L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition - PC (Review)

Another one of Rockstar Games console ports to the PC - L.A.Noire the Complete Edition is a great game barring a few niggles that probably come from porting the game from a console to the PC. Rockstar seem to have made this a habit of releasing games for consoles and then porting them. Read on for my detailed review of the game.

Plot (Rating 5/5)

This has to be the games biggest strength and selling point. This game seems to have pioneered a concept that I hope many follow. The story is centered around the crime scene in the post war 40's Los Angeles, you play detective Cole Phelps a war veteran who has joined the LAPD, as he investigates crimes from car theft to gruesome murders. I'll keep it at that for now since i don't want to leave spoilers for those looking to play the game, but rest assured this is one plot that will leave you thinking about its events for a while after you turn in your badge.

Gameplay (Rating 4.5/5)

The game throws you right into the action from the word go, the tutorial is nicely integrated into the early story, with the hand holding you get in the early investigations. But you find yourself quite alone in the later cases, having to dig through loads of clues, and risking putting the wrong person behind bars.

A large part of the investigation is the interrogations you need to do on suspects and witnesses, each with their own set of personal issues and facts to hide, during these interrogations you get a few options allowing you to decide if it is the truth, doubt or lie, the rest of the investigations are done by looking for clues at suspect homes or crime scenes, this adds a sense of realism and the locations have load of irrelevant junk and clues you may or may not find that will form part of how successful you may or may not be.
In game driving is excellent, and the hundreds of licensed cars are modeled to perfection, adding to the 1940's feel. The game is quite engrossing and keeps you interested till the end like a top rated Hollywood thriller unfolding with you at the lead role controlling every event.

Graphics (Rating 3/5)

This is the game's weakest spot, as far at the PC version goes, and it needs a tweak in the launcher options to work better (which I will cover in my next post). The game suffers from occasional lag and out of sync speech, bit still quite bearable and the games pro's out weigh its cons in the performance. However the developers have done a great job in the facial expressions of the characters. (which form part of your decision making during an investigation) the attention to detail in the facial expressions is worth mentioning.

Audio (Rating 5/5)

The dynamic soundtrack is well knit into the story line and adds to the experience, voice acting is top notch, and feels like a top rated Hollywood flick.

Summary (Overall Rating 4/5)

If you have access to a console I'd recommend it over the PC version, however if not this is still well worth the time and money, it does have allot to keep you interested. This is not your typical GTA but it brings something new to the table which should form a new genre in itself. The game has a very tight story line, which is largely influenced by decisions you make, it will certainly go in my library of classics.