YRadio

La Noire is not your usual Rockstar sandbox game, this is something very different, Unlike previous games such as the GTA franchise, LA Noire takes a different stance and sees you sitting on the opposite side of the fence playing as a cop, determined to put right all the wrongs going on on the streets of 1940's Los Angeles.

It would have been a safe assumption that gamers were somewhat concerned that this was going to be another version of a GTA series with a twist. Sure, there are car chases, gunfights, and certain aspects which are similar to GTA games. In some ways Rockstar seem to want to show certain similarities as a way to suggest that this is still one of their games, but in some

sense this is where it ends and LA Noire's unique features shine through.

LA Noire brings something very unique to gaming. Rather than centring the game around complete and uter violence, it has concentrated on your role as your character. As a cop you get to undertake all of the duties which help to solve cases. Such duties consist of searching crime scenes looking for clues and investigating these to aid you later on. Each clue which you find is recorded in a note book to which you can reference to help keep you up to date and steer you in the right direction. This leads onto the breakthrough features of the game. After collecting clues you then have to question suspects to which you use Rockstars new technology MotionScan.

The MotionScan takes character design to a whole new level . When questioning a character on their involvement in crimes a type of interactive cinematic opens up and you enter into a close up view of characters faces. The main key point to the game see's you needing to read the expressions whilst interrogating characters. Rockstar use the MotionScan feature to give you clues to whether a suspect is telling the truth or more often or not hiding the truth. Rockstar achieve this through pure performances from a talented group of actors. Every wrinkle, twitch, downward glance, grimace, and hard swallow is from an actor playing a part, not an animator manipulating things from behind the scenes. It's a striking, sometimes unnerving effect certain to help push video games closer to true cinematic experiences.

Every game comes with not it's so great point. Much like GTA games of the past there comes a point where you begin to feel a degree of repetitiveness. There ar e 26 initial cases to solve (with extras to download from your selected console stores) with some cases lasting for up to an hours time, repeating a process of; find clues, chase bad guys, question suspects, solve case can often feel too similar. And after playing a number of cases you tend to become aware that the game has a certain structure and that even if you get the answers out of all suspects or find all the clues sooner or later you end up at the same point as if you were completely successful But ultimately this doesn't take away the sheer brilliance of the game. Rockstar have created something rather special. With gripping story lines, fighting and gun slinging and a whole new unique aspect from the MotionScan technology, LA Noire is a must try it game.

Overall YRadio Score

84%