I picked this up yesterday and got to play for 3 or 4 hours. Anybody worried about it being too much like RDR or GTA shouldn’t be. There is a giant city you can drive around but the similarities pretty much end there. It’s more like a 3D Police Quest or even Phoenix Wright (minus the goofiness) than GTA. There are shoot outs here and there but the game actually gives you the option to skip them if you want. By far most of your time is spent examining crime scenes and talking to people.
The facial expressions vary between subtle but well done, baffling, and comically exaggerated shifty eyes. Even with the well done ones, it can be hard to figure out what the game wants you to do. If getting a good score is important to you this might be a big problem but so far I’m content to be a mediocre detective.
My biggest complaint so far is the frame rate. I’m not the kind of person who notices frame rate usually but there are times in this game when it is terrible. It’s a shame because the city is so pretty and well put together but then your camera shakes as you move and it ruins the effect. Most of the time it’s fine but when it does happen it’s frustrating. This is on Xbox btw, I don’t know if it happens on PS3.
I don’t think it’s for everybody, it’s slow paced most of the time and you want to be thorough in your search for clues if you want a good score. Overall though, I really like it. Despite the complaints I have, I still can’t wait to get out of work today so I can go home and solve a couple more cases.
The city is huge, and as far as I’m aware you can drive around wherever you want. I spent quite a bit of time in the car and I never saw a roadblock or anything like that.
After years of hearing Dopers gasp at stuff they think movies or TV shows stole from this place, I think we’ve found one I might believe is the result of a Doper on the development team.
Watched a friend playing it for a few hours last night. Looks pretty fun and interesting. I was impressed by the facial recognition. FYI, this was on a PS3 and I noticed no frame rate issues.
Unless I go slow I can’t keep it in the lane either. There are a couple sporty coupes that seem to handle better but even then I still have to accept the fact that I’m going to create some collateral damage.
I’ve gotten to the point where I just hold down Y (xbox) and get my partner to drive. I’m on disc 2 and finding this to be…well, boring-ish. It’s very on the rails for something that is a sandbox. Steps 1, 2, and 3 need to be done to progress. Here’s a side mission if you want it and maybe you can chase after someone and even shoot, but that’s about it.
Also, my definition of “doubt” is different than the game’s. There are times when it just means that the person is holding back some info but that they’ve told the truth anyways. Kinda frustrating.
I will say that I’m enjoying the graphics and picking out the actors.
Multiple cases, some of which may or may not be connected…
Speaking of which, on homicide I was pretty narked when bodies kept piling up with the same M.O. Meaning I locked up a bunch of innocents (although one of them was a pedo and the other a commie tramp, so no big loss). What I want to know is; were my cock-ups forced by the story, or the story forced by my cock-ups?
So far, I’m liking it a great deal. It’s the perfect mix of action and strategy – and the perfect pace as well. I really liked Heavy Rain, and I’m finding this a lot like that, in that there’s more … “wait a minute, let me think” moments than there are, “must smash button” moments.
I’m only through to the third case in Homicide and I’ve already fucked up one case, but it did take me a while to get a hang of the interrogation method. That said, it is pretty straightforward:
You show up at a crime scene, you talk to a contact, search for clues and then interview a witness – those are the same steps every time. And the interviewing is constructed as: ask a question and observe the witness. If they say something that you have the clues to refute you accuse them of lying and show them the proof. Otherwise, it seems to me that the difference between “Truth” and “Doubt” are whether you want to go easy or rough on the witness, clues be damned.
If the gameplay is too rigid or boring, or if the action scenes are too dopey, or whatever complaint anyone has about the game, I don’t see how anyone could deny the amazing job they did putting forth a 1947 LA to fuck around in. It is hay-uge, and so detailed, and nuanced with just the right style and design. With no load times between areas either.
I have a feeling I may get bored with the story after a point, but I’m going to enjoy exploring the city for quite a while.
Damn … I didn’t really need to see a naked butchered body with a big hole in its head in quite so much gruesome detail. I mean, I like realism in my video games, but I’m not all that into dry heaving when I’m trying to relax with the old Vidiot Box.
Just wait till you get to investigate some Arsons. One of those made me jump out of my chair.
Re: Free Roam - at the start menu, you have the option of resuming your game, or you can select “cases” if you do so you’ll be able to go to any of the desks you worked and replay any case, or do free roam - in any one of the departments you served in. So you can free roam with any f your partners.
I like to ride around in the vice partners car and run it into things on purpose.
