L.A. Noire

[Murr]

Well found the cars I needed thanks to that GameFAQ Car spawning guide, unbelievable that it actually worked.

 

then did the 50 reels, so got 100% game completion on it will go over a few cases I didn't 5 star tonight for that last achievement, then think I'll get some of the DLC cases.

 

awesome game!

[killer kirby]

lol I just completed the game fully achievements and everything 2 weeks ago. One of the few I have gotten all achievements.

 

Now bring on Max Payne 3!

[Dog-amoto]

This is one of the few Rockstar games I didn't 100%. Did it with GTA3, VC, SA and 4, Red Dead Redemption and Bully, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it here as the game world was so lifeless.

[jayseven]

Just finished the main story and thought I'd read this thread. Genuinely suprised at a lot of reactions. I guess my gameplay style is different to everyone else's..?

 

I really enjoyed this game. I found it was repetitive, for sure - by the time I was on vice I'd totally stopped driving around and instead got my buddy to insta-drive me everywhere, but this was only because the street-crime locations only ever popped up when I was fucking miles away, and it was just a drag to drive all that way just to shoot some people in the face.

 

The investigations were fairly well made. I think, from reading this thread, that a lot of people really got confused about how to do it right -- goafer and aimless explained it well enough (as the game itself does, but as with many complaints in this thread it's clear that you lot don't really have the patience to enjoy the game), and while I got some cases disastrously wrong, in general I didn't mind getting things wrong.

 

I found the story to be pretty much the best part of the game. The interwoven newspaper articles, the clever-but-annoying way of getting Phelps through homicide and vice, the idea that you can never really get it right... great stuff. I think this game really tested the completionists who got it day 1 and ran through it and totally missed the bartender stuff (lol wtf? Srsly? It was obvious if you actually paid attention.

 

The final war-time cutscene tied things together nicely.

 

So yeah, storywise, great game. Graphics... pushed the boundaries in some ways but entirely sub-standard in others - but the lip-sync side of the graphics really makes the game come to life, and if anything makes it appeal more to those who are used to movies.

 

Yeah. I know I'm months behind as always, but for £10 this was an absolute bargain. Reading this thread and comparing the views y'all had compared to my discounted playthrough really makes me realise taht paying £45 is basically not worth it for any game. If I can wait for ages and clearly get a better experience... then lols to you.

 

(achievement whore in me is tempted to pull up soem guides to get a bunch of stuff. I actually got 12/13 papers in my first playthrough, anyway... but no film reels and only like 30 cars...)

[Magnus]

The film reels are ridiculous. I found two or three, and one of those was right outside a house you had to visit in a mission. They felt completely tacked on.

 

Annoyingly, the last mission (at least I think it was the last mission) has two newspapers to be found - unlike any other mission in the game - and one of them is really easy to miss, since you don't need to visit the area it's in.

 

But the game keeps track of which newspapers you've found on the mission select screen, so you shouldn't need a guide to find the one you missed.

[Jimbob]

I havn't even put this game back in to get 100%. I'm still thinking it is one of them games you want to play once, maybe twice. And thats it. Comparing it to GTA IV and Red Dead (i know, these games are not the same). I had an attachment to both Niko Belleck and John Marston, so when the endings for both characters approached and happened, i felt something.

 

But with Cole Phelps, i didn't feel much at all. The character as a whole, and the game to be fair, felt bland as such. It was a good game, but it wasn't like previous Rockstar titles.

 

Still havn't 100%'d the game, and don't intend to anytime soon.

[Tales]

If you just want 1000/1000 or platinum it's certaintly easier to do it in L.A. Noire than in GTAIV or RDR. There's a very good guide out there for the film reels that have multiple pictures and text for all of them. Didn't take me long I think. The missions can easily be done by trial and error, preferably after you have finished the game so you always have five inituion points, and load every time you get it wrong. You almost always load straight before the interview. The cars have a trick for 2 and 4 door cars and the rest you have google for. Some may be troublesome, but mostly, it's just time consuming and boring. I think I had 30 hours when I was done. Doesn't mean I enjoyed it more than GTAIV or RDR. They are faaaar better than L.A. Noire. It was just easier to platinum it because there are no online trophies.

[jayseven]

I'm currentl going through again to get 5 stars on everything with a guide. Collected all the 'papers first time through. I'm about 35 vehicles in, though I suspect I won't bother with all of them - will aim to get all street crime and collectables and various achievements.

 

I'm just surprised at people saying the game was bland or flavourless - I think they did a really good job of capturing the period with this one. I'm ultimately extremely glad that they brought the game out at all - not quite as point-n-click as I'd hoped but certainly a game that's held my attention for over a week. I'd love for there to be another game similar to this (the ending makes it easy to assume there's no potential sequel) - perhaps set in the 60s/70s new york or something. Was very refreshing trying to be the good guy - though, admittedly, the street missions are repetitive and all about simply shooting someone asap.

[Happenstance]

My problem was still just the blandness of Phelps, even with the inclusion of his war flashbacks to try and give him a reason for things I didn't care about him one bit. It was such a big difference when:

 

You take over as the other guy and he actually has a personality

 

[jayseven]

I felt like he was a do-gooder, and that he had a guilt complex with his war experience, but I didn't find any annoyance with his character in this regards. From the get-go he was showing that he wasn't blasé about being in the force, that he wanted to make a change for good (perhaps due to war stuff)... But then the war flashbacks showed that he was inherently flawed and a bit autistic when it came to doing the job at hand -- consider when he told his troops to clear ALL THE CAVES even though tehre was a fight going on elsewhere -- this actually led to him being shot, to his whole squad being pissed off with him. he'd take his orders literally rather than do what was good for his men. Translating to a detective it means that Phelps is not happy with the face value of a case, won't settle when it's good for him or the department, instead seeks to do what's right.

 

Hence why I thought the ending was fairly apt - in fitting with teh Noire M.O. in general, he sacrificed himself for the greater good. I played teh game slowly, carefully, and I felt the Phelps character seep through very well. I think it's important to point out that L.A. Noire was trying extremely hard to fit the movie mould for Noire, and in that respect Rockstar really have to be applauded for doing something different. I'm not majorly suprised that people disliked Phelps... but as a person who was simply trying to do good, the fact that the audience dislikes him just serves further to point out that nobody likes the good guy, something repeatedly pointed out during the game, what with the corruption and so on.

 

But yeah - autism plus late 40's america = L.A. Noire. That the game itself is fairly repetitive is the main fault, but the storyline, sound and (to an extent...) graphical novelty mean that the game is, to me, a great play altogether. I think the game should be applauded for being different rather than remembered for the various elements that did not match up to a typical gaming experience. Space marines killing zombies is always fun... but damn it's fantastic that Rockstar have been able to really spread their IPs this gen a bit more (until they bring back body harvest and SSV... eh! :P)

 

tl;dr: I hear the complaints, but I think that they're tained with a sort of gamer-expectation. The game is far from perfect but it offers enough new elements and a very strong story (for those fans of noire) that I'm glad I played it.

 

 

[thanks tales!]

Edited December 2, 2011 by jayseven

[Tales]

@jayseven you're missing something :P