L.A. Noire (Coming to PS4, Switch, XBO and Vive)

Rockstar Games is known for its ambitious projects, and L.A. Noire proves that the company’s reputation is safe. While the rumblings about the game have been heard for years, our world exclusive cover story is the only place you’ll be able to get concrete information on the gritty crime epic. Over the course of our 10-page feature we look at the game’s astonishing reconstruction of 1947 Los Angeles and learn how the team took on such a massive undertaking. We also talk to the team to see L.A. Noire’s groundbreaking facial-animation system in action, and learn how it might change the way we look at games from now on.

February 6, 2010 - In the March 2010 issue of Game Informer (on stands this month), the first real details of L.A. Noire are revealed. Developed by Team Bondi (The Getaway), L.A. Noire is an open-world action-adventure game set in the City of Angels in 1947. Unlike previous Rockstar efforts, L.A. Noire exists in a real city, painstakingly recreated for historical accuracy. Don't expect the "shoot everyone" mentality of a Grand Theft Auto title -- this is something completely different.

You play as Cole Phelps, a beat cop looking to clean up the streets of L.A. It won't be easy, seeing as how the L.A. police force is mired in corruption from top to bottom. Phelps has his own issues to deal with, including some very bad things he did in World War II. Though he starts low on the totem pole, over the course of L.A. Noire Phelps progresses through a series of "desks" in the department, including traffic, vice and, ultimately, homicide.

As a detective, you have to solve cases through a mixture of investigations, interviews and interrogations. According to the article in GI, when you come across a scene, you won't find highlighted items sitting in obvious places. Crime scenes are said to look natural and require a deft eye to spot important clues. See a pair of glasses on the ground of a supposed murder scene and you can pick them up, noting details such as the brand etched on the inside of the frame. These little bits of information are jotted down on your notepad, which can be brought up at any time.

Things get a little more interesting in regards to the interview system. Team Bondi is using revolutionary technology that could change the way games are made. The new facial motion capturing system sets actors alone in a giant room with cameras all around. In full make-up, the actor delivers their dialogue. Every facial moment is recorded, from the most exaggerate of motions to the slightest twitch of an eye. The dialogue is recorded at this time as well, creating a seamless scene. All of this is then translated into a 3D game landscape with no animators needed. The result? According to GI, it's a picture-perfect rendering of the actor's scene. That's important to the gameplay.

When you interview someone, you'll need to watch their face and determine if they're lying. Like Mass Effect, your dialogue choices come from a handful of general options: coax, accuse or force. The way you handle an interview or interrogation is greatly determined by the reactions you get from the suspect. You can also refute testimony by selecting clues from your notebook.

Unfortunately, GI wasn't shown any of the gunplay, so the set-up for the action sequences is still a mystery.

You can read more details on the demo in the latest issue of Game Informer.

Team Bondi's former PlayStation 3 exclusive L.A. Noire is "apparently coming in September," according to games journalist and GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley.

The release window reveal came in the form of a tweet Keighley made after reading the new issue of Game Informer, which features the old-fashioned game on its cover. "It definitely sounds interesting," he added.

While L.A. Noire was originally announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, an Xbox 360 edition of the long-coming project--originally due by September 2009--was recently confirmed, with Keighley noting that both versions are due at the same time.

Eighthours wrote:Wow, this looks amazing! The game we've always wanted!

I'm just trying to lobotomise myself so that I can't remember how The Getaway was also technically brilliant (for the time) but played like a dog.

So, Team Bondi, don't think you've got a free pass just yet...

This is true. I try and close my eyes and pretend the studio have no games to their names

Although this and Heavy Rain could finally give me the gaming experiences I have wanted for over ten years.

Petrocelli wrote:http://www.incgamers.com/Columns/55/why-you-should-be-excited-about-la-noire

Recent column I did on LA Noire.

Zellery wrote:This on 360 now too then or what?

Hugo Stiglitz wrote:

Zellery wrote:This on 360 now too then or what?

Yes.