LA Noire (2011) (PS3)

I had high hopes for LA Noire, it looked the type of game that I have been craving for years.  Brought up on the point and click adventure games on the PC like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and Monkey Island, LA Noire I figured would give me a cinematic experience combined with tight investigative gameplay.  In short, this was going to be a masterpiece.  Alas though, it is not, and I was left so disappointed at the chance missed. 

Quite honestly, after playing Uncharted 3 the game looked far worse graphically.  The enhanced facial technology kind of freaked me out as the models looked bland, almost mummified.  I couldn't get engrossed in the characters themselves and after four or five cases I had basically seen it and accomplished all the game had to offer.  The formula is quite simple; travel from A to B, walk around until the musical chimes (which denote clues), then just by trial and error, recover the clues.  In between this there is only so much arm/wallet/face exploring that you can stomach before the game starts to grind.  And grind quick it does.  There is little or no skill involved and the 'detective work' is done automatically by the officer you control.  It's so dis-engaging that I don't even know the officers name off hand after hours of gameplay.

Then we have the interrogation which is in fact a pointless lottery, which doesn't really matter anyway.  The game I suppose has to be applauded for being bold in it's gameplay choice and many will undoubtedly feel the vibe of the locations and get sucked into the gameplay.  For me, as a detective experience set in the 1940's and a game that I couldn't wait to play, I feel sorely let down.