Team Bondi Officially Shuts Down
The ballad of Team Bondi is finally complete, ending on a somber note indeed. It’s curtains, kid. Nothing but curtains.
L.A. Noire
Players: 1 Offline Player
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Genres: Action, Adventure, Third-Person Shooter
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Genres: Action, Adventure, Third-Person Shooter
Release Date: May 17, 2011
Developer: Team Bondi
MSRP: $59.99
Developer: Team Bondi
MSRP: $59.99
L.A. Noire is an interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940’s.
L.A. Noire blends action, detection and complex storytelling and draws players into an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders. Set in a perfectly recreated Los Angeles before freeways, with a post-war backdrop of corruption, drugs and jazz, L.A. Noire will truly blend cinema and gaming.
L.A. Noire Angry Review
Posted By AngryJoe about 1 year, 11 months ago
L.A. Noire Angry Review,
Detective Vargas, Video Game Investigations – Case: L.A.Noire
Angry Joe is transported to the 1940′s where he has to both review L.A. Noire and dodge a crafty detective hired to snuff him out before he can review any more games. Can Rockstar’s latest period piece live up to the hype?
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L.A. Noire is AWESOME!
Strap on yer best sluethin' fedora! We're cracking cases in Rockstar's premier mystery title Mad Men: The Game!
L.A. Noire ...In 5 Seconds
Rockstar's Epic New Title, summed up in five Earth seconds.
Sage Reviews: LA Noire
You mean to tell me the LAPD aren't on the up-and-up? Go on! 
Rumor: Team Bondi Sells off Assets and IP; Offered Job or Severance
Rumors and scandal abound! Click here to see what’s what.
L.A. Noire Coming to PC This Fall
With “improved graphical enhancements”? How is that even possible?
L.A. Noire: DLC? DLC! Even more DLC!
You saw Joe’s review, right? This game is aces! So what happens when a game does well in today’s market? DLC! DLC! and MOOOORE DLC!
L.A. Noire Angry Review
Angry Joe is transported to the 1940′s where he has to both review L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is AWESOME!
Strap on yer best sluethin’ fedora! We’re cracking cases in Rockstar’s premier mystery title Mad Men: The Game!
Team Bondi Officially Shuts Down
The ballad of Team Bondi is finally complete, ending on a somber note indeed. It’s curtains, kid. Nothing but curtains.
Rumor: Team Bondi Sells off Assets and IP; Offered Job or Severance
Rumors and scandal abound! Click here to see what’s what.
L.A. Noire Coming to PC This Fall
With “improved graphical enhancements”? How is that even possible?
L.A. Noire: DLC? DLC! Even more DLC!
You saw Joe’s review, right? This game is aces! So what happens when a game does well in today’s market? DLC! DLC! and MOOOORE DLC!
L.A. Noire Angry Review
Angry Joe is transported to the 1940′s where he has to both review L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is AWESOME!
Strap on yer best sluethin’ fedora! We’re cracking cases in Rockstar’s premier mystery title Mad Men: The Game!
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L.A. Noire Angry Review
Angry Joe is transported to the 1940′s where he has to both review L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is AWESOME!
Strap on yer best sluethin’ fedora! We’re cracking cases in Rockstar’s premier mystery title Mad Men: The Game!
L.A. Noire: DLC? DLC! Even more DLC!
You saw Joe’s review, right? This game is aces! So what happens when a game does well in today’s market? DLC! DLC! and MOOOORE DLC!
While the middle and beginning cases felt fun to do, I really felt this game dropped the ball in the last act. My older brother played most of the game while I would try to out do him on his attempts at the cases, but when he got to Arson he really got burned out so I had to finish the game (right around when you start playing as Kelso.) I really feel the ending sucks in this game, making it feel very un-rewarding in that sense. Would I say its a good game, oh yeah, but Rockstar’s finest? Absolutely not.
@ JOE whered you get the fedora? Looks kinda nice. A long brim one
Hahahaha, when you got to the interogation scene I just knew what game you were talking about, great stuff Joe.
You know I was scoffing at this face-capture technology, but then I actually RECOGNIZED Brian Krause from Charmed in this one scene you had.
hey sorry for the oftopic id like to see review on the Witcher 2
I’ve never played anything like L.A. Noire? Last I checked the Ace Attorney franchise (particularly the Edgeworth spin-off games) came dangerously close to being like that at the very core of things. Find evidence, find contradictions or flaws in statements, present evidence to prove that they’re hiding the truth.
Still a very fun and entertaining review, and I will give the game a try eventually. But from what I’ve seen, heard, and read so far, it’s very much like an Ace Attorney game that takes itself seriously. (And Phelps is a terrible detective, touching bodies and evidence without gloves, that’s tampering with evidence)
This game was really good. Sure it didn’t have all the extra side activities, but I feel that was mostly due to the intense focus on this new MotionScan technology, which I now feel is mandatory to games that unfold like detective movies like L.A. Noire. As for the ending, I’d say forget about it, it’s Chinatown.
I rarely log in, but I just had to mention this. The out-take scene in the end with the detective reminded me of “To Catch a Predator”.
It has Matt Parkman from Heroes!? Holy crap! Huge fan of the guy. Nice review, sir. Been wanting this game for awhile now. Just haven’t had the funds for it. (Typical gamer excuse)
I want a cookie.
Awesome review. Joe. Really looking forward to playing this one.
One teensy note. Team Bondi is pronounced like Bondi Beach, which is to say “bondeye” rather than “bondee”. Rhymes somewhat with Benzaie.
love this game. and I also got a one star on the Golden Butterfly. Though seeing Matt Parkman there…oh it may have made me jump the gun a bit. Cuz if your going to remind me of Heroes it better be the first season of it. And only the first season.
You’ve outdone yourself here Joe! Hilarious and insightful review (Truly excellent compositing at the end btw).
now THAT’S the way to use photo-realistic graphics.
I agree with letting us do more. Personally, I would have loved to be able to go into a theatre and watch a public domain movie. How cool would that be? Even if we have to stream it like a movie, the immersion would be insane. Especially if they could bring a mission into the theatre while the movie plays in the background.
The biggest (or perhaps only) problem I can see is with replay value. Once you know what objects are clues and who’s lying and not, I can see much of the game being overly easy on repeat playthroughs.
The replay value depends on how good you are at finding clues and interrogations. If you’re aiming to get five-stars on all missions, interrogations are still a one-in-three guessing game per question. So depending on your own skills, it might take a while to get it right.
lol Joe, the difference between a Lie and a Doubt isn’t that hard to figure out.
DOUBT: If you think they’re lying or holding something back
LIE: When they directly contradict a piece of evidence and you can prove it.
Having seen a couple Noir films, I can say Rockstar is really nailing these period pieces and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Those cookies looked like Tim Tams (Australian biscuits that are delicious)…I wanna see more of Detective Joe! Like time to time he appears trying to get Joe, or even him doing a review of his own.
I’m really interested in L.A. Noire, it seems like it could be a lot of fun. All the reviews I’ve seen so far have been positive, so it seems like it’s safe to spend money on it…Except your comment about it being designed for PS3 has me worried (I have an Xbox) and this talk of glitches in the Xbox version.
i liked this game until the end of disc two, thats where the glitch happened !
if you replay any of the missions on the xbox, the game has a glitch where it plays naked city instead of manafest destiny and then takes you back to the title screen and THATS IT !!!!!!!
you cant play on, ive seen at least 56 times on internet chat rooms, who have people having the same problem as me.
i think this game is getting so much praise by people who aren’t aware of this problem, and as a gamer i felt i should let people know before they freak out and have to start from the begining all over again because of the glitch, if someone could let people know in that this is a problem in one of the reviews then maybe it can be fixed for future games
This was one of your best reviews yet, Joe! The interrogation had me in stitches! Keep ‘em coming.
I need to get my hands on this game, because I was obsessed with the Adventure genre when I was a kid and I still am to this day. I’m glad to see the genre has been making a return lately, and I hope this game does well so we can see more.
hey joe great review but you pronouced bondi wrong its bondeye im just saying because you mgith not have many australian veiwers and you might keep saying it like that
Angry Joe is too good for TV.
I’m probably the only one who things the body graphics (not the aesthetics) look creepy instead of awesome. I never did like rotoscoping.
So if you have a shit-for-nothing short term memory, this game is not for you? Noted.
Gah! I did not need to see Angry Joe’s O-face this close to when I sleep!
I have heard a lot about this game but never really looked into the footage of how it plays. I might just go out tomorrow and give this one a buy. This looks really cool. I’m NOT a sandbox fan at all and when I saw that this was a rock star game I just assumed it was GTA in a different setting (since all their more recent offerings have pretty much just been that). I guess assumptions are a silly thing.
Hahaha. I did always think of Linkara when I saw this early concept art: http://www.next-gen.biz/files/imagecache/article_content_360x270/la_noire_1.jpg
Your parody of the interrogations was awesome, at least it isn’t THAT over the top. … Most of the time.
I got a two star on the Golden Butterfly case, the rest I get 4 stars, and I’ve gotten a couple of 5 stars. XD Guess I’m just good. It seems to me the cases can go different ways depending on what order you do things and if you don’t flub the interrogations, so there’s some replay there.
One criticism of the review: you were doing more of a 20′s/30′s dialect there Joe.
Finally someone that goes to Chick-Fil-A too much too!
Easily your most entertaining review to date. I know I said a similar thing last time, but it’s amazing just how far your reviews have grown over the years. Even your acting and post-effects are convincing. Great work, Joe.
I still want that cookie I was promised at the beginning -.-
Joe, I’m pretty sure I saw you pick up this game at GameStop during the midnight release. I had picked mine up from Best Buy instead (long story). Anywhoo, they were handing out codes for a DLC case which takes place after the last mission in the game. I’m really burning to see where this all goes(please excuse the arson pun). What’s weird is the DLC doesn’t come out until the 21st of June.
You do realize that at 18:07, you just made every viewer who watches the video an accessory to assault!
YOU’RE A LOOSE CANNON, VARGAS! HAND IN YOUR GUN AND BADGE!
Could you at least get trade-in credit for Sonic Freeriders?
Even though I haven’t played the game yet, I have seen VGA’s video of the first few cases. It looks intriguing.
But from what Joe is saying, I will have to agree with this: if this game doesn’t let you do some things like go bowling, eat at a diner, or other random real-life things you could do in the late 1940s, then it is something of a waste of all the effort and energy put into designing the city.
Seriously, RockStar/Bondi, let us go bowling (doesn’t even need to be a complex physics – just a bare-bones toss-the-ball-at-some-pins type thing)! Let us eat at a diner! Let us walk into a grocery store and buy some cigarettes! Make it DLC if you have to, but please, let us see more of this fantastic 1940s world you created for us!
Shame, I thought this game would be all about choices and reaping the rewards of good detective work or suffering the consequences. I doubt I’ll shell out the full $60 for this title, but I must try this game sooner or later, for the high polish and the setting. There’s nothing else like it in my collection. I’d like Dick Tracy outfits DLC myself. Oh, and this was your funniest review yet, Joe. Those faces, man.
Joe making the faces had me laughing my ass off!
I loved those faces Joe, good review will have to try it out.
You’re right sir I do watch that show, and no I have no idea where Linkara is right now.
Loved this game, my favorite of 2011 thus far. This game got me interested in film noir stuff now. I’m already thinking of getting The Maltese Falcon and L.A. Confidential.
rah see…..rah? That opening bit was funny, overall the game itself is unique and well made, but the gameplay may not agree with everyone (Also Linkara would have been awesome as the main character)
An awkward chubby guy known for acting bad fan fiction truly would fit in amongst cast members of Mad Men, Southland, and several popular cop dramas. Definitely a match made for the ages.
I just glad im not the only one that thought the ending wasn’t exactly up to par. But it does make me think that DLC’s or a possible sequal might be on the way.
It’s already been confirmed that DLC is incoming. Team Bondi said that they had too many cases to fit on-disc, so they’re pouring them into DLC packs.
And as for a sequel, Rockstar has said that LA Noire is going to be a very strong franchise for them, and I believe Team Bondi said the next sequel should come out quicker than the first.
If your looking for a good story, watch a movie or read a book. You don’t need to spend $60 dollars on a simple monotonous and linear B-Movie story video game. Go watch a movie.
Please watch this video. It will help explain what I mean. It’s from Pure Pwnage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7VAhzPcZ-s
Let me know what you think.
It goes right into interactive movie games.
By the way, I don’t agree with all the name calling in the video. Don’t take it personally or at least from me.
@MajorMud
I don’t agree.
There are some game that are “pure gameplay”. Tetrix for example, it did need a story.
But to play “pure gameplay games” you do not need a videogame most of the time.
So I can answer “what a story read a book” with a “want a pure gameplay game? go play chess”. Or card game, or a puzzle game or a another board game, or play sports, or go to a disco to dance.
Most of the Pure gameplay games are something that you can do without a PC or consolle and most of the time you get a better experience out of it with their real life version.
Playing “dance central” isn’t better that dancing or a 3d reproduction of a chess board isn’t better that a real chess board.
But there are things that a videogame can do better than their non-digital version.
Let you experience something you can’t experience in real life. Books and Films can tell a story and if you have a bit of imagination you can “live” that experience… but a videogame can do it better because you are controlling the protagonist so you are in the story and in the settings.
And most of the game fall in this category not only RPG. You play “Battlefiled” for example, it is a well reproduced war experience. The graphics, the sound, the artwork, the voice acting… it is all done to let you feel the battle.
Sure they can strip the settings of all this “background”, using silly sound, bad voices, bad graphics, using not credible weapons and the gamplay can be the same… but I doubt the “fun” will be the same.
Videogames are the best “Experience simulator” and “story and settigns teller” (realistic or fiction) that the mankind have ever produced. So a bad care of the story and the settings is a big waste of potential.
Personally, now that I’m 30 and I have not much free time I avoid all games that are pure time waster even if they are fun… because there are games that are both fun and have a story or an experience to tell, and time is something precious, it’s better not waste it.
I dance, play sports and play chess in the real life with real friends, and use the “virtual” world to do something that the “virtual” component is necessary.
You have a point but it just doesn’t seem like there is any replay ability in this game. I don’t want to sit and talk to people the whole time. Boring… Maybe its just me though. I am not attached to these games. However, as the video I posted says, I don’t see this game as the next “chess”. It’s to linear and monotonous.
Thanks for the comment.
Okay I can defend calling it more a movie, but then to say it’s B-Movie like is totally ignorant. It has best acting of any video game yet, and the polish and beauty in it is astounding. It’s a game for people who like stuff like CSI in my opinion, as I love the show tis good for me. Major here’s definition of B-Movie:
Although there are many differing opinions as to what a b-movie actually is, there is only one real technical definition to the term. The actual technical definition is that a b-movie was the second movie on a double bill. It was typically a low budget formula type film, which fell somewhere in the suspense, horror, sci-fi, western, exploitation or gangster genres, although there were other genres covered as well.
This definition later gave way to the wider definition of b-movie, which basically encompassed any low budget film. Now I personally have a problem with this definition, because as a classic film reviewer, I’ve reviewed a wide variety of classic b-movies that taken as a whole, have a feel that truly sets them apart as an all encompassing genre unto themselves.
The amount of money that put in this alone cancels out your assertion, as does the new innovation, the superb cast of secondary and primary actors.
I agree with Joe though it’s a game you can’t play continually, you have to come back to it, doing a speed run of it, wouldn’t be so easy, as even the right choice seems wrong sometimes.
too bad there’s no PC version D:
*is still waiting on red dead redemption to come out on PC*
God I know, I want to play and own those games but they wont let me. *cries in corner*
is that Matt Parkman xD
Can’t wait to see this technology in other games
Is that Matt Parkman xD
I’ve read a fair number of reviews for this game over the past week, so when I watched your review, I couldn’t help but notice one, massive, glaring thing missing.
Where is the rest of the gameplay?
This game does have third-person shooting sections, as well as other action-oriented scenes, but I don’t think they were even mentioned in your review. True, the meat is the story, and you are probably most interested in the investigative portions, but even so, it seems a hefty ommission. Even more so when I consider your earlier point about some of the cases getting repetitive. Does this spill over into the shooting as well, or was it a welcome break from the detective work? It’s something I was curious about, and a little disappointed that I didn’t find out.
You should have introduced him to demon Joe. that would have been….fun to watch. hah haha huhah MwHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA!
For LA Noire 2 (or Chicago Noire or New York Noire), I’d love to see Mass Effect-style gameplay where making the wrong decisions have an impact on future investigations. If you choose to arrest informants who are doing dirty things, they’ll help you but cause harm towards others, radically changing the direction of the story.
Great review as always! I hope you will review The Witcher 2 soon.
Great review Joe, you really get the point at all. I bought L.A. Noire on day one here in Italy because I was quite sure it was awesome. However, I think we are going to see a new similar game from another software house. Hope it’ll be as good as this one…Or even better
Haha I always love how much you put into your reviews. I’d be a disservice to my country, however, if I didn’t tell you that Team Bondi is pronounced “Bond-eye” rather than “Bond-ee”, as in the famous Aussie beach “Bondi Beach”
Joe, why didn’t you mention that you could play in black and white mode? It’s a really great feature, that pumps up the film noir atmosphere even more. Great review though
A little while ago another article asked when there would be a game that qualified as a work of art. Is this another step towards that? Maybe a sequel with the same polish but a more open world and alternate routes?
I’m pretty sure you mean “artistic masterwork”. There are already plenty of games that qualify as art.
And no, I don’t think L.A. Noire 2 would quite accomplish that, but I could be wrong.
I actually thought first that LA Noire was like Red Dead Redemption but only in 40′s LA. I was dead wrong and I’m actually happy that I was becouse this seems to be even better becouse its not similar.
Was Joe eating a Tim Tam at the start?
Also, “Team Bondy”? Why is it that some people pronounce the letter “i” as a “y”? The letter is the final part of the word, therefore that letter should be pronounced as the letter it is and not replaced with something else.
And yes, that is an issue for me since I live in a town called Bulli, yet hear so many people pronounce it Bully. Best ones are those who fight with you over it should be pronounced/spelt since someone who live there clearly would not know how to say/spell the name of their town.
In any event Joe, good to know that even with the issues I guessed would be a problem with this game don’t work against it all that much.
Ok, I have to ask. What was it in my statement that is leading to these down votes.
Is it the Tim Tam point? Or the one regarding how Joe pronounced Team Bondi (as Bond-ie and not Bond-eye)?
I actually do want to know on this one, more so since we do have a community here. If a point that is rasied gets is voted down by people to the amount that has in the last few hours, I feel it should be a point worth discussing so as to work out what the community standards are.
And once more, I’m going to point this out in case people missed this. I did really like the review. Feel it is one of Joe’s best to date infact.
Oh, that? That’s just knee-jerk negativity, a relatively common internet phenomenon. Don’t let it get to you.
Angry Joe, your by far one of my favorite and all-round best game reviewers around, excellent review mate! Your bloopers are also hilarious! Love em! haha
Excellent in-depth review, Joe. I’m glad I have a better idea of what I’ll be getting into, and even with the flaws, this is definitely a game I want to get.
Well, that’s what sonic freeriders does to you
I’m wondering where he got another copy; did Gamestop force him to take it back, or did he know someone else unlucky enough to own a copy? Or was the cover added by editing?
It sounds like a great game, it’s a pity about the lack of alternate paths, branches and a bit of “game that plays itself”-ism a la Heavy Rain… That’s a really, really, really bad sign on an otherwise amazing-looking game.
Pity it’s most likely never coming out on PC. Oh well.
Forget it Joe,
It’s Chinatown.
I think this is one of your funniest reviews ever. Plus you hit the nail on the head with this one.
Hey, why’s this out and the review of Witcher 2 isn’t?
Because he’s played this first. He has The Witcher 2 though judging by facebook posts.
Awesome game, Awesome review. Nyaaaaaa
I really found this game repetive after the first few hours. There is only so many times you can do a chase down, search for clues, question people, call in stuff to R&I…
Worst part is, at least in my opinion, the free-roam isn’t satisfying. All you are allowed to do is very simple call in missions, find newspapers and cars. You can’t pull out a gun and shoot people, which I understand why you can’t. I frankly, I saw the ending coming…
The games graphics, acting, sound effects, music as all great. I just found the gameplay to start lacking fairly quickly. Still loved the review Joe!
In the games defense, all those things you listed are exactly what you do as a detective. Not sure what else you were expecting. Its a detective game, with lots of detective missions.
I was one of those who originally thought this would be like GTA. Now that I got a better taste of the game, playing little by little now, I’ve learned to appreciate what Rockstar has created. I understand that this is a detective game, and that you aren’t allowed to just go around and shoot up people for no reason. When I put in that message, I was reeling off from playing almost 2 disks worth in one sitting. After playing more, just a few episodes a time, I really started to enjoy it for what it truly is, a detective game, not a GTA clone.
I’m sorry man, this is one of your best reviews for one of the best games we’ll see this console cycle but LA Noire is a landmark in game developing and well worthy of at least a 9. These are the kind of games that gaming and TRUE gamers need and deserve. LA Noire is a clear GOTY contender and honestly one of the best games I’ve ever played…
The thing is, its more of an interactive movie/experience rather than a full blown game/game, especially when you strip away the polish and examine the gears underneath. Its extremely linear, there needed to be more non-fail branches and consequences for getting things wrong.
Fun Fact Joe. Every detective related video game is linear and has a short list of consequences. Now we have a large environment to move around in.
The terrible truth of why Angry Joe was banned from Gamestop.
For being too fat to fit in the aisles? Whoops wrong producer.