L.A. Noire is a game set in the late 40s at Los Angeles, just after the World War II. The game was released in 2011 and it was impressive as the facial animations, which is essential in the game, was really top-notch. It’s essential because you have to analyze the suspects and determine whether they’re lying or not. And in 2017, this Rockstar game has finally re-released the game again but this time, in the hybrid console – the Nintendo Switch.
A timeless classic
Despite being a 6-year old game, the LA Noire on the Nintendo Switch is still enjoyable and it doesn’t feel like it’s an old game. The gameplay and experience are unique and despite its comparison to Grand Theft Auto V due to the nature of the game, you could still distinguish that LA Noire is a timeless classic that everybody could fall in love too.
The same graphics
The graphics are still very much similar to the 2011 version but I already expected that since the Nintendo Switch is not as powerful as the current gen consoles. You can play the game in 720p on the go and 1080p if you dock your console. But still, I was quite happy with its graphics especially for a portable console like the Nintendo Switch1
It might be an old game but unfortunately, I’ve experienced some lags and slowdowns in populated areas part of the game. Yep, there are frame rate drops in the game. I believe Rockstar needs to do a little bit better when it comes to optimizing the game for the Nintendo Switch.
In the game, you’re Detective Cole Phelps, who is a brave cop from LAPD and always eager to solve crimes in the city. If you’re not familiar with the game, well, you’ll be in crime scenes solving murders and mysteries and also find a clue from the pieces of evidence and witnesses and then draw a conclusion from it. The more clues you can find and more right interrogations that you can do on witnesses and possible suspects, the better that you can draw a conclusion from it.
Here’s the problem with L.A. Noire, the cases, circumstances, and evidence are a little bit similar to each other and it’s getting repetitive in some cases which makes me go boring. Some are also predictable which makes the case a bit less mysterious and less challenging.
A better Interrogation system
Rockstar did some changes in its Interrogation System. The options have been changed from Truth, Doubt, and Lie to Good Cop, Bad Cop, and Accuse respectively. I welcome this change as this brings more challenge to the players and it reflects better to Cole Phelps’ behavior.
The Additional Features
One of Nintendo Switch’s biggest feature is the Joy-Cons which lets you use gesture-based controls for rotation of objects, camera, and even aiming with guns. Aside from that, there are also touch-based controls that let you adjust the camera angles, page swipes, and even object rotation. These are not really big additional features but these are nice to see and they were executed nicely.
Verdict
Again, the game is a timeless classic and despite being a 6-year old game that I was able to play it before, I still enjoyed the game on the Nintendo Switch. Some cases are just too predictable and little bit repetitive but despite that, the story-driven gameplay is just fun and I really enjoyed playing this game
If you haven’t played this game before, I highly recommend it if you have a Nintendo Switch despite some frame rate drops. It might not be the perfect game on the Nintendo Switch but solving cases and finding evidence in L.A. Noire is just fun especially when you’re on the go with the Nintendo Switch.