You're sitting in a dimly lit interrogation room. The fan is buzzing. Adverting your eyes from the sweat on Liam Koehler’s forehead is impossible because the MotionScan technology—which was revolutionary in 2011 and still looks eerily detailed today—wants you to notice every single twitch. You have a notebook full of clues, but you’re about to mess up the entire interview because you can't tell if he’s lying or just nervous. Honestly, that's the L.A. Noire experience in a nutshell. It’s frustrating. It’s brilliant. And if you’re looking for a L.A. Noire game walkthrough, you probably realized that just shooting your way out of problems won't get you a five-star rating.
Rockstar Games and Team Bondi didn't make a standard GTA clone. They made a slow-burn procedural. This game demands you actually pay attention to the labels on dry cleaning cinematic props and the way a suspect’s eyes dart to the left. If you want to breeze through the ranks from Traffic to Arson, you need to stop thinking like a gamer and start thinking like a cynical 1947 detective.
Why Most People Fail the Interrogations
The biggest hurdle in any L.A. Noire game walkthrough is the interrogation system. Originally, the buttons were labeled "Coax," "Force," and "Lie." Late in development, they were changed to "Truth," "Doubt," and "Lie" (and in the Remastered version, "Good Cop," "Bad Cop," and "Accuse"). This change is why Cole Phelps sometimes screams like a maniac at a grieving widow when you just wanted to press her for more info. It’s jarring.
Here is the secret: Look at the face. If they look you in the eye and don't fidget, it’s usually the Truth. If they look away, swallow hard, or shift in their seat, they are hiding something. But here is the kicker—you only pick "Lie" (or "Accuse") if you have a specific piece of physical evidence to prove it. If you feel they are lying but you have no proof, you must pick "Doubt" (or "Bad Cop"). Picking "Lie" without evidence is the fastest way to fail an interrogation and lock yourself out of the best ending for a case.
The Hunting Ground: Finding Every Clue
You can't solve a crime without the "junk." That’s what the other officers call it. When you arrive at a crime scene, like the one in "The Red Lipstick Murder," don't just walk toward the body. Walk the perimeter. The game gives you a musical cue—a little piano trill—when you are near something interactive. When the music stops, you’ve found everything in that immediate area.
Actually pick things up. Rotate them. In L.A. Noire, a matchbook isn't just a matchbook; it’s an address for a bar. A glasses case might have a jeweler’s mark on the inside of the lid. If you don't physically rotate the object in Cole's hand to see the detail, it won't be added to your notebook. No notebook entry means no dialogue option later. It’s a domino effect that ruins your rating.
The Nuance of the Notebook
Your notebook is your lifeline. It tracks your clues, your suspects, and your locations. A pro tip that many players miss: you can check your notebook during an interrogation. If a suspect says they were at the Blue Bell Bar all night, pull up the notebook. Did you find a receipt from a grocery store timestamped at 9:00 PM? That’s your "Lie" evidence.
The Desk Progression: What to Expect
The game is split into "Desks," which act as chapters. Each has a different vibe and requires a slightly different approach to the gameplay.
Patrol Desk
This is basically the tutorial. You’re a beat cop. It’s straightforward. You’ll learn how to chase suspects and do basic investigations. Don't worry about five-star ratings here; just get a feel for the controls.
Traffic Desk
Things get a bit more complex. Cases like "The Driver's Seat" introduce the idea that what looks like a murder might just be a complicated insurance scam. You’ll spend a lot of time in the morgue talking to Carruthers. Listen to him. He’s the most competent person in the department.
Homicide Desk
This is the meat of the game. It’s dark. It’s based on the real-life Black Dahlia cases. You are looking for a serial killer, and the game gets much more grisly. In "The Silk Stocking Murder," you have to follow a trail of blood and discarded items. Accuracy here is vital because the stakes feel higher.
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Vice Desk
Now you’re dealing with drugs and jazz clubs. It’s more glamorous but much more corrupt. The cases are longer and involve more tailing missions. Tailing is boring, yeah. Just keep your distance and stay behind cover. If the meter starts to fill up, you're too close.
Arson Desk
The final stretch. The story becomes more about the overarching conspiracy involving the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. The investigations are less about "who killed who" and more about "how did this building burn down so perfectly?"
How to Get a Five-Star Rating Every Time
Getting five stars isn't just about pride; it unlocks outfits and intuition points. To hit that perfect score, you need to meet three criteria:
- Find all clues. Use the music cues and check every room.
- Get every interrogation question right. This is the hard part. Use Intuition Points if you’re stuck. They remove one wrong answer and show you what the community picked.
- Minimize damage. This is where most people mess up. If you run over a fire hydrant or clip a civilian's car, your rating drops. Let your partner drive. Seriously. If you use the "Partner Drive" feature (hold the enter vehicle button), you teleport to the destination and get zero driving penalties. It saves time and preserves your score.
Realism vs. Game Logic
L.A. Noire tries hard to be a simulation of 1940s Los Angeles. The cars handle like boats because cars back then were boats. The streets are modeled after historical maps. However, it still follows game logic. For instance, if you’re chasing a suspect on foot, don't just run. Look for opportunities to fire a warning shot. If you hold your aim on a fleeing suspect long enough, a meter fills up, Cole fires into the air, and the suspect gives up. It’s way easier than tackling them into a dumpster.
Also, talk to your partner. If you’re lost or don't know where to go next, get in the car and ask them for a hint. They usually have a line of dialogue that points you toward the next logical location. It’s a built-in hint system that feels natural to the world.
The Hidden Complexity of "Lie" vs "Doubt"
Let’s go deeper into the "Lie" mechanic because it’s the most misunderstood part of any L.A. Noire game walkthrough.
When you accuse someone of lying, you are making a hard claim. The game will prompt you to "Select evidence from the notebook." If you pick the wrong evidence, the suspect shuts down, and you lose that branch of the investigation. If you suspect a lie but have nothing to back it up—even if you are 100% sure they are full of it—you must use "Doubt." Doubt is for when they are being "uncooperative" or "suspicious," but you lack the smoking gun.
Think of it like this:
- Truth: You believe them.
- Doubt: You think they’re full of it, but you can’t prove it yet.
- Lie: You have the proof in your pocket and you're ready to slam it on the table.
Navigation and Street Crimes
While following the main cases, you’ll hear calls over the police radio. These are "Street Crimes." There are 40 of them in total. They are short, action-heavy missions like bank robberies or jumpers on rooftops. Doing these doesn't affect your main case rating, but they are necessary for 100% completion. Plus, they break up the slow pace of the investigations. Honestly, sometimes you just need to shoot a guy after spending forty minutes looking at bloodstained laundry.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you want to master the game today, follow this workflow for every single case:
- Search the crime scene until the music stops. Don't leave a room until the "investigation theme" fades out. That is your confirmation that the area is clear.
- Use your phone. In many cases, you need to find a public phone to call the R&I (Records and Identification) or the precinct. This often unlocks new addresses or suspect names that aren't available through basic searching.
- The "Partner Drive" trick. Use this to skip the travel and keep your "City Damage" score at zero. It is the only way to guarantee a five-star rating on the more chaotic cases.
- Save your Intuition Points for the Arson desk. The early cases are easy to read. The later cases involve professional liars and conspirators who are much harder to read. You'll want those points to reveal clues or help with tough questions when the plot thickens.
- Read the newspaper. Throughout the game, you'll find newspapers. These trigger cutscenes that explain what the antagonist is doing while you're busy solving petty thefts. It’s crucial for understanding the "big picture" of the plot.
L.A. Noire is a game about patience. It rewards the player who lingers on a detail and punishes the one who rushes to the shootout. It’s a flawed masterpiece, but there really isn't anything else like it. Pay attention to the eyes, keep your notebook updated, and don't be afraid to doubt someone just because they look innocent. In 1947 Los Angeles, nobody is.