LA Noire Remastered

ROCKSTAR’S SLEUTH STILL HOLDS UP UNDER QUESTIONING

- Dave Meikleham

Rockstar’s evocative detective sim sure ain’t Grand Theft Auto: Old Timey Los Angeles. This sprawling crime drama may take place in an open-world, but Cole Phelps’ slow-burning police work couldn’t be further removed from Trevor Philips’ chaotic carnage if it was arresting GTA V’s psycho over parking violations. Looking for stereotypical sandbox shooting? Then this fascinatingly flawed adventure isn’t for you.

LA Noire Remastered is a curious beast. When this neo-noir thriller hit Xbox 360 in 2011, there was nothing quite like it. Six years on, that’s still the case. This is a cerebral game that rewards the sort of eagle-eyed types who pour over the little details, not chaos-seeking Just Cause 3 fans. A typical hour of LA Noire involves slowly picking up and rotating objects while looking for clues, then studying virtual faces in obsessive detail. In that regard, this gently taxing sandbox is more like Telltale’s Wolf Among Us than GTA. Say what you will about its ponderous detective work or freaky mo-capped faces: There’s no other game that explores the dark, oddly mundane aspects of crimefighting like LA Noire.

Cole in one