LA Noire - A Critical Review

After 10 hours of play is time to make a preliminary conclusion. And in fact, it is difficult for me, the prevailing enthusiasm to share invariably. One thing is at least firmly: "LA Noire" is an important game for the future, because we have never seen so few things in a video game and the intention behind this mammoth project is highly ambitious. There is one respected and admired. Unquestionably a presentation of the technical milestone medium.

But the following must be observed all the euphoria about the brilliant atmosphere, the outstanding optical implementation and the overall concept: "LA Noire" is not a game but a fairly interactive movie, and only considered movie seems "LA Noire" as an average TV series with some good dialogs. When one has finally freed himself from the legitimate enthusiasm about the famously converted game world, sometime is a look at the gameplay framework, and this is unfortunately more than meager, especially as the cases proceed with a few exceptions always the same pattern. Apart from the interviews and interrogation situations leaves the game while a little room for maneuver: So only the needed evidence are always backed up, then interviewed witnesses and suspects and eventually it gets to the obligatory chase, either on foot or in the car. And that was it.

And quite honestly, if one follows the umpteenth time a suspect on foot through the streets of Los Angeles (... and this happens far too often), the initial voltage uses but very quickly. Just at the beginning still interesting interrogations: Benefiting from facial technology, the actors were moved directly into play and perform with corresponding differentiated facial expressions. The problem, which opened here soon but is annoying: because their faces betrayed too clearly, if someone is lying or telling the truth. It is far too easy to interpret the most conspicuous expressions coated properly. Ultimately, it is then up to the player to submit only the proper rebuttal, and a case is solved faster than one would like.

Great it would have been, could have been (as it would also realistic) several cases run in parallel over a longer period, rather than to solve a murder in half a day. The latter point actually acts sometime really strange: body was found, half a day later, the perpetrator is in the bag.

And there would have been the next difficulty of the game: The individual cases are not really complex. There are a handful of suspects, a number of indications and the corresponding locales. Rarely, the player is really to think and combine encouraged because the solution almost always open is obvious. And quite honestly: From a game that provides criminal cases at the center, I expect in terms of depth, more so since the cases are rare and surprising particularly imaginative.

Then there would be the city of Los Angeles is huge, full of detail and flair. But: Out of the cases there is nothing really to do. And that's a shame, because the size of the game world would have given a lot of room for activities and side quests in addition to the main story. The total of 40 "street missionary", in which one spontaneously pursues radio reports of crime are all extremely short and almost always run according to the same pattern: Either there's a shootout or a chase.

"LA Noire" not met the central demand for a video game, unfortunately, because it is hardly "game" and a lot of film. Looking at "LA Noire" as the latter, you can - well dosed - have lots of fun in the sense of a TV series. If you, however sophisticated game mechanics and varied gameplay expected one is completely wrong here. By comparison, "Heavy Rain" (PS3) is away from the front nothing but an interactive, cinematic experience and should be otherwise; "LA Noire", however, will actually be a game because of an interactive movie has it in turn to little actual interaction and influence on the action. But for a "game" it is still not enough, because time and again you get the feeling that one is already piloted only on a golden thread through the story along.

CONCLUSION: Outstanding technology and presentation aside; "LA Noire" suffers from the same deficit as "Mafia II". A vast, beautiful game world to no options lets the player little beside the predefined action. Whether one with "LA Noire" is ultimately happy, depends on what you as a player wants. When it reaches the player to just suck it from the atmosphere and "enchanted" leave as is "LA Noire" is a good choice. If you, however, from a game really expected that one "plays" looks rather than just, "LANoire" can eventually simply be just a boring affair, in which the permanent recurrent chases and shootouts just act like fake. "LA Noire" is leading the way for the start of a trend that will continue over the next few years, however, regarded as a video game in itself is hardly more than a graphic Blender with good story and a great landscaped Los Angeles.