L.A.
Noire

L.A. Noire (2011) is a narrative adventure where you play a police detective in 1947 Los Angeles. You explore the open world and solve crimes to advance through the ranks. As you interview suspects you need to not only pay attention to what they say but their subtle expressions and body language. It stands out as a lavishly indulgent Pheonix Wright-style interrogation game.

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It's a violent crime thriller, but unlike Grand Theft Auto, the focus is on solving rather than perpetrating the crimes. To solve a case, you need to discover evidence at the crime scene, talk to characters and examine dead bodies. Do this well and you steadily rise through the ranks from Traffic to Homicide, Vice, and Arson.

You learn to interrogate suspects and witnesses to discover further information. As they respond you can use their manner and other evidence to state whether you believe them, doubt them, or accuse them of lying. In the style of Ace Attorney, if you accuse them of lying you need to back it up with evidence to prove it. Alongside this are action elements including chases, combat, and gunfights. While going to and fro you can also stumble upon street crimes that offer side quests that grant collectable items.

The result is a game with a surprising level of nuance. It offers a detective thriller through the eyes of the police. It's a conveyor belt of mysteries to solve, like stepping into an episode of Columbo or L.A. Confidential. Here though, you get to enter the scene and poke around for evidence.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked L.A. Noire 7 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 7 months ago.