Best Action/Adventure Nominees - Golden Joystick Awards 2011 – L.A. Noire - Part 4
There has been little innovation in the field of first person shooters, with the standard aim, shoot and reload mechanic still at the core of every game that comes out in that genre. Yes, there have been tweaks and changes but none has provided an entirely
new first person shooter experience in the past few years.
On the other hand, Action/Adventure games seem to have been going in the opposite direction, bringing in more production values and depth to their kind. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves showed just how theatrical and Hollywood-like a video game could be, with
a brilliant story and cut-scenes that would not be out of place in an Oscar winning film.
One publisher that has always tried to do new things with its projects is Rockstar. Known for games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, the publisher outdid itself with it latest release.
L.A. Noire
While some fail to agree on the pronunciation of the title, we here at Bettor.com can settle one part of the dispute. It is not ‘La’ but rather ‘L’ and ‘A’, as in L, A. As for the Noire, well the reader is on his own on that one.
Bad jokes aside, L.A. Noire followed the trend of Red Dead Redemption and put the player in the shoes of a good guy for a change, a Los Angeles Police Department detective.
Driving and running around, finding clues and interrogating suspects has been around in the gaming world for quite some time, but in L.A. Noire there was a twist.
Boasting brand new facial motion capture technology, L.A. Noire delivered unprecedented, and mostly unbelievably realistic, facial animations in the game. So much so, that players were to base whether or not the person they were interrogating or interviewing
was lying based on how the expressions of the suspects face.
At times the line between video games and reality became so blurred that gamers became dizzy.
Apart from the graphical aspect of the game, the gameplay itself was unique and rewarding. The player would be called into a crime scene where he would look around searching for clues. Some were harder to find than others, some clues were irrelevant and
others could break the case on their own.
Then there was the intense interrogation sequences, which were perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the game as the facial animations came into their own and the clues drove the questions.
There was action as well, and plenty of it too. Players would be called in at random intervals to help pursue suspects, stop robberies and other crimes as well.
Our verdict: If any game can give Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood a run for its money then it has to be L.A. Noire. In fact, if we were asked to choose between the two games we would probably have to resign as it an extremely difficult choice.
Both games are stellar and both games are multiplatform, which makes this perhaps the tightest category when it comes to competition for the top spot.
Readers can continue reading about the nominees for the Best Shooter category in the next article:
Best Action/Adventure Nominees - Golden Joystick Awards 2011 – Part 5
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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