Thursday, June 23, 2011

Nerd Alert: Video Game Viewing Round-up


via the Gorgonist

Kyle likes to think that I'm a nerd but when it comes to video games I'm a nerd-by-proxy. I used to be a fierce Sonic the Hedgehog and Mortal Kombat competitor but those games haven't been relevant for like ten years so these days I'm just a spectator. I'm sure there are other significant others participating in the great spectator sport that is Video Game Viewing AND I'm sure they wished there was a forum where other viewers shared their reviews on viewing newly released video games...well look no further! This post series is dedicated to reviewing new video games and their viewing worthiness:

L.A. Noire




Background

This game was created by Rockstar Games. These are the folks behind the Grand Theft Auto series and my favorite Red Dead Redemption (very viewing worthy) so you can guess that this too is another cinematic style video game. By cinematic I mean story developing cut scenes, story driven action scenes and beautifully rendered landscapes.

Rockstar's done the Mob genre, done the Western and now they've done a Film Noire. I'm not really familiar with Film Noire but from what Kyle tells me (Film Noire watching extraordinaire) it's true to the genre. So if you are a film buff that loves Noire then this is the game for you. I had to get used to it though. The stories/investigations are a bit obtuse and confusing to follow. The crime is simple but the motives are hard to fully understand. I think game-play plays a big part in that. So here is an outline of the game-play:

Game-play
  • Go to crime scene - Dead person/Fire/Attack
  • Look for clues
  • Talk to people and determine if they are "lying" or telling the "truth" (or you can "doubt")
  • See a newspaper, see a flashback related to the overall story
  • Drive in your car to next lead (or make your partner drive)
  • Talk to more people; do truth, doubt, lie
  • Review your notes
  • Solve a crime scene puzzle
  • Be incognito and follow people
  • Have a car chase
  • Have an interrogation at the Police Station
  • Shoot and kill the bad guy
  • End with some assey quip made by the character you play as
Review

And that's about it, give or take a few things. I think one of the downsides of watching all that game-play is that it gets pretty monotonous for the viewer. At first you have a fun time helping the video game playing vessel (aka the significant other) determining whether the facial expressions on the people are liars or not, reviewing the case notes and finding clues. But it all gets old really fast and it doesn't help that the main character is a d-bag. He is self-righteous, has no chemistry with any of his partners and an overall tight-ass. The partners are no better. One is an over weight has-been and another is a loud-mouth louse. But from what I understand, Film Noire is like that and the characters and story really stay true to the genre. The dialogue is good, the locations and costuming are excellent and from what I'm told if you are from L.A. (which I'm so clearly not as evident through my Southern Ohio blog) it looks exactly like L.A. in the 40s.

Overall: This game is very interesting to watch in and out. Watching it straight through, for me, drags and seems more fun to play because you have more in stake. As a viewer I had a hard time caring about any of the characters or investigations because everyone seemed corrupt and despicable. But I think the game getting those themes across is a testament to Rockstars skill at translating a Film Noire into a video game.

Game: A
Viewing: B-

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If you have viewed or played this game, please share your thoughts in the comments

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