(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Well, so far so good. Very happy that I purchased this game. So let's get some of the basics out of the way just so everybody knows.

This is a Rockstar game, but it's not all them. It's made by Team Bondi, who if you remember made the Playstation 2 game, The Getaway (it's the only game I can remember them making that I've played). Since it's a Rockstar game though, the feel of it is definitely similar to that of GTA or RDR. You're in 3rd person view, running around in an open-world/sand box enviroment.

A nice change in the controls though when you need to run and interact with barriers or ladders is that there is no need to hit a certain button, or hold down on it to do something else (like jumping versus jumping to grab a ledge). Instead, simply moving to the item makes the character immediately jump over, climb, high step, etc. This really helps with the flow of the game when chasing down criminals or moving around a crime scene.

From what I can tell, actual gun combat is limited, as well as fisticuffs. One must understand that this is not a typical Rockstar production. You're not going to go around the city doing whatever you want until the cops, fbi, or army stop you. You can't take out your gun and start shooting people in the head, this simply isn't the game for that. So before anyone buys it, remember what the purpose of this game is. You're in it to do police-work. Investigation and methodical approach are better, and the goal of it is to immerse yourself into the game and thinking about what to do next.

The big bread and butter for the game is the visual acting of the characters and the system that was used to create it. If you have read about it, 32 cameras were used to record actual actors and make digital representations of them in the game. Every facial twitch, every swallow, every darting eye, everything was captured to make you feel like you're talking to a real person (you might even recognize a few of the actors, I've already spotted two and I've only played 4 missions).

The one thing I've already like is the challenge to do everything right. While there is not real consequence in the actual storyline for not doing things right, it does harm your overall score which allows to you unlock certain items, gain intuition, and raise your rank. Personally, I've always liked games like this that reward you for doing things the right way. If you ever played games from Sierra's Police Quest series, you'll know what I'm talking about. Outside of the story, there is a lot of things you can do apparently. There's lots of landmarks to discover, similar to the package collection of GTA. There's also cars to discover/collect (which by the way, you can practically walk up to any car and take it....one benefit cops and criminals get to share ), outfits to unlock, and random side-cases to take on via the police radio.

The soundtrack I think is great. Definitely helps with the immersion into the late 40's postwar era. The theme itself in the environment and the storyline really stick true to the promise of a "Noire" genre that was attemted. Outside of the camerawork done with the actors, the enviroment is pretty convincing, though I wouldn't say not much more than a half-step up from Red Dead Redeption.


In short, there's a lot of things to do with this game and to go back and try again. Previous Rockstar titles allowed you to do things pretty much the messiest way possible and you could still get one of the highest score. However, you're on the other side now and the standards are held much higher. The game has many features that are new and exciting, though not in line with the traditional tastes of console gamers. Credit to Team Bondi and Rockstar for creating a title that really hasn't been done before, and so far, they have done it beautifully. The only complaint I have is that the game seems like it could have offered a bit more substance with a map that is this huge (it's REALLY big, makes Liberty City of GTA4 look like Armadillo of RDR).

Anyways, that's my initial impressions. I'll write more when I get further into the game.

-D/S

Great review.

Agreed with comment above this sealed the deal for me buying the game.

So the further I get into the game, the more I like it. However, I understand some of this game's limitations and why some people have been knocking the game.

1.) While there isn't much left to do after the main story and the 40 street crimes, you can strive for perfection. This allows you to get the platinum trophy (on PS3) as well as another gold trophy.

2.) I love the cars in this game. Now, I'm a bit of a car buff and I love classics from the 50's and 60's myself, but I do have a bit of a soft spot for some cars of the 40's, and this game is loaded with them. Just really fun to get into some of them and drive around. Believe it or not, there were cars back in the 40's that had amazing performance, and a few of them are in this game.

Conclusion: This game is for detail-lovers. I mentioned the camera work before, but this game has lots of details in it's environments, but even more so in the actual crime scene investigation. It can be really challenging to figure out everything that is being left for you to find, though the most obvious clues are the easiest to find. The questioning/interrogation is really challenging in following along with the dialogue, especially when you have to tell someone they lied and you have to prove it to them so they'll tell you the truth.

This isn't a game for everyone. It's not action packed, but it's a great story. Overall, I can see the replay-ability for maybe 2 or 3 more go-arounds, but there just isn't enough to want to keep this game on your shelf after you beat it a few times. Still, it's a great refreshment to see what a new outlook on gaming can do, and I've heard that there will definitely be a sequel to this game. Hopefully it'll expand a bit more on the gameplay, the environment, and maybe multiplayer. Just a lot of things could be done, and the sequel won't take nearly as long to make because the technology used to make this game was created, tested, and refined as the game was being created. Now that they got the technology down pact, I would expect to see a sequel in about 2 years.

Hope you all enjoyed reading this.

-DS

I really didnt like it. the missions were WAY too repetitive.

i had the same first impressions, all around a great game, even better for those who look for the details,

@Kizr: as repetitive as police work goes, i presume

i love LA Noire