Car 11K - A Second Look at L.A. Noire



Main character, tortured hero dude, Cole Phelps.

 Upon ravishing the Catherine loan from my friend to the point in which I was having dreams about moving cubes around, I decided it was time to give L.A. Noire another run for its money.  I had great things to say about the game, but I wondered if they would hold up under the inflamed scrutiny of a replay; and to add to wanting to give the game a bad review, I decided to do so on a Platinum run.

Though it seems sadistic, my logic was this:

1. If the game was good even if I played it to its extremity, whereby doing everything, then I would feel vindicated in my earlier, positive review.
2. I like trophies, even though I don't understand why sometimes.

Well, looky-looky who has a cookie.  And by cookie, I mean a digital trophy icon representing my completion of the game.

But, did the game live up to its earlier success?  Find out, after the jump...

Yes, but also, no.

Here's the deal.  I love sandbox environments, and L.A. Noire gives me a big ol' one.  However, the world is so, so, so, so, big, that the notion of finding 50 gold film reels in completely random locations.  I don't mean like - they are cleverly hidden in areas of the game you are likely to encounter.  No.  They are in bizarre locations, and without a guide, I challenge that they would be impossible or - at least - incredibly frustrating to find.

When you hit people, your partner makes sad noises.
I giggle.  And accelerate.

But don't worry.  I cheated, and found them.

And even with what I would describe as well-written directions, it still took hours to find them all.  However, this was no where as frustrating as finding specific vehichles that only unlock during certain missions.  Again - how, how would anyone be able to pull that off?  It's a lot to ask for from a player.  Not skill, not creative exploration, rote car hijacking.

Also, in order to get 5-star ratings on all the cases, I learned the correct way to interview and accuse suspects.  The problem with this is also that by giving a "right" or "wrong" answer, the interactive fiction component is ruined.

The second play of the story came across as somewhat trite as well.  I'm disappointed in my second play as Cole Phelps, former Marine and currently tortured hero.  I still love the dialogue and the premise of the story, but in reflection, there are parts that are overlong and parts that are extremely rushed.  A little balance is needed, somewhat desperately.

All in all, I'd still say that if you haven't played L.A. Noire, that you should.  But you shouldn't make the Platinum run unless you were just spectacularly blown away by your first experience.  Or you intend to cheat.