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L.A. Noire
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Kevin Bogues
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May 16, 2011, 01:19 PM
 

Reviews

IGN - 8.5/10
1UP - A
GamePro - 5/5
Giant Bomb - 5/5
Joystiq - 4.5/5
GameSpot - 9/10


Review embargo was lifted at noon, anyone thinking about picking this up?
After watching some videos and reading reviews i may grab this. Although its a much larger departure from the GTA series than I expected the general detective premise (searching for clues, interrogation, and open world) have me interested.
     
The Final Dakar
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May 16, 2011, 01:20 PM
 
I'll pick it up when they sort out the DLC cluster****. Did anyone figure out what the hell the R* pass is for?
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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May 16, 2011, 01:21 PM
 
I think i may wait a week and see if we get a $40 sale somewhere (like Portal)
     
The Final Dakar
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May 16, 2011, 01:22 PM
 
I suppose I could be tempted if it runs on sale, but I seriously worry I'll get nickel and dimed in the long run.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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May 16, 2011, 01:24 PM
 
because of the nature of having "cases" i also worry about this DLC debacle
     
exca1ibur
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May 16, 2011, 09:43 PM
 
Good point guys I hadn't thought about that. I think I'll wait this out now, as well. Cases DLC would blow.
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 09:21 AM
 
Originally Posted by exca1ibur View Post
Good point guys I hadn't thought about that. I think I'll wait this out now, as well. Cases DLC would blow.
I'm not sure you got what I'm taking about. There's already Cases DLC. (And it does blow)
     
Stogieman
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May 17, 2011, 01:20 PM
 
Nothing to see here folks. Keep moving.

( Last edited by Stogieman; May 17, 2011 at 02:25 PM. )

Slick shoes?! Are you crazy?!
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 01:25 PM
 
Speaking of this mystical brother of yours, what system does he game on? I feel surprised we've never met him online.
     
SpaceMonkey
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May 17, 2011, 01:31 PM
 
I think you mean mythical? Although a mystical brother might come in handy as well.

"One ticket to Washington, please. I have a date with destiny."
     
Stogieman
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May 17, 2011, 01:32 PM
 
He's got a 360. I think you've played with him before. He's joined us in a few Borderland meetups.

Slick shoes?! Are you crazy?!
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 01:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey View Post
I think you mean mythical? Although a mystical brother might come in handy as well.
I think I meant mystical... He conjures up free games and DLC yet no one has seen or heard him. He's like magic.
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 01:35 PM
 
Originally Posted by Stogieman View Post
He's got a 360. I think you've played with him before. He's joined us in a few Borderland meetups.
Hmm... maybe next time.

This reminds me, it's been a while since you've... conveyed interesting information.
     
Stogieman
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May 17, 2011, 01:46 PM
 
Yeah, I've had jury duty this past week.

Slick shoes?! Are you crazy?!
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 01:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by Stogieman View Post
Yeah, I've had jury duty this past week.
I'm referring to the type information you wouldn't want preserved publicly, because it's "classified".

I'm being uselessly vague and subtle here on purpose.
     
mattyb
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May 17, 2011, 03:38 PM
 
Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues View Post
Review embargo was lifted at noon, anyone thinking about picking this up?
After watching some videos and reading reviews i may grab this. Although its a much larger departure from the GTA series than I expected the general detective premise (searching for clues, interrogation, and open world) have me interested.
A couple of pirates have the first disk (there are apparently 3) and they rate it. One guy said no glitches so far - he was a Red Dead fan big time.
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 03:42 PM
 
News: L.A. Noire was once a six disc game - Official Xbox 360 Magazine
"We've always been called stupidly ambitious," McNamara told Gamespot in a video interview. "Along with Rockstar we make very big games."

"It took a lot of effort to get down to three discs - I think we were on four or five or six at one point - and to get it onto one Blu-ray [for the PS3 version].

"We're pretty pleased that we got it down to that in the end," he went on, attributing the feat to "miraculous compression".
Horrendous hyperbole, but you get the point:





Last week, McNamara revealed that "two full desks" or mission sets had been cut from L.A. Noire during development, and might be published separately as downloadable content.
DLC confirmed.

This morning, a Best Buy offer outed the first of the game's DLC packs.
Even more exclusive content:
News: L.A. Noire DLC pack revealed by Best Buy - Official Xbox 360 Magazine
Titled "The Nicholson Electroplating Arson Case", the DLC pack will be given away free to the first 16 buyers at any Best Buy midnight launch.
I've never felt more conflicted about a game before.
     
SpaceMonkey
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May 17, 2011, 04:02 PM
 
The reviews I've read of this game don't make it sound that interesting to me, to be honest. The mechanics of investigating cases sound really repetitive and kind of dull.

"One ticket to Washington, please. I have a date with destiny."
     
The Final Dakar
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May 17, 2011, 04:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey View Post
The reviews I've read of this game don't make it sound that interesting to me, to be honest. The mechanics of investigating cases sound really repetitive and kind of dull.
I don't know what you play, but this sounds like a nice change of pace to me.
     
KCrosbie
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May 17, 2011, 10:55 PM
 
I don't why K-Mart has the best deals as of late but check this out...

You get a $20 credit towards your next purchase when you buy LA Noire and you get a free $20 game of your choice with the purchase of it!

A new release for basically $20? I think I'm interested.
     
AccessoryGeeks
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May 18, 2011, 01:36 PM
 
This game is putting up so much hype. Wonder how it's doing.
     
Peter
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May 20, 2011, 09:18 AM
 
My first impressions from about 3 hours of playing is that the game is very different to most other video games. It's certainly far far slower paced, it's actually quite hard to play in that you can't skip cutscenes and everything moves very slowly. You have to drive from A to B but have to mostly stick to roads and can't mow civilians out of boredom.

Metal Gear Solid and Bioshock are the only video games where the story has hooked me, so we'll see if Rockstar can keep me engaged - I am skeptical though. It feels like it's GTA but slow.
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
mattyb
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May 20, 2011, 09:33 AM
 
Was the first 3 hours enjoyable? Or do you feel that your putting in the time hoping for something better/more interesting to come along?
     
The Final Dakar
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May 20, 2011, 09:36 AM
 
I would say the term skeptical means he's having to put some effort in.

Edit: It's worth noting that Heavy Rain, a game this was compared to, suffered from similar opinions. I think it's the nature of the genre.
     
exca1ibur
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May 20, 2011, 11:43 AM
 
I enjoyed Heavy Rain a lot due to the big change of pace compared to everything out there currently. I think I might enjoy this one but, I'm going to wait it out.
     
The Final Dakar
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May 20, 2011, 11:44 AM
 
Originally Posted by Stogieman View Post
Nothing to see here folks. Keep moving.

I have no idea what prompted stogie to edit his post, when I was trying to solicit insider info, but damn him.
     
Peter
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May 21, 2011, 08:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
Was the first 3 hours enjoyable? Or do you feel that your putting in the time hoping for something better/more interesting to come along?
so far it is just kind of ... meh

it's basically:

* get a case

* drive to crime scene

* enroute be offered a side mission which consists of going to a different destination, shooting people

* eventually arrive at crime scene

* walk around crime scene looking for clues (which are almost always entirely obvious as your controller vibrates)

* interview key suspects, work out if they are lying (which, as far as i can tell, doesn't actually matter if you get it right or wrong)

* more evidence turns up from the coroner or searching someones apartment

* interview more people

* figure out who did it, drive to their apartment

* go to arrest them, they run, you chase them

* finish

from the ~10 cases I have done, they have all been exactly like this.
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
The Final Dakar
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May 22, 2011, 02:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by Peter View Post
* walk around crime scene looking for clues (which are almost always entirely obvious as your controller vibrates)
You can turn this off.
     
mattyb
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May 23, 2011, 03:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by Peter View Post
from the ~10 cases I have done, they have all been exactly like this.
Oh dear. I'll skip it then. Cheers for the feedback.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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May 31, 2011, 10:07 AM
 
Rockstar Pass - Not as "suspect" as it first seemed
The Rockstar pass for L.A. Noire has been released on Xbox Live Marketplace and thankfully it's nothing like EA's online pass or comparable schemes. Instead it's a collection of DLC previously released for L.A. Noire in the form of pre-order incentives.

If you buy the pass you will be able to download all the additional cases, including The Naked City (Vice) and A Slip Of The Tongue (Traffic), as well as the forthcoming Nicholson Electroplating Disaster (June 21) and Reefer Madness (July 12).
Good news all around, much better than i expected

$10 until June 14th (price hike to $12 after)
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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May 31, 2011, 10:09 AM
 
Installed of all three discs to my hard drive today (about an hour of install time), plan on getting some time in today or tonight, impressions to come...
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 27, 2011, 10:42 AM
 
Well, I ordered this when it hit $40 on amazon (a second time).

Judging from Bogues' lack of feedback, it must not be that great.
     
sek929
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Jun 27, 2011, 01:07 PM
 
Either that or he is balls-deep in its awesomeness.
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 27, 2011, 01:18 PM
 
Eh, I'm sure part of it is his general inactivity on the forums (Guess he isn't using his mic on here either), but almost a month out from him saying he'd post impressions?

Anyway, I've seen my XBOX Live friends list. He's not on that often.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jun 27, 2011, 01:35 PM
 
Well my impressions are two sided,

I love the gameplay, the recreation of LA is phenomenal, and as usual Rockstar is the absolute master of loading times and open world gameplay. Ive always been a car junkie and the 96 different cars perfectly recreated from the period make driving between missions a blast looking for new rides (ive yet to use fast travel. Like taxis in GTA IV)

The actual interrogations are fun, the facial animations are second to none, and make converstions both meaningful and thought provoking.
Crime scene investigations are slighty repetivie, but still fun, a first person view would of made all the difference, and the game tries to hold your hand (unless you turn of the assists)

Car and foot chases are a nice change of pace but still standard GTA fair. Hand to hand/gunplay is just bland but improved over GTA IV.

Overall it's a great experice if you understand the repetivness of the mission types, the side missions are much fewer than expected but provide a more action based experience with chases & gun fights.

I'm sitting at about 60% game completion currently, each "desk" of missions provide a nice change of pace, currently I'm on vice which is much more clue driven as opposed to homicide is much more interrogation heavy.

8/10 for me so far, if your an open world fan and can handle being one of the good guys (no more crazed destruction and running from the cops) it's a great pickup
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jun 27, 2011, 01:38 PM
 
I'm glad you guys asked for impressions, I really hadvent got to put serious time in until the last two weeks, I didn't want to provide early details until I've had some hours logged.

My overall inactivity is due to work, wedding planning, life. None of which is a great time.
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 27, 2011, 01:39 PM
 
Wedding planning? I thought you were a dude.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jun 27, 2011, 02:33 PM
 
More like looking at a million venues and books of information and making zero decisions.

Much better than actual planning
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 27, 2011, 02:35 PM
 
Man, you better home gamerscore carries over to the next gen, cos after a wife and the inevitable kid your gonna have no time to play.

Might as well just put the mic in a blender now.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jun 27, 2011, 02:48 PM
 
Just finished my basement into the official man cave, much gaming in my future ...
new tv
old couch

Perfect
     
sek929
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Jun 27, 2011, 03:08 PM
 
add to that list...

fridge stocked with beer and nude women calendar.
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 27, 2011, 03:25 PM
 
Converted old couch into alternate toilet – just pull the footrest arm to flush.
     
exca1ibur
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Jun 27, 2011, 03:45 PM
 

     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 29, 2011, 10:16 AM
 
Well, this arrived yesterday none-too-soon. I played for around three hours and roamed for another half-hour. I'm already 1/5th through the game (though I imagine this is the easiest 5th).

I'm playing through in black and white, which was the original intention of the designers (though the game is likely not optimized for that option). It's striking that every five minutes I think to myself "Oh yeah, there's no color"; My mind tends to fill in the gaps, and I'm partial to limited palettes anyway.

First off, the driving is fine. I say this not because I noticed it, but because I didn't notice it. Contrast that with GTA IV where it was the first thing you noticed. There's something very wrong with '40s cars handling better than GTA IVs cars. Doubly so considering its an ultimately skippable part of the game.

Weapon play so far feels smoother than I expected, as is the hand-to-hand, barebones as it may be. Chases feel pointless... There doesn't seem to be any opportunity to affect the outcome, aside from ****ing up.

The interviews are by far the most intriguing part of the game, but getting a handle on the options is taking some time. After last night I'm thinking I should use the "Doubt" feature in place of "Lie" as the character always takes the interrogation to 11 in the latter cases. I've also noticed parts of interviews become cutscenes when they witness is telling a lot of truth, which is usually the case anyway.

Oh, and I managed to accidentally nail a pedestrian pretty early on, which is supposed to be a bit of a challenge.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jun 29, 2011, 12:41 PM
 
My issue early on was I selected lie without evidence, I found my self looking through my evidence much more before selecting my choice, the notebook has a lot of info that I overlooked during early interrogations

I'm confused with your feelings on the driving mechanics, I feel like cars have a much more distinct feel from each other (although unrealistic for cars from this era)
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 29, 2011, 01:02 PM
 
Yeah, I didn't realize evidence was supposed to back a lie. I swear I didn't get that option the first time I tried to call someone's supposed bluff.

Do you ask the questions in order? I jump around trying to cobble together what seems like a semblance of continuity.

I also had a case last night where I didn't visit a person of interest because I wrapped up the case pretty well... only I was then penalized for not busting the guy for some minor offense. Seemed crappy. I also had another case where I was given the option to arrest someone or walk away, and I walked away because I had no idea what the hell he was supposed to be guilty of, but he had cooperated (mostly) and given me the info I needed.

I suppose that's the huge challenge with more subjective games such as these.
     
The Final Dakar
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Jun 30, 2011, 11:44 AM
 
Second night. Game feels a little more dry and a little more tedious. Completely blew one interview, then earned an achievement (and early exit) from another.

Bogues, what's the deal with the street crimes? Is there any way to end the majority of them without killing the perp? I remember the one review I read and it really does become surreal when I'm just repeatedly dropping all these small time crooks like the ****ing Terminator.

Made in to the second desk already, meaning I missed a bunch of street crimes (Yes, I know I can go back, though I'm not sure how, yet). I'm not entirely fond of the dynamic where I'm always "on" a case. This means I'm always on the clock as I'm exploring and responding to dispatches.

Also noticed there's a few streets with some inexplicable barriers. Seeing as I drove all the way to Hollywood, it feels like the entire map is open from the get go, but maybe these are restriction to areas I can't access yet (WHY?!)?

Found this thing the first night, but forgot to mention it. I feel like Batman driving this thing around.



I'm not overly impressed by the sound quality of the car engines, but the hydramatic shift is quite prominent.
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jul 1, 2011, 07:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by The Final Dakar View Post
Bogues, what's the deal with the street crimes? Is there any way to end the majority of them without killing the perp? I remember the one review I read and it really does become surreal when I'm just repeatedly dropping all these small time crooks like the ****ing Terminator.
The short answer? No.
It feels much more uneven than the normal cases where you almost never are in a gun battle, but i think they were looking to add some action, and some gun play into the mix.
Originally Posted by The Final Dakar View Post
Made in to the second desk already, meaning I missed a bunch of street crimes (Yes, I know I can go back, though I'm not sure how, yet). I'm not entirely fond of the dynamic where I'm always "on" a case. This means I'm always on the clock as I'm exploring and responding to dispatches.

Also noticed there's a few streets with some inexplicable barriers. Seeing as I drove all the way to Hollywood, it feels like the entire map is open from the get go, but maybe these are restriction to areas I can't access yet (WHY?!)?
Well after you finish a desk, an option opens in that desk...in the main screen, click "cases" instead of resume, you can then select "free roam" within each desk, this is where i spent a lot of time collecting cars, street crimes, exploring for golden reels, etc.

As for the barriers, those are stopping points of the map, the entire city area is open from case one, and you can explore all the way from the LA river to the "Hollywoodland" sign, (i was glad to have the map completely open from the get go)

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar View Post
Found this thing the first night, but forgot to mention it. I feel like Batman driving this thing around.

As i've said before, i'm a huge fan of 40's cars, and this game gets me giddy when i find something interesting (Cadillac V16 & Studebaker Commander for example)
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jul 1, 2011, 08:01 AM
 
Two favorite cars so far (both hidden vehicles)

Cisitalia Coupe



Davis Deluxe
     
Kevin Bogues  (op)
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Jul 1, 2011, 08:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by The Final Dakar View Post
Do you ask the questions in order? I jump around trying to cobble together what seems like a semblance of continuity.

I also had a case last night where I didn't visit a person of interest because I wrapped up the case pretty well... only I was then penalized for not busting the guy for some minor offense. Seemed crappy. I also had another case where I was given the option to arrest someone or walk away, and I walked away because I had no idea what the hell he was supposed to be guilty of, but he had cooperated (mostly) and given me the info I needed.

I suppose that's the huge challenge with more subjective games such as these.
I've had similar issues, where i completed a case on what i thought was great terms but i missed an interrogation or didn't charge someone for a smaller crime (one i would of shot them for in street crimes)

I do like that you can replay individual cases (with full intuition points) to help expand the investigation, i'm sure i will be going back to many of my cases (achievements of course)
     
 
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