When, for the first time, these faces were discovered, often known to lovers of American films and TV series, shouting with truth, and this neat 40s atmosphere, LA Noire was quickly propelled up the ranking of the most anticipated games of the writing. Its rich digested history, is it really necessary to see the first step of an announced revolution?
As well to say it clearly: LA Noire will remain a title marking for the video game, as its advances in the capture of performance are not only visually impressive, but particularly interesting from the point of view playful or narrative. After that, it does not make it a perfect title, neither from this point of view, nor from others, but everyone knows it: the big steps towards the summits count almost as much as its reaching. Especially when you do so much at once.
The disturbing valley
The "danger" of anthropomorphic realism is Masahiro Mori , Japanese roboticist, who put a name on it. This is the Uncanny Valley , or " disturbing valley ""in French, which theorizes simply that as Man manages to create artificial beings in his image, more and more realistic, small imperfections become more and more monstrous for many, who would more easily accept robots clearly In fact, this theory concerning robotics is also true, to a certain extent, for computer-generated imagery, in particular that of our video games, limited to made by the power of the machines they turn on How many times have we turned a blind eye to animations that are out of sync with the visual quality we were spectators? How many times did we kill when non-players told us "but,it looks like nothing your character, there ", while we saw the most realistic heroes? The importance of the face, the look, the fluidity of movement is a secret for any game creator focused on a treatment realistic visual.LA Noire takes the case considerably further, by virtualizing much better than anyone the faces of true actors of stature, but especially by integrating in the heart of its gameplay this technology. That's how Team Bondi , creator of the title, has confidence in its technology. Was she right? In my opinion yes. We went out of the valley.
All crimes are human
As Cole Phelps (Aaron Staton), the player, perhaps for the first time, will slip into the role of a real detective. Who will, moreover, have to investigate the crimes of a city with a thousand demons, at the heart of which some consider that hides the Devil itself, even if it is called the city of the Angels , Los Angeles. And since there are men behind every crime, it is difficult to consider investigations without a huge amount of human interaction. In terms of video games the challenge is huge: there have been similar elements in several adventure games, some pretty amazing titles in terms of face simulation, but nothing, I mean nothing, does not reach what proposes LA Noireon this point. During the twenty or so cases that will fail in Phelps' various offices (from traffic to arson, crime and the mob brigade), a huge proportion of investigations will be based on interrogations. Witnesses as suspects are mines of information, but also of narration. The cast of actors is simply breathtaking, and for the first time in a video game, recognize so many faces (and voices) known, from major film or TV productions (in bulk Mad Men , The Lord of the Rings , 24 Times , Dexter , Sons of Anarchy , Dr. House , The Shield ,Lost , LA Confidential , etc.) changes the game. So if all do not make a perfect illusion, if sometimes some animated faces are a bit out of sync with the gestures of the body, if it is true that the eyes sometimes have a flagrant lack of life, that it can sometimes seem a bit overplayed , all these actors and actresses give to LA Noire a credibility out of norm that, fortunately, the aspect scriptwriting does not diminish in any way.
From thread to needle
The work of a police officer is almost always a treasure hunt, and very often ungrateful. The game of Rockstar thus approaches the idea we have of it: that of a difficult job of clearing a complex truth, in which we advance step by step, slowly, and carefully. We come out of LA Noirewith the paranometer at 200. After more than 250 clues picked up and almost as many questions asked, during more than 20 hours of play, impossible to stay unscathed. There is not one to catch the other. Most witnesses do at least a little bit of information withholding on certain issues, while suspects piped happily on all floors. Even if they are not necessarily guilty ... But here, even having spent the crime scenes and various places of importance with a fine comb, interrogations are not necessarily won. We must think carefully about what the respondents said, the accumulated evidence, and the evidence, because as soon as he is accused of lying, a witness or a suspect will need to be told the evidence under his nose to confess. If we do not No or no mistake, he will steer and rebel, sometimes making us miss some crucial info. Same if you put him a little in doubt, to go fishing, while he is telling the truth. As business and clues, rather quickly, become more complicated than at the beginning of the game, so you have to rely on their expressions. There is no doubt about it: fleeing glances or close swallows betray stress, the smirk and the eyes away from yours are often signs of confidence in his lie. But not always ! become more complicated than at the beginning of the game, so you have to rely on their expressions. There is no doubt about it: fleeing glances or close swallowing betray stress, the smirk and the eyes away from yours are often signs of confidence in his lie. But not always ! become more complicated than at the beginning of the game, so you have to rely on their expressions. There is no doubt about it: fleeing glances or close swallowing betray stress, the smirk and the eyes away from yours are often signs of confidence in his lie. But not always!
You do not pip a little, you?
Although it is often easy to know what attitude to adopt depending on the interviewee's expressions, doubt is still there. Because in the pile, there are one or two good liars, who betray nothing, some stressed in life who sweat even if they have nothing to reproach themselves, or, quite simply, an absence of evidence to confuse a suspect. It is very difficult to finish LA Noirehaving chosen the right attitude to 100% for all questions of interrogations of the game ... in any case the first time. But no worries! We are, this time, far from this classic code of the video game of "all succeed". Because even if the base player is very tempted to start again as soon as he hears the chime signaling the choice of a bad option, in reality, it is by doing his job badly that we most often discover the alternative paths of The black. In other words, failure is not always penalizing for those who like to discover. Spell too many clues or questions in an interrogation, and you may be experiencing some other elements that the genius investigator will never see. The game catches up a bit, and if it turns out to be more linear than expected, it should happen to you sometimes to close a deal by discovering, under your ranking of investigator (from 1 to 5 stars), in the "Notes" box, information on what you might have seen, did you arrive earlier at such a place, or ask another witness first. Because all in all, it's pretty easy to miss things...
Take the braid
As you go, the player accumulates experience points. Each level passed (maximum 20) allows to unlock alternative costumes, or points of intuition. These can easily reveal clues or eliminate a choice during an interview, and you should not hesitate to use them sometimes. We can also consult the community through the Rockstar Social Club, and see how players have reacted in majority to this or that question. But, overall, LA Noireis not too difficult. A little jazzy music indicates the presence of clues, piano notes and a vibration signal when they are under our noses. The music stops when we have found everything. Fortunately, these options are disabled for those who wish to play in hardcore mode, without any help ... and for the atmosphere, it is even possible to play the game in black & white. Finally, with each teammate, the most lost can always seek advice and be pointed in the right direction; an option, again, but all this is necessary, because, fortunately, you will learn quickly that crime, and since many are absolutely not fictitious (the team bought all the dailies of 1947 for the sake of realism of business), disentangling them effectively without these aids becomes very difficult. AND if you ask yourself the question: yes, it will be quite possible for you to charge the wrong suspect ... without game over.
Spinning, chases, shootings ... the routine
I was a little afraid of failed action scenes. In fact, they are not very bright it's true, but they are rather successful. Many suspects start to flee, it will continue. Some, violent, can be shot, or stopped alive from a shot in the air if they can be held long enough (a small gauge fills around the reticle) as they take their legs to their feet. neck. Others will be grounded if caught effectively. Whatever happens, you're going to cavort a lot in LA Noire. Similarly, the 40 crimes that can appear spontaneously in the city are almost always a shooting and bags with stiffness. The bare hand fights are coming, too. A trigger to hold down to face his opponent, a button to dodge, another to hit, a third to enter: it's basic, but it does its duty. The exchanges of shots, they are a little more interesting thanks to a system of correct coverage. But the most fun remains in my opinion the pursuit of heavy cars of the time. However, overall, these recurring aspects of cop work remain a bit repetitive, because they are not as exhilarating as the rest, the heart of the game Fortunately, there are several very unique scenes exist, anchored in a particular case or a precise place, to vary here and there the action, and Team Bondi thought of those who prefer the investigation especially or struggle to pass these sequences by allowing them to zap. Finally, the open city aspect remains quite under-exploited, a bit like aMafia II . There are hidden cars to flush out, reels to find, that kind of stuff. Identifying monuments of the city will better cross a particular sequence in the form of treasure hunt, but does not offer a very fun activity. On the other hand, during surveys, newspapers hang around here and there, triggering cutscenes that are very important for understanding the overall scenario and central characters. Because if each case seems separate at first, we do not cross all these departments of police without recrossing important personalities of the city, its politics, its corruption, its criminal milieu ... and for once, the The whole is beautifully put together.
When everything is drawing
The scenario and the global narrative of LA Noireare of a very high standard. First of all, dialogues, an important part of the whole, enjoy a certain maturity, both in the writing itself and in the restored impression of the singular epoch described by the universe. more delivered, it has been said, by a gold casting. Non-Anglophiles will have to suffer French subtitles, but this is the price to pay for this non-standard interpretation. As you progress, between each looped folder, flashbacks put up the pieces of the puzzle of a larger story. We discover Cole's past at the time of the war, but also his fellow soldiers some of whom will re-cross his path in various circumstances. And in the end, past half of the game, it emerges little by little a more global narrative arc, which spices up the stories of each crime of additional complexity and resolutely delicious to discover. Gradually, we find ourselves living a real story rather than many small, and the transition is conducted masterfully. When all the affairs of a department have been closed, we can also replay them, of course (sometimes to discover new things), or to embark on a special mode to unlock crimes by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. an additional complexity and resolutely delicious to discover. Gradually, we find ourselves living a real story rather than many small, and the transition is conducted masterfully. When all the affairs of a department have been closed, we can also replay them, of course (sometimes to discover new things), or to embark on a special mode to unlock crimes by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. an additional complexity and resolutely delicious to discover. Gradually, we find ourselves living a real story rather than many small, and the transition is conducted masterfully. When all the affairs of a department have been closed, we can also replay them, of course (sometimes to discover new things), or to embark on a special mode to unlock crimes by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. we thus find ourselves living a real story rather than a few small ones, and the transition is carried out masterfully. When all the affairs of a department have been closed, we can also replay them, of course (sometimes to discover new things), or to embark on a special mode to unlock crimes by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. we thus find ourselves living a real story rather than a few small ones, and the transition is carried out masterfully. When all the affairs of a department have been closed, we can also replay them, of course (sometimes to discover new things), or to embark on a special mode to unlock crimes by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. or embark on a special mode to unlock crime by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay. or embark on a special mode to unlock crime by patrolling the city. There is in Cole Phelps' story, and the last straight line, all that is expected of a game from the Rockstar label: the feeling of playing a human adventure. Perhaps even more than in others, so much the LA Noire human is at the heart of the gameplay.
In the end, you have to play LA Noire for its strengths, of course: a beautifully crafted scenario, which reveals its smooth scale, the real sense of inquiry that arises from the two-headed gameplay of index fishing and interrogations, and 'thunderous advance that represents the extensive transcription of the game of actors in all this. The formula probably deserves more refinement, but the precedent that it sets gives to dream. It would have been necessary for example to allow the player to call the central at any time, and not only when it is useful, or to envisage branches a little more numerous in the course of an investigation, but one holds there a vein that it would be criminal not to exploit. To play, undoubtedly.
LA Noire represents a breakthrough in adventure games, and especially in investigation. We believe it. Beyond the technology, imperfect but nevertheless bluffing, it is a brilliant example of exploitation of the talent of the actors and the human factor in a gameplay. With a chiseled handwriting, a beautifully crafted intrigue, and a neat atmosphere, we can only forgive her the few remaining weaknesses, as her fundamental ingredients are well woven together. A title that will be remembered.
| WE LIKE | WE DO NOT LIKE |
|---|---|
| * Narration and the overall scenario | * Léger syndrome "Uncanny Valley" |
| * A real investigative game | * More linear than we think |
| * Errors change the game | * Some repetitive elements |
| * Atmosphere, universe | * Ancillary activities without great interest |
| * True acting game | * A very slight overplayed side |
1-6 IMAGECREDIT
THANKS FOR READING, ALSO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS TEST ON Test: Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Love this game LA Julius!
Thanks LA, @harj
Thank you Juliusfatai!, did you like my last art post "indiffrence" what you think ? great to get your interpretion! : )