Rockstar Games
L.A. Noire

The exhausting and very long wait for the release of GTA V (scheduled for April-May 2013) has, in my humble opinion, overshadowed (quite a bit) another game also produced by Rockstar. ''L.A. Noire'', in fact, has never been given the consideration it deserves, despite the enormous amount of innovations present within the three discs. Set in a Los Angeles in full recovery right after the Second World War, it presents itself as a video game that wants to take (at least in certain aspects) the necessary distances from the very popular ''GTA'' saga.

Firstly, I would like to highlight the forceful and unexpected introduction of the revolutionary ''Scan motion'' technique. Besides being the first game ever to have integrated this method, it must be said that they worked on it so meticulously, producing an excellent outcome. The counterproof of my statements can be found in the large number of animated sequences that characterize the entire story, as if to emphasize the efforts of those who worked on it. Graphics aside, the changes also concern characters and storyline. Cole Phelps (the protagonist of the story) is the first playable character, who appears as a police officer. A radical change that totally opposes itself to previous games (with CJ and co., we've always dealt with criminals) and to those that will come (rumors claim that Rockstar has chosen ''bad paths'' for the characters of GTA V once again). Regardless of that, what struck me the most was the attention to detail. So, along with some badass graphics, there is also careful study of the dialogues and context: prejudice reigns, both among the characters and the enemies. And this is accompanied by common arrogance and xenophobia, which, to be honest, Rockstar has always manifested in every production. Even the duration of the story is sufficient.

Three discs might make you think of a game with hundreds of missions but it is not so: there are about thirty, all well-crafted. In summary, I strongly recommend you try this little gem that is underappreciated because, whether you like it or not, GTA V is also based on L.A. Noire.