I started watching Brad Colburn, aka The Rad Brad, on YouTube last year. I wanted to watch Silent Hill games without the thrill of actually having to play them. So I went on YouTube, looked up Silent Hill, found a couple of videos and watched them. Little did I know that I would continue watching The Rad Brad’s channel, which has gotten over one million subscribers to date. Considering that when I joined his channel the number was between 400,000-600,000 subscribers, that’s quite an accomplishment.
A little while before that, I had played and beaten L.A. Noire on the XBox 360. Countless times I had picked the wrong answer, saying that this person was telling the truth and that person was telling lies, when it was actually vice versa. I had cost the city of Los Angeles thousands of dollars in damage in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series because I liked to jam the acceleration button and brake and turn at the last minute. Obviously I wasn’t much of a mystery solver. But just yesterday, I visited Brad’s channel after a long hiatus and discovered that he’s doing a series on L.A. Noire.
Watching him drive those old ’40s cars and trying to brake and turn reminds me of how I played and how I’m not alone in my lack of driving skills in this game. The cars, the characters’ style of dress, the fluidity of their facial expressions… This game was a masterpiece in my eyes. Gaining the opportunity to learn about Los Angeles and its landmarks was exciting! It was like stepping into a classic movie.
In L.A. Noire, for those who aren’t familiar, you play a cop who solves case files, crimes, etc. You can make a good deal of choices, which is nice if you enjoy that sort of freedom in an open-world game. You cruise the streets of Los Angeles in the 1940s, trying to chase down bad guys, avoid getting shot, and see through the suspects/witnesses who are trying to hide something. According to IGN.com, it came out in May of 2011 – just a two-year-old game! If you haven’t played it, give it a shot.
If you’re not familiar with The Rad Brad, let me tell you a bit about him. His commentary is always an unpredictable joy. Always relevant, he says just what’s on his mind no matter what’s going on. He’s done a wide range of video games, from survival horrors to indie games, for the past three years. He’s a talented guy who loves video games – just like us guys and gals here at GameSkinny!
If you would like to see the L.A. Noire series, which is now in progress on The Rad Brad channel, visit him on YouTube.
