#7 - L.A. Noire (360/PS3/PC)
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/988983-la-noire
The biggest game of the year that no one remembers. L.A. Noire was kinda huge for about a week and then everyone forgot it existed. This is most likely due to the fact that despite being released to high critical praise, a lot of people seemed to have mixed reactions towards the game. There are certainly a lot of things to dislike about L.A. Noire. The main character is a dick. The gunplay is not so good. The investigation sequences can be very trial and error. Driving around can be very tedious (though this is remedied by an auto-pilot feature). The main character is really a dick. And yet despite all these things, I often found myself captivated by this game.
L.A. Noire does a great job of putting together the backdrop and atmosphere of a late-40s Los Angeles. The story is subdued, but it’s well crafted and interesting. Likewise, as much of a huge, giant dick Cole can be, the same can be said of the majority of the characters. The well crafted and interesting part. Not the being a dick part. Though I guess that can be true for a lot of them too.
The gameplay is kind of bizzare - it’s some sort of weird lovechild of Phoenix Wright and Grand Theft Auto, though when it comes down to it, L.A. Noire is much closer to the former than the later. City traversal is minimal at best, and the biggest part of the game is hunting down clues at crime scenes and grilling witnesses, telling them that they are awful, terrible people. And maybe getting a confession out of them. Not every case is a winner, and the game might feel repetitive at times because rarely is there any deviation from the formula between cases. That never bothered me much though. L.A. Noire’s not going to be a game for everyone, but it’s one of those things I think everyone should at least try, because it’s definitely going to resonate a lot with some people.
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FF fans don't hang around the internet on a monday morning they are out doing shopping or asleep hungover from parties. They got lives. -The_Djoker