I finished this a few days ago. It was fun, but I didn't find it 'amazing'.
The Good Stuff:
- Face capture tech is very, very cool and (obviously) adds a human dimension to the characters. I think I even recognized a few actors' faces in there (e.g. Greg Grunberg, who played Matt Parkman on Heroes)
- The graphics detail and art direction is stunning. Coupled with the face capture stuff, I really felt like I was watching a very long movie set in the 1940's.
- The interrogation system is a really novel idea.The notion of calling out a suspect's answers as Truth, Doubt, and Lie adds a lot of depth to the game, for sure.
- The storytelling and voice acting are very strong. Team Bondi obviously did their research and has a great feel for the Noire genre.
The Bad Stuff:
- Repetition, repetition, repetition. There are only so many drainpipes, car chases, and fistfights one can put up with.
- The interrogation system felt very flawed for me - but maybe I just suck at it. As good as the face capture tech is, it still came off as 'weak' in some of the interrogation sessions.
- The map of L.A. was kind of boring. While amazingly detailed, there's nothing about 1940's L.A. that screams out 'landmark' to make me want to wander the streets.
- No free-roam after you complete the game? Maybe I missed something?
- Having recently finished the more 'open play' world of RDR, L.A. Noire felt somehow claustrophobic in its more linear storytelling.
Like I say, it was fun. But RDR really set the bar for me - and L.A. Noire just doesn't measure up.