I always felt like Phelps’s wife should’ve had more screen time before he gets caught cheating so that the player has a chance to actually feel bad that he cheated on her.

The arson desk felt rushed more than anything. I can see some sloppiness in storytelling emerging a few cases in.

It was a shame that the Burglary Division was cut from the game. I would have enjoyed investigating as to how a guy could rob a safe in plain sight but not get caught or as to how burglaries are committed in a single area and not once does the beat officer catch sight of the man all because he is the burglar!

Sometimes you've got to shake the tree to see what falls out

Definitely very underrated game.

This game got me sucked into the 1940s and 1950s culture

We need a new Noire game. "N.Y. Noire" or "Chicago Noire".

L.A. Noire is a fascinating game. With a bit of extra time and polish it probably could've been the best ever made. High potential games like these always seem to stumble right before the finish line. Shame Team Bondi is gone too. If any studio deserved to go under it definitely wasn't them.

This game is a save scummer's worst nightmare.

Cole Phelps didn’t die. He lived and moved from LA to New York City where he started working as an ad man on Madison Avenue, changing his name from Cole Phelps to Kenneth Cosgrove.

La Noire’s homicide cases are the most intriguing because you get to learn more about the Black Dahlia, the games crime scenes are actually very accurate to the real ones. If they did a sequel it would be interesting to see New York in the late 1950s or even San Francisco, when the Zodiac haunted the city.

Just finished the game, gonna miss Phelps.

I overall agree. Biggs was an instant favorite of mine. Like the idea of that extra case to help tell the story. I however, may be in the minority when I say I would have loved to have seen more cases. LA Noire is one of my favorite games ever and the 20 cases just weren't enough. A sequel could help quench that thirst but man I would have loved to have seen some 20 or 30 more cases. The game doesn't get old to me. I love it!

A sequel starring Kelso partnering with Herschel to avenge Cole by exposing Roy and the other corrupt forces in the LAPD would be neat.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more games like this

The Fact that Cole is such a Flawed yet Well written Character makes me appreciate this game even more. Most games always have this Cliche Flawless protagonist with a equally flawless backstory just so people can easily find such character likable. But Characters like Cole or Captain Martin Walker from Spec ops is type of Protagonist i love..They are like i said,Flawed yet well written..which makes them likable cus you like their writing and dislike yet sympathize with them cus of their portayal and they feel more humane since they make stupid mistakes..

Maybe it's just me, but playing as Kelso, I found myself massively more connected and invested in his character than I was with Phelps. Maybe it was being just the breath of fresh air but every time I get to the end of the game I end up wishing I could have played a game about Kelso instead, everything about his gameplay and character feels much more earned, I would totally believe his missions were some of the last ones made simply because you can tell the designers had a really tight grasp on the gameplay loop and what made it fun.

I felt like I knew who Cole Phelps was early on. The way he avoided conversations about the war and never really liked people talking him up about how he was a war hero. It made me realize before even reaching homicide desk that Cole doesnt feel like a hero and probably did something bad over there. I felt they gave us enough hints we aren't a war hero and shit went bad over seas, the only way you wouldn't pick up on it is if you completely ignore conversations had with partners on the drives tio crime scenes and suspect questioning

Roy reminds me of something I'd like to see in another LA Noire type game. Having the option to be corrupt. And theres also a corruption meter. Depending on how corrupt you are you get different Story outcomes and Endings

I feel like Arson should have had two parts to it. One file with just Phelps and Biggs and one file for Jack Kelso alone. And we should have gotten the Burglary desk.

I always thought that Hershel was a great partner from the first case of arson

I still think the players turning on Cole because of his war mistakes are misplaced. Shit happens, it’s war

The way you rant about Roy😂 Honestly me every time I replay LA Noire.

I agree with a lot of your analysis, but disagree with the main point. I don't think that Phelps was a jerk. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a perfect guy either, but that's the point - in life there is no black or white, it's all different shades of grey. Just like Kelso says in that clip - in life nobody deserves a medal, it's all about circumstances. Yes, the game did show Phelps doing bad things, but it also showed him being a very good cop . I agree that he probably wanted to be a hero, but he didn't let that affect his decision making, he was always following evidence, yes, he made educated guesses based on that evidence, but he never constructed crazy conspiracies based on nothing or his gut feeling and hoped that it'll come true. Putting something like that in the game would question the whole Phelps as a good investigator narrative and it just wouldn't be consistent with what we have seen and experienced in the majority of the game. Don't forget that all of his promotions were well deserved, everybody praised him for a reason. So yes, he was a good cop and a bad husband. And those mistakes he made in a war, he knew he wasn't worth that medal and he didn't try to trick other people into thinking that he was, so once again - he was honest and he realized his mistakes, at least to some extent.

Actually, it was intended to have 2-3 more desks AND playable war flashbacks.

Oh and while we're talking Mass Effect, Herschel Biggs' voice actor also voiced the Collector General. Dude's got range.

"Oh no Garris cares about a dead kid that's so sad, please tell me more so I can advance his companion quest!" Holy shit, is that a spot on description of gamified psychopathy.

I found the amount of detail in this game amazing, I'd just stop to look at the billboards sometimes. Would have been amazing to see what Team Bondi would have done with a sequel.

You're disagreeing with the exact style of a noir film that this game captures to the tee. It's supposed to paint the clear picture moments before the conclusion, which in itself is supposed to be melancholy in nature. Noir goes against that grain. It's not what you'd like to happen for a reason. Regardless, good video man. Agree with a lot of what you say.

Bekowksy is the best partner easily

Herschel is precious.

Is it bad that I knew Hershel was a good guy because his voice was so soothing?

Honestly, I went into this video expecting an explanation on why a case AFTER the end scene was needed. Ya know, a case where the whole endgame for Phelps, Kelso, and Biggs was finally reached and saw all the crooks behind bars where they belong. But after watching, I realized the entire video was right. The story of LA Noire isn’t really meant to end like the typical Hollywood hero film. LA Noire is meant to be gritty and true to itself. Not every case gets solved, and even when we’re told our lil detective, the literal eyes and ears for the player, is the best there is, we’re meant to see he’s isn’t. But in the end, we’re left with an even greater character than we started with, and a story greater than most out there in the genre.

Cole Phelps was way too good to be true right from the start. It was quite apparent that the game was either going the highly unrealistic all-encompassing angel protagonist route till the end(which was doubtful considering the tone of the story), or he was going to be massively torn down sometime during the 2nd half of the game.

I like how he turned from a reasonable driver to total maniac.

Yup, that extra case would make it better. But I think what L.A. Noire needs is another game. How about a game that lets you play as Roy or some other crooked cop or a game that let's you arrest all those pedophiles that got away scot-free. Or, a completely new story. N.Y. Noire, maybe?

Everytime i do cases with Roy, i always say "Roy. I love your car but i hate your face. Now tell me, WHERE ARE THE OTHER DRUGS GOING!?"

This is on the top of my list of "Odd masterpieces", along with Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven.

I’ve never heard of this game before. I love murder mystery stories, and I love this era. Thanks you Jacob for telling me about this game. Now I want to play it!

I think we didn't get enough Jack Kelso cases.

Officer Jacob, first reporting. Let's establish a perimeter and move these people along.

The only thing I ever see about this game now is the doubt meme and its such a shame because this game will always be legendary.

Stefan Bekowsky, everyone's favorite Pole is my favorite partner. Sure, he got pretty much discarded early on, but I like his interractions with Phelps. Especially during his dialogue when you two drove to locations. That talk about preferences n women shows how much of a good friend he was. Sometimes I really wonder if he would have helped Phelps in the last few cases in solving the corruption of Phelps asked him

One of rockstar's most underrated games ever

I'm so glad you give Herschel Biggs his due. He's my favorite.

After finishing the game, despite Cole’s emotinal death, I ended up laughing because the story was so good.

I really enjoyed this video, friend. You speak with confidence and appropriately conceptualized ideas. I personally think that we got enough of the picture, but your argument is just as valid and many others will agree with you there. An extra episode might make things a little more clear and pronounced, but I happen to enjoy the level of vague and grey that often comes with Noir genres. We don't need to know everything and our meta-discussions about the story gives the work more ground than something black and white; Less is more, as they say. I also feel that we are not Cole or Kelso in the game, as we control nothing of the actual verbage in their communications, we are tied to a list of destinations for the cases and we can 'pass' a case without technically getting it correct. We are along for the ride in this game, when so many others would cue up a Game Over when we don't role-play correctly. I understand you connect the player's involvement as an avatar, but I see it as much more of a visual novel where we control, at most, the movements and tone of reaction to statements during the interrogations. We are simply the observer. The Player who is in many ways conducting an investigation of our own on the events and characters involved. Really enjoyed this. Thanks for making it.

The things that made me fail to see that we're supposed to start seeing Phelps in a less-than-flattering light is that from the very beginning, his little notebook shows all of the desks you're eventually going to be working (including Arson), and that finding the newspapers (as well as some dialogue and cutscenes along the way) gives away that fire is going to play a part in the conspiracy you've been slowly piecing together since Vice.

I love Roy and Cole's dynamic, would have loved to see them interact more. Have more cases together, or perhaps Cole getting a glimpse of Roy's life and backstory. Maybe even something like, if Cole survived the ending (highkey unlikely), him and Roy progressing so they go from bitter rivals to respecting each other from different sides... I don't know. These two are just my favourite characters by far.

Great video! You sum up how I felt about LA Noire almost exactly. It was (and still is) one of my favorites games of its generation. I know that I personally inserted myself in Cole's role in the story, right up until he started having the affair (cuz that's not how I roll)... it was at that point in the story I took a step back and started treating Cole as his own character, and not just an avatar. It made the rest of the story just that much better. It also made a second playthrough much, much more meaningful. The idea of an extra case at the beginning of arson would have been a definite help, since I did fall into the trap of disliking Herschel immediately, and not coming around on him until later. I also felt like more of Cole's war background should have been revealed upfront, but that's probably more because I personally dislike flashbacks. At any rate, well done! :)

Glad to see a video on a game most people I assumed forgotten about. Very refreshing

This game cut out an entire burgurly desk. When you advance to homicide it is referenced the Cole came from that desk. Though we never get to play it. There is also the adultery angle that is underdeveloped. Despite the game's length there are plot developments underutilized. The entire homicide desk comes off as filler. The desk has nothing to do with the larger narrative. Neither does the traffic desk. It doesn't actually develop until vice. Which is far too late in the game for that. The story is good but could have been great.

Homicide desk got me addicted to the game. Solving five murders that were linked between each other with the Dahlia killer, discovering it was the temp bartender this whole time, what a great plot twist. After that, the game had a good downgrade to me, it felt rushed.

UNDERRATED game, i played it when i was like 11 and i didnt get the experience. I play it now at 16 and realize that the story is deeper and you need to be kinda mature to play and have the full experiene. Psdt: Make more LA noire videos.

From watching playthroughs I think Herschel is probably the best partner out of all of them. He has the experience that connects him to Cole in more than one way. From his own spirits of solving cases to the war to being the there when needed. That connection means that despite his reservations and comments he actually appreciates someone like Cole to be his partner. It means an easier job for him and yet he still has a lot to contribute through his experience. He gives Cole directions and a counterpoint rather than just following along. They work really well together if you think about it. Someone in the comments said the cases felt rushed, which I think has more to do with the fact these two really work very effective together. I certainly agree another case would be helpful for the story if only to drive home what a guy Herschel is and giving him more screen time to establish that. I think the reason many want to get the cases right and not make mistakes is to uphold that posterboy status Cole is given and it doesn't fit the starting narrative, but when you see the story play out you get the feeling that screwing up was never the problem and actually might fit better with his character. While he is good at solving cases, the means of getting there may not always be the right way and making mistakes due to his character traits actually feels like it would fit better. What the game could have done is to pad each desk with cases that aren't specific cases of their own, but play more like radiant quests in other games. Cases that are just wrapping up already finished things. Arson cases that are clear accidents, just being called because its protocol. Murder cases that are obvious accidents in the homes of people, because that's the most common place for deadly accidents. Vice cases just being annoying drunks and the odd prostitution bust. There is something like that already in there in the dispatch missions and street crimes, but nothing really makes us do them and the game lacks the sort of inter-case free roams that would allow us to do them without a case breathing down our necks. It's a fascinating game from the design perspective and a damn shame that nothing more was done with it, because the underlying game could support so many interesting stories. Perhaps one day we'll see a similar game or sequel come along.

yeah, the thing is, you are really connected with phelps throughout almost the whole story, and then he goes and cheats on his wife. it comes so far out of left field it seems like a critical oversight. with that said, i do think your suggestion would improve arson. i would have liked to spend more time in that desk in general, but the whole final stretch of the game is a bit rushed

I appreciate the complexity of Cole's character. Chequered military history, yet lauded as a hero, rises up the LAPD ranks, only to fall from grace, before sacrificing his life to save others. I never disliked the character, but there were moments that made go "No mate, don't do that!" I refer, mainly to Elsa. You talk about the game being too long, but I feel like it could have benefited from a branch, right before he commits adultery. Give us the option to do the deed, or not. If you go through with the affair the game continues as normal. But if you don't knock on her door, if you walk away, then you embark on a different set of cases, that would lead to another heroic conclusion, keeping his redemption intact. Or maybe that'd be too much. Maybe the Elsa affair still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The game to me always feels like it peaks in Homicide then starts to lose a bit of steam as it goes on. The entire time on the Arson desk while good, feels rushed, which is understandable when you look in to Bodhi and the history of this games development. I do feel Arson had a lot of potential to really fully explore Cole. Watching him trudge around unable to really solve any cases and having to accept not everything is a wild goose chase conspiracy for him to solve would’ve added a nice touch of realism. I mean that’s essentially what Biggs is a stand in for, an older version of Cole resigned to Arson and made to go case to case getting nowhere besides catching the occasional insurance fraud.

I think this is one of the greatest games ever made, and left me almost in awe when I played it... BUT I still wholeheartedly agree with this video. The flashbacks from the war left me for the most part confused, as the issues with Phelps remained muddled until the very end. I was so focused on Phelps being a talented cop rising the ranks at rocket speed I never really caught what a terrible army officer he was. Also I got extra confused in the beginning because his first patrol partner looks too much like Jack Kelso in the flashbacks. When you're also supposed to focus on investigative details and learn the ropes of the game it's a terrible mistake letting his first partner look similar to Kelso! It's a lot of mumbo jumbo that could have easily been fixed. Had they been fixed I would have called this game an absolute masterpiece. It's still one hell of a fine creation though.

The timing is just too conspicuous with the Best Friends Zaibatsu rapping up their play through and Jacob's history of watching them (as evidence of his mentions in the KH play through) But I guess, "sometimes you got to shake the tree to see what falls out."

Funny how this video comes out right off the heels of the SBFP LP

I know I’m 5 months late, but great video man, just finished on the switch and enjoyed listening to your views.

Hate Roy Earle all you want, but if he was around today he'd get rid of Pokimane and Alinity off twitch.

The music getting me shook all over again

I found out something was fishy when he didn't like talking about war so much. Arson seems a bit rushed but I do like Hersh. You make a case. This was a great dialogue game. Hope they do a second. I think it's a 9/10

I think Ralph Dunn was a good partner, he was human, he was a friend and he was a regular beat cop.

Just found this video, really great work! You explained a ton of the nuanced story beats really well.

LA Noire 2 would be a good idea

i thought rusty was an asshole for like 2 cases and after that i started to slowly enjoy his character more and more, he’s by far my favorite partner in the game he’s unintentionally funny too which helps.

If only every detective in real life was Cole Phelps.

I played this amazing game and it's DLC earlier this year. Late to the party I know but that didn't hurt at all. I had all the DLC installed so I played Nicholson Electroplating before the final case. For me personally at least playing the game with the DLC fixed the very issue to which your referring at least as far as the pacing goes. Was good to have a win on the Arson desk and it flushes out Herschel's backstory, While also drawing some parallel's between Cole and Herschel.

I was really annoyed with the gas man - it was a good mission but I kept fucking it up, first time round I messed up all the interviews and restarted, second time around I got most of the clues and questions but accused the wrong guy (I wanted to accuse Ryan but it wouldn't let me) and third time I managed to get 5 star - I now know the case off the back seat of my hand

It needs to be a case where EVERYTHING works out in Cole's favour. Everything fits with his theory and it's some huge conspiracy but at the end you realize that it was extremly simple, that there is a logical explanation for all the strange occurrences and Cole does solve the case but is left frustrated by his imagination getting the best of him.

Excellent analysis! I was one of the players who felt the Elsa/divorce event was out of left field and felt very "unfair" to Phelps/player me. You're spot on there. I feel like there should have been some short cut-scenes showing Phelps neglecting his family because of his ambition (going to the jazz club with his boss for advancement, coming home late drunk, fighting with his wife... it would have tied in well with some of the themes of certain cases). It would have gone a long way to reducing the WTF element.

Absolutely flawless video. Great job. Your channel needs more attention.

I wish we got to play during the war flashbacks

Am I the only one that wanted a sequel with Jack and Biggs starting their own P.I. business?

Herschel was a great character. I thought it was really poignant at phelps funeral when he is talking to Jack Kelso where Kelso says "I was never really his enemy" and Herschel says "I think he knew that Jack"

I also think Homicide should've hand a stand alone case not related to the Dalia killings at all. We could see a different side of Rusty depending on the victim and circumstances (not a seemingly clear cut husband kills wife case) and what he's like with different crimes and also not have to have this happened "You arrested the wrong man and everyone will know him as a killer...Here's your 5 stars"

I think rockstar did it on purpose to make cole seem cold for the majority of the game. Until he meets Elsa you would think he was data from star trek.

I liked Roy. A sound, sharp-minded fellow

This is unrelated to most of your video, but I have a soft spot for Nicholson Electroplating, even if it was originally a DLC case; despite it being totally removed from the main SRF/morphine plotline, it's a nice microcosm of a case to me in which underdogs Herschel and Cole take down a retired corrupt cop like Vernon Mapes as a b-plot to Arson, in which Herschel and Cole (and Jack) take down the corrupt SRF that is stuffed to the brim with corrupt political figures. Sure, only Benson and Monroe are taken down by the end of the game, but there's more than a few similarities to the SRF plotline and the one in Electroplating. Plus it's sorta nice in a raw way to see somebody like Herschel, a low-position officer who works his lowly desk to stay away from politics, standing up for what is right and taking the fight to corrupt officials, be they Vernon Mapes and his private army of military police, or the SRF.

I agree that it needed one more case but at the same time I also agree that it was long enough as is. This is by far one of my favorite games of all time mainly for all the cars and the theme of the 40s, but this game was perfect in my eyes. I feel there should have been another homicide case and a whole desk dedicated to Kelso just for more back story then what's in the flash backs. I also agree with you that Herschel was the best partner. He was totally under rated and made to look lazier then Galloway but I don't agree with how he was meant to look heel-ish. Keep up the good work though man

This game makes me want to become a detective

What i would have wanted to see was the Bunco and Burglary desks added back as dlc to fill in the blanks between the Traffic and Homicide desks, but that would have been more of an expansion sized dlc.

Somebody's been watching Matt and Pat (and Woolie)

I think rusty is one of my favourite characters from the game I think he’s amazing

It doesn’t need one more case, it needs a sequel

Phelp’s “redemption” is one of the most interesting arcs I’ve ever seen.

Dude awsome video, its nice to onow that im not the only person who loves L.A. Noire. Doin my 2nd run through now trying to 5 star all cases, find all the collectable (including cars) and get all achievements to get a full 100% completion

Right royyy!! SLAP lol 😂

This would have been a great idea. Even if they didn't necessarily have the time for it, I wouldn't have minded if Murder had one or two less cases and got replaced with the one you're talking about. Murder was too long imo.

Honestly the game is at its peak when you're doing Traffic and Homicide cases, once you start with Vice and Arson it kind of becomes more of a turn off, except from fewer cases that involve the story with Phelps and the things that are about to go down on him.

I feel the Adultery plot point felt a bit out of place, considering we rarely see Phelps' family life. Literally, when Vice Desk ended and people found out he cheated, I had no recollection of him having a wife and kids. When the game moves onto Arson, the first 2 cases felt too short and kinda boring. The middle half where you start to play as Jack felt funner, although there was less interrogations. The last 2 or so cases were fun but rushed, especially the last one, mostly the part where Cole died. And alot of plot points felt, again, rushed and disappointing in Arson. One more desk about Burglaries would have been fun and Arson being more polished and Vice being longer would have been great. Overall the game's fantastic and even though some parts disappoint, L.A. Noire is one of my favourites.

You can creally see that writers wasn't expirenced at all, imagine if Dan Houser wrote this, then we could really had a complete story

We need an L.A. Noire sequel that takes place in the late 1950s where you play as Jack Kelso

Knew I was gonna press "like" on the video when you showed _Persona 5_ footage, but imagine my surprise when I clicked on your channel & found out a lot of videos are Kingdom Hearts related.

It's kind of a CYOA so probably the devs didn't want to end up Bandersnatched from getting in too deep

I think it's amazing how you "know" what most people think and did [sigh]!

I think everyone is shades of grey, even Roy. Sounded genuinely sad at Coles funeral.