"You fuck young boys, Valdez?" I can't tell you how much that shit made me laugh the first time I played through the game - it was like the last damn thing I expected to hear at that moment.
I love Cole’s subtle, but strong development throughout the story. All through his time in the police force he thought that his by the book discipline would earn him the fame he sought but never achieved as a marine. In the end though, Cole realized in that damp, flooded sewer that being a hero isn’t about the reward from higher-ups-who ironically turned out to be the source of this story’s conflict-but simply doing the right thing when no one else can. Being a hero isn’t glamorous, and Cole’s world was not either. Cole respected Courtney so much-even though he was a dolt-because he put his life on the line, even when putting people out of their misery was bleak, nasty, but still the right thing to do. Cole knew he couldn’t win against the forces of corruption, but in the end he wins an inner battle, and saves Jack’s life during his final moments. Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision to save him rather than letting him burn in the cave with his many sins. Cole was a good man in the end.
Well, while I love your view of the game. I think you are subconsciously giving these men a hero complex. I hate to say it but what you are saying is about these characters is a bit ridiculous, though very sweet. "Cole was a good man in the end. " , idky but that is just WRONG! I am not saying he wasn't a good man. I am saying, HE WAS A GOOD MAN. For the small glimpse of their war history, being a jerk, even if it took others life for granted and as a stepping stone. That was one period of their life. In the middle of WW2. He lost sight of the value of life, as many vets have had to do in their situation. It is right? No. It just is. "Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision".....um... Jack was never one to hold onto that type of thing. Jack saved Cole because Jack could save Cole. Simple as that. "Cole realized in that damp, flooded sewer that being a hero isn’t about the reward from higher-ups-who ironically turned out to be the source of this story’s conflict-but simply doing the right thing when no one else can." ...........that is such a nice thought. I would love to think that but realistically, it was like 5 seconds after saving Jack. He didn't even get the time to think any of that or to even say a full "Goodbye" Sorry I piped in on your thought. I absolutely adore this game and I have always had a soft spot for Cole Phelps. You're synopsis was very lovely. You made me wish we could think/act like that when we get flushed. Once again, you had a lovely comment.
@@TheChryystal you wrote a book calling someone's opinions ridiculous while having an even more silly one. Adorable. Cole was not a good man. He was a deeply flawed man who did the right thing when it mattered. Unless you think people who use others and cheat on their spouses are "good"
@@TheChryystal As nicely as I can put this, are you a child? If you aren't maximum 15, I'd recommend phrasing your opinions differently. Your reply is so unnecessary and additionally you come off condescending and downright goofy. You are infantilizing the original poster and yet you demonstrate a pretty mediocre grasp of story structure and authorial intent. >I am not saying he wasn't a good man. I am saying, HE WAS A GOOD MAN. I don't know what you're trying to say here. Genuinely, you state original comment is wrong but then you reiterated what they said. Are you saying the grammar is wrong? Cole was a good man for his whole life? Why not just say that? Very confusing. A demonstration of you being condescending and needlessly goofy: >"Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision".....um... Jack was never one to hold onto that type of thing. Jack saved Cole because Jack could save Cole. Simple as tha 1. Jack did hold onto it. His entire arc with Cole is baked on him holding onto resentment post-war for Cole. 2. Jack saved Cole because Jack does not hate Cole despite his issues with Cole, which is more or less what you said. But what in your comment disagrees with original comment? Jack still DECIDED to spare Cole. Do you not agree with that? Again, use your words. Stop typing 8 periods to denote an unnecessarily long pause for what is a perfectly salient point. Or do you think Jack arbitrarily happened to spare Cole by accident or something? >...........that is such a nice thought. I would love to think that but realistically, it was like 5 seconds after saving Jack. He didn't even get the time to think any of that or to even say a full "Goodbye" Again, stop putting a thousand periods and just state your thought. You come off like a giant asshole to someone who was just giving their honest takeaway of a story. And their takeaway is pretty on the nose. You can disagree with it, you can disagree with the authors themselves, but establish where and why you disagree if you want to bother, stop with the weird posturing. Additionally, here's where you demonstrate a mediocre sense of analysis for story structuring. Yes, Cole on a humanistic scale would only have five second to process this and would not be doing a thematic conclusion as expressed. But this isn't reality. Cole is not alive. The authors - the writers, developers, however you want to call them - wrote Cole dying for Kelso on purpose. Why? Because it's a full circle conclusion of the story they've been telling with Kelso and Cole starting with the flipside incident during war time between the two men. So yes, it is a nice thought. It is also accurate. This is what the authors want. This is what Cole is doing, even if the human version of Cole may not realize it. One last time, it's ok to disagree. I disagree with the original comment. I agree with @grilledleeks6514 about how Cole is not actually a good person. But he did a good thing saving Kelso, and he finally made good on what was haunting him for years after the war. He is still a troubled, distant man who cheated on his wife. It's only an issue when you say weirdly trivializing things like "This is such a nice thought"
I really appreciate how the overarching conspiracy isn't generic but could have only happened in 50's L.A. it's tied so well to the city and the times. Makes it believable.
It is based on real stuff just like how Roger rabbit features the same thing of destroying houses to collect insurance money building highways all the city development where millions of dollars were at stake and some shady things happened
@@TomDean3004 I forget ife they say exactly but there's a lot of context clues like the fact that communist China hasn't been formed yet in a conversation that you have.
I love the useless clues scattered around, Cole picking it up and saying "incidental" has become a joke I do with my wife constantly when looking at something and rotating it around while at a store or anywhere
This game created one of the best memories I have of my dad, he never showed much interest in me but he saw me playing this and got involved, being a detective himself. We spent a whole saturday with me playing and him giving me advice.
My dad was away for days at a time as a truck driver but the fact yours never showed much interest in you is kinda sad to hear but I'm glad you have that special memory.
I feel like LA Noire is an INCREDIBLE proof of concept for what a open world 1940s murder investigation game could possibly be, but was slightly held back by the PS3/360’s limited capabilities. A full blown spiritual successor on modern hardware has INSANE potential
It wasnt held back because of console "limitations". It was held back because Brendan McNamara had no concept of time or Humanity. And because he didnt understand those simple things, he turned his company into a sweat shop.
@@SvendleBerries While yes McNamara is a piece of shit, Beefjerky has a point. Any product is always limited by its hardware, even if you made it now with top of the line tech in 10 years it'd be "held back by its time/platform". So I would still love to see a spiritual sequel to this (not a direct sequel) on modern hardware. It would be damn good. Just as long as they don't do the gaming industry's 2 favorite things, Crunch and Sexual Assault.
I actually wrote a paper comparing this game to notions of the Noir 'genre' in film found in contemporary and historical writing. Phelps being a sort of antihero with a broken past and a crooked character arc is actually pretty fitting with some of the more frequent tropes found within noir films. I always liked that about this game.
@@Edax_RoyeauxName a senator that isnt corrupt lmao. Also he may have been a California senator but he wasn't a lefty if thats why you keep pointing out the Cali thing
This game has creates feeling that ive never had from any other video game. It sucks that the Team Bondi developers had to suffer so much but considering its a one in a billion game i really believe that it was worth it especially now considering most video games are creatively bankrupt.
I expected a game that shines through its mechanic and interesting murders, but never saw it coming how much of a grip it would get on me emotionally in the end. The finale is absolutely phenomenal and beyond anything I thought I would get out of this game. Great review!
I will always love Cole as a character that I hated, yet still yelled "No!" When that wave of water took him off screen. It was like someone slapped me.
Yeah I love how Cole is a character who you feel sort of distant from, yet you can also empathize with him. There are no solidly good guys in this game, even Kelso isn’t entirely likable.
LA Noire is another one of those Rockstar games that deserves a sequel, even despite all the bad stuff around and in it. Just a fantastic story and game.
@@melgibsonafter5beers626 Stop giving people that shit already. I don't care how many series and games will flop or break from the weight of corporate ineptitude life is movement and things will change no matter how doomer articles and headlines that we get forcefed.
Honestly, this game's animations were so good that it made me think everyone was lying always because they were constantly doing weird things with their face. Though this might also be a me problem because I am not always great at telling when people are lying in real life!
@@wilbo_baggins i wasnt that bad..... as most times you dont need facial expressions if you found all the evidence you can just be like "no thats a lie because i found X and you did/were/said Y" . however..... i do have a HARD time with real life social situations . . i remember my friend introducing me to the girl i lost my V card with later that night "this is Kain.... he is REALLY smart, kind, and a pretty cool dude.......but he is socially fucking retarded" . . . and i swear to god im not trying to call myself smart, kind, and a cool dude thats legit what my buddy Chaz said...... (he was trying to help me loose my V card lol) . but.... in our small montana town of 2300 people..... i was one of the smartest in school (now im bragging..... but its true LOL) . . and ya.... i AM!!! 110% was (and still am) socially retarded but that "quote" has always stuck with me.... even 10 years later . like.... it perfectly sums up who i am..... better than i ever could sum it up as i like to ramble and go on and on and on and on (as you can see here)
I think one of the best features in my opinion was the beginning of each case with it’s voiceover, which ties it directly into the funeral at the very end. At first I thought those voiceovers were more of throwaway exposition, but at the very end you can piece them all together as part of a eulogy or reflections rather than anything else
1:12:50 Wow I'd say the facial mocap was all worth it for this one scene's delivery alone. It screams the pswii60 aesthetic while also showing the nuances of someone who's genuinely angry at their partner. Looks silly elsewhere but for this scene it worked out incredibly well o:
12:04 the facial expressions in L.A noire is the most hilarious thing in this entire game. Like it’s really hard to take anything seriously when they make these certain faces.😹
@treeghettox I would say that the tone of LA Noire is pretty serious. A game is just like any other medium and in other media such as film there are both lighthearted and serious movies.
At least they were purposefully overemphasizing and exaggerating expressions compared to andromeda's overall shitshow where even the gameplay and story couldn't save it lol
L.A. Noire is one of my all-time favourite games. It is also one of the most fastidiously detailed city recreations ever built for a video game: 1947 Los Angeles is obsessively detailed.
I have always been intrigued by Earle's final eulogy. His personality and story immediatily pushes us to believe he's lying, yet he doesn't have any smirk in his face, and his voice seems to genuinely break, instead of his typical edginess. Is he sorry for Cole's death or is he just being a total shitbag as always?
I'm more on the side of him being the manipulative total shitbag as always, yet not unlike you I also want to have a theory of Roy at that moment, reading the eulogy, he had a "Cole Phelps was truly a better man than all of us" moment.
This is probably one of the most intriguing moments of the whole game, the noticeable difference from his normal speech and mannerism would lead you believe he was sad, maybe in a twisted kind of way.
For an Australian developer was really interesting how much effort went into making a game set in a completely different county and time period. The 1950s were very different here than over there!
I remember playing the final act in one go and watching the end credits just sort of feeling numb. It's the first game that I just sat there during the credits and reflected on the whole experience - a very unique experience.
We didn't know it at the time but this really was the golden age of gaming. Like just TRY to imagine a contemporary studio attempting to do anything like this in 2024.
I love this game. It’s such a hidden gem and it’s a shame it’s often overshadowed by other Rockstar games. If you like this game, I’d recommend watching the movie L.A Confidential.
This was a great listen. I was an early adopter of L.A Noire and it was a time where I was very much alone, very seldom leaving my home aside from essentials. Listening to that intro really brought me back to my youth, and reminded me of how far I’ve come mentally and psychically… great work Salt. I felt something and reminisced over the game that let me live vicariously.
If any game could be considered a "cult classic" like some films, it would be this one haha. The gameplay isn't really anything to write home about, but the story, my god the story is just so good. Yet it's been played by so few people as it really flew under the radar at the time and half the people I knew who did play it didn't like it because it was; "GTA but I can't drive around like a madman or start a one-man war with the city, where's the fun in that?". I've played the game exactly once, when it came out in 2011 and the story is still taking up space in my mind 11 years later.
Iv been going back and trying to play these old classics I somehow missed, kotor, dragon age origins, mass effect, this is on the list. So mad I missed all these great games
The fuck were you even playing? To not only not have played a single game from the three massive series' you just mentioned, but also not seemed to realize their existence until one channel does a video on them, is absurdly stupid.
Random thought about the black dahlia murder. I don’t remember the guys name but there’s a doctor whose son claims his dad committed the black dahlia murder. He was apparently a suspect but had enough influence and money to get off but now that he’s dead his family turned over some evidence that points to him being the most likely person.
One of the best games of all time, just dislike how they go about the doubt and truth thing. I find that their relabeling as good cop bad cop is the only way that makes sense, I wonder how they messed that up so bad. Excited to watch this video.
The reasoning for this is while making the game the options were different but then at the last minute they changed them to truth doubt and lie regardless of wether it even made sense so now you know.
This is perhaps one of the most important games that any gamer should play. It’s a snapshot into what makes video games a compelling art form. The detective stories are fun to play through and the voice acting is some of the best I have ever seen. It’s a game that deserves to be preserved and shown to any fan of video games or any type of storytelling.
One of my favorite games, covered by one of my favorite TH-camrs. A good way to start the weekend. I still cry at his death scene because of the facial animation of him realizing he wasn't going to make it. One of the few games my dad could watch me play and not get bored of after thirty minutes too.
I fucking loved this game. I do hope it holds up, I haven't played it at all since it came out, but I played the shit out of it for that time. The driving definitely takes some getting used to but for me ended up being one of the highlights of the entire game. I love the look of cars from that era, I'm pretty sure I found every collectible car in the game and I honestly spent hours just driving around in these different cars taking in the sights of the incredibly well put together 50s LA.
I replayed it a couple of months ago on PS4 which makes the load times way faster. The gun play isn´t the best but the atmosphere and story makes up for it in spades :)
Anyone else find it ironic that Rockstar of all companies cut ties with team Bondi over poor working conditions when they're one of the most notorious publisher/developers for that exact same thing?
@@AdamOwenBrowning even better if the game still says you got "pacifist points" for committing lethal acts of violence. like the UI wants to pretend it's a generic karma system while in the story you have to accept that you just killed someone
I adore L.A. Noire so much. It was the first game I got after building my first PC as I had got it on sale for like $4 and wanted to see what the newer enhanced version looked like alongside a ReShade. Had played it before on console, but never got to finish it because of a disc error … didn’t expect the ending. Could play it numerous times despite knowing all the answers, though. Phelps was a great character to become attached to.. I wish more games covered this era in open world. I love the variety of themes from the 20s-50s, which is probably why the Mafia series is so high on my list. I’d rather cruise around in an open world in a game’s version of 40’s Continental or Roadster than a tacky modern sports car. L.A. Noire and Mafia DE came extremely close, but still not open world enough for my tastes. Could you imagine an RPG styled game similar to Fallout with GTA open world mechanics set in the 30s? I’d be all on it.
LA Noire is one of my favorite games of all time, but I always thought the story could be pretty hard to follow with the time jumps and weaving narratives. Watching this video made it 100% easy to follow and it makes me appreciate the story even more. Great work!
You're telling me the officer who barely did anything was the one that got the medals and awards for the work of those under their command? Yep, that sounds about right.
I don’t think that phelps staying quiet is necessarily a flaw of the story. He’s a good, straight laced cop who does all of his procedures by the book, but as the story progresses he witnesses and permits corruption from his coworkers. Kakowsky is rough around the edges, and occasionally dodges protocol; rusty is an open wife beater, alcoholic, and attacks suspects without repercussions; Roy is a natural progression of corrupt partners that Phelps has fallen in line with- he represents the idea that there are no good cops, because good cops don’t hold bad cops accountable. Him accepting Roy’s obvious flaws and allowing Roy to wine and dine him shows that he himself is slowly descending into the pit. I think that partnering with Biggs on arson is what really breaks this progression because you get a partner that is disillusioned but still maintains good character.
I’m a proud part of two communities, veteran and gamer community. As a “delta doc” I can say the conflict they demonstrate here is pretty damn spot on. As a gamer, I can say damn good review.
Salt you really are an exceptional video creator, you are a great speaker and you sound very fair and genuine in your analysis of any game, never change!
"Take the guy alive, so aim for an arm or leg" Oooh if only it worked like that. I mean, it can, if you can land the shot, and have a proper tournequet. But leg wounds are deadly as hell. Arm is more survivable, but same problem persists. That all said, love your content! Keep up the great work!
i want to think Roy genuinely felt some sort of remorse over Coles death, in that he'll miss antagonizing him. i also love that the developers imported 15 percent of the cast of Mad Men into this game 😂😂
Ever since RDR 2 came out I've wondered how a remastered LA Noire in RDR 2's Engine would look. Considering the mocap now is far better than 10+ years ago. Sadly this is a niche genre, so I doubt that would happen. Despite the quirks, LA Noire is one of my favorite games, just wish we had more games like it. Edit: The "affair" part of the story is the worst part of the game that doesn't make sense to many and is a blight on the game. One thing I do love about the game though is where you mention about the side missions like at 43:10 - many of the people involved now are people you've dealt with/talked to in previous cases, and Cole mentions that from time to time, some of them caught in precarious situations.
its unfortunate, because i also loved Heavy Rain and even as far back as... uhg... i forgot the title but you play as both a girl detective and flashback as her grandfather. I was like 9 and it ran ok on Windows Vista lol.
@@richiewesson4051 Heavy Rain is also a good game too. Both LA Noire and Heavy Rain have their issues, but stand out on their own for different reasons. Just a shame that these aren't 'mainstream' games like GTA V is, so they won't get nearly as much attention. Even games like RDR 2, while not as popular as GTA V, is in a league of its own graphic, story and design wise, was completely abandoned by Rockstar for GTA V 'The Cash Cow". Hope GTA V burns sooner rather than later, don't even want a 6th, because R* will find more ways to make money from it.
I'd prefer a RDR2 style game set in 1940's LA vs just remastering LA Noire. I feel the potential of the era and the local was thoroughly wasted by being a cop.
@@richiewesson4051 Are you talking about Echo Night 1/2/3 ? I mean definitely not the third one and I'm not sure if they officially came out on PC but it might be a series you'd like :) Nitro Rad did great videos on all 3!
Thank you for addressing the under-addressed: There are like zero games where punching someone doesn't look/feel weird. RD2 definitely set the bar higher for how to improve on an objectively boring, but sometimes necessary experience.
Just want to say I love the fourth-wall, meta character dialogue that you seamlessly inserted into the video. *Insert "had me at the first half, not gonna lie" meme*
i was diagnosed with autism at a young age. watching Phelp's follow the book and be cold in a way I rigidly respected, but seeing how dirty, gray, and devoid of "black and white" that this behavior creates really taught me something and despite this game's flaws, the experience of that resonates with me whenever I hear about this game. It's not massively "fun" and i haven't played through it more than twice - but I kept my original copy when i bought it for a reason. Phelps tried in the way he honestly believed in to be a good man, and didn't really succeed.
I really appreciated being able to relive this unique and timeless story through your replay and detailed breakdown. Thank you for giving the flawed but brilliant LA Noire and Detective Phelps their due.
Man, I was never that interested in this game but it seems I missed out on a good one. It’s very refreshing to me to see humans being human. Protagonists with flaws that aren’t particularly relatable, because-in reality-not everyone’s flaws are the same. A story where some good can still come about even when the bad guys win, because honestly, they usually do.
I never played this game, but I watched a full walkthrough of it, and it was awesome, it was like watching a good detective movie, it was beautiful watching Cole call out everyone on there lies, and when they doubled down Cole would bust out the Proof, it was hilarious.
Time to be calmed to sleep after a long day! I've been waiting patiently for a new video from you to come out. Thank you for your effort and time creating these amazing videos!
I'd love to see another detective story from Rockstar set in the Bay Area around the time of the hippy counterculture movement. I think that would be an amazing time to explore against the backdrop of Vietnam, drugs, crime, the birth of mass market pornography, and kick ass music. Lots of interesting criminal cases, especially Zodiac.
I had no idea this game had such a strong story focus. It sometimes gets a bit hard telling one white guy from the next. I swear figuring out which one was Phelps was like playing Where's Waldo 50% of the time (or 100% during the war flashbacks). The plot veers into the outlandish on occasion, but altogether I'm impressed. I'd assumed this game had the typical vague gestures toward depth Rockstar can muster, but this seemed to make an earnest swing. Though the somewhat nebulous nature and extent of Rockstars' involvement kinda muddy the water.Thanks for the useful video.
favorite part of the game where I couldn't hold it in was the two stores with the Jewish own and Philip just threatened him with the gas chamber any moment with Phillips just using brutal punishment for minor things
Never quite had the issue with Phelps and Roy's relationship myself. Mostly because of something brushed over early on. The visit to the nightclub that Roy's corrupt connections gets them into. It's kind of the start of a crisis arc for Phelps as the game goes on. Where he ends up with this obsession with the German singer, that as much as he might complain about how Vice does its corrupt business he still enjoys the fruits of that corruption. Front row tickets to a boxing match he'd never get to see otherwise. Open doors to nightclubs that wouldn't let him in. Introductions to his crush, etc. It's a good arc, I thought. Kind of showing about how he has this conflict between who he wants to be... and the things he wants to enjoy... and a partner who reminds him of Kelso in so far as how they have a complete personality clash and will basically NEVER get along. But he wants to get along with them. Just like he wanted to get along with Kelso. Because he really did buy into the Marine Corps ideals and the sense of brotherhood, etc. He's a wonderful little pile of contradictions which isn't bad writing. It's honestly refreshing. Because well... people are filled with seeming contradictions. As simple as the well known (and often fallen for) paradox of someone too lazy to do something that would let them be more lazy. Broken TV remote? Well driving out to the electronics store tog et a new one is like 40 minutes of their life... so instead they'll just keep getting up off the couch to manually flip channels one at a time with the buttons on the TV even though after a month they've spent more time doing that than they ever would have getting a new remote, etc. He's kind of like that. He wants to be this sort of paragon of American Idealism. Except he notices that America around him isn't what he thought it was. He wants the praise and accolades he wished he deserved back in WW2 (and felt he didn't when he got them). But not enough to tell people the truth even though he hates it anytime anyone calls him out for his "War Hero" status despite not being one in truth. He hates the corruption going on... but he loves when it benefits himself and will turn a limited blind eye. "I don't know how we got those boxing tickets. I don't know how I got into the club and got an introduction with the starlet!" sort of stuff. To the point where he gets so mired into his own drama and conflicts that he's just... unable to see what's actually going on around him. How crimes he's run into were part of something bigger to tackle. All he sees is his personal drama and how to potentially fix it. Right up to the end where he's blindsided by a world that was waving its arms right in front of his face.
To be fair, Phelps would have learned from WWII that being a stick in the mud and refusing the perks of the jobs will only make his colleagues suspicious of him, to the point he's already been shot in the back by one. So I wouldn't call it a contradiction for him accepting watching a boxing match or visiting the nightclub with his partner, it could legitimately be dangerous to turn those offers down. He's learned to be accommodating because having no friends is very dangerous.
Characters having believable contradictions is the cornerstone of a deeper, more nuanced character. How they go against the stereotypes you'd have for that person and force you to accept them as something deeper than you can easily write off in a few words. Cole Phelps still is a very reserved man about his own feelings, but it's fascinating seeing the amount of thoughts and emotions he has going on under the surface.
Oh hell yeah this was unexpected I'm glad you're covering this game it was certainly a unique experience and the ending is definitely one that while maybe not the greatest makes you think about things and it was a fitting for the genre. I used to get me a good bottle of booze and drink it as I play this game chapter by chapter so it was like watching a TV series. The game's story is a bit hard to follow cuz it is all mostly interconnected and it's told in segments but once you put it all together like if you watch all the flashback scenes back to back it makes a lot more sense and give you a greater hole that there is a wider story going on and that it is pretty interesting for the most part with the world War II flashbacks and all of the conspiracies going on. The betrayal of Cole kind of comes out of nowhere but it is a bit set up if you're paying attention it's one of those things where sometimes it helps to play the game twice I just wish they would have featured Colel's family a little more but in some ways that's not bad since he was so lost in his work. Roy Earl is also a gem and I think he's best character in the game. Second is the homicide detective who spends his days getting drunk and saying it's always the husband, Rusty! Also, the real end is so tragic, when kelso told the men not to steal, and they do it, and it gets them all killed. So many powerful moments with great writing
@@DemBigOlEyes Main reason is my favorite is he's so blatantly corrupt but he's incredibly reflective of the time it would be weird if we said it in 40s la and the character like him was just not in the game at all The fact that he also somehow comes out of the whole game unscathed there's also an interesting choice as well He's my favorite because every time he's on screen you're paying attention to him and you are listening to what he says no matter how evil or wrong it is, it reminds me of like Darth Vader or Vito Corleone even though they are evil terrible people you listen to every word
@@PoisoNico93 they almost tried too hard to create the most disgusting human being possible and I thought it worked out he's just such a horrible person you just want him to die
played the game at a friend's house way back when it came out, had a blast looking at the facial features, never cared about the story. So this was like a whole new tale to hear. loved it mate!
Cole is what I call the Gatsby type, a flawed person with dark stuff lurking in the past, but "Gatsby turned out alright in the end. It was what preyed on Gatsby..." I love those characters but they rarely get a happy ending
Thank you so much for doing this play through/review. I play LA Noire about once a year. It’s such a beautiful love letter to “golden era” Los Angeles. Your opinions of the game are exactly how I feel about it. And for all it’s flaws, it’s wonderful.
Someone really needs to make a new Noire game.. Specifically something between L.A Noire and Battlefield Hardline. If those two games had a baby, it would be so awesome. Hardlines campaign was pretty fun and had alot of cool ideas i wish were expanded upon. I wish it had bigger maps and open world like LA Noire had. Alson the story/detective work of Noire had more depth. But i really love the gun play and gameplay of hardline. The wepons and kit customization was really fun too.
Honestly, this game is underrated as fuck When i did the murder cases i distinctively remember telling myself: What the actual fuck? Concluding that person to be the killer just doesnt make sense, it doesnt add up, why did you do this developers? This is utterly stupid!' and within an hour my suspicions were confirmed, yeap, great game!
I fully played through L.A. Noire last year and I have to say this game is god tier it bored me a little in the first half but then I got drawn into doing cases I got hooked I played it for like 3 days straight If you haven't played it and or tried to and couldn't get into it then play it or try it again I promise you you'll get hooked [Pay attention to the story don't skip anything if you do you won't have fun]
Still in love with LA Noire after all these years! Happy to see a newer video that looks back on it in hindsight. I was hoping with the PS4 remaster there'd be a renewed interest in LA Noire and possibly a continuation of the story. This hasn't really happened, but I think they hit something fantastic with the detective/ use facial animation to tell if suspects are lying angle. The characters are relatively complex, especially Cole Phelps. Playing as Cole, you get to root for him as one of the few moral cops in a story of corruption, and be ashamed for his past actions and decisions. I wished it gave Cole a better ending, but then it wouldn't be LA Noire. Thanks!
Personally I loved Cole as a character. He was wound a bit too tight and very by-the-book which made him disliked by his peers, but he was a true hero.
"You fuck young boys, Valdez?"
I can't tell you how much that shit made me laugh the first time I played through the game - it was like the last damn thing I expected to hear at that moment.
That line killed me. The way he says it too
One of the best scenes in the game 😂
I laugh every time it’s such quality
"are you a madman?!?!"
So fucking funny
“You keep lying to me and I’ll send you and your baby to jail.” Jesus Christ Phelps you have a way with words
“You fuck young boys, Valdez?” Still makes me laugh when I think about it randomly.
Ah, a fellow man of culture
threatening to throw babies in jail, the 40s were wild
@@evryfckinnameistaken I mean, a lot of babies had a bad time in the 1940's thanks to the Germans and Japanese and others
In little baby handcuffs
I love Cole’s subtle, but strong development throughout the story. All through his time in the police force he thought that his by the book discipline would earn him the fame he sought but never achieved as a marine. In the end though, Cole realized in that damp, flooded sewer that being a hero isn’t about the reward from higher-ups-who ironically turned out to be the source of this story’s conflict-but simply doing the right thing when no one else can. Being a hero isn’t glamorous, and Cole’s world was not either. Cole respected Courtney so much-even though he was a dolt-because he put his life on the line, even when putting people out of their misery was bleak, nasty, but still the right thing to do. Cole knew he couldn’t win against the forces of corruption, but in the end he wins an inner battle, and saves Jack’s life during his final moments. Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision to save him rather than letting him burn in the cave with his many sins. Cole was a good man in the end.
love this!
Well, while I love your view of the game. I think you are subconsciously giving these men a hero complex. I hate to say it but what you are saying is about these characters is a bit ridiculous, though very sweet.
"Cole was a good man in the end. " , idky but that is just WRONG!
I am not saying he wasn't a good man. I am saying, HE WAS A GOOD MAN. For the small glimpse of their war history, being a jerk, even if it took others life for granted and as a stepping stone. That was one period of their life. In the middle of WW2. He lost sight of the value of life, as many vets have had to do in their situation. It is right? No. It just is.
"Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision".....um... Jack was never one to hold onto that type of thing. Jack saved Cole because Jack could save Cole. Simple as that.
"Cole realized in that damp, flooded sewer that being a hero isn’t about the reward from higher-ups-who ironically turned out to be the source of this story’s conflict-but simply doing the right thing when no one else can."
...........that is such a nice thought. I would love to think that but realistically, it was like 5 seconds after saving Jack. He didn't even get the time to think any of that or to even say a full "Goodbye"
Sorry I piped in on your thought. I absolutely adore this game and I have always had a soft spot for Cole Phelps. You're synopsis was very lovely. You made me wish we could think/act like that when we get flushed. Once again, you had a lovely comment.
@@TheChryystal you wrote a book calling someone's opinions ridiculous while having an even more silly one. Adorable.
Cole was not a good man. He was a deeply flawed man who did the right thing when it mattered.
Unless you think people who use others and cheat on their spouses are "good"
@@TheChryystal As nicely as I can put this, are you a child? If you aren't maximum 15, I'd recommend phrasing your opinions differently. Your reply is so unnecessary and additionally you come off condescending and downright goofy. You are infantilizing the original poster and yet you demonstrate a pretty mediocre grasp of story structure and authorial intent.
>I am not saying he wasn't a good man. I am saying, HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
I don't know what you're trying to say here. Genuinely, you state original comment is wrong but then you reiterated what they said. Are you saying the grammar is wrong? Cole was a good man for his whole life? Why not just say that? Very confusing.
A demonstration of you being condescending and needlessly goofy:
>"Cole finally made good on Jack’s decision".....um... Jack was never one to hold onto that type of thing. Jack saved Cole because Jack could save Cole. Simple as tha
1. Jack did hold onto it. His entire arc with Cole is baked on him holding onto resentment post-war for Cole.
2. Jack saved Cole because Jack does not hate Cole despite his issues with Cole, which is more or less what you said. But what in your comment disagrees with original comment? Jack still DECIDED to spare Cole. Do you not agree with that? Again, use your words. Stop typing 8 periods to denote an unnecessarily long pause for what is a perfectly salient point. Or do you think Jack arbitrarily happened to spare Cole by accident or something?
>...........that is such a nice thought. I would love to think that but realistically, it was like 5 seconds after saving Jack. He didn't even get the time to think any of that or to even say a full "Goodbye"
Again, stop putting a thousand periods and just state your thought. You come off like a giant asshole to someone who was just giving their honest takeaway of a story. And their takeaway is pretty on the nose. You can disagree with it, you can disagree with the authors themselves, but establish where and why you disagree if you want to bother, stop with the weird posturing.
Additionally, here's where you demonstrate a mediocre sense of analysis for story structuring.
Yes, Cole on a humanistic scale would only have five second to process this and would not be doing a thematic conclusion as expressed. But this isn't reality. Cole is not alive. The authors - the writers, developers, however you want to call them - wrote Cole dying for Kelso on purpose. Why? Because it's a full circle conclusion of the story they've been telling with Kelso and Cole starting with the flipside incident during war time between the two men. So yes, it is a nice thought. It is also accurate. This is what the authors want. This is what Cole is doing, even if the human version of Cole may not realize it.
One last time, it's ok to disagree. I disagree with the original comment. I agree with @grilledleeks6514 about how Cole is not actually a good person. But he did a good thing saving Kelso, and he finally made good on what was haunting him for years after the war. He is still a troubled, distant man who cheated on his wife. It's only an issue when you say weirdly trivializing things like "This is such a nice thought"
I really appreciate how the overarching conspiracy isn't generic but could have only happened in 50's L.A. it's tied so well to the city and the times. Makes it believable.
It is based on real stuff just like how Roger rabbit features the same thing of destroying houses to collect insurance money building highways all the city development where millions of dollars were at stake and some shady things happened
I believe the game is set in 1947
@@TomDean3004 I forget ife they say exactly but there's a lot of context clues like the fact that communist China hasn't been formed yet in a conversation that you have.
@@aaronrowell6943 to be fair roger rabbit took inspiration from classic noire stories like Chinatown
Kind of like L.A. Confidential
I love the useless clues scattered around, Cole picking it up and saying "incidental" has become a joke I do with my wife constantly when looking at something and rotating it around while at a store or anywhere
thats cute.
It's true. I can verify. I'm incidental
That's great lmao
That sounds fun. I can imagine this in my head, And it's really funny.
It would take a smarter man than me to connect this.
As an Australian thats the first time i’ve heard someone say Bondi like that lmao! Great video, wasn’t expecting you to cover this one
Those first few minutes were hard to listen to lol
its bon-die, most aussie sounding shit ever
I spent the first 5 mins thinking wtf did Allan bond have to do with this game before I realised 🤣
I knew I wasn't the only one 😅
To be fair to Salt, I can't remember watching a single video about this game where Bondi was pronounced correctly.
This game created one of the best memories I have of my dad, he never showed much interest in me but he saw me playing this and got involved, being a detective himself. We spent a whole saturday with me playing and him giving me advice.
Oh wow :3 that's such a cool, special & unique memory :)
normally I think these kind of comments are lame and self serving, but yours actually felt worth sharing. Felt good to read, glad you had that.
W Experience!
@Sick em Rex lol okay bud.
My dad was away for days at a time as a truck driver but the fact yours never showed much interest in you is kinda sad to hear but I'm glad you have that special memory.
I feel like LA Noire is an INCREDIBLE proof of concept for what a open world 1940s murder investigation game could possibly be, but was slightly held back by the PS3/360’s limited capabilities. A full blown spiritual successor on modern hardware has INSANE potential
I'd absolutely love similar games set at the same time but in Chicago or New York.
It wasnt held back because of console "limitations". It was held back because Brendan McNamara had no concept of time or Humanity. And because he didnt understand those simple things, he turned his company into a sweat shop.
I'd love to see another game like this but more open and more freedom on what jobs to take, where you go and when, etc
@@SvendleBerries While yes McNamara is a piece of shit, Beefjerky has a point. Any product is always limited by its hardware, even if you made it now with top of the line tech in 10 years it'd be "held back by its time/platform".
So I would still love to see a spiritual sequel to this (not a direct sequel) on modern hardware. It would be damn good. Just as long as they don't do the gaming industry's 2 favorite things, Crunch and Sexual Assault.
@@AshlynOne crunch and sexual assault is the only way anything gets done
Knowing the actor playing Micah in RD2 is Dr Fontaine in this game shows the range that Peter Blomquist has. Would LOVE to see him in more stuff
I literally just now realised that Herschel Biggs has the same voice actor as Joshua Graham from Fallout New Vegas, holy shit
@@MisterTipp LITERALLY!!!
You mean you didn’t figuratively realise?
@@Robert-tl2vg Literally just, not literally realised.
@@Robert-tl2vg ok Ted
@@Robert-tl2vg Nobody likes a pedantic Peter, Robert
I actually wrote a paper comparing this game to notions of the Noir 'genre' in film found in contemporary and historical writing. Phelps being a sort of antihero with a broken past and a crooked character arc is actually pretty fitting with some of the more frequent tropes found within noir films. I always liked that about this game.
"You'll be calling Richard Nixon a crook next" had me dying
A California congressman crooked? Noooo...
@@Edax_Royeaux you do know who Richard Nixon is and what happened to him, right?
@@mememachine-386 You mean that California Senator?
@@Edax_Royeaux no I think he means the vice president who was gifted a dog or something?
@@Edax_RoyeauxName a senator that isnt corrupt lmao. Also he may have been a California senator but he wasn't a lefty if thats why you keep pointing out the Cali thing
This game has creates feeling that ive never had from any other video game. It sucks that the Team Bondi developers had to suffer so much but considering its a one in a billion game i really believe that it was worth it especially now considering most video games are creatively bankrupt.
"Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened."?
Didnt rockstar developers suffer, not team bondi?
I come from the future, it's a shitshow.
DEI everything.
I expected a game that shines through its mechanic and interesting murders, but never saw it coming how much of a grip it would get on me emotionally in the end. The finale is absolutely phenomenal and beyond anything I thought I would get out of this game. Great review!
I will always love Cole as a character that I hated, yet still yelled "No!" When that wave of water took him off screen. It was like someone slapped me.
Yeah I love how Cole is a character who you feel sort of distant from, yet you can also empathize with him. There are no solidly good guys in this game, even Kelso isn’t entirely likable.
@@sense_maker1816 the coroner was a top lad
@@BronzeApparathusso was Bigs, and Bekowsky.
LA Noire is another one of those Rockstar games that deserves a sequel, even despite all the bad stuff around and in it. Just a fantastic story and game.
@@renmcmanus You know you're never getting good games again, right?
@@renmcmanus yep, the Yakuza games have some amazing stories and then you have the powerhouse that is From Software.
@@renmcmanus that makes no sense. You're losing your mind because Rockstar is making a Latina one of 2 main character in GTA lmfao. You're a moron
@@melgibsonafter5beers626 Stop giving people that shit already. I don't care how many series and games will flop or break from the weight of corporate ineptitude life is movement and things will change no matter how doomer articles and headlines that we get forcefed.
@@nguyenten6877 no_chad.jpg
Honestly, this game's animations were so good that it made me think everyone was lying always because they were constantly doing weird things with their face. Though this might also be a me problem because I am not always great at telling when people are lying in real life!
I was the same. I only got 1-3 stars on all the cases on my original playthrough.
@@wilbo_baggins i wasnt that bad..... as most times you dont need facial expressions if you found all the evidence
you can just be like "no thats a lie because i found X and you did/were/said Y"
.
however..... i do have a HARD time with real life social situations
.
.
i remember my friend introducing me to the girl i lost my V card with later that night
"this is Kain.... he is REALLY smart, kind, and a pretty cool dude.......but he is socially fucking retarded"
.
.
.
and i swear to god im not trying to call myself smart, kind, and a cool dude
thats legit what my buddy Chaz said...... (he was trying to help me loose my V card lol)
.
but.... in our small montana town of 2300 people..... i was one of the smartest in school
(now im bragging..... but its true LOL)
.
.
and ya.... i AM!!! 110% was (and still am) socially retarded
but that "quote" has always stuck with me.... even 10 years later
.
like.... it perfectly sums up who i am..... better than i ever could sum it up
as i like to ramble and go on and on and on and on (as you can see here)
@@kainhall haha I'm pretty much the same. My social skills would be like 1 out of 10.
I usually tried to pay attention to how they say something rather than how they look lol.
Holy shit bro you don’t understand how excited I am to watch this. Not even started yet and already know I’m in for a great time
I think one of the best features in my opinion was the beginning of each case with it’s voiceover, which ties it directly into the funeral at the very end. At first I thought those voiceovers were more of throwaway exposition, but at the very end you can piece them all together as part of a eulogy or reflections rather than anything else
Yes yes yes! Did not expect that you cover this one Salt but I loved that game, despite its flaws. Thanks for the video!
Such a masterpiece
Same. Game has flaws but its worth playing. I really enjoyed the game from beginning to end.
1:12:50 Wow I'd say the facial mocap was all worth it for this one scene's delivery alone. It screams the pswii60 aesthetic while also showing the nuances of someone who's genuinely angry at their partner. Looks silly elsewhere but for this scene it worked out incredibly well o:
Nice PFP lol
@@sirllamaiii9708 ayyyy this guy fcks!
@@ViperliciousOG ;) link to the full image?
12:04 the facial expressions in L.A noire is the most hilarious thing in this entire game. Like it’s really hard to take anything seriously when they make these certain faces.😹
Fr tho
@treeghettox I would say that the tone of LA Noire is pretty serious. A game is just like any other medium and in other media such as film there are both lighthearted and serious movies.
they comstantly reuse the actors and the faces look like monsters.
they had a marketing gimmick and didnt know when to call it quits.
At least they were purposefully overemphasizing and exaggerating expressions compared to andromeda's overall shitshow where even the gameplay and story couldn't save it lol
@treeghettox you’re trying really hard to seem smart lmfao
L.A. Noire is one of my all-time favourite games. It is also one of the most fastidiously detailed city recreations ever built for a video game: 1947 Los Angeles is obsessively detailed.
I have always been intrigued by Earle's final eulogy. His personality and story immediatily pushes us to believe he's lying, yet he doesn't have any smirk in his face, and his voice seems to genuinely break, instead of his typical edginess. Is he sorry for Cole's death or is he just being a total shitbag as always?
I'm more on the side of him being the manipulative total shitbag as always, yet not unlike you I also want to have a theory of Roy at that moment, reading the eulogy, he had a "Cole Phelps was truly a better man than all of us" moment.
This is probably one of the most intriguing moments of the whole game, the noticeable difference from his normal speech and mannerism would lead you believe he was sad, maybe in a twisted kind of way.
Team Bondi's name is based on a location in Australia called Bondi beach pronounced bon-dye, not bond-e just thought I'd point this out.
For an Australian developer was really interesting how much effort went into making a game set in a completely different county and time period. The 1950s were very different here than over there!
I remember playing the final act in one go and watching the end credits just sort of feeling numb. It's the first game that I just sat there during the credits and reflected on the whole experience - a very unique experience.
We didn't know it at the time but this really was the golden age of gaming.
Like just TRY to imagine a contemporary studio attempting to do anything like this in 2024.
I love this game. It’s such a hidden gem and it’s a shame it’s often overshadowed by other Rockstar games.
If you like this game, I’d recommend watching the movie L.A Confidential.
This was a great listen. I was an early adopter of L.A Noire and it was a time where I was very much alone, very seldom leaving my home aside from essentials. Listening to that intro really brought me back to my youth, and reminded me of how far I’ve come mentally and psychically… great work Salt. I felt something and reminisced over the game that let me live vicariously.
🙏👏🙌
This was really neat to watch. I never played LA Noire, so this has been insightful as to why this was so important for the time it was released.
If any game could be considered a "cult classic" like some films, it would be this one haha. The gameplay isn't really anything to write home about, but the story, my god the story is just so good. Yet it's been played by so few people as it really flew under the radar at the time and half the people I knew who did play it didn't like it because it was; "GTA but I can't drive around like a madman or start a one-man war with the city, where's the fun in that?".
I've played the game exactly once, when it came out in 2011 and the story is still taking up space in my mind 11 years later.
Iv been going back and trying to play these old classics I somehow missed, kotor, dragon age origins, mass effect, this is on the list. So mad I missed all these great games
The fuck were you even playing? To not only not have played a single game from the three massive series' you just mentioned, but also not seemed to realize their existence until one channel does a video on them, is absurdly stupid.
Man, I envy you being able to go through all three of those for the first time, all in a row...those are some magnificent games.
Random thought about the black dahlia murder. I don’t remember the guys name but there’s a doctor whose son claims his dad committed the black dahlia murder. He was apparently a suspect but had enough influence and money to get off but now that he’s dead his family turned over some evidence that points to him being the most likely person.
One of the best games of all time, just dislike how they go about the doubt and truth thing. I find that their relabeling as good cop bad cop is the only way that makes sense, I wonder how they messed that up so bad. Excited to watch this video.
The reasoning for this is while making the game the options were different but then at the last minute they changed them to truth doubt and lie regardless of wether it even made sense so now you know.
Even so, I recall a few times when the Doubt option turned out as "please think about it again, you seem uncertain".
*Presses X*
True/Doubt/Lie makes total sense ...
This is perhaps one of the most important games that any gamer should play. It’s a snapshot into what makes video games a compelling art form. The detective stories are fun to play through and the voice acting is some of the best I have ever seen. It’s a game that deserves to be preserved and shown to any fan of video games or any type of storytelling.
One of my favorite games, covered by one of my favorite TH-camrs. A good way to start the weekend.
I still cry at his death scene because of the facial animation of him realizing he wasn't going to make it. One of the few games my dad could watch me play and not get bored of after thirty minutes too.
I fucking loved this game. I do hope it holds up, I haven't played it at all since it came out, but I played the shit out of it for that time. The driving definitely takes some getting used to but for me ended up being one of the highlights of the entire game. I love the look of cars from that era, I'm pretty sure I found every collectible car in the game and I honestly spent hours just driving around in these different cars taking in the sights of the incredibly well put together 50s LA.
I replayed it a couple of months ago on PS4 which makes the load times way faster. The gun play isn´t the best but the atmosphere and story makes up for it in spades :)
Anyone else find it ironic that Rockstar of all companies cut ties with team Bondi over poor working conditions when they're one of the most notorious publisher/developers for that exact same thing?
Salt: Maybe take him in alive so ya shoot him in the arm or leg...
Femoral artery: Am I a joke to you?
there needs to be a mission where you shoot someone in the leg to "incapacitate them" and they just pass out within 10s and bleed out within two mins.
@@AdamOwenBrowning even better if the game still says you got "pacifist points" for committing lethal acts of violence. like the UI wants to pretend it's a generic karma system while in the story you have to accept that you just killed someone
Oh shit! New Salt! This just made my whole day so much better.
Keep on keepin on man, you really brighten up my days.
I started playing the remastered version on ps4 recently, I found it way more intuitive than I remember when I first played it on ps3. It’s great!!
I adore L.A. Noire so much. It was the first game I got after building my first PC as I had got it on sale for like $4 and wanted to see what the newer enhanced version looked like alongside a ReShade. Had played it before on console, but never got to finish it because of a disc error … didn’t expect the ending.
Could play it numerous times despite knowing all the answers, though. Phelps was a great character to become attached to..
I wish more games covered this era in open world. I love the variety of themes from the 20s-50s, which is probably why the Mafia series is so high on my list. I’d rather cruise around in an open world in a game’s version of 40’s Continental or Roadster than a tacky modern sports car. L.A. Noire and Mafia DE came extremely close, but still not open world enough for my tastes. Could you imagine an RPG styled game similar to Fallout with GTA open world mechanics set in the 30s? I’d be all on it.
LA Noire is one of my favorite games of all time, but I always thought the story could be pretty hard to follow with the time jumps and weaving narratives. Watching this video made it 100% easy to follow and it makes me appreciate the story even more. Great work!
Now this is a pleasant surprise. Looking forward to watching this one.
You're telling me the officer who barely did anything was the one that got the medals and awards for the work of those under their command? Yep, that sounds about right.
NAM in a nutshell.
I don’t think that phelps staying quiet is necessarily a flaw of the story. He’s a good, straight laced cop who does all of his procedures by the book, but as the story progresses he witnesses and permits corruption from his coworkers. Kakowsky is rough around the edges, and occasionally dodges protocol; rusty is an open wife beater, alcoholic, and attacks suspects without repercussions; Roy is a natural progression of corrupt partners that Phelps has fallen in line with- he represents the idea that there are no good cops, because good cops don’t hold bad cops accountable.
Him accepting Roy’s obvious flaws and allowing Roy to wine and dine him shows that he himself is slowly descending into the pit. I think that partnering with Biggs on arson is what really breaks this progression because you get a partner that is disillusioned but still maintains good character.
This game holds dear to my heart. Played it during a very down point in my life. And boy was it ahead of its time!
Haven’t played the game myself, but what stood out for me and made me want to play it is the cases, most of them are real and it’s pretty cool
L.A. noir is one of the best game no doubt it’s over hated and under loved it’s so good
The best comment I’ve ever heard in that old man squinting was Funhaus’ James saying, “You been sucking on a lemon lately?”
I’m a proud part of two communities, veteran and gamer community. As a “delta doc” I can say the conflict they demonstrate here is pretty damn spot on. As a gamer, I can say damn good review.
Salt you really are an exceptional video creator, you are a great speaker and you sound very fair and genuine in your analysis of any game, never change!
20:06 I just want to thank you for putting in one of the best lines in the whole game. You are the real MVP
"Take the guy alive, so aim for an arm or leg"
Oooh if only it worked like that. I mean, it can, if you can land the shot, and have a proper tournequet. But leg wounds are deadly as hell. Arm is more survivable, but same problem persists.
That all said, love your content! Keep up the great work!
Yeah, the only real options are shoot to kill or don't shoot.
i want to think Roy genuinely felt some sort of remorse over Coles death, in that he'll miss antagonizing him. i also love that the developers imported 15 percent of the cast of Mad Men into this game 😂😂
Gianni's work was really incredible in this video, what a cool combo
The Salty Factory video I didn’t know I needed, I love the nostalgia I get when watching your videos about old games is amazing
Ever since RDR 2 came out I've wondered how a remastered LA Noire in RDR 2's Engine would look. Considering the mocap now is far better than 10+ years ago. Sadly this is a niche genre, so I doubt that would happen. Despite the quirks, LA Noire is one of my favorite games, just wish we had more games like it.
Edit: The "affair" part of the story is the worst part of the game that doesn't make sense to many and is a blight on the game.
One thing I do love about the game though is where you mention about the side missions like at 43:10 - many of the people involved now are people you've dealt with/talked to in previous cases, and Cole mentions that from time to time, some of them caught in precarious situations.
its unfortunate, because i also loved Heavy Rain and even as far back as... uhg... i forgot the title but you play as both a girl detective and flashback as her grandfather. I was like 9 and it ran ok on Windows Vista lol.
@@richiewesson4051 Heavy Rain is also a good game too. Both LA Noire and Heavy Rain have their issues, but stand out on their own for different reasons. Just a shame that these aren't 'mainstream' games like GTA V is, so they won't get nearly as much attention. Even games like RDR 2, while not as popular as GTA V, is in a league of its own graphic, story and design wise, was completely abandoned by Rockstar for GTA V 'The Cash Cow".
Hope GTA V burns sooner rather than later, don't even want a 6th, because R* will find more ways to make money from it.
I'd prefer a RDR2 style game set in 1940's LA vs just remastering LA Noire. I feel the potential of the era and the local was thoroughly wasted by being a cop.
@@richiewesson4051 Are you talking about Echo Night 1/2/3 ? I mean definitely not the third one and I'm not sure if they officially came out on PC but it might be a series you'd like :) Nitro Rad did great videos on all 3!
I love that hat shooting gun at 1:08:14 a marvellouse invention for his time
This is actually the civilian version of the weapon that won the war. The military version shoots underpants that are slightly too small.
Thank you for addressing the under-addressed: There are like zero games where punching someone doesn't look/feel weird. RD2 definitely set the bar higher for how to improve on an objectively boring, but sometimes necessary experience.
Just want to say I love the fourth-wall, meta character dialogue that you seamlessly inserted into the video. *Insert "had me at the first half, not gonna lie" meme*
Funny enough, the driving sucking might be accurate due to the era having no powersteering.
Man, I keep hearing Gianni everywhere these days and I love it.
i was diagnosed with autism at a young age. watching Phelp's follow the book and be cold in a way I rigidly respected, but seeing how dirty, gray, and devoid of "black and white" that this behavior creates really taught me something and despite this game's flaws, the experience of that resonates with me whenever I hear about this game. It's not massively "fun" and i haven't played through it more than twice - but I kept my original copy when i bought it for a reason.
Phelps tried in the way he honestly believed in to be a good man, and didn't really succeed.
I really appreciated being able to relive this unique and timeless story through your replay and detailed breakdown.
Thank you for giving the flawed but brilliant LA Noire and Detective Phelps their due.
Man, I was never that interested in this game but it seems I missed out on a good one. It’s very refreshing to me to see humans being human. Protagonists with flaws that aren’t particularly relatable, because-in reality-not everyone’s flaws are the same. A story where some good can still come about even when the bad guys win, because honestly, they usually do.
I never played this game, but I watched a full walkthrough of it, and it was awesome, it was like watching a good detective movie, it was beautiful watching Cole call out everyone on there lies, and when they doubled down Cole would bust out the Proof, it was hilarious.
Time to be calmed to sleep after a long day! I've been waiting patiently for a new video from you to come out. Thank you for your effort and time creating these amazing videos!
I'd love to see another detective story from Rockstar set in the Bay Area around the time of the hippy counterculture movement. I think that would be an amazing time to explore against the backdrop of Vietnam, drugs, crime, the birth of mass market pornography, and kick ass music. Lots of interesting criminal cases, especially Zodiac.
Inherent Vice is pretty close to this.
@@whlewis9164 Thank you sir. I'll check it out.
I had no idea this game had such a strong story focus. It sometimes gets a bit hard telling one white guy from the next. I swear figuring out which one was Phelps was like playing Where's Waldo 50% of the time (or 100% during the war flashbacks). The plot veers into the outlandish on occasion, but altogether I'm impressed.
I'd assumed this game had the typical vague gestures toward depth Rockstar can muster, but this seemed to make an earnest swing. Though the somewhat nebulous nature and extent of Rockstars' involvement kinda muddy the water.Thanks for the useful video.
Really? Phelps had a really memorable face from everyone else
favorite part of the game where I couldn't hold it in was the two stores with the Jewish own and Philip just threatened him with the gas chamber any moment with Phillips just using brutal punishment for minor things
A rare gem of a game. Nothing else like it. Really deserves a sequel.
Bruh as a someone from Sydney, the way he says Bondi 😭 oh lord
I've been replaying this recently and it's so cool to see it being reviewed by Salt, so nice
When Phelps walked into Elsa's room, I remember being so pissed off.
Spot on review!
definitely expected the upload today, not a single x pressed to doubt in my mind
***”Ya’ll got anymore of them Vice cases?”
"Yes, Mr. Cohen, about your size"
Still had the best facials animation in any game up until rdr2
Bro I love when this guy posts. His reviews are a masterpiece.
Rockstar's Houser once said he's interested in making a sequel to this game. Fingers crossed we get it any time soon.
didn't houser leave R* 2 years ago? also what studio would dev the game?
I loved this damn game.. couldn't take my mind of it for months after playing it
Never quite had the issue with Phelps and Roy's relationship myself. Mostly because of something brushed over early on. The visit to the nightclub that Roy's corrupt connections gets them into. It's kind of the start of a crisis arc for Phelps as the game goes on. Where he ends up with this obsession with the German singer, that as much as he might complain about how Vice does its corrupt business he still enjoys the fruits of that corruption. Front row tickets to a boxing match he'd never get to see otherwise. Open doors to nightclubs that wouldn't let him in. Introductions to his crush, etc.
It's a good arc, I thought. Kind of showing about how he has this conflict between who he wants to be... and the things he wants to enjoy... and a partner who reminds him of Kelso in so far as how they have a complete personality clash and will basically NEVER get along. But he wants to get along with them. Just like he wanted to get along with Kelso. Because he really did buy into the Marine Corps ideals and the sense of brotherhood, etc.
He's a wonderful little pile of contradictions which isn't bad writing. It's honestly refreshing. Because well... people are filled with seeming contradictions. As simple as the well known (and often fallen for) paradox of someone too lazy to do something that would let them be more lazy. Broken TV remote? Well driving out to the electronics store tog et a new one is like 40 minutes of their life... so instead they'll just keep getting up off the couch to manually flip channels one at a time with the buttons on the TV even though after a month they've spent more time doing that than they ever would have getting a new remote, etc.
He's kind of like that. He wants to be this sort of paragon of American Idealism. Except he notices that America around him isn't what he thought it was. He wants the praise and accolades he wished he deserved back in WW2 (and felt he didn't when he got them). But not enough to tell people the truth even though he hates it anytime anyone calls him out for his "War Hero" status despite not being one in truth. He hates the corruption going on... but he loves when it benefits himself and will turn a limited blind eye. "I don't know how we got those boxing tickets. I don't know how I got into the club and got an introduction with the starlet!" sort of stuff.
To the point where he gets so mired into his own drama and conflicts that he's just... unable to see what's actually going on around him. How crimes he's run into were part of something bigger to tackle. All he sees is his personal drama and how to potentially fix it. Right up to the end where he's blindsided by a world that was waving its arms right in front of his face.
To be fair, Phelps would have learned from WWII that being a stick in the mud and refusing the perks of the jobs will only make his colleagues suspicious of him, to the point he's already been shot in the back by one. So I wouldn't call it a contradiction for him accepting watching a boxing match or visiting the nightclub with his partner, it could legitimately be dangerous to turn those offers down. He's learned to be accommodating because having no friends is very dangerous.
Characters having believable contradictions is the cornerstone of a deeper, more nuanced character. How they go against the stereotypes you'd have for that person and force you to accept them as something deeper than you can easily write off in a few words. Cole Phelps still is a very reserved man about his own feelings, but it's fascinating seeing the amount of thoughts and emotions he has going on under the surface.
I love this game, happy to see you cover it out of the blue!
and on this episode of "Salt just picks a game and asks if its bad or good"... lol
@@richiewesson4051 he's got a hat I'm convinced, but he's really committed to the bit, with mass effect taking months off his life
51:38 Always staying professional? This man will put you and your baby to jail lmao
Oh hell yeah this was unexpected I'm glad you're covering this game it was certainly a unique experience and the ending is definitely one that while maybe not the greatest makes you think about things and it was a fitting for the genre.
I used to get me a good bottle of booze and drink it as I play this game chapter by chapter so it was like watching a TV series.
The game's story is a bit hard to follow cuz it is all mostly interconnected and it's told in segments but once you put it all together like if you watch all the flashback scenes back to back it makes a lot more sense and give you a greater hole that there is a wider story going on and that it is pretty interesting for the most part with the world War II flashbacks and all of the conspiracies going on. The betrayal of Cole kind of comes out of nowhere but it is a bit set up if you're paying attention it's one of those things where sometimes it helps to play the game twice I just wish they would have featured Colel's family a little more but in some ways that's not bad since he was so lost in his work.
Roy Earl is also a gem and I think he's best character in the game. Second is the homicide detective who spends his days getting drunk and saying it's always the husband, Rusty!
Also, the real end is so tragic, when kelso told the men not to steal, and they do it, and it gets them all killed. So many powerful moments with great writing
Roy Earl, the corrupt racist mysoginistic cop and Rusty the woman hater and lifelong pessimist are your favourite characters? Yikes.
@@DemBigOlEyes Main reason is my favorite is he's so blatantly corrupt but he's incredibly reflective of the time it would be weird if we said it in 40s la and the character like him was just not in the game at all
The fact that he also somehow comes out of the whole game unscathed there's also an interesting choice as well
He's my favorite because every time he's on screen you're paying attention to him and you are listening to what he says no matter how evil or wrong it is, it reminds me of like Darth Vader or Vito Corleone even though they are evil terrible people you listen to every word
Very true, I love to hate Roy
@@PoisoNico93 they almost tried too hard to create the most disgusting human being possible and I thought it worked out he's just such a horrible person you just want him to die
Love that half the cast of Madmen was used in this
I really enjoy these hour long/longer videos you make, very calming and charming, can't wait to see what comes out next
Fuck sleep a new Salt Factory vid is out!
Edit: Also Salt as an Australian I gotta point out it’s pronounced Bon-die.
Shit, that makes sense haha. Sorry about that!
played the game at a friend's house way back when it came out, had a blast looking at the facial features, never cared about the story. So this was like a whole new tale to hear. loved it mate!
Cole is what I call the Gatsby type, a flawed person with dark stuff lurking in the past, but "Gatsby turned out alright in the end. It was what preyed on Gatsby..." I love those characters but they rarely get a happy ending
Thank you so much for doing this play through/review.
I play LA Noire about once a year. It’s such a beautiful love letter to “golden era” Los Angeles.
Your opinions of the game are exactly how I feel about it. And for all it’s flaws, it’s wonderful.
Galloway just planting the dude who said he was kissing the dead body after asking them not to be upset is one of the funniest moments of the game
Someone really needs to make a new Noire game.. Specifically something between L.A Noire and Battlefield Hardline.
If those two games had a baby, it would be so awesome.
Hardlines campaign was pretty fun and had alot of cool ideas i wish were expanded upon.
I wish it had bigger maps and open world like LA Noire had.
Alson the story/detective work of Noire had more depth.
But i really love the gun play and gameplay of hardline.
The wepons and kit customization was really fun too.
Honestly, this game is underrated as fuck
When i did the murder cases i distinctively remember telling myself: What the actual fuck? Concluding that person to be the killer just doesnt make sense, it doesnt add up, why did you do this developers? This is utterly stupid!' and within an hour my suspicions were confirmed, yeap, great game!
I fully played through L.A. Noire last year and I have to say this game is god tier it bored me a little in the first half but then I got drawn into doing cases I got hooked I played it for like 3 days straight If you haven't played it and or tried to and couldn't get into it then play it or try it again I promise you you'll get hooked [Pay attention to the story don't skip anything if you do you won't have fun]
A new salt factory video, what a glorious day
Still in love with LA Noire after all these years! Happy to see a newer video that looks back on it in hindsight. I was hoping with the PS4 remaster there'd be a renewed interest in LA Noire and possibly a continuation of the story. This hasn't really happened, but I think they hit something fantastic with the detective/ use facial animation to tell if suspects are lying angle. The characters are relatively complex, especially Cole Phelps. Playing as Cole, you get to root for him as one of the few moral cops in a story of corruption, and be ashamed for his past actions and decisions. I wished it gave Cole a better ending, but then it wouldn't be LA Noire. Thanks!
Oh my gosh, ive dreamt of a good analysis of this game (one of my personal favourites) for years literally!
Thank you!
Personally I loved Cole as a character. He was wound a bit too tight and very by-the-book which made him disliked by his peers, but he was a true hero.
Man I’m so glad to see this out. I loved LA Noire so much it was the first game I platinum on PS4
I really love this game and think it’s so underrated. Thanks for making this video!