The interrogation segments in LA Noire were some of my favorite parts of the game. Not only was it a great logic puzzle to try and trap suspects in their lies or find out their innocense, but it was also hilarious to see some of the lines Cole Phelps would say if you chose “Doubt” as a dialog option.
During an interrogation in LA Noire, you get three choices which determine how Phelps will treat the person you’re speaking with. You can pick between “Truth,” “Doubt,” or “Lie,” and Phelps will react accordingly. However, sometimes when you pick “Doubt” Cole will flip out and say something completely over the top, going far beyond what a reasonable person would consider to be a doubtful statement.
Because of those choices, Phelps seems incredibly unstable, and if you look at the scenes in the above video, it’s a wonder how he stayed on the force. There’s a reason for this, though, and it’s not that Cole Phelps is entirely insane.
LA Noire Interrogation Choices: Why Are the Options Changing?
When LA Noire’s script was initially written the three dialogue choices weren’t Truth/Doubt/Lie, they were Coax/Force/Lie. Originally, you would just pick whatever action you thought would make the suspect talk. The three choices were changed to make the game feel more like real interrogation, that way you have to pick what you think the right answer to the suspect’s behavior is, as opposed to just choosing what action you want Cole to take.
Also: LA Noire Switch Physical Copy Requires a Download Because Rockstar Used Cheaper Carts
Since Force was replaced by Doubt, it makes sense that some of Phelps reactions when you pick that option are over the top. They’re written as if you’re trying to force the suspect to reveal information by intimidating them.
LA Noir Remaster doesn’t go back to the first choice system the game had but instead invents a third new set of choices that put Cole’s dialog into better context. Now instead of Truth, Doubt, and Lie, the options are Good Cop, Bad Cop, and Accuse.
I think this is a mixed blessing. Sure the dialog lines up better that way, but with the original choices, I feel like you really had to know Phelps and the way he would react, and the ambiguity of what he was going to say sometimes made the game more exciting and challenging. Hopefully, Rockstar has left a way to return to the original choices so we can have the best of both worlds.
