LA Noire is a paradox. On one hand, it is precisely the kind of game you'd expect from Rockstar. On the other, it shatters nearly every norm we've come to expect from the collective of studios. Everything about the game was a surprise to me, from its meticulously paced gameplay, to its straight-shooting protagonist, to the fact that -- in spite of years of media silence -- LA Noire was a real game, running in real-time on a PS3, looking nearly ready for release.

As with Rockstar's other games this generation, LA Noire looks, sounds, and feels expensive. The level of detail in the massive environments, coupled with the copious servings of motion-captured dialogue remind me that Rockstar has spared no expense creating the game. At this point, we expect nothing less. Seeing your character race around a realistically-rendered Los Angeles, mini-map in the corner, evokes a more-than-familiar feeling.

But, LA Noire isn't Grand Theft Auto set in the 1940s. It's not Red Dead Redemption without horses. Perhaps the best comparison I can offer is this: it's a big-budget, M-rated Phoenix Wright.