I think there is a problem with Rockstar games or maybe just any story-driven game. They're supposed to have a cinematic feel and have strong narratives like a movie, and in many cases it's successful. However, I don't know about any of you, but I finish all movies in a single sitting but never any games. I'm actually surprised I beat this game so quickly (and kinda disappointed honestly). This game was very engaging. It seems like I play most games in 30-60 minute increments, but I lost track of time the night I started playing this game and estimate almost three hours of play time with no interruptions. The next few days I played it in shorter bursts. Today I got far enough along in the story where I thought "I could be really close to the end" but usually when I start thinking that in games I'm further from the end then I realize, and that the game isn't ending but rather moving on to its final act. Movies have a simple structure, and it's easy to know what the climactic scene is, even if it's anti-climactic. Game narratives are sometimes more disorienting, I played L.A. Noire more today than the last few days because I became really engrossed in the story, but I had no idea that what I was playing through was the final "scene" so to speak. I think it was a fitting end, I just wasn't expecting it to be the very end. So that's my big complaint, that it ended too quickly, OR I just wasn't paying attention enough to know where I was exactly in the story. And if this game has several different outcomes, mine certainly wasn't ideal.
I'll admit I got really sloppy near the end of the game, I was having flashbacks to playing Phoenix Wright and doing even worse in that game. My friend who was further along in the game watched me play some and he noticed several instances where action and dialogue sequences played out differently than when he played through them. I feel like playing through it again but I can't help but feel like I'd just repeat the same mistakes instead of noticing opportunities I missed, because it's not always easy in L.A. Noire to notice that you've fucked up, but when you do it's kinda hard to know exactly why you fucked up.
Is it worth playing through again? Was anybody else disappointed by their ending (I'm assuming there are multiple subtle variations)?
L.A. Noire
Game » consists of 17 releases. Released May 17, 2011
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