LA Noire

Back in the olden days of Faceplant, my first post was a review of Heavy Rain.  Good game, but I wrote at the time that it was more interactive drama than game.  It felt more akin to watching a movie than playing something most of the time.  It was the only game that I got that feeling with, until I played LA Noire.  Well, parts of LA Noire.  Seeing as how the game comes from Rockstar, the initial impression is that of a GTA style game set in 1940’s Los Angeles, which wouldn’t really be a bad thing.  However, the experience LA Noire crafts is not one of a sandbox game, despite the lovingly detailed recreation of LA.  The meat of the game is laser focused on story, primarily shown through main character Cole Phelp’s interaction with other people and the impressive new facial recognition technology that debuts to the general video gaming public in this game.  Interviewing witnesses and criminals become the highlight because of it.  The interview process really forces you to pay attention to what exactly characters are saying, to a degree that I don’t think most gamers usually do.  The thrill and satisfaction of playing LA Noire will not come from hitting somebody center mass with a shotgun, although that certainly happens more than a few times.  No, the real thrills will come from catching somebody in a lie and knowing you have the perfect piece of evidence to prove it with.  It’s this experience that makes LA Noire worth playing.  It’s a unique experience and a good one, but it actually makes the more traditional “game” elements feel a little bit silly in comparison.  It almost feels like LA Noire is trying to be two games at once and that they both suffer for it.  However, that won’t matter when you’re wrapped up in a case and desperately trying to find your next lead.  It’s not a perfect game, but LA Noire succeeds on a purely absorbing level.  Despite a few flaws, this is a game that should be played.