L.A. Noire

[Roderick]

The best thing about LA Noire is without a doubt the hilarious trumpet music you sometimes get when chasing a dude.

I had a lot of critique on the game above, and not all of it is gone, but I'm going through arson now and suddenly the game gets really interesting and good. Why did it take so damn long to get there? There is still some really shitty storytelling going on though.

I hate it that Cole suddenly had this affair that the player knows nothing about. It feels like a betrayal to the player too, making me dislike the character. Then there's also times where I feel that the game hasn't informed me properly of things.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Rodi

[Sno]

I hate it that Cole suddenly had this affair that the player knows nothing about. It feels like a betrayal to the player too, making me dislike the character.

Isn't that exactly what makes it so interesting, though? I think the game, after that point, gradually introduces you to those characters in a way that puts earlier cutscenes in a new context and lets you understand why Cole did what he did. He's still not entirely sympathetic, but for the complete boyscout he's been up until that point, it's the first time he seems human. I think it's all handled in a really, really intriguing way.

[toblix]

I'm trying to do the cases again for better ratings, using fast travel and everything. I still do the same mistakes, though. Could this game be some sort of mild aspergers detector? These fucking people, they look confidently straight at me, or their eyes dart around, they swallow, they bite their lips, they smile briefly, but whether they're lying or telling the truth still seems completely random.

Also, in the first traffic case, with the bloody car in the rail yard: how does the receipt with the guy's name on it prove he was there? I failed an interrogation, because apparently I was supposed to use it as evidence, which to me seems weak.

[Roderick]

Isn't that exactly what makes it so interesting, though? I think the game, after that point, gradually introduces you to those characters in a way that puts earlier cutscenes in a new context and lets you understand why Cole did what he did. He's still not entirely sympathetic, but for the complete boyscout he's been up until that point, it's the first time he seems human. I think it's all handled in a really, really intriguing way.

I have to disagree.

At no point in the game do we ever see anything of Cole's personal life, it's a complete non-issue. And suddenly the guy has developed a romance with a woman out of the blue, and we're supposed to care? There are better ways to set this up, to develop trust with a player and then break it in intruiging ways. This was jarring. The best handled characters in the game are your partners.

[Thrik]

I'm trying to do the cases again for better ratings, using fast travel and everything. I still do the same mistakes, though. Could this game be some sort of mild aspergers detector? These fucking people, they look confidently straight at me, or their eyes dart around, they swallow, they bite their lips, they smile briefly, but whether they're lying or telling the truth still seems completely random.

Also, in the first traffic case, with the bloody car in the rail yard: how does the receipt with the guy's name on it prove he was there? I failed an interrogation, because apparently I was supposed to use it as evidence, which to me seems weak.

It doesn't prove he was there, but it makes it very likely considering the boot was full of hay/evidence of a pig and the receipt had his name on it. I'd worked out that they almost certainly

killed the pig and staged a murder

pretty much the moment I saw that, so the rest kind of just fell into place logically.

No detective knows for absolute sure whether or not something is the case, but if the evidence highly suggests it they act like they're sure to get a confession. That case was fairly straightforward IMO.

[Sno]

I have to disagree.

At no point in the game do we ever see anything of Cole's personal life, it's a complete non-issue. And suddenly the guy has developed a romance with a woman out of the blue, and we're supposed to care? There are better ways to set this up, to develop trust with a player and then break it in intruiging ways. This was jarring. The best handled characters in the game are your partners.

The fact that we see almost nothing of Cole's personal life seemed to me to be fairly intentional. Off-handed comments about it are made, but it's never clearly established. What we do know is that he has children and what is ostensibly a happy family life. His abandonment of his family isn't really sympathetic, nor does the game treat it as such, but it is, in several ways of looking at it, treated in a complex and interesting manner.

The things we learn about Elsa and Cole, details about their history with the war and their personal ideals, it becomes fairly clear why Cole would have fallen for this woman. It isn't just out of the blue either, there are scenes earlier in the game that set up their relationship, but without the later context, they seem completely innocuous at the time.

I mean, and for a long time playing that game, you can go without even thinking of Cole as a character. He is simply your player avatar, and the minor revelation that he even has a family at all is mentioned in a throwaway line of dialogue in a quiet moment about a third of the way into the game. There are many small character beats to establish him as an individual, but not so much that he really comes into his own before he, in a sense, betrays both the player and his family and starts acting of his own volition.

I think LA Noire handles its characters in a really, really subtle and intriguing way.

[toblix]

It doesn't prove he was there, but it makes it very likely considering the boot was full of hay/evidence of a pig and the receipt had his name on it. I'd worked out that they almost certainly

killed the pig and staged a murder

pretty much the moment I saw that, so the rest kind of just fell into place logically.

I guess I'm just being too Phoenix Wright about it again. I considered showing the receipt since it definitely links him to the location, but the way he literally challenged me to prove he was there made me think it wasn't decisive enough. I probably shouldn't be looking for and expecting clear contradictions.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I guess I'm just being too Phoenix Wright about it again. I considered showing the receipt since it definitely links him to the location, but the way he literally challenged me to prove he was there made me think it wasn't decisive enough. I probably shouldn't be looking for and expecting clear contradictions.

Yeah, as I'm getting through it (I'm currently on the BD treasure hunt, so quite early, I think) I'm learning the game's logic more.

I have one confession, though. I was feeling like I was totally and utterly useless as a detective and/or the game was far too freaking random, so I started using a Walkthrough halfway through one case.

I decided what my answer was going to be, but before I pressed the button I checked the walkthrough to see if I'd gotten it right. Even though I only did it for half a case (and I'd already made mistakes), it really helped me get my head around the game's logic.

In this particular instance, Toblix, the game logic goes like this: The guy says he wasn't there, and demands proof he was. Phelps produces the receipt in order to challenge his story. If you think about it, there isn't really ever any conclusive proof. Even his fingerprints wouldn't prove that he was there when it happened. Even an eye-witness could be lying. You just have to leverage whatever evidence the game gives you that might contradict a suspect's version of events.

That seems to be working for me so far, anyway.

[toblix]

In this particular instance, Toblix, the game logic goes like this: The guy says he wasn't there, and demands proof he was. Phelps produces the receipt in order to challenge his story. If you think about it, there isn't really ever any conclusive proof. Even his fingerprints wouldn't prove that he was there when it happened. Even an eye-witness could be lying. You just have to leverage whatever evidence the game gives you that might contradict a suspect's version of events.

Yeah, you're obviously right. I'm not in a courtroom after all.

[thl]

Also, in the first traffic case, with the bloody car in the rail yard: how does the receipt with the guy's name on it prove he was there? I failed an interrogation, because apparently I was supposed to use it as evidence, which to me seems weak.

If i remember correctly, the lie that you call him out on was that he hadn't seen the victim that day or something like that, and the receipt places him at the car on Sunday (or whatever date was on the receipt), so the date on the receipt is the important factor.

[toblix]

Also, I played the entire game in black and white, and for the replays I turned the color back on and it turns out there's color everywhere.

Additionally, the collectible challenges are quite fun when you use the hints from the Social Club. Actually, check out the Social Club – there's all sorts of cool statistics and graphs.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Ha! I switched to black and white for a while. That whole era is b&w to me and it was jarring to see it in colour. That said, I got over it and switched back. It's cool to evoke classics like Sunset Boulevard.

The Social Club stuff for Red Dead Redemption was surprisingly good. It seems Rockstar are really trying to add value. I'll check out LA Noire's, although I don't know what a Collectible Challenge is.

[Roderick]

I switched the game to B&W yesterday and loved it! That's absolutely the way to play it. I'm still wrapping everything up and arson is just so good.

It almost feels like the whole game leading up to the part where you play Kelso is just a tedious introduction.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Here's my predictions for how the story is going to end (I'm still in homicide and my prediction has changed a lot already -- but we'll see).

Personally I think my partner is the Black Dahlia. He's got such an issue with women, and during the "Quarter Moon" case (where you're running around the city looking for clues -- and the one I'm currently on) he's become almost deliberately unhelpful. I can just imagine him ranting at Phelps for thinking he "knew it all" when really he was the smarter of the two all along.

Just throwing that out there... Time will tell if I'm right or not. Hopefully soon!

[toblix]

You're totally

hot

.

[pabosher]

You're totally

hot

.

for teacher?

[thl]

the amount of spoilers in this thread tells me to hurry up and finish the game.

[Roderick]

I finished the game just now (in glorious black and white) and the ending is

definitely sort of satisfying. Corruption wins, partially. The status quo is maintained and most of the GI's have been broken and defeated. The back story was more interesting than I had anticipated, though I still stand by it having weird storytelling.

All in all, this remains a very strange, undefinable game. I don't hate it anymore, but it hasn't been replaced by another strong feeling. Just... weird and somewhat impressive.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Ugh. THAT was the conclusion to the homicide desk? Meh.

And what's this about being "Promoted" to another desk? Homicide is the pinnacle of police work. Only the best make homicide. WTF?

Onwards...

PS - You're hot, too, Toblix.

[juv3nal]

PS - You're hot, too, Toblix.

SPOILERS, dude.

[ThunderPeel2001]

First Vice case.. I'm interrogating someone and I have nothing to contradict the suspect. It's confusing. So I look it up and it turns out I should have gone to another location first... How are you supposed to know that?

Now I can't back out. It seems totally random and annoying

[Lu]

Seems like it would've done well if it had more of a Columbo style detective, since that sneaky bastard could show up at any time and ask awkward questions. Oh, just one more thing.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I don't think even Columbo could help here. This whole case seems boinked. Phelps is mentioning people I don't even know yet. Hmph.

[Lu]

That is weird, but hey, at least you're still hot.

[miffy495]

Getting through a the first three cases of Traffic today (well, the first 2, as well as the DLC traffic case that comes with the PS3 version) was pretty neat. It's taking me a bit of time to wrap my head around the game, and a lot of restraint to not pound the reset button whenever I fuck up a question, but so far I really like the game. I also like that I haven't yet seen a case where there has been a pretty dead girl and I have to go through generic stuff. It's been abandoned car with missing owner, diplomat's car stolen, stripped for parts, and left in some dude's back yard, and hit and run with more than is on the surface. I've really enjoyed those, and am actually not really looking forward to getting to homicide as I suspect it will be more boilerplate stuff than I've seen so far.

This game and I have very different interpretations of the term "doubt." In one interview, I had looked behind a picture frame on a photo of a missing man, and it had the name of a woman who was not his wife signed on it. I suspected from this that he had faked his death to be with her, and while interviewing his wife it was clear that she knew something, but I took things slowly to try and spare her feelings. When she said her husband often took business trips and looked a little sad about it, I guessed that she knew something was up, but didn't want to come straight out and accuse her of lying to me, so I decided that in that instance rather than saying "WHO'S NICOLE?!?" and yelling at her (also assuming that she knew more details about the affair than she necessarily does) I would have said something more like "and he ONLY goes for business?" to prompt her. That would be, to me, a "doubt" response. Instead, Cole yells at her "YOU KNOW WHERE HE WENT AND WHY, AND YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME!" Which is more "asshole" than anything else. I'm starting to work this out, but it feels weird to respond to things the way he does. What a prick.