Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto (1997)

Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)

Grand Theft Auto III (2001) 6/10

Max Payne (2001)

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) 6/10

Max Payne 2 (2003)

Manhunt (2003)

Red Dead Revolver (2004) 5/10

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) 6.5/10

The Warriors (2005)

Bully (2006) 6/10

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) 6.5/10

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009) 5.5/10

Red Dead Redemption (2010) 7/10

L.A. Noire (2011) 6.5/10

Max Payne 3 (2012)

Grand Theft Auto V (2013) 

Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

   Deviating from their tired formula of the gritty third-person sandbox crime series Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games released LA Noire to introduce a more linear DIA experience putting players in the shoes of the fuzz rather than the criminal; presented in a setting that borrows from the American late 1940s culture of crooked cop stories and "noire" cinema. 

   More differences compared to the GTA series includes a greater variety of what's required for the player to progress mission-to-mission: you do more than simply run around the city stealing cars, boats and planes while shooting stuff. As a police detective, there are crime scenes to scrutinize for evidence and suspects/witnesses to interrogate for further information on the case. The game boasts an original feature for the latter duty -- the interrogations -- which is to actually examine the speaker's face to determine if they are lying or telling the truth. 

   This part of the game was implemented with MotionScan, a process of recording an actor's face mid-performance then reanimating those expressions digitally. The novelty of this concept is mostly executed well, although there are some bad cases of exaggerated "lie" faces like this: [link]

   Alas, there was clearly less effort put into designing every other aspect of the game. There is the routine of finding clues at crime scenes, done by walking around hunting for alerts of interactive objects that might be evidence. (Though there are a few duds as if to "add challenge" to the search, which really just wastes your time.) 

   Driving around the game's city feels more restrictive now that you can't run over pedestrians, and are penalized for damaging other people's property; although you can still "confiscate" other citizens' cars for the sake of supporting your local police force... heh-heh.

   The writers of LA Noire were determined to make the majority of scenes unpleasant  -- note the dialogue's biting quips, obscene swearing, and uncomfortable pleading from the criminals -- supposedly to keep the tone of the game "serious"; but I can't respect a "serious" story if the characters don't mean much to me. Our dry protagonist Cole Phelps is a pretty sociopathic veteran of World War II (a fact about him covered by confused, irrelevant or uninteresting flashbacks) who never develops as a character even to his abruptly-written death. (Which was further disappointing with his lousy funeral.)

   But perhaps the tasteless characters are a part of capturing the sick cynicism involved with the "noire" culture. After all, LA Noire follows through with the rest of the distinctive "noire" qualities perfectly; from the flickering fluorescent lights on the title screen to the randy automobiles and sharp outfits of every character. The DIA has the shadowy lighting, a soundtrack of coffee jazz, a poetic abundance of injustice, even an on-screen typewriter spelling out your location. 

   Yet what ruins a lot of the immersion, as usual for Rockstar Games, is the sloppy programming of the game world; the robotic, inhuman animations of the LA bystanders would be terribly unnerving if people acted like that in real life -- or just terribly rude, as nearby NPCs are programmed to recite generic lines to Phelps' proximity. [Ex: Phelps is monologuing while scrutinizing some evidence; Phelps: "Hmm... It looks like the victim had--" Random NPC off-screen: "ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER DOLLAR."] Dehumanizing the bystanders wasn't an issue for Grand Theft Auto; in fact, it was appreciated, since the bystanders were usually the ones whom players were gunning down or running over. Players were content to shoot unrelatable mannequins in Grand Theft Auto -- but in LA Noire we are no longer allowed to harass or harm these stupid inhuman figures; which hurts with every temptation to run one or two over just to get around the block. 

   As policemen, players should have been motivated to protect them, yet it's difficult to care about such moronic NPCs who move and behave so unnaturally to even interrupt the game's scripted monologues. 

   LA Noire's style is appreciated, but the execution needs polish, despite the ambitious interrogation feature.