Be a detective with the new LA Noire

Set in LA in 1947, LA Noire is a detective video game in which you are tasked with solving cases as you rise up the ranks of the LAPD. Originally released in 2011, aremaster of the game is now available on PS4 and Xbox One, along with a version specifically designed for the Nintendo Switch.

Playing as Cole Phelps, you will solve over a dozen cases ranging from serial murders to arson. You will be spending most of your time examining dead bodies and objects in order to find clues, as well as interrogating key suspects before finally convincing the murderer to confess. You will also find yourself in plenty of police chases, fist fights and shootouts.

While interrogating, you will be given three options as a response and selecting the correct answers is crucial as it is indeed possible to sentence an innocent person. Select Good Cop and Cole will act sympathetic, encouraging the witness to remember any detail. You can try to startle them by selecting Bad Cop, which is best used when you feel the person is hiding something but don’t have enough clues to prove it. If you feel like the person you are interrogating is lying, you can accuse them after which you must provide evidence to support your claim.  

The characters in LA Noire are absolutely the stars of the show. Watching their complex motives play out as they try to tell you the truth of what happened or straight up lie is compelling. The reactions and dialogue feel authentic, which makes these characters and their stories all the more believable. The main cast is also well written, which makes playing through even the more boring cases engaging.

The shooting, on the other hand, was not great at launch and it is still isn’t up to the standard. The game is also missing QOL features such as a navigation line while driving. LA Noire is sadly not at par with other remasters in two crucial areas — graphics and performance. Other re-releases either came out earlier in the generation or had massive upgrades in both asset quality and performance.The image on screen is painfully bland, especially at night.

LA Noire definitely hasn’t aged well and got released far too late into this generation. The barren open world, frustrating controls, poor shooting and dated art style mask the attempt it makes to provide a unique detective game. The ideas and concepts behind the game are novel, but this remaster is hard to recommend unless you never got to play the original.