== L.A. NOIRE ==
L.A. Noire is a 2011 dark crime video game for the Xbox 360. The game is published by Rockstar who are most famous for their GTA series of games. The game is also developed by Team Bondi. L.A. Noire is a little similar to the GTA games with the style of free roaming around the city but this game does feature a lot more variety especially in the missions. L.A. Noire on the Xbox 360 is 3 discs which can be a little annoying because of the need to swap the discs after finishing each one where as on the PS3 its only 1 disc. The downside of not having the ability of Blu-ray for Xbox. L.A. Noire is of course set in Los Angeles but way back in 1947 and to be fair this put me off the game for a long time because i'm not a big fan of games set in the past. I would much rather play a game set in the unrealistic future. However after starting to play it more often it grew on me really fast and it works really well in my opinion. The game has a lot of great points about the game. Read on for more info.

=== THE STORY ===
L.A. Noire has been really well worked on especially with the story. It is simply brilliant and the story is one of the best to feature in a game. The story is really compelling and certainly drags you in. One of my favourite parts to the game is how the story is brought forward. You take the role as a Los Angeles Police Department Detective called Cole Phelps. Cole joins the LAPD because of what happened in his past in World War II. At first you don't know what has gone on but as you progress you learn the truth. Now Cole Phelps is a police detective and must solve crime in the streets of Los Angeles. Help Cole solve mysterious murders and other crimes in this thrilling, chilling and very brutal video game. There are numerous missions which all have a little storyline to them to enjoy.

=== GAMEPLAY ===
L.A. Noire has some very intriguing gameplay. You only play as Cole Phelps in the game and at first before I bought the game I actually thought he was a boring character from the previews and trailers but he is actually a really interesting and strong character to play. As Cole Phelps you have to do your missions that are assigned to you and work your way through the ranks in the LAPD. The game plays very much like a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game with the layout of the city but obviously L.A. Noire is set in 1947. You can go around and explore the city looking for crime. Walk up to people driving show your badge and take their cars. Every so often street crime appears and you have the choice of going to tackle this crime and bring the perpetrator to justice. These side missions are great and can pop up almost anytime when your driving to your proper main mission. The side missions are really good and there are a total of 40 street crime missions to tackle. Most are easy and they start off fairly small and simple but as you get further into these missions they seem to last longer and involve more variety and get a little harder.

I love the main story missions because they involve you doing so much different things. For example most missions would involve doing things like driving to certain places, looking for clues, questioning victims and witnesses, chasing suspects on foot and in car or even shoot outs with enemies. I love all of these things especially when your chasing down a suspect on foot because sometimes it will lead into them giving up or trying to kill you. Also when you question people you are given three options. You can believe what they say, doubt what they say or tell them they are lying. However you must be cautious and watch there every movement because its always best to pick the correct option. Choosing the wrong options can lead to the failure of missions or false information. The best thing is the fact you have to watch the people your questioning especially their face to work out if there telling the truth or not. There facial expressions tell you everything you need to know. There are so many options available for each thing you do. Your detective roles come into play and you must search very thoroughly to find clues on who committed the crimes.

L.A. Noire is brilliant for gameplay features even though you can only play the one game mode and it doesn't feature any kind of multiplayer modes or online options. There is enough in the game to suit almost everyone's needs. There are a lot of different buildings in the city that can be entered but most of them come into play as you take on the missions. Along with objects and other bits to pick up and inspect some of them are useless and are only there to fool you. Cole Phelps has a notebook which you will use frequently in the game. You can use this to set destinations on your map to help you find your way. You can also use this to go over case notes and other bits and bobs. Other bits in the game you can do are things like fight hand to hand combat which works tremendously well especially the way you can duck your enemies attacks and counter them with your own. Plus the way your attacks make contact is brilliantly done. L.A. Noire is certainly one of the better games for gameplay features and it certainly is enjoyable.

=== GRAPHICS & SOUND EFFECTS ===
What can I say about the graphics? They are simply breathtaking. I have to say that L.A. Noire is the most beautiful game I have ever seen in my life so far to date. The best thing about it is all of the character in the game are superbly designed but the facial expressions they make are phenomenal. You have to pay close attention most of the time. Even when characters are talking and the mood there in really shows from this. Even the buildings in the city are perfectly designed for a game set in 1947 its really impressive. The only little downside to the graphics are the design of the cars but to be fair its probably because its set in 1947. I did like the way the day changes into night which is pretty much perfect and also the game rarely has any glitches which is very impressive. Overall I love the graphics and the main reason is because of the facial expressions.

The sound to the game is also really good. All the characters are voiced so there's no writing to read. The shooting sound effects that come into play a lot is fantastic and it certainly livens the game up. The music is a little disappointing and did get on my nerves quite a lot especially the radio that's in the cars because the music is obviously old and in my eyes has no class. I love the sound effects overall especially when your running after suspects or driving after them. The sound effects are great and almost as good as the graphics to the game!

=== DIFFICULTY & LONGEVITY ===
To be fair I feel the game could of been a little harder as well as longer. The controls to the game are fairly simple but the fighting controls are a little tricky because fights don't come too often. When I got in a fight later in the game I could hardly remember what the controls were due to the length of not having a fight. Other controls are great and easily remembered. I think the game overall is fairly simple. The hardest part of the game is probably interrogating the suspects and so on. Either that or some of the side missions that can cause a few problems. I didn't really find the game at all difficult and feel most gamers will crack this in no time as well.

The length of the game sound fantastic doesn't it? 3 discs...wow! Okay this is the biggest let down of all. 3 discs and I expected a good 50 hours worth of gameplay but in fact your looking at 15 hours tops. I found myself on disc 3 of the game after only about 6 or 7 hours. This is extremely poor for a game like this and for a 3 disc game. Although the game is small it is worth replaying because its a lot of fun and beautiful. I think the 3 discs is because of the beautiful graphics. Overall the game is fairly simple just not as long as I would of liked.

=== ACHIEVEMENTS ===
L.A. Noire has a total of 60 achievements which is absolutely fantastic. Most of the achievements in the game are easily gotten by doing certain missions or so many missions. Others include finding certain clues or solving certain things. The achievements on the game are really varied which is great and they certainly take a while to get them all. 60 is the perfect amount for this type of game.

=== PROS ===
*The game features some chilling and thrilling cases and missions.
*Some beautifully detailed things in the game like the characters.
*60 achievements and you can play the game and rarely get bored of it.
*The game can be picked up for a reasonable amount.
*Lots of variety with solving, fighting, shooting and driving in the game.

=== CONS ===
*No multiplayer options.
*The game is far too short and was a little easy for me.
*Some of the music in the game lacks any real quality.
*I thought the controls were a little dodgy sometimes with the fights.
*3 discs is pointless and it should be bigger.

=== FINAL THOUGHT ===
L.A. Noire is a fantastic crime game and in my opinion its a mix between GTA and CSI but without the modern day technology and the updated vehicles. I really enjoyed playing this game because of the variety and the stunning graphics. Its definitely something different and new.

I would recommend the game because its enjoyable and I feel it has enough in it to make other enjoy the game as well. Even though its not a massive game it can still be replayed and different things can happen. If your a fan of the GTA and CSI games then this would be perfect for your because its got a bit of each mixed in. Also if you like games such as The Godfather or The Mafia then you'll love this.

The game has an age rating of 18+ and I know this without even looking because of the extremely violence, sex reference, nudity and very strong language. The game manual is pretty good to the game but lacks a few things.

I think the game is value for money considering its not been out a very long time. I won the game on eBay for £12 including packaging which is one of the best prices for the game because it usually retails around the £20 mark for a second hand version. Other places sell the game for around £30-£35 brand new.

I loved it and would give the game a very strong 8/10!


Review also on Ciao under the username: MrBrightside1987!