LA Noire (Remastered) - A colourful masterpiece
Review and trophy guide – Rated 9/10
*No spoilers*
Available on: PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC
Welcome to Rockstar’s detective action adventure LA Noire which is set in Los Angeles in 1947. You play as Cole Phelps (and later Jack Kelso) who starts as a patrol man but works his way through the detective ranks.
This is one my favourite ever games which I am glad received a remastering as I have loved playing this game all over again especially the DLCs which I have never played before. I’d love to see a sequel, but this looks unlikely as the developer Team Bondi has since shut down after having made no other game after LA Noire.
Pros:
Game length – This game is a decent length as the base game alone last 20+ hours on the main story with an additional 5+ with the DLC cases. The numerous hours can be had replaying cases for trophies and searching LA for collectibles. The story spans across 5 desks covering 21 base game cases. Whilst the 5 DLCs cases make this game even longer without it becoming long winded and boring. Furthermore, the game as lots of collectibles and short ‘street-cases’ allowing some room for free-roam in and between cases.
DLCs – All of the DLCs as mentioned are included in the remastered edition making it a great buy for those who never bought them on the original.
Character immersion – This game really draws you in as you watch Phelps’ career flourish as I got very attached to the character despite having no option to customise him other than pick his uniform from a set list (which you unlock). Most children grow up wanting to be a policemen, detective or spy and this game allows you to fulfil your dream.
Graphics – LA Noire looked beautiful even before being remastered having used face-capturing technology. Meaning it is very clear when a suspect lies as they roll their eyes and look away. However, I did find that most female characters seem to have odd looking hair which is almost flat. On PS4 the graphics are 1080p, but it can also be played in 4k on PS4 Pros.
Setting – This game does an excellent job of recreating LA in 1947 by containing cars, outfits, songs and more from 1947 and before. Even the collectibles fit the setting with the film reels all being named after films of the era whilst the landmarks tell you some history about real-life locations within LA. Also expect to hear references to real-life criminals and other celebrities whilst most cases are based around those in real life.
VR Mode – Whilst I never got to play this game with VR I have seen footage and looks amazing and very funny. So, if you have a VR system for your PS4 then give it a try and let know what it’s like.
Cons:
Price – When the remastered edition was first released £30 seemed slightly expensive for a remastered game which was first released in 2011. However, it does contain all the games DLCs and has dropped in price, especially if bought second hand. It does seem slightly unfair having to pay £30 for a game especially seeing as most will have already owned and played it.
Remastering – Other than the DLC being included by default little seems to have been added to the game other than slight graphical and technical tweaks. In honesty I never noticed any other than that you know play ‘good cop’ or ‘bad cop’ in interviews instead of truth and doubt.
Niche – If you don’t like detective mystery games like Sherlock Holmes and CSI then this game isn’t for you. However, the action sequences and driving elements adds something that others in this genre do not. Yet this game only lets you use your gun at certain times so its not like GTA where you can go on murderous rampages. You are part of the LAPD after all!
Little free mode activities – Whilst I love the games setting and the storyline does last 20+ without the additional 5+ hours DLC, I felt there was little to do in the open world. Sure, there are 40 street cases, but these take a matter of minutes per one whilst the hundreds of collectibles encourage exploration, and some add to the story. Yet the game still doesn’t have the open world feel of GTA, Fallout or Red Dead Redemption.
Rated 9/10
I absolutely adore this game having played it both as a young teenager and again recently. As much as I was pleased to be able to play this game again it was annoying having to pay so much to do so. It would have been nice if it was cheaper or given for free with another Rockstar game like how Bethesda gave Fallout 3 to all Xbox One owners who bought Fallout 4. All in all this is one of my favourite ever games which I can truly get lost in. The seedy underworld of LA is brilliantly portrayed and some of the crimes are gruesome yet ingenious with lots of twists and turns in the story. This ensured that I was hooked from start to finish!
Road to Platinum
As a PS4 owner I will refer to the game’s trophies rather than what Xbox players call achievements. But these are identical, so this is a minor difference.
This platinum was hardly a challenge with no trophy causing me any issue apart from one in the DLCs which I never managed to get. But luckily the DLC trophies are separate so aren’t needed for the platinum.
Which trophies caused difficulty:
Auto Fanatic – Having to drive all 95 cars is annoying as some cars were difficult to find as they did not always spawn where the game’s wiki stated they do. The very last car I had to drive took me over 2 hours to find. Therefore, hop into any car you see whilst on cases to ensure you get the majority out of the way. There is also a glitch in which you hover over a locked car in the show room (under extras on the main menu) then press the button which selects the cars colour (Square on PS4). Now when you enter any desk’s free mode you should notice this car either driving or parked close to where you start. Though this doesn’t always work.
Public Menace – For this trophy you need to rack up $47,000 in damage during a case. I did this on the Driver’s Seat traffic case due to it being relatively short to complete. To get this trophy quickly find the location of the hidden Phantom Corsair and destroy this car seven times by crashing it until its on fire. This car should be used due to its high value and high spawn rate as it should respawn straight after leaving the garage. I got a bit carried away due to having so much fun and racked up $106,000 damage!
Alternatively destroy the American LaFrance Fire Truck 7 times, it can be found behind the Hollywood Police station as in the most expensive vehicle in the game. But its spawns a lot slower.
Wooden Overcoats – This requires you to kill 30 enemies with headshots, this is very easy but just bear in mind when killing enemies to go for the head to get the trophy quickly.
Miles on the Clock – You must drive a total of 194.7 miles (as the game is based in 1947). This isn’t hard but try to minimise the time you let your partner drive as this doesn’t count for our total miles driven. Whilst having your partner drive makes cases quicker and you are less likely to lose case ranks due to not crashing it does mean you may have to grind this trophy at the end.
My favourite Trophies:
Roscoe & Friends – Getting to use all the game’s weapons can be frustrating on having to find them but nothing is cooler than using a flamethrower to burn enemies to cinders or a Chicago Piano gun to feel like a real 1940s gangster.
Star Map – I loved driving around to all 30 landmarks to learn a bit more about LA’s history and iconic buildings. To do so, drive to the landmark then hover over its name on the map to see a short paragraph on its history.
My worst least favourite trophy:
Bulletproof Windshield (Nicholson Electroplating DLC)– This was very annoying as it requires you to kill two enemies who are driving. I eventually gave in as I could only get one kill rather than the two required. This is because sometimes three cars would spawn rather than four making it hard to find enough enemies to kill in the brief time before they left their cars. Although it didn’t help me, as a tip turn the game’s aim settings onto high to help lock onto the enemies in the cars. If you find this doesn’t help than turn if off entirely as it starts on low by default and turning it off allows free aim, so you can ensure you’ll never be dragged when aiming from one enemy to another.
Conclusion
Seeing as I loved this game getting the platinum was a pleasure. If you are playing for the first time I would recommend playing through normally without using a guide, then playing a second time to pick up any trophies you missed. All the cases can be replayed so there is no rush to get everything first time. Some people hate collectibles as they can be a little boring to collect but are needed for their corresponding trophies and 100% completion. Also, the collectibles as mentioned relate to the game’s setting and the newspapers even add to the story making them more purposeful than some other game’s collectibles. Furthermore, collectibles such as the DLC novels add an extra suit for Phelps which brings perks.
All in all, this is one of my favourite ever games which I can truly get lost in. The seedy underworld of LA is brilliantly portrayed and some of the crimes are gruesome yet ingenious with lots of twists and turns in the story. This ensured that I was hooked from start to finish!
