LA Noire

**Diff-chan** · 13 May 2011, 03:59 PM

Will definitely not buy. If I want to watch a movie I'll watch a movie.

**cigsthecat** · 13 May 2011, 04:38 PM

Guardian review is no longer online. Lame.

The detective stuff is going to get me. That aspect of it sounds really great. I hope I can drag random civilians off the street and interrogate them.

**Drewbacca** · 13 May 2011, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by Frogacuda

When the game itself is imitating the medium of films, why is this not an apt comparison?

The story is well told is really the point they're trying to make. Just say that and explain to me why in detail like any critic would. Constantly relating it to movies/TV is such a tell-tale inferior-complex position to take. Video games are video games. The movies they're choosing to use aren't even Noire pieces, which would directly relate to the style of story telling being used here. LA Noire is no more the Citizen Kane of video games than Citizen Kane is the Raft of the Medusa of movies. I guess I'm just fatigued on that style of apologetic video game writing. The second reviewer (Xbox Mag?) seems to even be self aware. Saying "he doesn't want to be one of those guys" or something along those lines. And then goes ahead and writes as one of those guys. Anyway I don't want this thread to revolve around video game journalism.

The game looks amazing. I'm happy to see the favorable reviews indicate a worthwhile experience on the horizon for me and I will give it a definite buy by the sounds of it.

Originally Posted by cigsthecat

Guardian review is no longer online. Lame.

The detective stuff is going to get me. That aspect of it sounds really great. I hope I can drag random civilians off the street and interrogate them.

Honestly I love the whole "find clues, make sense of it" style the game is going for. It also helps you paint the story and explore in a natural setting. This has me the most excited about the whole affair.

**YellerDog** · 13 May 2011, 05:05 PM

Say what you will, but that book reads exactly like a movie.

**Frogacuda** · 13 May 2011, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

The story is well told is really the point they're trying to make. Just say that and explain to me why in detail like any critic would. Constantly relating it to movies/TV is such a tell-tale inferior-complex position to take. Video games are video games. The movies they're choosing to use aren't even Noire pieces, which would directly relate to the style of story telling being used here. LA Noire is no more the Citizen Kane of video games than Citizen Kane is the Raft of the Medusa of movies. I guess I'm just fatigued on that style of apologetic video game writing. The second reviewer (Xbox Mag?) seems to even be self aware. Saying "he doesn't want to be one of those guys" or something along those lines. And then goes ahead and writes as one of those guys. Anyway I don't want this thread to revolve around video game journalism.

But of course people imply that real-time game graphics are rarely able to achieve kind of subtlety and humanity that real people can on film. I don't think they're implying games are an inferior art form, but rather that it is one that has certain obstacles that are harder to overcome in games than in other media. It's not an inferiority complex it's just acknowledging the challenges of the medium.

Pretty excited for this, something about it gives me warm feelings of Tex Murphy games, even though it's pretty different.

Originally Posted by Diff-chan

Will definitely not buy. If I want to watch a movie I'll watch a movie.

Only Diff could take articles praising the attention to detail and acting and turn them into a bad thing.

It's not like anyone's saying it plays like a movie, just that it shares the kind of rich character development, plot, and certain visual qualities.

**MechDeus** · 13 May 2011, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

The movies they're choosing to use aren't even Noire pieces, which would directly relate to the style of story telling being used here. LA Noire is no more the Citizen Kane of video games than Citizen Kane is the Raft of the Medusa of movies.

Citizen Kane is a movie that is famous because its style of storytelling and directing basically redefined the way movies were made. If the writer is trying to make a statement about the way L.A. Noire handles the story segments compared to standard videogames it's an apt comparison that has nothing to do with whether or not Citizen Kane is film noir.

**Mzo** · 14 May 2011, 05:34 AM

Never in my 20 year history of gaming have I encountered a game with as much finesse, intelligence, and attention to detail as L.A Noire, and for that I applaud L.A Noire.

Writing L.A. Noire twice in a row looks so dumb; should've left the first one out.

I think the problem comes from trying to convey human emotions from a photo realistic character because the uncanny valley hits people so hard. Animated features use simplified versions of humans (or anthropomorphic animals, objects, etc) to convey emotion just as well. Give me a good aesthetic over realism in my video games any day.