First Impressions - L.A. Noire

Going into L.A. Noire I wasn't sure what to expect. As the release date neared I found myself reading many reviews in preparation but I knew none of them would really sway my decision to play the game. I was far too interested in the premise as well as the technology powering Rockstar's latest marvel. I already had a small taste of what a detective styled game could be like with small portions of detective work presented in last year's Heavy Rain. However L.A. Noire takes that ball and runs with it at full force while retaining some of our favorite sandbox game play mechanics. Those of us familiar with Grand Theft Auto's previous installments know full well that there's plenty to do and see around the model cities when you're not out doing missions.

L.A. Noire is no different as very often dispatch will notify you of crimes in progress while you're on your way to a destination. This breaks up the monotony between actual cases and even introduces a fair bit of action into the game play as these crimes in progress usually lead to some heated gun play or fist fights. Thankfully Team Bondi has a fairly capable cover and shoot system on their hands very reminiscent to Grand Theft Auto 4's cover system. It works extremely well and makes the game play smoothly. One thing I've noticed so far is that the game has more of a free-running element to it where the animation system compensates for distance and movement when chasing down a criminal. This allows you to scale fences, climb ladders, and jump gaps without additional button presses so you're focused more on the task at hand; catching the perp. 

The meat of this game though is still the fantastic facial performances and the way Cole interacts with these unique characters. The first desk of the precinct that you work does well to hold your hand through the process of investigation and interrogation but after that it simply falls on your shoulders to read a person's face when they're giving an eye witness account or filling the gaps to information that you have thus far collected. It brings a very different feel to the game as you have to rely more on your wits than anything else. The game is essentially challenging you. And let me tell you, these performances are outstanding. I was honestly fooled on two separate occasions during my first two hours with the game. This creates a lot of tension in the way you conduct your investigation. Your best bet is always to cover the crime scene and find everything as the more clues you gather the more ammunition you have when you finally sit someone down and start asking questions. 

Though you'll still have to put one and one together and build a solid case. One wrong accusation could cut off your case at the knees and require more legwork than necessary. At the same time, you are being graded to an extent, building experience with each case. The best grade seems to come from follow up on every lead and making the most thorough investigation possible. Needless to say it was trial and error that made me realize this after leaving one lead unchecked because I had already figured out who the culprit was. It was more of a perfectionist thing. In any case, the game is crisp, the dialogue is fantastic and the performances are nothing short of amazing. From my short time with the game I can say so far Team Bondi has delivered on everything they built this game up to be. Look for a full review of the game to come up very shortly.