Middle Ground

So, The Game Beard has been busy lately doing things that are unfortunately not playing video games. Been moving and traveling and right now, I am currently away from my Xbox and PS3 and I'm so very sad. However, before I left, I did pass what I assume is the halfway point of LA Noire, so I'm going to talk about it.

It's such an interesting game to talk about because it does so many new things. As a concept and an idea, LA Noire is one of the best games I've ever played. In it's execution though, a little is left lacking, kind of like the final coat of paint. As amazing as LA Noire is right now, if they continue to make games in this style and keep fixing small problems, I think we will look back and see that LA Noire is a very flawed game. There are it's obvious flaws, such as horrendous handling with the vehicles, and the acting involved during interrogations can leave you feeling like everyone in 1940's LA suffers from Tourette's, but what I'm mostly talking about are it's underlying flaws. Things that people don't even know they are wrong until they do them differently with the sequel and try to go back and play the original. A good example could be in the way they have you look for clues. Right now, it works well. You traverse the crime scene on foot and the controller gently vibrates when you are near an area you can search. You press the button to check out the item or items, rotate them in your hands or observe them deeper. Any clues you find are jotted down in your police notebook and you move on to the next clues. The game plays some mysterious sounding music while at the crime scene and when you've found all of the clues, the music stops. It is a system that works right now, but I'm sure can be improved upon with a sequel. This is what I'm talking about when I say "flaws". You don't really notice the problem until it is improved with the next game, which I'm sure there will be.

I haven't been immersed in a game like this is a long time. It really sucks you in with it's big-budget acting and excellent story. I literally find myself missing the game while I'm away from it. I got distracted a bit while looking for side items and such, but I am always thinking about what is going to happen next with the story. The characters have realistic and engaging personalities, so you actually care what happens to them. The city itself is alive and just cruising around really brings you to 1940's LA. I've heard people who are from LA make comments about just how accurate it is.

I'll make one more blog post about LA Noire after I finish it and give my final opinions then. Right now though, they are still off the charts. It's the kind of game you can't compare anything to because nothing like it has ever been done before. It's a truly original experience and that is a rarity these days.