice desk today. A few questions about the ending of the last Vice case, spoilers obviously, but I want to see if I understand things correctly. And I don't want to go into the spoiler thread until I finish the game completely. So:

Spoiler

LAPD is getting heat over a prostitution scandal because of a Madam named Brenda. Department heads are trying to figure out how to fight it. Roy comes in and says hey, I have an idea. You know Cole Phelps, the hot-shot that's making the papers all the time? I caught him screwing around on his wife. If that gets leaked to the press, they'll forget all about the prostitution stuff. BAM. Demoted. Is that about what happened?

 

[ezekial45]

Hopefully getting this game next week,stoked.

Hows this game selling? Really well?

Yup. Early sales are matching RDR's.

 

[saunderez]

Had a pretty hilarious moment when I tried to see if I could drive this bus after the interrogation, I instead took a seat next to my service buddy and let out a wistful 'I'm stuck. Any ideas?' Then Earle comes and sits down too and gives me a pearl of wisdom....lol.

Isn't Y the "sit on the seat" button as well as the "get in the car" button?

I've sat on benches heaps of times and never actually got stuck.

 

[Chanser]

Yay finally got platinum for this game, now I'm waiting for Rockstar to release the DLC.

 

[canadian crowe]

Just finished. Game was pretty good. I liked Cole alot more towards the end, I just wish there was more character development earlier in the game.

Also, I turned the clues vibration on at the end of the game and it made it way more enjoyable.

 

[NumberTwo]

Finished the game.

Spoiler

I wasn't so hot on Phelps in the beginning but now I gotta say, I don't like him at all.

 

[mattiewheels]

I'll never get the platinum for this, unless there's a car guide somewhere on the internets.

 

[Snuggles]

OK, this I don't understand, I just got 3/4 questions in an interrogation correct and the boss guy is whining about how much I've disappointed him. That's pretty good, right?

weird

 

[sneaky77]

I think this game could have benefited from a shorter single player campaign.

 

[Zeliard]

Haha just played the bulldozer part in Arson, and as soon as it started I just spun around and shot the dude in the head, and it ended immediately. Didn't even have to run from him at all. I turned the awful sticky aim off entirely when I first booted the game up; it probably would have screwed me up there.

Arson is pretty fun. Biggs and Kelso are cool and there have been a couple of unexpected twists. I also like how this one also has an ongoing storyline like Homicide, and it also ties back to Vice a bit.

 

[K' Dash]

I don't know if I'm gonna be able to find the motivation to finish this

They should have removed the city completely and put all the resources on the detective part ala Ace Attorney...

 

[Chanser]

After going through the film reels, I'm amazed there is so much detail in the city.

 

[mattiewheels]

OK, this I don't understand, I just got 3/4 questions in an interrogation correct and the boss guy is whining about how much I've disappointed him. That's pretty good, right?

weird

That's kind of a theme of the game, that doing the right thing isn't always better to guys like this than doing something that looks better in the papers.

 

[NumberTwo]

Spoiler

I liked how the solider with PTSD at the end with pretty much a manifestation of Cole's demons. It all came back to bite him in the ass in the end.

 

[Zeliard]

I haven't gotten a single film reel. Are they actual video clips of stuff or just pure collect-a-thon crap?

 

[Papercuts]

I haven't gotten a single film reel. Are they actual video clips of stuff or just pure collect-a-thon crap?

Collect-a-thon crap. No reward for finding them.

 

[Montresor]

OK, this I don't understand, I just got 3/4 questions in an interrogation correct and the boss guy is whining about how much I've disappointed him. That's pretty good, right?

weird

At least tell us the case man. That particular situation might be explainable or salvageable if you tell us the case. Otherwise your post just becomes ammunition for the crowd that dislikes the game. Hey, that might be a shit part of the game and the boss's reaction might be incomprehensible. Or there might be a good reason you're being verbally punished. *shrugs*

 

[Snuggles]

That's kind of a theme of the game, that doing the right thing isn't always better to guys like this than doing something that looks better in the papers.

So it's all about the numbers game? I know how it is, I've watched the Wire

My only complaint is that based on that feedback, I felt like I played it wrong. My 3/4 correct ratio seems to say otherwise, so being scolded seemed wrong, but if it's just a matter of politics I can accept it. If it makes sense in the narrative, I won't complain.

At least tell us the case man.

It's the first homicide case.

 

[mattiewheels]

So it's all about the numbers game? I know how it is, I've watched the Wire

It's a lot like the wire, yeah. It takes a lot from LA Confidential, too. The facade of justice vs. what's happening behind closed doors.

 

[styl3s]

Few hours into my 2nd playthrough.

 

[fernoca]

Well, just finished it. (22 hours)
Loved everything about it, already posted impressions up to Vice. The last desk was really cool and what happened through it was nice..to avoid spoiling anything. XD

Still have to do street crimes, more cars, wreak some havoc around the city and all the film reels, but overall it was one of my favorite games this year and my favorite "open world game"...probably ever.