LA Noire

[Andrew666]

Five years in development, LA Noire looks like being the ultimate noir game. Developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar, you can pre-order the game now for delivery in Spring 2011:

Check out the trailer here:



Set in a perfectly recreated LA setting from the 1940s, Rockstar claim this is, "the first game to really explore what it means to be a detective, and offers players the opportunity to solve crimes blending classic action, investigation and interrogation, in the endless pursuit of what's right."

[SuperDanX]

Ha, you beat me to it, came here to post about this, brand new trailer here-
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_...asemake_hd.mov

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

Do you know if the Ava Gardner doll is featured in the game?

[Steve-O]

new trailer... Nice to see Ken Cosgrove in it (Pete Cambell must be pissed he didn't get the job)

[Little Mac]

Here's two games that aren't like your average video games. For one, they're both grounded in the moody atmosphere and pessimistic philosophy of film noir. But what's even more interesting, is how much both are grounded in storytelling rather than fighting, racking up experience points, and well, other video game stuff.

If you've got an open mind, check em out. They seem interesting.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I'm reading Steve Hodel's "Black Dahlia Avenger" right now.

I also just read that "L.A. Noire" will take place specifically in 1947, the year of the Dahlia murder.

If Rockstar wants to be really historically accurate, the player's investigation will constantly be hampered by reporters walking around the murder scene, destroying evidence, answering phones in the police station and often withholding the information they received from the police.

So far, the most unbelievable thing I've read in "Black Dahlia Avenger" is that Betty Short's mother found out about her daughter's death when reporters called her. They initially told her that her daughter had won a beauty contest, so she was happy to give them all kinds of information about her daughter. Remarkably, she kept talking to them after they informed her that her daughter had actually been murdered. She must have been in shock.

Can you imagine the kind of bottom-feeding scum that must have occupied the ranks of crime reporters at the time, to use a tactic like that?

[Nauga]

I'm reading Steve Hodel's "Black Dahlia Avenger" right now.

Hodel's book is an interesting read if you're into theoretical crime solutions. I remember not being totally sold on the supposed Elizabeth Short pictures he had, but he presented an intriguing case anyway. Like the Zodiac, The Black Dahlia's one of those cases that's just going to drive you nuts with the not knowing.

Anyway to stay on topic, someone sent me this the other day: LA Noire wiki. Early reviews, info, vids, and pics.

Here's a tidbit from Joystiq's first review:

"LA Noire is, as my colleague Andrew Yoon put it, a "big-budget, M-rated Phoenix Wright." It's a police simulation of the highest caliber and, for a person who may be out of love with the Rockstar formula, Team Bondi's LA Noire offers the prospect of an open-world game for those of us who don't want to play the antihero."

Sounds promising.

[Adam Lounsbery]

Hodel's book is an interesting read if you're into theoretical crime solutions. I remember not being totally sold on the supposed Elizabeth Short pictures he had, but he presented an intriguing case anyway. Like the Zodiac, The Black Dahlia's one of those cases that's just going to drive you nuts with the not knowing.

I completely agree. The first big leap Hodel makes is when he takes it on faith that the woman in his father's photo album is Elizabeth Short. He says something like, "There was no doubt. It was she."

But to my eyes, it really doesn't look like her. Later, he says that the brutality of the crime points to her being killed by someone she knows. But we've certainly seen plenty of cases of serial killers who brutally murdered women they didn't know.

So far, it's not that convincing a thesis. But the writing itself, and the background of the case, as well as the family psychodrama, are all pretty riveting.

[Adam Lounsbery]

Oh, and back on topic, I just read that L.A. Noire will be the first videogame "shown" at the Tribeca Film Festival: http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide...film36882.html.

[Nauga]

Interesting it would be at Tribeca. Red Dead Redemption had a very film-like quality and linear storyline, despite it being an open world game. The voice action and cut scenes were movie quality, not to mention the beautiful graphic and stunning soundtrack. I loved that game cause I'm also a western film fan, so it was fun to see little homages to the genre. If LA Noire half as good as RDR, it will be a very fun experience.

Edit to add: I just watched the new trailer Steve-O put up. Speaking of homages, nice to see a little nod to LA Confdential with the Irish police cap'n.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I just watched the new trailer Steve-O put up. Speaking of homages, nice to see a little nod to LA Confdential with the Irish police cap'n.

I just watched the trailer again and noticed that when Aaron Staton is firing his weapon in front of the movie theater at 0:46, the movie listed on the marquee is Midnight Manhunt. If you freeze the frame, you can even see the actors' names: William Gargan, Ann Savage, and two others I couldn't read. It also looks as if it's a grindhouse ... there's something about continuous shows starting at a certain time.

I'm hoping for tons of stuff like that in the game.

I agree about RDR. The music was fantastic in that game. Never overpowering or annoying. The music in this trailer sounds as if it's more influenced by L.A. Confidential than actual films from the '40s, but I'm hoping for authentic music on the radio stations, if radio stations are something that's available in the game. We'll see...

[reedphotos]

If you pre-order, there's bonus cases you get, based on where you pre-order from. I went ahead and preordered from Gamestop, which gets me a bonus crime case based on the movie The Naked City.
Here's a link to Rockstar's pre-order page if you want to see what the options are. I understand all pre-order bonuses will be available later as downloadable content.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I preordered by copy through Amazon, so I'll be getting the "Broderick Suit," which improves fistfighting ability and increases Ken Cosgrove's resistance to damage.

Whatever. The bonuses are usually small beer compared with the entirety of the game. Good to know that they'll be available for download later. Sounds pretty much like what they did with Red Dead Redemption.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I just went here: http://www.rockstargames.com/newswir...aked-city.html

It immediately struck me that the release of this game will introduce at least a few people to classic film noir. At the bottom of the page are a number of "Rockstar Recommends" links to movies like Detour, Scarlet Street, He Walked by Night (all in their entirety from archive.org, it seems), and trailers for Chinatown and The Naked City.

[SuperDanX]

I just went here: http://www.rockstargames.com/newswir...aked-city.html

It immediately struck me that the release of this game will introduce at least a few people to classic film noir. At the bottom of the page are a number of "Rockstar Recommends" links to movies like Detour, Scarlet Street, He Walked by Night (all in their entirety from archive.org, it seems), and trailers for Chinatown and The Naked City.

That's gotta be a good thing, hats off to Rockstar for that. Really looking forwards to this, at least my PS3 will get some use for a change

[Nauga]

Bump!

Comes out tomorrow... won't get a chance to play it for a while. Here's G4's review.

Sounds like noir fans won't be disappointed:

...L.A. Noire does acknowledge the rich heritage of the genre both contemporary (L.A. Confidential, Chinatown) and classic (The Set-Up, Gun Crazy), and does so without self-consciousness or send-up. If anything, L.A. Noire is deeply reverential, not of the works specifically, but of the genre's deep roots in popular narrative, the myths of recent history, and the essential sense that things are not right with the American Dream...

[Night Editor]

Even if you don't game (which I don't), keep reading through the third paragraph. It gets interesting...

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/14...icktoitiveness

[Adam Lounsbery]

Great write-up. It's a very accurate assessment of the game. As a gamer, I enjoy getting interrogation questions in L.A. Noire "right" and get frustrated and often retry the segment when I get them "wrong," but I realized quickly that it doesn't matter.

What the writer doesn't discuss, however, is the fact that this applies to all of Rockstar's "open world" games. They give a sense of endless possibility, and when done well (they usually are) they immerse the player in their world, but the story moves forward along the same track no matter what you do. When a "choice" is presented, it usually is inconsequential to the larger story.

To the credit of L.A. Noire, I never thought I'd enjoy a game this much that had so many cut scenes. There are stretches where all you're doing is pushing your character forward a few yards in between cut scenes.

Its world is impressive, though. It's not just "the '40s." It's very specifically 1947. Songs that were hits that year play on the radio, like "I Wonder," and you can hear bits of the Jack Benny show from that year on your radio.

Unfortunately, the game isn't nearly as layered as I was hoping. Titles like "Odd Man Out" and "Lady From Shanghai" (among others) appear on movie marquees, but there's no way to see a movie. Like the "hidden packages" in GTA: Vice City, there are 100 hidden "film reels" around the city, but all finding them involves is looking at the title on the canister. It's cool the first few times, when you see "Detour" or "Notorious" on the can, but that's all there is to it. Just titles.

Cole Phelps mentions his wife and children, but there's no view of his home life. When you "unlock" a car by getting into it, you can't keep it. The game is extremely mission-based. As soon as one case is over, the next one starts. The game's recreation of L.A. is amazing, but there's very little to do in the city beyond going through the story.

[Nauga]

Unfortunately, the game isn't nearly as layered as I was hoping. Titles like "Odd Man Out" and "Lady From Shanghai" (among others) appear on movie marquees, but there's no way to see a movie. Like the "hidden packages" in GTA: Vice City, there are 100 hidden "film reels" around the city, but all finding them involves is looking at the title on the canister. It's cool the first few times, when you see "Detour" or "Notorious" on the can, but that's all there is to it. Just titles.

Cole Phelps mentions his wife and children, but there's no view of his home life. When you "unlock" a car by getting into it, you can't keep it. The game is extremely mission-based. As soon as one case is over, the next one starts. The game's recreation of L.A. is amazing, but there's very little to do in the city beyond going through the story.

Adam, I think you're on point with the criticisms and also with what makes the game great.

Personally, I think it's great because all of my esoteric interests seemed to be morphed into a game just for me! Crime! Mid-century interior decorating! Classic cars! Film noir! New Look fashion! I'd hesitate to give this game a negative review, just because I'm not likely to ever play a game like this again. I am so big of a nerd for this era that I can indeed give Team Bondi a thumbs-up for putting period correct linoleum in the kitchens.

I would like to see Phelps' home, if only to see a few one-liners from the wife. It would have been a nice place to keep the unlocked cars in a garage, to be able to drive them again, like you said. Maybe use the house as a place for your personal armory? Players are supposed to be able to open police car's trunk to access weapons, but either I never remember to do it, or I end up with the shotgun no matter what. (Please, if I'm doing this wrong, someone tell me!)

I knew about the film reels... While it would have been nice to see little clips or something, I realize the rights would have been impossible to get. I settled for hoping it would spark interest in people who would not otherwise seek out classic films. John Marston was able to see a few moving pictures in RDR... it would have been great to go see a few newsreels or some burly-q. RDR's scope and sandbox play was unbelievable, and I don't think John Marston's linear story ever suffered for being able to go off on your own and interact with the surroundings in between cut scenes. It seems as if they were hesitant to let the player control Cole Phelps very much outside the story for fear of losing believability. I guess that's understandable since Phelps is a cop and Marston is a shootist.

Also I am happy to report I was just as bad at driving as I was at riding a horse during the first part of the game

[SuperDanX]

Great isn't it? A game for noir buffs, whoda thunk it! I'm really enjoying it so far, Ive only done five cases, but I can't wait to get stuck in again at the weekend.

Adam, I think you're on point with the criticisms and also with what makes the game great.

Personally, I think it's great because all of my esoteric interests seemed to be morphed into a game just for me! Crime! Mid-century interior decorating! Classic cars! Film noir! New Look fashion! I'd hesitate to give this game a negative review, just because I'm not likely to ever play a game like this again. I am so big of a nerd for this era that I can indeed give Team Bondi a thumbs-up for putting period correct linoleum in the kitchens.

I would like to see Phelps' home, if only to see a few one-liners from the wife. It would have been a nice place to keep the unlocked cars in a garage, to be able to drive them again, like you said. Maybe use the house as a place for your personal armory? Players are supposed to be able to open police car's trunk to access weapons, but either I never remember to do it, or I end up with the shotgun no matter what. (Please, if I'm doing this wrong, someone tell me!)

I knew about the film reels... While it would have been nice to see little clips or something, I realize the rights would have been impossible to get. I settled for hoping it would spark interest in people who would not otherwise seek out classic films. John Marston was able to see a few moving pictures in RDR... it would have been great to go see a few newsreels or some burly-q. RDR's scope and sandbox play was unbelievable, and I don't think John Marston's linear story ever suffered for being able to go off on your own and interact with the surroundings in between cut scenes. It seems as if they were hesitant to let the player control Cole Phelps very much outside the story for fear of losing believability. I guess that's understandable since Phelps is a cop and Marston is a shootist.

Also I am happy to report I was just as bad at driving as I was at riding a horse during the first part of the game