LA Noire is a delightful, wonderful game. It's a rare treat.
I first bought LA Noire on sale about a year and a half ago for $15, when the game was a little more recent. I hesitated because of the $15 price-tag, which I thought was a little too high. It piqued my curiosity, but did I really need to play the game right now? Surely the price would go down in later sales. But... I broke down and purchased it anyway.
Looking back, I was absolutely silly to ever hesitate about buying LA Noire. What a fucking brilliant game. For the past decade or so, I've been disappointed in the landscape of detective/adventure games; it feels like the entire crime-solving and mystery genre has been delegated to small, low-budget, bargain bin titles and mediocre indie creations. No; role-playing, shooting, and action is all the kiddies ever want to play anymore. Games where you have to solve problems by thinking critically have gone by the wayside.
Then comes along LA Noire: A top-of-the-line, big-budget, open-world adventure game from a major studio and publisher, containing a fully-realized 1940's Los Angeles complete with modern graphics, cutscenes, voice acting, driving, and everything. You slip into the shoes of a former WWII war hero who's been assigned to a detective position for the LAPD. You open new cases, investigate crime scenes in a variety of different environments, gather clues and locations in your notebook, and trail suspects. To mix things up, there are bursts of action that involve high-speed car chases and shootouts with gangsters.
The best part is the interrogation though. You sit down with people, interrogate them, and determine based on evidence whether they're telling the truth or lying. Character dialogs are exceptionally well-written and conversations can get rather heated. The graphics are so detailed, in fact, that you can use the interviewee's facial expressions to decide whether or not they're being honest. People will uncomfortably twitch, shift around in their chairs, and and avoid eye contact with you if they're being shady.
I've never seen anything like it. They used a proprietary motion-capture technology to record the minute details of characters' emotions and body language. You really feel like you're drilling into the minds of people, trying to squeeze out of them whatever information you can.
I strongly recommend LA Noire to anyone who's even remotely interested.
It will be a long time before we see another game like this.
