Is L.A. Noire the video game of the year?

Critics are raving about Rockstar Games' groundbreaking new release — a shockingly realistic whodunit about a grisly 1947 murder

A grisly scene from "L.A. Noire" shows a detective checking out a dead body at a crime scene: The game's realism has been applauded as a major step for the industry.
(Image credit: Facebook/Rockstar Games)

L.A. Noire, released Tuesday by Rockstar Games (the makers of the popular Grand Theft Auto series), is being hailed as revolutionary for its rich narrative and lifelike renderings. (See a trailer below.) Players try to solve a grisly murder case in 1947 Los Angeles, similar to the infamous Black Dahlia killing, by investigating crime scenes and interrogating witnesses. The characters are being commended for their incredibly realistic expressions, and are based on actual actors (including Aaron Staton, who plays Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men) rather than animations. Some are calling L.A. Noire a contender for "game of the year." Is it really 2011's best offering?

Yes, it's like a classic film: There's "enough evidence to label L.A. Noire as a potential game of the year," says Brett Molina at USA Today. Rockstar Games could have just "cranked out" a period-piece version of Grand Theft Auto, but they've gone above and beyond. The game is "surprisingly mature" — and reminiscent of classic movies like Chinatown and L.A. Confidential. The crime scenes are wonderfully complex, and the interrogations are quite intense, making great use of technology to show characters' subtle facial movements. This one's a winner.

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