Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
General: Outside the MMO Box: LA Noire
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
LA Noire burst upon the scene recently and has been taking the gaming world by storm. As part of our continuing series of articles devoted to games outside the MMO sphere, Adam Tingle takes a look at LA Noire. Check out Adam's thoughts on the game and then let us know if you've played and what you think.
Since picking up Rockstar’s latest gaming masterpiece I have mutated into an odd detective. Scuffles with family over a missing, and much longed for, chocolate bar are now long drawn out affairs – first I grab their hands, apparently clean, perhaps too clean? Then I look deep into their eyes, “MY CHOCOLATE BAR IS MISSING, why did you murder it?” I will demand waiting for a retort, all the while looking for rolling eyes, hard-swallowing, and uncomfortable shuffling; before long I am choosing whether they are telling the truth, lying, or if indeed I doubt their statement. Once my line of interrogation ends I slam into an accusation, tempers fly, and I realise I’m not a good detective: time to move on to the case of the missing t-shirt and the “chilly” girlfriend.
Read more of Adam Tingle's here.
)
Comments
How much replayability does a mystery game have though. Once you solve the mystery it's solved. I guess it fills a nitch though. I'm sure Rockstar will sell plenty of game boxes on reputation alone.
For me, Rockstar's greatest strength is creating the open world games, like the GTA series or RDR. Those games were masterpieces, and I don't use that word often in gaming.
I'm thoroughly enjoying L.A. Noire except for the car chases. I SUCK at them so badly, I have one success and about 6 failures. And they all run! On foot isn't a problem, but when I see them hop into a car I actually groan.
Of course, I couldn't play GTA either for the same reason, but had no problem with the horses in Red Dead. Then again, the horses aren't traveling 80 MPH and there are very few walls to ram into.
I share a similiar view but at the same time some games aren't meant for replayability.
After learning about this game a few months back and reading up on it; I decided it was about the only game coming down the pike I'd be willing to up-grade my computer for.
Way back in '79 I participated in a PBM game something like this. You got 5 cases and had to decided which to work first. You'd mail in the steps you wanted to do and the questions you wanted to ask and the game master would send back a mini-story on what you found out.
For LA Noire I like the suggestion above on having multiple cases. That would help keep the game fresh, but yah some games are a one shot deal.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
I was let down. The linearity, lack of choice, lack of consequence for failing and sometimes the utter pointlessness of entire groups of investigations, contrasted with the gorgeous beautiful environment so poorly put to use.
Also the main char is completely unsympathetic and you've got absolutely no say in his char development at all.
While the game was somewhat fun to play, overall I felt the drawnbacks outweighed the plusses. I kept waiting for the game to meet its potential. Definately no replay value.
I am willing to concede though that the root of my disappointment may be in the expectation of it being a Rockstar game. Though given the environement they provided to play in, it was a fair expectation.
Ultimately a cross between Heavy Rain and GTA, without the storyline being as engaging as Heavy Rain's and without the sheer open world things to do as GTA.
First thing that can to mind was the line from Fast Five:
Aright listen up! The guys we're after are professional runners. They like speed and are guaranteed to go down the hardest possible way so make sure you've got your funderwear on. We find 'em we take 'em as a team and we bring 'em back. And above all else we don't ever, ever let them get into cars.
lol
Good writing... Thanks for stepping outside the box and letting your readers know (especially the unhappy mmo'ers) that some areas of the gaming genre are stepping up to the plate.
Probably not a real lot of difference to that of killing the same monster over and over!
i like your "out of the box series", but this type of pure adventure game is really far outside.
however, its refreshing.
played: Everquest I (6 years), EVE (3 years)
months: EQII, Vanguard, Siedler Online, SWTOR, Guild Wars 2
weeks: WoW, Shaiya, Darkfall, Florensia, Entropia, Aion, Lotro, Fallen Earth, Uncharted Waters
days: DDO, RoM, FFXIV, STO, Atlantica, PotBS, Maestia, WAR, AoC, Gods&Heroes, Cultures, RIFT, Forsaken World, Allodds
Hate to nit-pick, but the article could have used a good proof-reading before publication. For example, you used the word "passed" when you should have used "past", and the phrase "activities of searching for clues may lead become a little too tried and tested" makes almost no sense. I do appreciate the insight and opinion regarding the game, just have someone to give it a once over before publishing the next article.
Doc
You do know this game was not developed by Rockstar games, right? It was developed by Team Bondi.
Granted but it is still clearly marketed as a rockstar game, and more to the point, given the gorgeous fully realized game world and cars and gameplay, its a rockstar game.
Your logic is very flawed.
All the great credit for that game world and car and gameplay had nothing to do with Rockstar. Team Bondi (the actual developers of the game) were not mentioned even once in the article. Which makes it obvious that the writer had no idea who actually should be given credit.
yeah it may be linear at time but really it wasnt created with the rpg in mind be truthful though there quiet a few forks in some of the cases so you can go back play them again for diffrent outcomes and there are a ton of street crimes to patrol around for.
This game and Red Dead Redeption almost make me wish I had a console. I suppose there are enough PC only titles to compensate though. I can't stand using controllers for anything other than sports/racing and fighting games anyway.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I'm not sure you understand what 'logic' is. I didn't display any logic, I merely stated some facts. And those facts are not flawed.
According to your post, any game with a gorgeous fully realized game world and cars and gameplay, is a rockstar game. Thats not facts. Thats the logic your using to somehow explain why its a 'Rockstar' game and not a 'Team Bondi' game even though 'Team Bondi' developed the game.
If your going to give credit for the world, cars and gameplay it should go to the developers, not the publishers.
Nice article. Like someone else mentioned, make sure it gets a good proof reading before publishing. Parts of it were difficult to read because of writing mistakes.
LA Noire is a fun and entertaining game to play during this time of the year when there isn't too much going on in the gaming world as far as new releases. I'm really enjoying it, but I acknowledge that the replay value is probably pretty low. All in all, I recommend it unless you are fixated on another game at the moment.
team bondi only did the facial expression technology
I really would like to see a CSI game made the way LA Noir is made.
is this available for PC?
@apollobsg75 Unfortunately no, and it sucks
Yes Team Bondi where mentioned in the article in the third paragraph down,
"This time things are different however, no longer are we the criminals of the night of earlier games, now, in conjunction with Team Bondi, we gamers get to take to the right the side of the law".
Currently playing:
EVE online (Ruining low sec one hotdrop at a time)
Gravity Rush,
Dishonoured: The Knife of Dunwall.
(Waiting for) Metro: Last Light,
Company of Heroes II.
Team Bondi did develope the game. So did Rockstar. So everyone is right. Rockstar Games both developes and publishes games, and in this case they did both. Team Bondi handled most of the back work technology wise, with Rockstar Games taking more of a director role in the games developement. It is still a Rockstar game, and I wouldn't be suprised if this partnership lasted quite awhile longer. I really enjoy these types of games. The ones that play like books or movies. Whether that be Modern Warfare action scenes and explosions, or character development, depth, and realistic features LA brings to the table.
So much mis information about who did what. Makes me laugh that people pluck stuff out of random orrifices and pass it off as 'fact'. From the press release :-
New York, NY – September 25, 2006 -- Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is pleased to announce a partnership with Team Bondi Pty Ltd to publish the ground-breaking next generation crime thriller L.A. Noire. Developed by Team Bondi, a new Australian based studio founded by Brendan McNamara.
My bolding.... and
Sam Houser of Rockstar Games serves as Executive Producer and Brendan McNamara as Director of Development for L.A. Noire.
The role of executive producer is a comercial role incidentaly.