L.A. Noire (PS3)

93%
reviews
'Despite how accurate it looks and feels for the time period, it still ends up being little more than a 3D cardboard cut-out most of the time. Also, while the detective aspect is pretty well realized, all of the action sequences I was involved in felt far too planned out, and eliminating any sort of random element from them makes them a little too sterile for my taste.'
Read more » Gaming Age
'L.A. Noire is slow but quietly engrossing; its mechanics are suspect, but you can't fault the ambition, attention to detail and commitment that went into its making. It risks stumbling over its own earnestness at times, but it's saved by its star – and I don't mean Staton, who does his best with a dry character. That star is Los Angeles.'
Read more » Eurogamer
'For all the attention to detail and convincing immersion during the investigation and questioning-the bulk of the main storyline-there are inevitable moments that pull you back out. You'll earn experience as you do well, which pops up on the side of the screen to indicate how close you are to your next rank. There's nothing like virtual points adding to an arbitrary numbered rank to remind you that you're playing a video game.'
Read more » GameRevolution
'L.A. Noire may not reach the emotional heights of a game like Heavy Rain, but it's something everyone must try out. It reaches high and almost succeeds as a brilliant new type of video game narrative.'
Read more » IGN
'At times, L.A. Noire is one of the most vivid, gripping game experiences I've had. Other times, it can be plain boring. As in much noir fiction, the truth lies in the gray area between those two extremes. It's an adventure I won't soon forget, filled with characters as fascinating as they are flawed – a bit like the game itself.'
Read more » GameInformer
'Like many of the fictional detectives of the era, LA Noire is flawed, but it gets the job done. More importantly, if leaves you hoping for more adventures.'
Read more » Gaming Target
'L.A. Noire's absorbing investigations and intoxicating sense of style make it an unforgettable journey through the seamy side of the City of Angels.'
Read more » Gamespot
'Add that sense of uniqueness and intelligence to the fact that L.A. Noire is a terrific bloody videogame, and you have what is guaranteed to be a classic for years to come. True maturity and narrative depth in mainstream gaming begins right here.'
Read more » Destructoid
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'It's good to see the company broaden its horizons more and more; L.A. Noire plays its tropes well, and it's a fine exploration of the crime-adventure genre's flip side.'
Read more » Gamespy
'L.A. Noire offers an experience that will not be quickly forgotten with a cast of characters that will be remembered fondly after the credits roll.'
Read more » Extreme Gamer
'LA Noire floors you out of the gate, loses some steam due to repetition, but eventually wins the day thanks to its subtlety, attention to detail, and stunning character interaction. It has a certain level of class to it and sets a new standard for storytelling in video games, but it's also a bit limited compared to its contemporaries.'
Read more » GameTrailers
'Los Angeles is the perfect playground for all the freaks, creeps, thugs, and murderers you could want to see in a morally ambiguous game, and Noire doesn't pull any punches with its blunt and often graphic depiction. L.A. Noire isn't a perfect game, but it does represent a new benchmark both for realism in the medium as well as for the adventure genre.'
Read more » Cheat Code Central
'There's something entrancing about the way this game plunges you into the violence, the corruption, and the sadness of post-war Los Angeles. Each of the four major desks has a remarkably different tone, and while the slow reveal of Phelps himself is the major narrative thread, it's equally true to say the dark heart of the city itself is an equally important protagonist.'
Read more » Video Gamer (Pro-G)
'This is vastly different from the countless first- and third-person shooters and all the "me too" open-world games sitting on store shelves. All the things I've only read about in Dashiell Hammett novels, or seen in film classics like Double Indemnity, have all come to interactive life in L.A. Noire.'
Read more » 1up.com
'L.A. Noire is a bold release, because it defies the expectations not just for the type of game Rockstar usually releases, but also for the type of game that receives this degree of care and proficiency in its execution. The world already has enough open-world action games, but a game which marries that open world to such a methodical style of gameplay, with a budget this big, is a rare thing indeed.'
Read more » Giant Bomb
'A defining moment in video games on this generation, and more than just because of its use of MotionScan technology. The free-roaming genre has become a little stale in recent years, yet LA Noire manages to inject a renewed sense of vigour to the scene and capably demonstrates that video games don't have to be just about your trigger skills.'
Read more » Total Video Games
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