Review of the game la noire. Review by L. A. Noire (console version). He may have been mixed with mud, but his hands are clean.

Reviewed Game: Xbox 360

I don’t know about you, but as a teenager, I read Agatha Christie. As I remember now, it was difficult to get her books. The country, barely recovering from the collapse of the USSR, printed nothing except senseless gloss. The bookstores were closed. And even if they were open, they traded in all sorts of lewdness about cheerful steelworkers and wonderful toilers of the fields. Detectives were in short supply.

Grandmother, knowing about the passion of her grandson, somewhere it is not clear for how much she got a complete collection of her works. True, in English. Perhaps, it was precisely because of this fact that I so quickly and forever figured out the question: to learn foreign languages ​​or not. Teach. Better yet, read. The first three novels were difficult. Every now and then I had to go into the dictionary. The designs turned out to be clumsy, but quite understandable. After all, the main thing was not the language, but the killer. Well, who's naughty here? Yes, everyone could, it remains to understand who exactly committed the crime.

I remembered this story when I finished all three discs. There is also nothing to do here without a good knowledge of English. That is, you can travel around the city, take part in shootings - yes, please. But you will not understand the essence of the game. On the one hand, it is upsetting. After all, so many people will not be able to understand why we gave the project such a high rating. On the other hand, those who are not familiar with Shakespeare's language will have a clear incentive to learn it. And go through the game from start to finish. Why make such sacrifices and is it worth the candle? I will try to convince you of this.

Man with brains

The main character, Cole Phelps, is an upstart and a big self-lover. This is how any acquaintance would describe him. While still in the army, during World War II, he did everything to get promoted. He did not sleep at night, crammed all sorts of tactical schemes, currying favor with his superiors, was strict about the carelessness of his colleagues. We learn about all this from the kind of flashbacks that appear at the end of each case. It's these flashbacks that tell us about Cole's personality. That all his supposedly "licking" is an attempt to become a professional. A good military man. He became it. When he returned, he went to work for the police. Defend your native Los Angeles.

We begin our journey as an ordinary patrolman. We solve easy problems, we solve a few simple cases. After that, we become a detective investigating car crimes. And with each new case, with each solved crime, we are slowly but surely moving up the career ladder. In order to get your hands on the most dangerous, most unusual things in the end. But you will learn about all this from the game itself.

We want to talk a little about the script. He's amazing. Every replica, every word is in its place. Yes, sometimes it smacks of theatricality. This is especially true of Cole's conversations with his superiors. They behave as if they had just stepped off the TV screen. Shouting, making caustic outhouse jokes. In general, TV stars, not real people. But it just so happened that all this did not go to the detriment of the script. On the contrary: constant references to famous American novels and films - for detective lovers.

Interrogation, or "Whose torn panties are these?"

The gameplay itself can be roughly divided into two large parts. The first is interrogations. It is here that the project shows itself one hundred percent. We ask questions, suspects or witnesses answer them. By facial expressions, according to the data we have, we must decide whether they are lying to us or telling the truth. You can still doubt the sincerity of the suspect, and then you force him to continue talking. For each correctly asked question and the answer received, we receive experience points. For them we are given points of intuition. You do not know what to do next or whether the witness is lying to you, use your intuition and they will tell you the right direction.

The actors play great. It is especially pleasant to listen to the wonderful intonation. Already on this you can judge whether they lie to you or do not say something. The facial expression system also works flawlessly. Here, the eyes are truly the “mirror of the soul”. By their expression, by the way the suspect is looking during the answer, one can understand a lot. But not all of them.

After all, interrogation is the tip of the iceberg. It is based on the correct collection of evidence. Here the authors made a concession to the mass audience. While there are important objects at the crime scene that must be examined, disturbing music sounds. When you get close to the desired object, the joystick will begin to vibrate slightly. Of course, not everything you find has any meaning. But here the writers paid tribute to realism. After all, a heap of "empty" objects is always lying around at a crime scene.

The most important thing is to organize all this correctly. Here we found the girl's torn panties in the car. And the witness says that her friend was in a good mood and she had no problems. But, excuse me, ripped panties - isn't that a problem? It turns out that we hit the spot. And the girl ... however, we will not reveal even a small bit of the plot component.

Another thing is interesting: if we inattentively conduct a survey of the area, we will not be able to point this fact to the witness. So, we will not go further. In the first third of the game, this practically does not happen. Because there are not so many objects, and we ask questions 4-5. But by the end, believe me, you will have to work hard to keep tons of information in your head.

Fortunately, there is always a notebook at hand, in which we meticulously enter all the data on hand. We can always go back to the right page, get acquainted with the physical evidence and our thoughts on their account. And the points of intuition by the end will not be superfluous. They, of course, will not solve all problems, but they will help in especially confusing cases.

Chase

Against the background of the superbly staged part of the investigations, the action elements look secondary. Apparently, guessing about this, the authors allow, after several unsuccessful attempts to catch up with some criminal, to simply miss this moment. The chases themselves are not so badly implemented. We run after the suspect, jump over fences and climb through the drain pipes to the roof. If you succeed, you can aim on the move and demand the offender to stop.

But we had a lot of complaints about the shootings. It was this aspect that prevented the game from getting higher marks. The fact is that all these bang-bangs do not fit at all with the style of the project. Sight "dot", lack of realism and drive - all this does not suit a blockbuster. No, we understand that these elements simply had to enter the game. At least to guarantee commercial success. But in the end, they spoiled the overall impression of the trip. By God, it would be better if there were no shootings here than such.

But driving around the city pleases. Turned on the siren - and go. Cars part, let you pass. You start to feel like a president directly. However, the ambition quickly passes: points with additional tasks are scattered around the city, which will diversify your trip. On the radio every now and then they report about the next petty crime, to the elimination of the consequences of which we can connect at any time. But it is important to understand: L.A. Noire- is not Gta... There is no special freedom here, don't even look for it. Well, for those who are too lazy to travel from point "A" to point "B", a partner will help. They sat down, started up, and after a few seconds in the right place we continue the investigation.

Not until the end

L.A. Noire could easily get both 9 and 10 points. That is, she almost got them. If it were not for poorly implemented shootings and not a small number of side missions, then we would gladly give the game the highest score. However, all this does not negate one important fact: the storyline campaign L.A. Noire- the best detective of recent years. There are many really interesting, confusing cases here, which are a pleasure to investigate. Do not deny yourself in it. Believe me, you won't regret it!

Pros: exciting plot; excellent acting; great music.
Minuses: poorly implemented shootouts.
Verdict: an excellent detective, taking away all free and non-free time.

OUR RATING: 8.9

Real noir! A game that will make you plunge into the dangerous criminal world of the late forties in America.

Feel like a real detective - intrigues, scandals, investigations, murders and their exposure await you - today we will review the most unusual game from Rockstar.

L.A. Noir - game review

Today we are going to talk about a truly amazing game created in collaboration with the Australian studio Team Bondi. The official name of the game is L.A. Noire the complete edition, for convenience, they decided to remove the "The Complete Edition" prefix, shortening the name to L.A. Noir.

Initially, the development of the game was planned for the PlayStation 3 console, but after a few months the game was still released for the PC platform.

Similarities with Gta- the same dimensions of the game city, the same third-person view, graphics, a map in the corner of the screen. And, of course, a stunning exciting plot that transports us to the mysterious forties of America - the golden age of Hollywood, prevailing crime, drugs - this is truly a real noir!

Developed by L.A. Noire

Despite the release of the series Gta, which are full of various rumors and, often, scandals, lawsuits and other things, came out without much fuss.

The development of the game took as long as 7 years. Back in 2003, the director Team bondi stated that they have a project funded by Sony. Several years later, the publishing house Take-two put Noire on the list of games expected in 2008. However, the release took place in 2011. The reasons for this long delay are unknown.

One of the peculiarities of the game development is the applied MotionScan technology, with the help of which realistic facial expressions of the characters are created.

The plot of L.A. Noire

Unlike most rockstar games, in L. A. Noir we control a no longer notorious bandyugan who does lawlessness to the right and left, drives around the city in a car and kills everyone in his path. Now we have been entrusted with the fate of an American policeman named Cole Phelps. The protagonist is a World War II veteran who served in the US Marine Corps. After the end of hostilities, he decided to continue to help the state and citizens with faith and truth, getting a job with the Los Angeles police in 1947. In his personal charter, a column about honor and professionalism is circled separately in red marker, so, as you know, life is not at all easy for him.

The main character is Cole Phelps

And the era that touched him was quite peculiar - at first he fought in the Second World War, and then decided to join the ranks of the guardians of law and order. At that time, a real chaos was going on on the streets of American cities, and Los Angeles, which became the scene of the game, was no exception. In general, he met a lot of reptiles, scum and perverts on his way.

Cole starts from the bottom - as a regular patrolman, and then, as a result of promotion, he goes to the traffic police, then to the arson investigation department, and from there - straight to the homicide department, until he reached the prime of his career.

The whole essence of the game is built on the plot, and in this regard, Rockstar never failed - they could always tell a big and interesting story, and tell in an original way, forcing us to unite all the threads carefully scattered everywhere in a huge plot tangle.

The plot is based on the development of the character, his experiences, investigations of mysterious murders. As a result of successful work, the main character is rapidly climbing up the career ladder, taking part in solving various crimes, from car thefts, arson and murder. Unlike other series of games Rockstar, the open world is present, however, the developers focused on the storytelling, erasing the border between the game and the movie as much as possible.

The plot of the story begins with a series of mysterious deaths of Cole's former co-workers, the US Marines who sold morphine stolen from the US Navy ship, which delivered them to their home shores. To unravel the tangle, Phelps meets with his friend, with whom they fought together - Jack Kelso. Despite their obvious antipathy towards each other, they jointly embark on an investigation.

Gameplay and setting L.A. Noire

All events take place in Los Angeles in 1947. As a police officer Cole Phelps, the player will be given the opportunity to feel like a detective, solving various crimes by examining places of murders or robberies, collecting evidence, logical conclusions, and, subsequently, the actual arrest of the criminal.

An open and well-developed world with residents, cars, buildings creates an excellent atmosphere and surroundings of a post-war American city. We can move around Los Angeles on foot and by transport, which opens as you progress through the main storyline and complete additional tasks. There are also a dozen different costumes for Cole in the game, some of which increase his abilities - shooting accuracy, speed, defense.

Very similar to the series Gta, with the difference that it is forbidden to do lawlessness here. Still, the protagonist of the game is a police officer, not a bandit from the high road.

Various investigations are available to us: theft, arson, murder, hooligan antics, drugs. There are even radio calls that can be received while the player is exploring city sights.

L.A. Characters Noire

• Cole Phelps - Our GG, a former US Marine who participated in the Battle of Okinawa and received the Silver Star award;
• Roy Earl is a corruption detective. Along with Cole, he investigates cases in the department of morals;
• Stefan Bekovsky - together with the main character participated in solving crimes in the transport department;
• Ralph Dunn - Patrol Partner;
• Finbarr Galloway (alias "Rusty") - He worked with Phelps to investigate the murders. Differs in alcohol dependence;
• Hershel Biggs is Cole's buddy in the city police arson department. A closed and insecure character who took part in the First World War.
• Jack Kelpso is an acquaintance of Phelps, with whom they fought together for Okinawa. GG and Jack have a hostile relationship, but will soon be forced to cooperate;
• Mayer Harrs Cohen (nicknamed "Mickey") - one of Cole's main opponents when he worked in the morality department of the police;
• Garrett Mason - a maniac that Phelps has to catch;
• Harlan Fontaine is one of the main antagonistic characters. Works as a psychiatrist;
• Courtney Sheldon - Served as a medic with Phelps in the United States Marine Corps. Enrolled in medical, later killed by Fontaine, as he was afraid that Sheldon might shake too much;
• Leland Monroe is the richest negative character in the game. Kelpso shot Monroe in the leg when the villa was attacked and left the latter to bleed;
• Johnny Stompanato is Cohen's "Mickey" guard.

Additional missions

There are not so many random people here - most of them meet more than once during the plot, and if you wish, you can learn a lot of interesting things about them. In addition to the main storyline, small incidents that happen throughout the city are given as a help in the game. Going somewhere on business, you can always answer the challenge - there are not many options, usually everything ends either with the murder of bandits, or chasing them and subsequent elimination, or capture alive. For each such exit, the player receives experience points, so it makes sense to be distracted by them. At each new level, you get something nice - for example, new clothes that increase the level of health, or "intuition points", which provide undeniable help during interrogations.

Extra skills

Interrogations are the highlight of L.A. Noir, her main and, perhaps, a useful pastime in the game. In each conversation, you will have to not only carefully listen to the interlocutor, but also monitor his reaction: whether he deceived you or simply deceived you, told the truth, but he has a nervous tic, or maybe his wife has just been killed, which is why he was so distorted. Only you will have to figure it out, and your partner in such cases is just a dead weight for you. Only intuition glasses can come to the rescue - with their help we will remove some unnecessary options, and then, perhaps, we will be lucky.

Interrogation in L.A. Noier

By the way, if the person being interrogated is blatantly lying and you are one hundred percent sure of this, it is not yet a fact that you will convict him of a lie - the presumption of innocence also operates in the game, so if you did not find the necessary evidence, blame yourself and only yourself for this. Therefore, we would advise you to take a closer look at crime scenes and other locations, otherwise the same intuition will again help. For successfully conducted interrogations, you get a lot of amenities.

Allies of the protagonist

LA Noir requires full immersion in history, because it is very similar to real life. In the course of the work, Cole is faced with a rotten system, and with different human characters that, in one way or another, affect him. One of the detective's companions will be a not at all good-natured bumpkin who disdainfully treats women and believes that a real police officer should not sit and ponder why a criminal committed this or that act, in general, he lives according to the principle “there is power - no mind is needed”.

The other, on the other hand, is so smart that he cuts through the vastness of the city in an expensive car, bought with his own funds, and proves to us that kickbacks for criminals for covering them up is, in general, a useful and good thing.

Roy Earl - partner of the protagonist

In the course of the game, you will witness the spiritual upheavals taking place inside Cole himself - after all, we will be shown his military past, and in war, as you know, the whole human essence is revealed. At first, the federal simply does not understand how it is possible to save the unfortunate wounded from torment by simply shooting him, and over time, he completely gets used to the harsh reality, where the principle of "we choose the lesser of two evils" most often dominates.

Over time, it really turns out to get along with the main character, imbued with his story and sympathize with him in times of difficult emotional experiences.

The general gloomy, oppressive mood also contributes to deep immersion, because real murders were recreated in the game. On the official portal L. A. Noir you can read quite a lot of interesting information about them. Among these atrocities is the shocking murder of the Black Dalia Murder, widely known even for people far from criminology, known on the Runet as the "Murder of the Black Dahlia".

Technology in the game

Well, one of the most important elements of total immersion is the amazing visual and sound accompaniment. Probably, only the lazy did not hear about the technology that was used in creating the animation of the characters' faces - Motion Skin did its job and it seemed like real living heroes appeared in front of us.

Voice acting of characters

Famous actors took part in the game, who presented their voices to the characters. For example, here you can meet Patrick Hishler, who played a role in the TV series "LOST", and also in the movie "Black Orchid", which is a reference to "The Murder of the Black Dahlia." Also Brian Krause, known for his role as the guardian angel Leo in the series "Charmed", who gave the character, in addition to his voice, also his appearance. And in the main character, moviegoers will clearly see the actor Aaron Stateon.

Music in the game

The music for the game was written by composers Andrew and Simon Hale, and the recordings were made by the British recording studio Abbey Road Studios, known for their collaborations with such legendary bands as The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Woody Jackson was invited to take part in the recording, who made a significant contribution to the soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption, for which he received several awards.

The English musical group The Real Tuesday Weld together with the German singer Claudia Brucken contributed to the musical accompaniment. The music fully corresponds to the spirit of that time - jazz instruments prevail in its sound - saxophone, trumpet, piano, which is completely sustained in the gloomy manner of that time.

Gambling addiction: verdict

According to Igromania, a popular portal among gamers, the game received an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 - "good". Sound and music were rated on a maximum scale of 10 points, but the plot received record low ratings and was called a failure. But there is no dispute about tastes, and you will decide this question only for yourself.

TOTAL

Summing up, we can say with confidence that L. A. Noir turned out to be a very high-quality and very exciting project, the developers have done a great job and the result is really amazing and unique. This game is worth the candle. Definitely.

L.A. Review Noire (video)

L.A. From the very first frames, Noire tries to distance itself from the main project of Rockstar, setting the player up for the unhurried narration of a noir detective. The story of the American dream of Col Phelps, a retired war hero, grows into a drawn-out kaleidoscope of seemingly unrelated criminal investigations. Players go all the way from an ambitious patrolman to a detective who has grappled with the corrupt elite. Scattered pieces of history come together towards the end of the game, highlighting two important narrative themes: corruption and fidelity to duty. The love line, turning into a triangle, and not too obvious remorse of the protagonist drown, not having time to develop in an idiotic ending with predictable conclusions in the style of Commissioner Katani. The interpretations by the creators of the project of real cases and references to films in the black and white genre are not only controversial, but also aimed at overly subtle connoisseurs of the genre. For most players raised in South Park, all of these Maltese Falcon references will simply be incomprehensible. As for fidelity to duty, Team Bondi did not say anything new here - in real life, David almost always loses to Goliath. It probably didn't make sense to repeat the lessons of Red Dead Redemption again.

If the plot can be argued for long enough, then the basic mechanics of L.A. Noire is openly borrowed from the CSI game series, adjusted for modern technology. The protagonist also examines the crime scene, looks for evidence, and then interrogates witnesses. However, given the success of the wheel concept of Mass Effect, instead of multi-meter lines of dialogue, players only have to choose one of three answer options. Truth, Lie, Doubt. For fans of the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” one of the options can be removed or you can call a friend (ask the community for help through the Social Club). True, for this you will have to pay with a point of intuition, which the character is rewarded with as his professional growth. Of course, you can poke the answer options at random - the game will push you to the only correct answer, but this finally spoils the already rather drawn-out game project. There is also a third option - to determine the correct model of behavior based on the reaction of witnesses, which should be helped by the multimillion-dollar Motion Scan technology. The heroes of the game wrinkle their foreheads theatrically, roll their eyes and make grimaces, but in most cases it is almost impossible to understand whether they are lying or not. Therefore, when the inner intuition does not work, you have to use the two above-mentioned options. Sometimes dialogue and plot development are influenced by the hero's decisions, but they are insignificant. To the credit of technology - heroes from other games after L.A. Noire looks like Botex-spiked German pornstars.

In addition to interrogation and study of evidence, the main character can move around the giant city in a car, perform side missions with shooting and participation in questionable mini-games with maintaining balance and finding a way out of the bushy maze. The action scenes are too simple and, unlike Red Dead, seem like unsuccessful theatrical productions. This is well understood by the creators of the game, who sometimes imperceptibly intercept the player's control for quick ascent up stairs or scripted descent. Driving around the city leaves a pleasant impression, but recklessness is clearly not held in high esteem here. An accident or a knocked-down pedestrian means a minus to the reputation and status of the work done. And cars prefer to smoke, even with a punctured gas tank and bullet-fired tires. True, for lovers of perfect passage, an automatic mode is provided when your partner drives the car.

The giant city, which the developers are so proud of, takes up most of the disc space in the Xbox version of the game, and does not give the player any new sensations. More than 100 types of unique pedestrians, restored landmarks, detailed streets, shops and stalls, each with its own merchandise, are just a very expensive decoration for the main story. There is simply nothing to do in this incredible city with traffic and people. Finding collectible cars and sightseeing is just boring.

L.A. Noire is an interesting work with a huge budget (over 500 actors, including Fringe star John Noble as a dirty developer) that could benefit from the simplicity of the design. The attempt to convey the atmosphere of the Noir films was only partially successful, largely due to a fanatical desire to create an accurate imitation (there is even a black and white filter in the settings), and not the original product. The same goes for the main story, which lacks a clearer presence of the femme fatale and crime drama. Politics and corruption with a vague maniac and weak action and ending spoil a rather strong first impression of an interesting game. It's a shame that revolutionary technology cannot compensate for this.

The version for Xbox 360

SPECIAL OPINION

Perhaps the main feature of the game is facial animation, or Motion Scan. Rockstar has really tried to make the facial muscles as realistic as possible. Indeed, during an interrogation, a lot depends on whether you recognize a lie on the person being interviewed. And almost everyone loves to lie here, so be careful. And in this situation, it is important to constantly remember what evidence you have, because you simply will not be able to catch a lie without evidence. By the way, there will not be a single character in the game who will even lie with a stone face. All faces live during a lie, but during a truth you will see calm and honest looks.
One of the undoubted advantages of L.A. Noire is a car park. The 95 cars produced in the post-war period are a true gift for the automotive fan. However, all cars are registered in American factories - Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Fords, Plymouth, Cadillacs, Chryslers and other classic American cars.
Generally in L.A. Noire's main achievement, in my opinion, is precisely the scrupulousness with which the developers approached the game this time. Indeed, unlike some barely recognizable American city in the GTA, here we have Los Angeles in the mid-20th century, unlike just cars created by designers, real licensed cars from the 50s. Here, with documentary accuracy, the city, cars and, of course, the life of Los Angeles are recreated with people rushing to work, or men with flowers running on a date waiting for the green signal of a traffic light. If we see real cars and a real city in GTA 5, it will definitely be a hit.
L.A. Noire most likely made money on the second part. And the main hope is that in the second part a good plot will be added to the good graphics and interesting gameplay. After all, Rockstar was able to attract John Noble, why not swing at JJ Abrams as a genius of hoaxes and mind-blowing plot branches. Things in the game are interesting - and then a trap happened, because all the things in the game have a historical basis, they happened in those years in America, but somehow it was not very successful to tie everything into one common interesting plot outline. As a result, we have a very beautiful game, with interesting mechanics and funny features, but with a terrifying plot, created according to not the best cliches.

Rockstar Games rarely pleases its fans with new game announcements, and therefore any news from these developers is perceived by many with special interest. So it happened with the announcement of the reissue of the cult detective action game in the open world, the original version of which was released in 2011 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Let's see if the game is worth being called a full-fledged re-release and if it can give a new experience in 2017, when the games have taken a serious step forward.

Features of the reissue

Unlike previous reviews, I would like to start the article with graphics, or rather, with its differences compared to the original. It should be said right away that the magic did not happen and we have only a slightly embellished game in front of us. The range of terrain has increased slightly, 4K resolution has been added to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, and the PS4 and Xbox One consoles boast full Full HD (1920x1080).

However, there is no significant increase in the visual component. Even at the time of its release, the game was clearly not the most beautiful, and now it even looks too outdated. The body models of the characters are some kind of plastic, the terrain detail is still limping, and the special effects look too wooden. Comparing L.A. Noire on PS4 with PS3 version, the difference is more noticeable than trying to find differences with the game on PC. On personal computers, the game looks no worse than on consoles of the current generation.

The analysis of graphics features can be carried out for a very long time, affecting one or the other element, but in general, the picture is not perceived somehow fresh and modern. However, the visual aspect of L.A. Noire, like its original version, is still saved by the animation of the characters' faces. Even in 2017, you can see such a play of actors only in the latest games from Quantic Dream, which in turn are interactive cinema. L.A. Noire, for a moment, offers players an open world, an action component and a quest part, and therefore such sophisticated faces can be considered a technological breakthrough even now.

A small but pretty nice feature of L.A. Noire is a photo mode that was not in the original. This mode is done quite well, allowing us, by pressing two sticks, to stop the game at any moment of the gameplay and take a screenshot. It is worth noting that the mode has quite extensive functionality. We can not only change the position of the camera, but also focus the picture, add various effects and use all our imagination, so that later the picture can be set as a background for the desktop.

Unfortunately, the re-release on all systems runs at a frame rate of 30 FPS. Given the rather large age of L.A. Noire, as well as the capabilities of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, it is very strange that the developers did not add any additional graphical settings to the game, like what is in the. These are the main differences between L.A. Noire from the original is, unfortunately, running out.

Plot

Despite the fact that the game was released about six years ago and many already know almost everything about it, we could not ignore the plot part. The game takes us into the body of a young police officer named Cole Phelps, who is about to return from World War II, received a Silver Star and wants to clear the streets of Los Angeles from crime. Initially, we play as an ordinary patrolman, but literally after a few simple cases we are promoted to a detective. A strict boss, an experienced partner named Stefan Bekowski, and an elaborate police department make us believe that we are in Los Angeles in 1947, trying to contribute to the fight against crime.

From time to time, we are shown short flashbacks that allow us to find out the past of the protagonist and how he was during his service. We are immediately given to understand that Cole Phelps is far from the ideal guy, sometimes acting to please his own ambitions. The plot only benefits from this, forcing the character to come to life in our eyes and listen in more detail to every phrase he said.

As the storyline unfolds, we’ll witness more than once how deceiving first impressions can be. An honest and principled cop, Phelps, will experience problems in his personal life, argue with his own wife and sometimes go against legal methods when questioning witnesses. In the end, we are shown how a person can change who stands too firmly on his own, not trying to listen to other people.

The storyline really starts to unfold closer to the second half of the game. Initially, we see many incomprehensible scenes, for example, flashbacks of newspapers with a psychiatrist and former military personnel. However, after a while, all the questions that arise during the first part of the game acquire answers. We will meet the same friend Jack Kelso, who constantly becomes the hero of flashbacks about the war, we will find out what kind of scam some high-ranking people are playing in order to cash in on veterans, and we will also witness many murders taking place in the city and having some connection.

Serious plot holes that are visible to the naked eye in L.A. Noire no. The game really captivates with its in-game story, but all the development in the narration falls on the second half of the passage, and therefore the protracted start may a little scare off people who are used to seeing intrigue right after clicking the "New game" button.

Gameplay

Open-world coping, action, and investigation games can be counted on one hand, but none of them offer what L.A. has to offer. Noire. This product is not just some new part of True Crime, but a full-fledged detective story with interesting mechanics of investigating crimes. Action and car chases in the open world are just an addition to the quest part of the game.

Each case has to be investigated from the very beginning to the end, without missing moments with the interrogation of witnesses, the search for evidence and evidence. In general, each case looks like this: we arrive at the crime scene, look around and look for evidence, then we interview witnesses, look for evidence again, and after that we try to put everything into a single picture. The final stage in the investigation is the moment with an attempt to catch a person in a lie or to extract the whole truth from him.

At first, such a mechanic makes the most pleasant impressions and makes you plunge into the game with your head, but already in the tenth or eleventh case, doing the same thing becomes more and more boring. Due to the fact that almost all the mechanics of the game we are allowed to touch at the very beginning, towards the end the gameplay fizzles out a little. To get the most out of the game, we do not recommend completing it in two or three days, but trying to stretch the passage for a longer period of time with breaks between tasks.

As described above, the key feature of the game can still be considered the excellent animation of the characters' faces, most of which were played by real actors known from television series and films. The developers made realistic faces for a reason, but added this feature to the gameplay part. The fact is that when interrogating witnesses, we must not only be based on logical facts, but also play the role of a real psychologist. This is done in such a way that when lying, the characters often hide their eyes and behave unnaturally. Thanks to such mechanics, we must carefully monitor all movements and facial expressions of the characters' faces. In most cases, it all looks very realistic and does not seem like something secondary and uninteresting.

The only problem with the quest part is that when the characters are accused, the mechanic sometimes fails. For example, we have collected all the evidence, figured out the case to the smallest details and are already confident that the character we are interrogating is guilty. However, choosing the most logical accusation in the notebook, it turns out that it is incorrect, as a result of which we need to start over. There are no consequences for the incorrect disclosure of a crime, except for the fines after the level, which almost do not affect anything. All there is is a loading screen after failure and re-interrogation. Because of this, some may simply choose charges at random, without fear that something will go wrong in the plot, or the hero will be demoted. Still, this moment could and should have been played in a more interesting and varied way.

The second part of the game, in addition to quests and simple puzzles, is the action. At first, everything happens like in some Mafia or GTA. We rush through the city exploring the open world and engage in shootouts with opponents. If you dwell on the action elements in more detail, you can find many flaws in them. The physics of the machines is made arcade even in comparison with, and shooting causes more irritation than pleasure. For example, we do not see how many cartridges we have, and the control does not allow us to change the layout of the buttons at all, or at least see what action this or that key performs. Enemies in skirmishes behave very stupidly, not trying to somehow get around us or regroup.

However, all these moments could be found fault with ad infinitum, if L.A. Noire was a full-blown action game. However, before us is a quest, which is only partially supplemented by shootings and chases in cars, albeit very mediocre implemented.

Outcomes

If you've ever played a game on PC or even legacy consoles, the L.A. Noire is unlikely to give you a new experience, as it does not have major innovations. The graphics haven't changed much, the frame rate has remained the same, and no new modes, other than the ability to take photos, have been added.

Thus, the game looks more like an improved port than a full-fledged re-release. However, if someone at one time missed this detective story, then even six years after the release it can give a lot of unforgettable impressions. The game goes a serious way from the television series "Colombo" to the action-packed thriller "Seven", allowing us to take part in the capture of a serial killer and the disclosure of criminal gangs.

If you are looking for a great detective story with elaborate characters, excellent music and noir style, and unusual gameplay, L.A. Noire is still one of a kind.

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They
read it to get to the end. If it "s a letdown, they
won "t buy anymore. The first page sells that book.
The last page sells your next book.
Mickey spillane

Despite the name, time and place of action, L.A. Noire far away from the canons of the detective genre, carved with feathers Dashile Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane and other masters of the 1930s. In the main role - not a lone private detective, but a boring policeman, whose desire to get to the bottom of the truth is like a mania. He does not utter the cynical-depressive monologues of the "tough guy", does not sit in bars, drinking his last cents, fatal beauties do not fall at his feet in stacks.

Law & Order: Los Angeles 1947

But the seven-year history of creation L.A. Noire- painfully familiar story about a long-term construction. Repeatedly disrupted deadlines, millions of dollars poured into the sand, a change of publisher halfway through, a monstrous turnover of staff, a 100-hour work week, “crunch time” several months long, brutal bosses ... However, we are not evaluating the backstage drama (we want to recommend ), but a finished product that did not live up to expectations.

The most offended were those who counted on Gta 1947 Los Angeles clone. And no wonder, because the city, recreated from aerial photographs and archival materials, is nothing more than a giant “Potemkin village”. Beautiful "backdrops" are never a "sandbox", they are built simply as a background for numerous videos. You will not see how cars shy away from a mad driver flying in the oncoming lane, you will not smile at funny street scenes, you will not hear the hubbub of the crowd. Forty side missions to catch petty criminals are short, stereotyped and primitive, cars drive with the grace of soap boxes and often get up with their noses buried in a seemingly flimsy fence.

Fortunately, trips are not imposed here. Remove kilometers of a dead metropolis, through and through scripted chases, clumsy gunfights, and a completely traditional adventure will appear. Detective Cole Phelps follows in the footsteps of his colleagues from Police quest and Law & Order... He closely examines the crime scenes, relying, however, not on the cursor, but on musical clues and a gamepad vibrating next to the likely evidence. Conversations with witnesses and suspects are arranged as in Phoenix wright... You can take the testimony on faith, try to squeeze out the details, or catch a person in a lie by pulling an indisputable fact out of a notebook.

Actually, interrogations are the essence. For them, Team Bondi resorted to expensive MotionScan technology. 32 cameras scan the actor's head during the performance, and then the program turns terabytes of data into a stunningly animated 3D model. This technique is not new to cinematography; in games L.A. Noire- a pioneer. The result is impressive, especially when faces from Mad Men, ER, Friday Night Lights, Fringe, Lost and other popular TV series flicker on the screen.

From the first take

Expensive MotionScan and a huge cast were thrown into a super-idea - according to the authors' plan, we must carefully monitor the facial expressions of the interlocutor. A running glance, pursed lips, nervous nods ... Unfortunately, in practice, this undertaking only harms the investigation. Even when the counterpart clearly goes overboard with emotions, it is hard to understand whether he is cheating, blatantly lying, or just worried. MotionScan is not yet perfect enough to capture the full palette of facial movements.

Foggy remarks, sometimes devoid of any clues, finally plunge into confusion. To everyone who counts the "wheel" Mass effect a mockery of common sense, you need to study the reinforced concrete fork "Truth / Doubt / Lie". At the push of a button, you never know for sure where the script is heading and if Phelps will confuse your trump cards with the next phrase. There's no turning back - L.A. Noire does not allow asking again, changing options on the go and loading "saves". The word is not a sparrow, and the wrong choice completely blocks the road to a successful outcome of the case (as well as the missed key subject). If you want a second take - stick with Restart. At the same time, rigid logic implies only one correct answer, if it is necessary to dispute someone's words. It doesn't matter that there are two or three suitable versions in the notebook - the authors will make them guess on the coffee grounds ... or use "intuition".

Intuition points is a built-in dead end rescue system. For example, for 1 point, important areas on the map will be highlighted. In dialogues, they offer help in the spirit of the quiz "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire": remove an extra item or "ask the audience" - the game will show how the audience's votes were distributed. But it’s better not to overuse prompts. Precious points are given out by the piece upon reaching a new level (there are 20 of them in total; experience, in turn, drops for interrogations, completing mini-tasks and collecting collectible junk).

On the other hand, is it worth the effort? The worst thing that threatens Phelps for negligence is an angry shout from the captain and the only "star" out of five in the final rating. Let the episodes form a coherent narrative, our conscious actions do not affect further events. In addition, the case cannot be ruined, and the chance to make a mistake and put an innocent behind bars is rare. The list of suspects usually consists of one last name, which kills all the intrigue.

Who Framed Cole Phelps?

Alas, the higher Cole climbs the career ladder, the more flaws poison the pleasure of L.A. Noire... Four missions in the rank of a patrol officer, teaching the basics, and the first head in the traffic police do not bode well until the hero is transferred to the homicide department. Here the developers shoot a series of strange cases where the victims, circumstances, method of murder are similar, traces of shoes of size 38, mysterious messages written on the body with lipstick ... That is, minus some details, we solve the same riddle several times in a row ... Fascinatingly!

Phelps knit his brows, guessing that a maniac is operating in Hollywood, voicing thoughts to a partner who does not care who is ready to write off anything as a banal coincidence, but still puts husbands, boyfriends and admirers of the dead ladies in prison. Oh, if only he saw the opening cutscenes to these episodes, where the killer is clearly shown (and full face)! They also use "video spoilers" later, in the arson investigation department. Which of the three gas fitters blows up houses? Nobody. For here he is, a real villain, planning another nasty thing, and he is not dressed at all like our suspects.

Although many themselves will figure out who was disturbed by someone else's real estate, thanks to newspapers spread out in prominent places. The pages of Alan Wake's book that let us know when we’re scared pale in comparison to Team Bondi's invention. Each editorial is represented by a scene stripping the veil from the main mystery. If you don’t want to know where the large shipment of pure morphine came from in Los Angeles and what is in store for Phelps at the end of the third act, do not read the American press.

Top of throwing - final missions. As if realizing that for a good 20 hours the world revolved around perhaps the most dull type of all that inhabited Rockstar's creations since Gta 3, Team Bondi forgets about Cole's dummy and brings a new character to the stage. Yes, such that it takes your breath away from annoyance. Daring, witty, spits on the laws (not like the literal Phelps!), Calls girls "princesses" and flirts in the face of death - that's what he had to catch serial maniacs and denounce corrupt officials. It's a pity the cavalry came too late.

The finishing blow comes from an accidental find made in a dilapidated viewing room of a film studio that went bankrupt six years ago. The hero turns on the projector that has miraculously survived and sees a recording of a meeting of high-ranking scoundrels discussing a cunning plan to "cut" the money. Who captured and left unattended such vigorous compromising evidence? Why is it edited like a documentary? And this is not yet the most delusional moment ...

Life inside out

L.A. Noire similar to Los Angeles - through the feigned brilliance of technical achievements, rich scenery and supposedly high interactivity, a freshish adventure game with a leaky plot, a wooden protagonist and traces of dull scissors appears. Breathing in the rarefied atmosphere of the 40s, it's hard not to think about what a more talented, well-coordinated team would do with the project. Hopefully Team Bondi will find the courage to spot and fix the flaws while working on the inevitable L.A. Noire 2.

NVIDIA 3D Vision Support: 8 out of 10

Technology testing equipment provided by NVIDIA.