LA Noir (by Rockstar Games) wow...

[Rodster]

For a game with so much hype, anything resembling ambivalence or "it's okay" is almost like a gut shot. Not sure what to think of a game that takes up 3 disks, but no more than 20 hours.

Animations, voice and cutscenes. The motion capture alone required like 32 HD cameras. That's a lot of data. Maybe there's an additional 15 hours of gameplay which is pay to play.

[AJColossal]

Reading the reviews, I'm definitely getting a "Heavy Rain"-vibe from the way the experience is being described. I know there are differences between the two games, but that's the comparison that's jumping out to me.

[ScoopBrady]

Reading the reviews, I'm definitely getting a "Heavy Rain"-vibe from the way the experience is being described. I know there are differences between the two games, but that's the comparison that's jumping out to me.

That's what has me so excited for it. I loved Heavy Rain.

[Teal]

Okay, Heavy Rain. This type game, is there ANY replay value at all, since the whodunit is established, and the plot is revealed?

[LAking]

Okay, Heavy Rain. This type game, is there ANY replay value at all, since the whodunit is established, and the plot is revealed?

You can go back and solve the cases again with different lines of questioning.

I just don't understand the obsession with replay value. Not every game needs or should be played multiple times. When i get a game all I ask is for is a great experience, not a guarantee to get a gazillion hours of game play (no matter how tedious that is). A game's "value" isn't always tied to length just as a movie or book isn't either.

The first Portal is a perfect example of why length doesn't equal greatness . That game was fairly short yet I would consider it a masterpiece. Portal 2 was much longer but fell short of the original's perfection.

EDIT: Oh, and Heavy Rain actually had a branching story line and different endings. I actually thought it suffered greatly because of that. That was a disappointing game.

[Rodster]

Re-playability depends of the game. I've played Uncharted maybe 10 or more times. I've lost count by now.

[Teal]

Yeah, but a game like Uncharted balances the story with gameplay almost evenly. RDR is one of those games. It's got a good core story, but it's just fun going around and doing 'stuff', or nothing much. If a game is going to be totally SP, though, and be pretty darn linear, and be so heavily story-driven, there's alot more riding on my 65 dollars. Yeah, I watch movies over and over again, but a dvd will only set me back 20 bucks, and Netflix is just a few bucks a month.

I think Portal may be a straw man. Portal is a puzzle game. They have promised additional content with Portal 2. Portal 2 has a co-op mode. Oh, and a big, big WTF to Portal 2 falling short of Portal-really?!?! Wow.

I'm sure this game is going to be absolutely boss. But if one play-through is going to net me all the answers I could seek, then 65 bucks starts to look mighty steep. (Still may not be able to withstand the desire to buy it, though...lol)

[greggsand]

Just buy it, play it, and sell it on eBay in 2 weeks. It'll cost you $15 when it's all over with.

[Zeppo]

Oh, and a big, big WTF to Portal 2 falling short of Portal-really?!?! Wow.

I whole heartedly agree with Kings on that one. I enjoyed Portal2 for what it was, but there's doubt that for me a lot of the magic of the first one was lacking. The additional mechanics were welcome, and there was some physically fun flying around, but nowhere nearly as much of the visceral stuff as the first. And 'story' wise, well, let's just say you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice, as they say. For my money, even though it was shorter, the first one is still far superior as an experience and as a game.

It also strikes me as odd that one could be worried about game length in the 20 hrs zone with what promises to be a lot of wholly new and original gameplay with tons of ground breaking mo-cap technology and yet be fully satisfied with a simpler puzzle game clocking in at around 10hrs, all for the same price. Co-op is there, and yes new puzzles for d/l, but surely there will be lots of dlc cases coming down the pike for LA Noire, no?

Fo me, Portal 2 was fun and I appreciate the series's unique gameplay, so even if I don't ever get the chance to run through the co-op, I'm a happy customer. LA Noire intrigues me greatly because of its unique and fresh gameplay style, new technology mixing filmmaking techniques with gameplay, and I hope a thick atmosphere that draws me into the world. 20 hrs doesn't worry me (and this from a guy whose probably put in over 150hrs into Dragon Age 2 through three characters).

[XXXIV]

20 hrs doesn't worry me (and this from a guy whose probably put in over 150hrs into Dragon Age 2 through three characters).

150 hours? ...You sick bastard.

Im not worried about the 20 hours either. When they say 20 it usually means at least 30 to me. Im not near as awesome a game player as they are and if they are available, I do as many side missions/quests as I can stomach depending on their revelance and repetitiveness.

[Teal]

Sooo...I caved and bought it. It's neat, the facial animations and all that, but I wonder, as of right now, if it would've been hyped so much without it. So far, it's okay, but it's alot like Space Ace-you do alot of watching, and a little doing.

[vinny-b]

Sooo...I caved and bought it. It's neat, the facial animations and all that, but I wonder, as of right now, if it would've been hyped so much without it. So far, it's okay, but it's alot like Space Ace-you do alot of watching, and a little doing.

ok, Teal.

had mine pre-ordered via Walmart, and won't have it until next tuesday. Love that fast shipping..

from what you typed, the cut-scene/action ratio makes me think of Medal Gear Solid

I expect Heavy Rain fans (Scoop, etc) will have legit love for this title..

[fanatic]

from what you typed, the cut-scene/action ratio makes me think of Medal Gear Solid

I expect Heavy Rain fans (Scoop, etc) will have legit love for this title..

I totally see what you're saying, but for me, there was a huge difference between MGS and Heavy Rain and the way they dealt with "non-action".

MGS' cut scenes were often 20+ minutes in length...ranging all the way to around an hour I think. There is literally nothing for the player to do at that point but try to figure out what the heck the characters are talking about and why they are taking so darned long to say it.

Heavy Rain, while even lighter on "gameplay" (i.e. action/pressing buttons), always kept me involved. I knew that I had to hold the controller tight, because one slip up and my character could die.

I love games and movies, and if some games slide towards the movie side I'm fine with it...they just have to do it in a way that keeps me intrigued and stimulated. I'm thinking that LA Noire will be one of those games.

[vinny-b]

Fanatic: yes. That does make sense

[Danimal]

I was kind of tonr on getting this or Witcher 2 and Abner's impression have made it an easy choice I'll go with Witcher 2. I look forward to other people's impressions but this sounds more like a movie with very few game play elements.

http://nohighscores.com/node/772

[webdanzer]

Sounds like a graphically pretty 3d take on the adventure game genre.

Most of the reviews have mentioned the lack of impact that the player's choices or successes/failures have on the overall story.

By these observations, I can tell it's not for me, but I'll probably rent it down the line.

[MizzouRah]

I was kind of tonr on getting this or Witcher 2 and Abner's impression have made it an easy choice I'll go with Witcher 2. I look forward to other people's impressions but this sounds more like a movie with very few game play elements.

http://nohighscores.com/node/772

Thanks, I was going to wait on this one anyway.. but this makes it much easier.

[fletcher21]

I have the game in hand. I picked it up at midnight with a few of my buddies (haven't went to a midnight release since GTA San Andreas, and now I remember why...)

The game is very solid and very "polished" as they'd say. I've put in about 3-4 hours so far, and I'm taking my time to soak it all in. It definitely has that Rockstar feel to it, but that's a good thing to anyone who liked rdr or any of the gta games. The graphics are pretty nice, but the sound and facial animations steal the show. I have yet to feel like I am doing more watching than playing. A lot of time is spent walking around crime scenes and looking for clues. There are a set number of clues at each crime scene. The last scene I did had 6 clues to find. After you find all of them (or as many as you can) you then go question a suspect. If you found 4 of the clues, you will get to ask them 4 questions in relation to those clues. Find all 6 and you will be able to ask 6 questions. Each time you ask a question and hear their reply, you have 3 choices: Trust, doubt or lie. If you are able to tell what kind of answer the suspect gave you correctly, you will get 5 experience points. This is all well and good, but it seems to me like it's sometimes very hard to determine if Lie or Doubt are the correct answer. You know the person is not being honest, but you have to pick the right choice between Lie and Doubt, which can be a coin flip IMO.

All in all, I really enjoy this game. The driving feels a lot better to me than it did in the most recent Rockstar games. Shooting does happen, but it's definitely a think first and shoot second type of game. You have no control over when you pull out your gun. If you're chasing a suspect or are in a fight then you will pull it, but you can't just free roam with your gun out and kill everyone in sight.

I will give this game a 9/10 so far. It's not a 100% brand new experience to me, but it's definitely fun. I get some definite GTA, RDR, Heavy Rain and even Mafia vibes from this. No problem with me, since I liked all of those games.

- To anyone on the fence about this game: Pick it up ASAP. If you buy it for $65 with tax and don't like it, you can easily sell it on eBay for $50 for the next few weeks to a month. I'm glad I picked it up. It fills a nice void between The Show and Tiger for me.

[Teal]

After playing some more, the game is starting to really draw me in. I think I just wasn't 'getting' it, trying to make it something it wasn't. I mean, you think Rockstar, you think GTA or RDR. It's nothing like either of them. It's slow, methodical, and more brain than brawn. The fighting mechanic is really simplistic, and the gunplay is a la RDR-point, auto lock, and shoot. What that allows for is the experience over mechanics, and, like RDR, it works.

The facial animations and voice acting are big wow factors. Thing is, you'll see them outside of cut scenes, too, and on non essential NPC's as well as main characters. Walk by some dude on the street and, if you're paying attention when he speaks, he has the same attention to detail in his lip synch and expressions. Amazing.

I've been through maybe 4 of the scenarios, and I'm finding out that reading body language is an art form. Yeah, some of the folks are kind of obvious, but some of them have great poker faces, and you feel really good when you go with your 'gut' and it turns out to be a good call.

So the more I've played it, the more I like it. The atmosphere has been absolutely nailed...but this is Rockstar, and I wouldn't expect any less, really. I was also wrong about the cutscene/action ratio. It's just that the 'action' is a much different type of action, a more cerebral affair.

With the 21 major crimes, the 40 or so minor street crimes, the 'Naked City' scenario from Gamestop, and the badge hunt thing, including promise of future DLC, this thing has more leg than I thought. And it's proving to be a helluva lot more fun and engaging that I first anticipated.

[Teal]

Web, you brought up the one issue, right now, that I have: You can completely hose an interrogation, and it doesn't hose the case. You don't fail a case because you missed some key evidence, or misread a lie for the truth, or whatever. You just get 'scored' on your interrogations. Sure, you can find out things more quickly if you do a good job with the questioning, but you're still going to eventually get to the bottom of things. So that's a little off-putting...but it sure is fun when you get it right.

[TCrouch]

I really went back and forth between rent or purchase. But I decided on a rental. Gamefly shipped mine yesterday, so it all worked out.

If I had to buy one today on release, it would be The Witcher 2. But I'm not even buying that one. Between iRacing and my sudden renewed interest in Red Dead, I don't really have the urge to go grab either one.

[Teal]

Red Dead, baby! Yeah, that one's in full 'revival' mode for me right now.

But I'm eating crow and really digging the cerebral nature of LA Noire...my one real issue notwithstanding.

[LAking]

I probably won't have the game until Wednesday. I want to know if anyone has turned off the rumble and sound clues for evidence at crime scenes. I really want to eliminate as much of those kinds of "gamey" mechanics as possible.

[RallyMonkey]

Well just about 90 minutes in and two things are abundantly clear. 1) I am locked into this game. It's drawn me in quickly and I expect it will have a hold for a while. And 2) I would absolutely, positively SUCK as a cop. My interrogation skills have been sup-par up to this point....and sub-par is putting it nicely.

[RallyMonkey]

I probably won't have the game until Wednesday. I want to know if anyone has turned off the rumble and sound clues for evidence at crime scenes. I really want to eliminate as much of those kinds of "gamey" mechanics as possible.

I thought about it and then decided to leave them on. I see why people want them turned off and increase the challenge, but 20-30 hours is long enough for me so having a little guidance is fine. Also, the way some of the clue searching goes, I think I would find myself just rapidly pressing the A button while walking around a room/area until I picked something up. If I am going to do that, may as well leave the assistance on.