LA Noire

[Majek]

Finally, i get to play the game myself.

[Nightshape]

Name me another commercially successful 3D adventure game post Grim Fandango that isn't Dreamfall and you'll maybe have a point!

Do you have avatars turned off or something?

 

Oh dear, I totally screwed up... I apologise.

[pmp10]

Anyone finished arson yet?

If so is the overreaching plot as gimmicky as in

homicide

?

The first case seems to indicate that and I have no more motivation to spend more hours investigating cases just to

put innocent people in prison

.

Edited May 25, 2011 by pmp10

[Nepenthe]

 

It's MOSTLY similar, but the gameplay starts kind of mutating through arson, including you changing protagonists for most of the chapter.

 

 

The game really suffered from the case-slashing that must've taken place. It's in dire need of good, unconnected cases. Which I guess they can try to fill with DLC, but which makes the first playthrough kind of... heavy.

[pmp10]

Thanks.

It's a shame the game is so uneven.

I really liked traffic and vice but constant working towards

plot mandated screw-ups

really hurt the felling that your input matters.

[Nepenthe]

Agreed. I think I mentioned it before, but I think I got the same feeling in Uncharted 2, even though it wasn't really... the same way.

Edited May 25, 2011 by Nepenthe

[Krookie]

just finished it. spoilers may be here. /warned

 

Good idea was poorly executed.

 

first, I thought the atmosphere for a noir game was pretty bad. there were too many bright colors and sun-shiny days.

 

second, thought the cases were strung together pretty poorly. when you reached the end of a case there was nothing to bridge to the next one, other that the killer was the same, or that the victims were found bruised in the same spots. GTA always seemed to string the story along so much more cleanly.

 

third, they really couldn't decide whether or not they wanted this to be an action game. it was almost like they couldn't accept the fact that it wasn't. for example, wtf is this "OMG A BULLDOZER IS CHASING ME" or "OH GOD THE CHANDELIER I'M STANDING ON IS COLLAPSING" stuff? It seemed like they just throw these in so that they could make it seem like the game had some more actiony parts, but it completely took me out of it and they were just flat out dopey. I was perfectly content with not playing an action game. That's why I bought this game. Next time, don't throw these stupid gimmicks in to try and please the 13 year olds playing the game.

 

lastly, I'm very disappointed at the lack of replayability. I guess they can't really be blamed for this one, but there is literally zero incentive to play the game again.

 

on the upside, the voice acting and facial capture software was brilliant. feel like this is the beginning of something great. heard that Rockstar has confirmed that in the sequel (lol, already announced? I'm not sure, don't quote me) they'll be using the same image capture software for the entire bodies of the actors, meaning we'll actually be seeing people act in games. I think that's pretty cool, maybe in a few years we'll start seeing "CHRISTIAN BALE IN LA NOIRE 7", except he'll just be batman. think of the possibilities.

 

overall, I thought LA Noire was going to be a much better game. I didn't dislike it, and actually thought it was pretty good. It just did not live up to expectations at all.

[Tel Aviv]

first, I thought the atmosphere for a noir game was pretty bad. there were too many bright colors and sun-shiny days.

Well, not all noir has to be gloomy. Just look at LA Confidential and Chinatown.

[vault_overseer]

first, I thought the atmosphere for a noir game was pretty bad. there were too many bright colors and sun-shiny days.

Well, not all noir has to be gloomy. Just look at LA Confidential and Chinatown.

 

ditto

[entrerix]

well, to be fair, both of those are VERY neo-noir. I haven't played this game, but i'd guess it has far more in common with la confidential than it does with double indemnity.

 

edit: i love both chinatown and la confidential, so dont think i am knocking them, just pointing out that there are some stylistic and tonal differences between noir that was made in the 30's/40's and the neo noir of the 60's and later.

Edited May 26, 2011 by entrerix

[Nepenthe]

well, to be fair, both of those are VERY neo-noir. I haven't played this game, but i'd guess it has far more in common with la confidential than it does with double indemnity.

 

edit: i love both chinatown and la confidential, so dont think i am knocking them, just pointing out that there are some stylistic and tonal differences between noir that was made in the 30's/40's and the neo noir of the 60's and later.

Making superficial genre distinctions to dig yourself out of the hole you dug isn't working.

[entrerix]

not sure what hole you are referring to? Am I wrong about the game? I haven't played it, like i said, i just think that it looks more like la confidential than it does something like double indemnity or the postman always rings twice.

[Nepenthe]

not sure what hole you are referring to? Am I wrong about the game? I haven't played it, like i said, i just think that it looks more like la confidential than it does something like double indemnity or the postman always rings twice.

I'm just having male PMS.

 

But more to the point, as was pointed our, "California Noir", which this obviously is, doesn't mean dark and rain the whole time (I have to go watch the maltese falcon now, too), it would be too hard to do in LA.

[Calax]

just finished it. spoilers may be here. /warned

 

Good idea was poorly executed.

 

first, I thought the atmosphere for a noir game was pretty bad. there were too many bright colors and sun-shiny days.

 

second, thought the cases were strung together pretty poorly. when you reached the end of a case there was nothing to bridge to the next one, other that the killer was the same, or that the victims were found bruised in the same spots. GTA always seemed to string the story along so much more cleanly.

 

third, they really couldn't decide whether or not they wanted this to be an action game. it was almost like they couldn't accept the fact that it wasn't. for example, wtf is this "OMG A BULLDOZER IS CHASING ME" or "OH GOD THE CHANDELIER I'M STANDING ON IS COLLAPSING" stuff? It seemed like they just throw these in so that they could make it seem like the game had some more actiony parts, but it completely took me out of it and they were just flat out dopey. I was perfectly content with not playing an action game. That's why I bought this game. Next time, don't throw these stupid gimmicks in to try and please the 13 year olds playing the game.

 

lastly, I'm very disappointed at the lack of replayability. I guess they can't really be blamed for this one, but there is literally zero incentive to play the game again.

 

on the upside, the voice acting and facial capture software was brilliant. feel like this is the beginning of something great. heard that Rockstar has confirmed that in the sequel (lol, already announced? I'm not sure, don't quote me) they'll be using the same image capture software for the entire bodies of the actors, meaning we'll actually be seeing people act in games. I think that's pretty cool, maybe in a few years we'll start seeing "CHRISTIAN BALE IN LA NOIRE 7", except he'll just be batman. think of the possibilities.

 

overall, I thought LA Noire was going to be a much better game. I didn't dislike it, and actually thought it was pretty good. It just did not live up to expectations at all.

I'm agreeing to this but there's one minor quibble.

 

It feels like this isn't one big story that slowly builds to a climax. It's sort of... 2 and a half stories. The first one has to do with what goes down in your Homicide Cases (although for a pair of those cases it feels like they went "Oh heck... we had to change it how do we string this together!?") MO's are the same and so on. The half of one is the little mini-case in Traffic (which had the best sidekick I think), and then there's the one that they sort of tried to build towards when you're on the last two departments.

 

 

I'm finishing up the last case now, I've got a flame thrower in the sewers. I gotta say it's honestly pretty confusing how they got to this point. "It's a land scheme! No! It's an insurance scheme! No! It's a Land Scheme with the GOVERNMENT!" There's so many twists and turns it feels like the LA freeway system (eh eh? Ok, that sucked...) and the constantly changing perspective doesn't help things.

 

I think overall the flow of the story would have been better if the "main" plot line with the morphine, land, and fires was more prominent and only told from the perspective of Phelps, while the secondary plot line with the Dhalia was done some other way.

 

Edited May 29, 2011 by Calax

[Nepenthe]

I'm finishing up the last case now, I've got a flame thrower in the sewers. I gotta say it's honestly pretty confusing how they got to this point. "It's a land scheme! No! It's an insurance scheme! No! It's a Land Scheme with the GOVERNMENT!" There's so many twists and turns it feels like the LA freeway system (eh eh? Ok, that sucked...) and the constantly changing perspective doesn't help things.

 

I think overall the flow of the story would have been better if the "main" plot line with the morphine, land, and fires was more prominent and only told from the perspective of Phelps, while the secondary plot line with the Dhalia was done some other way.

Yeah, pretty much agree with everything you wrote here. I'm not sure what the cut burglary desk had in it, but I think it would have given the opportunity to tie the desks together better. Vice would've benefited from a case or two more.

[Morgoth]

So, I just read that LA Noire is causing older PS3s to overheat, in conjunction with FW 3.61.

 

Now I haven't installed the latest FW yet nor have I played the game yet, but who is the culprit? Does anyone else have a fat lady and any issues with game and/or 3.61?

[Calax]

So, I just read that LA Noire is causing older PS3s to overheat, in conjunction with FW 3.61.

 

Now I haven't installed the latest FW yet nor have I played the game yet, but who is the culprit? Does anyone else have a fat lady and any issues with game and/or 3.61?

They retracted that statement within a day.

[Morgoth]

So, I just read that LA Noire is causing older PS3s to overheat, in conjunction with FW 3.61.

 

Now I haven't installed the latest FW yet nor have I played the game yet, but who is the culprit? Does anyone else have a fat lady and any issues with game and/or 3.61?

They retracted that statement within a day.

Yes but I still read a lot stories that 3.61 kills a lot of PS3s nonetheless.

[Nepenthe]

So, I just read that LA Noire is causing older PS3s to overheat, in conjunction with FW 3.61.

 

Now I haven't installed the latest FW yet nor have I played the game yet, but who is the culprit? Does anyone else have a fat lady and any issues with game and/or 3.61?

No issues with my thick dark princess, either in la noire or outside of it. Vertical placement, plenty of air around, probably plenty of dust within, at least one 20h non-stop session.

 

Mine's a late 2007, though. they'd moved to the smaller nms for some components by then.

Edited May 29, 2011 by Nepenthe

[Morgoth]

Yeah, I' still not taking the risk right now until 3.62 is out.

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, I' still not taking the risk right now until 3.62 is out.

I'd just be happy for the excuse to get one that can bitsream hd audio. Since there's no audible difference, I'm not ready to pay just for the joy of getting different things light up on my amp.

[Majek]

well, to be fair, both of those are VERY neo-noir. I haven't played this game, but i'd guess it has far more in common with la confidential than it does with double indemnity.

 

edit: i love both chinatown and la confidential, so dont think i am knocking them, just pointing out that there are some stylistic and tonal differences between noir that was made in the 30's/40's and the neo noir of the 60's and later.

It has quite a lot in common with Naked City too.

 

I just got platinum. It was an okay game but some things could've been done better, the story itself was quite alright even if charing some suspects felt too forceful because of too many doubts.

 

The face capture worked great but next time they should do body capture too because often i thought, i'd rather have Uncharted like movement instead of great faces ...

[TheHarlequin]

How long before you think the PC version will be released?

[GreasyDogMeat]

How long before you think the PC version will be released?

Same day Red Dead comes out on PC.

 

If PC only crowd can, I'd recommend getting a deal on a console. Its worth it for games like Red Dead & L.A. Noire which never come to the PC. Red Dead in particular is one of the top 10 games I've ever played.

[pmp10]

How long before you think the PC version will be released?

Same day Red Dead comes out on PC.

Actually unlike RDR the game was already rated for PC by ESRB.

Since that is exactly how news of gta4 and bully ports leaked the chances are somewhat better.