L.A. Noire is a game that highlights revolutionary developments in graphics. Showcasing its MotionScan technology, the game began paving the way for titles like The Last of Us and Until Dawn. Its open world, set in bustling 1947 Los Angeles, is full of historical monuments, an original score mixed with real world tunes, and many cases based on real crimes from the 20th century. This works aptly to create an immersive piece of historical fiction. Granting any player an action filled adventure, full to the brim with detective drama and seedy corruption. All within the iconic atmosphere RockStar games has been producing for 26 years.

Overall, the gameplay of L.A Noire is mediocre in today’s standards, even with the game’s remaster hitting shelves in 2017. Gun play is fairly smooth and finds a way to keep you on your toes most of the time; while both car and foot chase scenes can leave a lot to be desired. Driving without a police siren shows how poorly NPC AI is, as cars and pedestrians make continuous mistakes. Leading to collisions with the player and other NPCs. It may not be bothersome to most players, but having to constantly drive with the siren to get between locations breaks immersion and creates continuous white noise while attempting to enjoy conversations with your partner or L.A’s historic scenery.

The puzzles and cases in the game range from being idiotically obvious or oddly stupefying; making each case interesting in its own way. Interrogating witnesses and suspects still feels unique when compared to videogames before and after L.A Noire’s release, and the “Doubt” meme still circles around some internet circles in 2024. Signifying it’s still remembered in some of the cultural psyche. This feature allowed Team Bondi to spotlight the MotionScan technology they spent years attempting to perfect, as cluing in on facial features and paying attention to evidence is vital to solving these portions of every case.

Unfortunately though, the cost of using MotionScan and the time involved with incorporating it into the game caused the team to cut some corners, while still undergoing RockStar game’s infamous “crunch”. Something that was far too common in the ambitious titles of the 2010s, and is still prevalent into today's titles. At times, L.A. Noire’s story feels rushed and unexplained. Gathering various collectables around the map is encouraged, as they help fill those gaps. Still, I often found myself wondering about a character's motivations because of a lack of build up, and sometimes I found myself disappointed with the outcome of various cases and storylines because of this. Despite it all, L.A Noire pays great homage to classic Noir media. Upholding the genre’s various stereotypes in a tasteful manner helps paint a picturesque, morally grey area. Purposefully leaving the player with proper disappointment and/or philosophical interludes as a means to uphold the grisly themes of the genre. Sometimes the line between rushed content and purposeful writing choices is blurry. Making it hard to digest what’s going on and leaving it up to the consumer to decide if something’s missing or if it was a masterful design choice.

L.A. Noire is not just a historical benchmark for the videogame industry but also a historical piece of media as a whole. Despite its flaws, the game holds up. Offering us an interactable look into the Noir genre while exploring its dark themes and storylines. The game asks you to question not only the evidence and witnesses but also the motives of Cole Phelps, his partners, Jack Kelso, and every other prevalent NPC that weaves their way into the story. Anyone looking for a change of pace should consider visiting, or revisiting, the deadly streets of 1947 Los Angeles.