AdzPearson

If anyone out there doesn't have them already (which is entirely possible...), I have one copy each of Half-Life 2 and Episode One to give away. I've had spares since I bought the Orange Box (AGES ago). I'm not after anything in return, so just let me know if you want them.

Update: Gone.

Neh, doesn't really interest me. I guess it can be pretty exciting to do (there has to be reason why stores keep on doing it)...but because pre-orders exist, I don't really see the point of it. Heck, you can even pre-order games online and possibly get them a day early.

...and seeing as the nearest game shop is about 20 miles away, it's not really practical for me...

I'd like to see more depth with regards to radiation and how it effects you (going on the old 'radiation gives you super powers!' way of thinking). They could do it in a similar vein to the way Skyrim handled shouts and other powers. That could be pretty fun. Of course, there'd need to be drawbacks.

I remember really looking forward to GTA: San Andreas. So much, in fact, that I waited for hours for a 10 minute gameplay video to download. Bear in mind that I only had 56k at the time, so it took a fair while. That's how dedicated I was to getting anything I could about the game. For me, it was certainly worth the wait. Can't remember the last time I've been that hyped up about a game.

@Cathryn: I'm not usually into murder investigation fiction (which is probably why I didn't do particularly well with the face reading), but I thoroughly enjoyed LA Noire. I think it shows how far games can go with the right tech and ideas. There's definitely a lot I like about 'Noir'-style fiction, though. I especially like the dry humour it's known for (Sin City and the Max Payne games use it to great effect).

If there isn't a sequel, I just hope there's another game with similar mechanics. I'm sure other studios will take note of what Team Bondi achieved. Of course, they're working on something else, so it will interesting to see if they reuse anything from LA Noire. I'm also looking forward to see what Quantic Dream have up their sleeves for Beyond: Two Souls. I'm not sure if their focus on filmic elements with simple gameplay is the ultimate answer, but it definitely raises some useful questions.

...I heard Koudelka was in this topic, so I had to jump in. :D

I bought it a while back. Only played a bit, but it was certainly an interesting game. I liked the battle system. I remember having a bit of a problem with the voice acting, though (since when do the Welsh talk with American accents? ;D). The very fact that the game is set in Aberystwyth (a town I'm familiar with, being from Wales) peaked my interest. I definitely want to give it a good crack one day. I completed the sequel, Shadow Hearts, not long ago.

That Trapt game sounds pretty cool, if a bit problematic. Might check it out at some point.

Great idea for a blog series. Hope you stick with it.

Story

The game takes place in late-1940s Los Angeles. You play as Cole Phelps, a police officer with World War 2 experience. He starts off as a patrolman, but it doesn't take long for him to be promoted to Detective. While you initially work in the 'Traffic' department, you get switched to other departments when the time is right.

The story is broken up into cases. Along with focusing on the case at hand, you also get to learn about a bit more about Cole, his partner and the other characters involved with the case. All the characters feel human. This is down to a mixture of good writing and the face-tracking hardware they decided to use. Between cases, you'll also get filled in with Cole's past during World War 2. Each intermission shows a short flashback from his time in the army, which eventually creates a bigger picture. They're worth paying attention to.

The game deals with a lot of subjects that most games would be scared of even touching, which I applaud them for. I really liked the boundaries they pushed. I'll leave you to find out what I mean by that...

Gameplay

The game is set in an open world, much like Rockstar's other big hits. You're able to explore a slightly changed version of 1940s Los Angeles. While the map is apparently very accurate to LA at the time, some of the names have been changed. It doesn't have the interactivity of GTA or Red Dead, but it doesn't fall short of the detail you'd expect. If driving around isn't your thing, you can ask your partner to drive to locations of interest (and you won't miss any conversations).

As mentioned before, the game is split up into cases. At the start of each case, you'll need to investigate the evidence at the scene. New clues are pointed out with a sound effect and the controller rumbling. Not everything in the scene pertains to the case, but it's clear which items are whenever you discover them. You'll also need to acquire some information via telephone. It's in your best interest to find as many clues as possible. Some clues are very important, as they can be later used against a suspect.

Another key part of the game is interviewing witnesses and suspects. This is where facial expressions and body language come into play. You can ask people certain questions that relate to the investigation. Once they've given their answer, you can decide to take it as the truth or push them for a truthful answer. You can also accuse them of outright lying, but you'll need solid evidence. If you annoy the interviewee too much, they'll refuse to talk to you any further. It's all a case of looking at them, then making a decision based on their movements. Some people are very easy to read, while others require a bit more effort. I had a lot of trouble with it, I won't lie. I had to really think hard when it came to that part. Still, it was pretty satisfying whenever I got the correct answer.

Some investigations require more elaborate puzzle solving. An early case sees you assembling a device together, for example. I enjoyed the puzzles like that, as they provided a bit of variety from the standard investigation routine.

Aside from investigating, you'll often be required to deal with situations typical of the GTA games. These include gunfights, chasing down a suspect on foot or in a car, brawling and tailing a suspect. They add a nice element of action to the game and makes it feel like a crime thriller of the era.

While you're doing a case, you'll also get a chance to respond to dispatch calls. These are little extra missions made up of gameplay you'll encounter during the main cases. For example, you may be expected to chase down a criminal or neutralise a gunfight. Admittedly, I only did two of them during my playthrough, but they seem alright if you want to get a bit extra out of the game.

In some ways, LA Noire is a bit like Heavy Rain. While the gameplay is a lot more involved, it's possible to carry on with the story if you mess up with parts of the investigation. Of course, it's ideal to pick up all the clues and get as much as you can from interviews, but you can still go forward. You only have to restart a segment if you lose a fistfight, get shot down, fail to catch a suspect on the run or fail to escape a dangerous situation. While your decisions have an effect on the case at hand, don't expect them to change the overall story.

Presentation

The attention to detail is pretty much what you'd expect from Rockstar's pedigree. The world is well-realised and the accompanying soundtrack suits the era to a tee. It's obvious they did a great amount of research into the era and material based around it.

The game makes spectacular use of face-tracking hardware. While it's not photo-realistic, it definitely adds an extra layer of depth that most games don't have. The facial expressions look extremely convincing. Upon completing the game, I looked up the cast and I was able to say 'Oh! He was that guy!' just by looking at their stock photo. Can't wait to see what the next-generation of consoles has in store for the techology...

As much the game focuses on believability, the AI sometimes reminds you that it's just a game. During a chase scene, the suspect kept bumping into people and falling to the ground. Due to it being scripted, I was unable to apprehend him even though he had clearly stopped. Sure enough, he was able to run further. Your partner also tends to crash the car whenever you ask him to drive, which looks a bit silly while you're discussing the case with him. It's unfortunate, but understandable.

Perhaps my only general complaint about the presentation is the lack of noir-style narration. This is actually present early in the game, but it doesn't last very long. It would have been nice if they threw in a bit more. Just a minor complaint, though.

Conclusion

I'd been meaning to play LA Noire for a while...and it didn't disappoint. Rockstar really know how to put games together. I really hope there's a follow up to it. Seeing how well-received it was, I'd be very surprised if there isn't. If you're a fan of crime-solving fiction or you're just curious about the unique gameplay features, LA Noire is well worth your time.

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Other Stuff

As promised, my next game will be Timeshift. Not expecting fireworks from it, but we'll see. From what little I've played so far, it's playable. It also has some nice graphics. The time control stuff seems a bit fiddly, but it's pretty cool. Maybe I'll get used to it in time (no pun intended).

I SHOULD be able to start FFIV if I complete Timeshift in a reasonable amount of time (again, no pun intended...). I'm supposed to be visiting my brother around Xmas, so I'm not sure how much time I'd have for it up there. He's not a big RPG fan, so I'd rather just play stuff we'd both be interested in (mainly action titles). My last FF game, V, took around a month to complete, so I'm pretty hopeful about getting it out of the way before then. I'll keep you posted on the situation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Can't see it being too long before the next entry.

Football Manager (or World Soccer Manager, whatever you want to call it). If I'm in the right mood for it, that can be a deadly time-sink for me... XD It's easy for me to get carried away, especially when my team is doing well.

For me, it's Evil Dead 2 (which you can probably guess from my avatar). It had me in hysterics which I first watched it and that hasn't changed. I like the tongue-in-cheek horror in it. I also like Army of Darkness, but I don't think its brand of humour worked as well as the humour in 2. It's like they tried a bit too hard.

My blogs have been appearing thick and fast lately. There WILL be a bigger break between this and my next one (due to the game I'll be playing).

Story

The game acts a sequel to Hard Boiled, John Woo's action film from 1992. You play as Tequila (Chow Yun Fat), a renegade cop in Hong Kong. The game starts with Tequila knowingly walking into a trap. He hopes to save a police officer, but it doesn't take long for him to find out he's already been executed. He then walks further out of line by deciding to take down some drug labs without official permission. However, things quickly start to get a lot more personal...

The story is pretty typical of an action film (John Woo seemed to have a lot of input with it). It's not particularly sophisticated, but it does the job. However, I feel it suffers because of the slow pacing early in the game. I found it very hard to get into the story due to the gaps between cut-scenes. I'll explain why in the 'gameplay' section. Also, a lot of the early scenes seemed a bit of all over the place. At any rate, the story was never going to win any awards.

I'm not sure if watching Hard Boiled would have helped me to get into the story more. I'd like to watch it at some point, as I hear it's pretty good (even had some special effects later used in The Matrix).

Gameplay

Stranglehold is a 3rd Person Shooter. If you're familiar with Max Payne, it plays a lot like that. As well as normally shooting people, you can also slow down time to take down enemies in style. There are plenty of objects in the environments to pull off some very stylish kills. You get a variety of weapons throughout the game, such as assault rifles, shotguns and submachine guns.

Unfortunately, the 'bullet-time' (or Tequila-time, as it's known in the game) doesn't always work as you'd like it to. Time usually slows down automatically when you dive while targeting an enemy, but it sometimes fails to activate (even if the meter is still full). This usually occurs with enemies who are slightly hidden behind cover. 'Tequila-time' can be activated manually with the RB button, but it's still frustrating when you get shot to pieces because of it not behaving like it should.

In addition to slowing down time, you also get 'Tequila bombs', which are abilities you can activate with the D-Pad. The Tequila bomb meter fills up as you kill enemies. It fills up quicker if you chain a lot of stylish kills. You can also replenish it a bit with paper cranes that appear throughout the stages. Not all of the abilities are unlocked at the start, but they all appear pretty early in the game. The first ability gives you a little bit of health. The second is 'Precision Aim', which allows you to one-shot kill enemies from a distance. The third is 'Barrage', which gives you unlimited ammo for a short period of time. You're also invulnerable for the duration of it. The last is 'Spin Attack', which kills all of the enemies around you (as well as making doves appear, which is a reference to a scene in 'Hard Boiled').

Early in the game, the level design isn't great. I spent a lot of time going back and forth not knowing how to advance. This is down to the game not being terribly clear about things. In one of the stages, I got really frustrated with it. I eventually found out I had to shoot a very obscured barrel to create a path. Shootable objects are usually marked with a glint...but even the glint was barely visible! As a result of things like this, I think the pacing of the game suffered. Thankfully, the level design gets a lot better as the game goes on. It makes you wonder if they just got to grips on things later in development and didn't make any tweaks to the early stages.

Presentation

Graphically, it's a bit mixed. I seem to remember it looking pretty good when it originally came out. However, it hasn't aged particularly well. Don't get me wrong; some of the scenes look fine. There's a nice moody scene with rain that looks really nice. While the characters models are alright most of the time, the faces look a bit weird in some parts. I'm not sure if it's just a case of the textures loading (it's the Unreal 3 Engine, after all).

Conclusion

Stranglehold doesn't really have anything special going for it. I would say it's worth it if you're looking for a cheap game to kill some time with, but it's hard to recommend when better games are around the same price now. It's not terrible, but it's not great either. If there wasn't some degree of fun to it, I would have just stopped playing.

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What's next?

I recently managed to get hold of LA Noire and Timeshift for about £12 together. I'll be playing LA Noire first, as I've been meaning to play it for a while. I've seen and heard great things. As for Timeshift, I'm curious about it. It seems to have mixed reviews, but I remember it being recommended in my 'Time Travel' blog a while back. At £3, I won't have too much of a problem if it's not that great.

After those two, DEPENDING on how I feel....I might go for another JRPG. Strongly considering Final Fantasy IV at the moment. I'll see...

...and if you've been looking at my profile lately, you would have seen that I've played a bit of Sleeping Dogs. My brother is down for a visit, so we've been playing a bit of that together. I'm not likely to complete it before he goes back, but I plan to borrow it off him in January, so I'll be covering it early next year.

Other Plans

Towards the end of the year, I'll probably do a special blog where I'll look back on the games I've completed. I'll also talk about the games I'll want to get my hands on in 2013 (upcoming releases and old). I might throw in some 'awards', too. It could turn out to be a pretty lengthy blog.

As always, thanks for reading. Another blog in a few weeks or so, I reckon.