L.A. Noire PS4 Review
Posted on: 2017-11-30
Our rating:
It was great to revisit LA Noire as I feel that it’s a game that a lot of people didn’t really play when it first came out back in 2011. The game is available on the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch so get out there and solve some crimes.
LA Noire PS4 Review
2011 was a good year to be gamer as we got a slew of video games that we are still talking about today, with such titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which has been released on every system under the sun and LA Noire. LA Noire was one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360 and PS3, with its ground breaking facial animations with perfect lip syncing, which has not yet been match today. The game has been re-released on the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch so question is does the game still hold up six years later? Yes absolutely!
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LA Noire takes place in 1947 in the city of Los Angeles, where you play as Cole Phelps an ex-marine who is now in the police force as a rookie. His exploits gain the attention of the Captain of the homicide department and he is then promoted to the Traffic desk where he moves on up through the ranks. He gets involved in a conspiracy that has the higher ups of the LAPD and various political figures involving the housing market, which gets Cole in a lot of hot water. The story is very interesting with sharp writing and excellent performances from the actors throughout; it’s rare in game to hear some shout angrily in a convincing manner rather them sounding as if they are pretending to be angry.
LA Noire is not what you would expect from a Rockstar production as it does not focus on parody or over the top violence, not to say there is not any violence at all but it’s not the primary focus. What we have here is a modern interpretation of the 90’s point and click adventure where you gather items and clues to help you progress the story, but unlike those games from the past it’s not cryptic with what you’re supposed to do.
When you’re presented with a case you first go to the crime scene and examine clues and bodies if foul play is involved, you gather enough clues to help you build a case to help you in interviews and interrogations. After you’ve combed through a crime scene you generally interview a witness or person of interest who knew the victim or are linked to a certain crime and this is where the game shines. When you are trying to get information out of a suspect or interviewee you have to analyse if they are telling the truth, lying or withholding information and this is where the motion scan technology comes into play with the faces. What Team Bondi did back in the day was film the actor’s faces with over 30 cameras to capture every detail of their face from subtle twitches in their lips to sly smirks. This was and still is very impressive as the lip syncing is on point and there has not been a game since to capture the same detail as this game.
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Not to say it’s all problem solving, you do get into gunfights and car chases to break up the investigation scenarios, which work really well because it’s just the cover system from Grand Theft Auto. The driving on the over hand is not so good it feels floaty and I could never get use to the turning radius as it feels too sharp when you fly around corners, I not expecting realism but an element of control.
Have they improved the visuals in this remastered? Yes to a certain degree but if you’re expecting a massive leap you won’t find it here. They have improved textures of cars, environments and clothing on characters; however certain animations look like they are from 2011 where they look stiff and clunky. Overall the game looks very good with the excellent facial animations that give modern games a run for their money, with subtle details of a mere smirk or a chin quiver of doubt.
It was great to revisit LA Noire as I feel that it’s a game that a lot of people didn’t really play when it first came out back in 2011. The game is available on the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch so get out there and solve some crimes.
4/5
Article by:
Sam has lived in Bristol all his life. A keen cyclist he speeds around the city but video games are his bread and butter. Whether the old Nes and Snes games or the XBox One and Playstation releases he loves them all. Sam runs his own gaming blog called Bristolian Gamer where he had been reviewing indie games, doing retro reviews and venting his anger at the industry when it does wrong since 2010. Sam joined the 365Bristol team in December 2014.
