With “L.A. Noire,” the fine folks at Team Bondi decided to make an open world Rockstar game unlike any other. For all the Grand Theft Auto games and their spinoffs, all have focused on some version of morally flawed crime causer; but never the actual “good guys,” the cops. The change in roles brought about several changes to the way one plays this type of game, but there’s no doubt that it stands among the best.

Instead of spending your time doing violent odd jobs for strange people, the role of a policeman calls for the more formulaic method of gathering clues and interrogating witnesses to solve episodic cases. It was certainly a huge gamble for the developer to go, but it thankfully the unorthodox crime solving turned out to be made incredibly well. It becomes downright addicting to find every clue in the crime scene that will make all successful questionings wholly satisfying. And with the game’s incredible graphics engine for the character’s faces, figuring out whether a person is telling the truth or not during the interrogations made for plenty of the game’s more on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments.

Admittedly, it’s the kind of system that would grow stale over the course of this particularly lengthy campaign, since most cases go about in the same ebb and flow. But what makes the game gripping until the very end is the masterful and mature story it tells, with finely voiced actors and brilliant dialogue. It’s all tied together by numerous compelling characters; but the most memorable is easily the main protagonist, Cole Phelps. A far cry than the usual Rockstar heroes who would blindly follow ridiculous orders from terrible people, this is a man who carries the story, just from his respectful sense of justice to overcome the distraught post-WWII Los Angeles. He’s the perfect kind of law official, but with understandable flaws and a shady past to add several levels to his persona.

For the people just looking for a great story like the one of detective Cole Phelps, “L.A. Noire” manages to make the gameplay side of things wholly manageable. If you end up dying a number of times in one scenario, you can actually just skip the “action sequence” and continue on with the next scene. There are also optional piano music cues that will tell if you failed to figure out the suspect’s poker face and if you found all the clues in a given area. And despite how badly your rating is at the end of a case, the campaign will progress regardless. There’s no question that the tale the campaign weaves is the best part of “L.A. Noire,” to a point where Team Bondi seemed to realize this, and provided ways for literally everybody to enjoy it.

You can even skip most of the driving sequences if you so choose. With all of the hand-holding and the episodic feel of the game, it was extremely hard to feel compelled enough to explore and go beyond the main storyline. Despite how lovingly created the 1947 Los Angeles is here, there isn’t really anything else to do, other than the occasional side mission and collectables. The game isn’t challenging at all in the fighting, chasing, and shooting moments. Since you play the cop, GTA fans don’t have the opportunity to go nuts and wreak havoc in the city. It all ties together to make for an experience that feels more like an interactive novel than a gaming challenge like others in its genre. People should keep that in mind before choosing to get into this video game.

Thankfully to “L.A. Noire’s” credit, it’s a game that contains several unique factors to get away with whatever it has going against it. With Phoenix Wright-flavored investigations, a series of fascinating mysteries to solve with masterful acting and writing, and a phenomenal facial animation engine to top the realism presentation off, it never aspired to be a direct replica of any other game. And thankfully, it all came together, well enough to make it one of the best games of the year.