In 2011, a game released for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 that surprised just about everyone with how differently it played given the developer who made it. LA Noire is a detective game where the emphasis was plainly centered upon facial animations, reactions, and storytelling, making it something unique...

L.A. Noire is a gritty, single player detective game set on the infamous streets and in the smoke-filled back rooms of post-war Los Angeles. Designed and developed with a nod to the classic film noire movie genre, L.A.

What awaits Cole Phelps at the next crime scene Will it be a couple of hopheads who overdosed on morphine and are now on the midnight train to nowhere Or maybe a young lady whose dreams of Hollywood stardom were chewed up and spit out by the studios and who now lies naked in a park, the victim of...

Authentic and outstanding 1940's style and atmosphere, Solid performances and good use of motion capture, Compelling investigation and interrogation mechanics, Memorable noir story, Some great shoot-outs and action sequences that make use of real L.A; locations

Early investigations are very limited; Disconnection between cases leads to jarring moments; Some restrictions during pursuits and shoot-outs feel artificial

When it was rumored that Rockstar games was working on a new open world game people naturally took notice. Even though the concept was a bit unclear, the prospect of being immersed in another detailed open world period piece was enough to get mouths salivating. Enter L.A.

Dialog is well written; Huge open world with lots of detail; Nicely detailed sound effects; Reading suspects' facial cues is a fun gameplay gimmick; Lots of cases to sink your teeth into

Story is not well paced; Prevalent pop in; Although decent; music is recycled too much; The same routine is required for every case; The arbitrary nature of the gameplay gets tiresome; Very little replay value

After much investigation, we've come to the conclusion - L.A. Noire is one of the finest games on the PS3.

+ Engrossing story; dialogue; facial animations; and gameplay; + Stunning detail and refreshing variety within each case; +/- Not Grand Theft Auto

+/- Not Grand Theft Auto

First up, let's get the little stuff out of the way, specifically the non-case related pieces of DLC. Gamers purchasing the whole enchilada and saving a nice chunk of change in the meantime will get access to two (well technically three) extra suits for Cole Phelps.

One part Super Off Road , two parts Jackal , and a splash of Just Cause 2 , Renegade Ops is a glorious over-the-top twin-stick shooter with action to spare. A few technical issues mar the experience somewhat, but there's still plenty to enjoy in both single and multiplayer.

She's a dame with a lot of shine, but not as much substance.

Impressive facial graphics; lots of cases to play through

Sandbox element is needless; interviews feel too much like a guessing game; too much repetition between cases; uncanny valley; disjointed plot

Some people don't want to admit it, but L.A. Noire is a game that's split a lot of opinion. I'll fly my colours from the start in this review so that the vocal majority can go home early; it's questionable to me it should even be called a game at all. I'd call that quite a big negative.

L.A. Noire is one of the better games I've had the pleasure of reviewing and playing in a long time for a console system. It's a great take on the genre and offers gamers something a little more realistic than blowing away half the city on a rampage like you would in GTA IV (which can be quite fun).