L.A. Noire

Wow what a cool game. I think RPS summed it up nicely when they said it's basically an adventure game that was built inside of a Walmart GTA engine.

First of all the high notes: the story and acting. With an emphasis on the acting. It really has some great performances and the cast is kind of insane. I was constantly recognizing actors. The story is also pretty great. I love Cole Phelps as a character. His fall from grace and eventual redemption. All the partners are great too. the smart-ass Stefan Bekowsky, the drunk Rusty Galloway, the absolute piece of shit Roy Earle (great!), and the reliable Herschel Biggs. So many other great characters.

The setting is also really great. I loved that it felt like the 50s. The cars, the scenery, the city.

My biggest complaint is the gameplay. It plays out a bit like Phoenix Wright where you need to guess at what the evidence you're supposed to present. BUT THEY DONT ALLOW QUICKSAVES. Because of the brutality of this I ended up using a guide for at least half the game. That took some fun out of it but it also removed some stress for me.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend it for the story and acting and scenery and less so for the actual gameplay.