LA Noire Megathread

Jan 29, 2009
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L.A. Noire is an upcoming video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. L.A. Noire is set in "a perfectly re-created Los Angeles" of the late 1940s, with players being given an open-ended challenge to solve a series of murders.

As the title suggests, the game draws heavily from both plot and aesthetic elements of film noir - stylistic films from the 1940s and 1950s that shared similar visual styles and themes including, but not limited to, crime, sex and moral ambiguity and were often shot in black and white with harsh, low-key lighting.

The game uses a distinctive colouring-style in homage to the visual style of film noir. The postwar setting is the backdrop for plot elements that reference the detective films of the '40s, such as corruption and drugs, with a classical jazz soundtrack.

Though little information has been disclosed so far about L.A. Noire, Rockstar gives an impression of the game in the first trailer. L.A. Noire is also notable for using Darksprint's real-time global illumination technology.



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Pre-Order with GameStop to get 'The Naked City' Vice Case & Badge Pursuit Challenge
(Also available via Game in the UK, and GameStop in Canada)

‘The Naked City’ Vice Case
In this bonus case from L.A. Noire’s Vice Desk, detective Cole Phelps investigates the supposed suicide of a stunning fashion model. Can you help Cole unravel the truth in a city blighted by drugs, corruption and greed, where the death of a beautiful woman is never as straightforward as it seems?

The Badge Pursuit Challenge
Hidden around L.A. Noire’s beautiful recreation of 1947 Los Angeles are 20 police badges to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked which provides extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides 5 additional XP which will help further unlock Intuition Points – special credits that can be used to give Phelps a key investigative insight when you need it most

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Pre-Order with Amazon to get 'The Broderick' Detective Suit
(Also available via Amazon in the UK, and Amazon in Canada)

This unlockable detective suit boosts your fist-fighting capabilities and resilience to damage. Throughout L.A. Noire while working cases, you’ll encounter quite a few suspects and persons of interest who prove to be resistant to arrest. Your hand-to-hand fighting skills will be called into action on these cases – the Broderick suit with its enhanced fighting abilities may be that edge in helping make that collar.

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Pre-Order or purchase at launch (while supplies last) with Wal-Mart to get the ‘A Slip of the Tongue’ Traffic Case
(Also available via Play in the UK, and Wal-Mart in Canada)

“A Slip of the Tongue” is a bonus case from the Traffic Desk in which a seemingly run of the mill car theft ends up sparking an explosive investigation into the largest auto fraud racket the city has ever seen. With the stolen cars piling up and questionable characters at every turn, can you help Cole Phelps crack the biggest case so far in his career?

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Pre-Order or purchase at launch (while supplies last) with Best Buy to get 'The Sharpshooter' Detective Suit
(Also available via Zavvi in the UK, and Best Buy in Canada)

The Sharpshooter unlockable detective suit enhances your aim with rifles and pistols. Always a worst case scenario for any detective working a case, there are of course those occasions for Cole Phelps when pursuing a suspect escalates to gunfire. In these tense shootouts, the Sharpshooter suit provides that extra aiming precision to take the criminal down.

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Everyone in North America who pre-orders their copy through the Rockstar Warehouse will receive an official L.A. Noire tee-shirt.

Everyone who pre-orders with Target will receive a $5 Gift Card, and get a free Rockstar Games t-shirt if purchasing the game in-store during launch week. All incentive offers are limited in quantity and available while supplies last.

Preorder at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002I0J5UQ/?tag=hidefnin-20
 
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Rockstar promises new LA Noire details "very soon"

Rockstar has said during a recent chinwag with fans this week that fresh details on elusive 1940s sandbox romp LA Noire will be released for our consumption in the near future, confirming that the game’s development is coming along “quite splendidly.”

Details on the gritty PS3 detective outing have been virtually non-existent as of late, and we're still no closer to getting our mitts on a firm release date for the project. Despite this, it appears we at least won't have to wait much longer to sink our teeth into all the latest gossip from Rockstar HQ.

“While we have yet to announced a definitive release date, L.A. Noire is coming along quite splendidly and we’re going to have details to share with you all very soon,” said the company.

LA Noire should be with us some time next year. From what we know on the project, it sounds as though the wait will at least be worth it, with Take Two having recently heaped a boatload of praise on developer Team Bondi’s efforts, describing the title as “pretty exciting and innovative.”
 
[Update] LA Noire details coming next month.

Rockstar has announced that it will finally be ready to spill the beans on its elusive project LA Noire some time next month.

Chatting in a recent Q&A session, the mega publisher promised that gamers can expect to see an “in-depth look” at the title when details finally emerge in February 2010 cover story.

"There will be something great to see soon - a proper in-depth look at the game and why it is so ground breaking and innovative, both in terms of the game's design and the amazing new technology to support it," said the company. "Expect to see a long-awaited reveal via a big cover story next month."

LA Noire first reared its head four years ago although Rockstar has remained decidedly tight-lipped on the project ever since, and it’s still unclear as to whether or not the game remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive.
 
This past week, we heard from Rockstar that gamers can expect a much-anticipated unveiling of L.A. Noire next month. Well, maybe we can get you started a little early.

Up until now, we had always thought the most intriguing element of this new game was its 1940s atmosphere and gritty, underworld feel. However, Rockstar has been saying all along that L.A. Noire will boast some very special features that might just surprise everyone. Perhaps this is one of those features: according to GameGuru and citing a brief resume for a Team Bondi designer, it seems much of the game's missions will be based on real-life crimes that happened in Los Angeles in 1947. This particular designer's job was to do research into LA newspapers for the year in question, and pick out crimes to place into the game's database. Obviously, this means you would set out to solve the crimes that actually occurred in 1947, which is just plain awesome. We get the feeling it's sorta like GTA with a twist of hardened reality that puts L.A. Noire in a class by itself. But we still have to wait for the official unveiling before we can bring you more details, like the all-important gameplay and control mechanics...

Anyway, the more we hear about this one, the more excited we become. It's okay that we've been waiting for a long time; we've had plenty of other titles to keep our attention, right?
 
First Solid L.A. Noire Details Emerge From Game Informer

As previously reported, Game Informer's March issue will feature a big exposé on Rockstar's L.A. Noire, but we've already got the first details for you from the publication's forthcoming coverage.

So, pop a fedora on, spark up a slim cigarette and examine the gruesome evidence we've chalked out for you right here.

An open-world yarn set in L.A. circa 1947, Team Bondi has recreated the game's version of Los Angeles in painstaking detail with historical accuracy in mind.

You play as good cop, Cole Phelps - a beat officer who works his way up through the ranks from traffic to vice, ultimately becoming a detective working on homicide.

Phelps is a complex character who has to face up to some terrible things he did during World War II. The exact nature of what he did is currently uncertain.

Solving crimes as a detective will involve a mixture of interviews, interrogations and good old fashioned sleuthing.

Crime scenes will look completely natural, with no shining clues or other visual prompts to help you. You'll have to rely on your own eye for spotting salient pieces of evidence and clues.

Picking up important objects will enable you to scrutinise them closer for further information, such as the branding on a pair of glasses or maybe a fingerprint and so on.

As you gain clues and other nuggets of info towards your investigation, it'll be jotted down in your notepad, where you can access it at any time.

Team Bondi is reportedly utilising revolutionary new technology that could change the way this type of game is made.

Said tech is a new facial motion capture system that simultaneously records the actor's performance and dialogue as it's delivered. Even the slightest facial movement is captured, from the broadest expression to the smallest tic.

The result is a seamlessly acted sequence, which can then be transposed into the 3D game world without the need for animators. Game Informer say it's a picture-perfect rendering of the actor's scene.

Adopting this new facial capture technology is integral to the gameplay, especially during the game's interview sequences.

You'll need to watch the interviewee's face for tell-tale signs that they're lying or withholding testimony.

Dialogue will work something like Mass Effect's system, with options to coax, accuse or force. Depending upon the reactions you then get from the suspect will determine how the interview plays out. You'll also be able to call your notes into play in order to refute false testimony.

There will be action sequences and gunplay in L.A. Noire, the exact nature of which is still under wraps however.

L.A. Noire is due for release later this year.

The March issue of Game Informer is available soon.
 
Rockstar says L.A. Noire out this fall

Rockstar Games has confirmed that the once PlaySation 3 exclusive, L.A. Noire, is schedule for release this fall. According to a tweet from Rockstar, the company has no specific release date, but it says we should expect it sometime in the fall.

The tweet stated: "We have not announced a specific release date yet, but L.A. Noire is coming this fall. Stay tuned."
 
Take-Two confirms L.A. Noire delay

Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has revealed that L.A. Noire has been pushed back in to the first half of the 2011 calendar year.

Strauss confirmed the delay during a company earnings call last night, where he commented, "Every time we push the envelope creatively, it takes a while. In this particular instance, I'm not going to disclose all the advancements, they're pretty extraordinary, they are complex and worth waiting for.”

"Equally, we do try to pick the right marketing window. That is important. One of the things we're proud of around here is we've extended the marketing window. We've shown the market if you put something fantastic out people will come out for it. That's for pretty much year round."

"That said, we do want to be mindful of what the competition is doing and we don't want to stack up a release unnecessarily. These are expensive products. One of the things we found with Red Dead to our happiness is we were able to crowd out some of the competition because the best title in the market won the day."

Developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire is set in a meticulously re-created 1940s Los Angeles setting, where gamers take part in an open-ended adventure where they are tasked with solving a series of brutal murders.
 
New LA Noire trailer coming this Thursday

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Rockstar’s confirmed it’ll be releasing the first new trailer of LA Noire in four years this Thursday.

The trailer goes live on Thursday at 12pm EST, which is 5pm GMT in the UK.

The title, in development for a ridiculously long time at Australian studio Team Bondi, headed up by ex-Getaway boss Brendan McNamara, was delayed into 2011 back in September.

The game is set in 1947 and sees you play as Cole Phelps in a corrupt LAPD.
 
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L.A. Noire pre-order goodies to be released as DLC after launch

Those of you who don’t fancy pre-ordering L.A. Noire but are keen to get your mitts on the extra content are in luck – Rockstar’s confirmed that the pre-order bonuses will be released as regular DLC “at some point after the game comes out.”

The firm lifted the lid on pre-order goodies last week, which allows gamers to snap up different content for the detective thriller depending where you pre-order the game from.

Both GameStop and GAME, for example, offers the chance to solve a case surrounding the suicide of a fashion model, as well as take part in the Badge Pursuit Challenge mode.

Meanwhile, the chaps at Amazon are offering up fresh clobber in the form of the Broderick Detective suit, which possesses high resilience to damage and fist-fighting capabilities.