The pressure of working at Rockstar Games must be ludicrous. With an arguably perfect track record, each game better than the last, each one elevating this formerly culturally maligned studio into one of the most well respected artistic fonts of this generation, they are simply expected to succeed. Whatever they release, it must not only be good, it must be great. It must be innovative, it must be different, and it must be downright transcendent. What to say, then, about L.A. Noire?

L.A. Noire is a good game. A very good game, with great elements. Some things that truly floored me, and reminded me there are still new frontiers in gaming. But, unfortunately, the unshakeable sense that something is missing. An absent puzzle piece that stops it from being a complete experience. First things first, a disclaimer. We don’t get advance copies of games at the Mishka offices, but I snagged it early yesterday morning and poured about 5-7 hours into it. So, even though I feel I’ve certainly got the gist of things, it is possible that by not completing the game I’ve missed something.

It seems that L.A. Noire has been on the verge of coming out forever. Originally slated (I believe) to be Rockstar’s next game after Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, L.A. Noire has been repeatedly delayed until now. No one was quite sure what they were waiting for, what the exact problem was, but I think it’s pretty clear now. The MotionScan technology, not available until recently, that was optimized by Rockstar to do the motion capture work on the massive cast of actors that make up the game’s characters is the absolute most important thing in this game, and it’s largest achievement.

The story (or at least it’s skeleton. No reason for me to delve into spoilers here) is simple. It’s 1947, Los Angeles. You play as Cole Phelps, a young beat cop recently returned from fighting in WWII, and you accompany him on his rise from the street to a detectives desk and further. The game is divided into 21 different Cases, each of which has it’s own little cast of characters and clues. The general idea is you get to a crime scene, scour it for clues, find a suspect, question them using knowledge gleaned from you clues, and either make an arrest or let loose some lead on them.

Obviously you can see the numerous areas where those simple conceits can be play out in myriad ways. The clue investigation is fun, especially when you uncover something hidden (physically or intellectually). There’s a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you find, say, the murder weapon you need to convict a perp. Any car chase or gun battle plays out much in the same way that one in GTA:IV would, and those controls and physics are still very good, if not great. By far the most interesting part though is the questioning, and it’s where the MotionScan comes in. There is no “animation” involved in the character’s faces.

Everything is just digitized performance. Each wandering eye, bit lip, errant ear tug, and steely gaze is fully real and the effect is, in a word, dazzling. I’ve never seen anything like it, ever, and especially in a game. The appearance of numerous recognizable actors (including John Noble fuck yes) make it all the better. We can no longer call it “voice acting”. This is just plain acting. With this comes the game’s key mechanic, and the one that makes it different than any other game. You’re tasked with actually interrogating these people, and that means judging whether each of their statements is true or a lie. Your choices determine the success of your questioning, and can make or break a case.

It’s stressful, difficult, rewarding, and awesome. In the beginning, I thought I was hot shit because the characters were so obvious when they lied, staring at the ceiling and fiddling with their hands. But, as the game progressed, I realized it was just holding my hand. By the time you find yourself up against some of the more imposing characters (and stronger actors) it becomes very, very hard. But it’s a skill we kind of pride ourselves on as humans, the ability to judge someone else as good or bad, and I found the experience of using that in a game to be fan-fucking-tastic.

So much so that the other gameplay mechanics, which are starting to veer towards the dreaded repetitive, seem dull and uninspired in contrast. Uh-oh. Luckily, you have this whole gorgeous open world to entertain you. Or do you? Well, you have a world. A big one. The L.A. they’ve created is as accurate a city as I’ve ever seen in a game, and it’s massive. Every one of hundreds of blocks is fully detailed and realized. The graphics and look are also wonderful. But, in stark contrast to other Rockstar games, it’s not very open. But for a pretty interesting reason.

You CAN do whatever you want. But you won’t. Because you shouldn’t. Because you’re a cop. It’s a very odd experience, one that I haven’t quite figured out my stance on yet. Technically, the gameplay is just as open as ever. You could mow down civilians and go on shootouts constantly and whatever. But, much for the same reason you won’t do that in real life, you won’t do that in the game. There is a strange moral judgement here. Can’t quite say how I feel about it.

Anyway, I don’t want you to think I didn’t like L.A. Noire. It’s not perfect, not by a long shot. But, once again, Rockstar has pushed harder and farther than other game studios are willing to go, further blurring the line between gaming and art, and between gaming and real life. Heady stuff. Unfortunately, that sometimes means sacrificing some of the “fun” of gameplay. It’s an achievement. I’ll say that.

- Whole Milk