LA Noire

[Jason]

...I'll forgive you if you've not heard of this one, despite it having been in some kind of existence since at least 2006, when a couple of teaser videos were posted.

Anyway, in their latest blog, Rockstar alluded to an upcoming reveal in a "big cover story" next month.
The game, for those of you who are almost certainly scratching your heads and wondering why your should care, is based in 1940s LA, and if the name is anything to go by, looks like it's going to be influenced heavily by the Phillip Marlowe and Sam Spade films, which is enough on its own to nearly make me fangasm - throw in the fact that it's being made by Rockstar Games, makers of GTA, and this looks like one hell of a promising game.
It's expected to be PS3-exclusive, and Rockstar are in full hyperbolising mode when they promise:

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. Expect to see a long-awaited reveal via a big cover story next month.

Full blog here (http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/2010/01/21/2821/asked_&_answered_red_dead_redemption_l.a._noire_rockstar_ san_diego_and_more) - I'm off to go watch the Maltese Falcon seven times in a row.

[Jason]

Some news on this - Game Informer are running a piece on this game next month, but one that that has been confirmed is that the game is no longer PS3 exclusive. It appears that Xbox 360 owners will also be getting a chance to live out their Marlowe-related dreams.

[Jason]

Huh, I'd almost forgotten about this, which embarrasses me greatly.

Anyway, yesterday, Rockstar spilled the first trailer using the in-game engine, and whilst the graphics still look a little rough round the edges (which I'm sure will be tidied up in time), it looks like it's going to be an interesting game in a similar mould to the film LA Confidential. Plus it's from Rockstar, who don't exactly have an awful track record. I have a magazine article somewhere that goes into quite a lot of detail regarding how the gameplay works, particularly the interrogation aspects of it, and if I remember correctly, a great deal of work has been put into conveying realistic emotions and facial expressions such as anxiety and discomfort, which will provide vital clues for the player. I'll see if I can dig it out and extract the key points from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmLcjo9bZF4

The game's due to hit in Spring, so expect the hype machine to start cranking into gear shortly.

[Archangel]

It's expected to be PS3-exclusive

no longer PS3 exclusive. It appears that Xbox 360...

...

Bollocks.

[JustaBitOutside]

this is a title that I am dying to play. I love noire stories, love the movie Chinatown, can't wait to give it a go. Now I wonder if we can finally find out who framed roger rabbit...? :)

[Br1ckt0p]

A nice "The technology behind the performance" clip has appeared on Rockstars site. Looking tight. Like tiger.

http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/

[Jason]

This game excites me tremendously. It's pretty much tailor-made to cater to my interests - it's made by Rockstar, it's set in a Film Noir style, and it looks like it's going to be dialogue heavy and focusing on player interactions with NPCs.
Barring utterly awful reviews, this is looking like being that rarest of things for me - a day one purchase.

[AzH]

...

Bollocks.
Why is the lack of PS3 exclusivity an issue?

[Jason]

I think the problem is the console exclusivity. It certainly appears that for whatever reason, Rockstar don't seem to do PC games any more.

[AzH]

Because of pirating maybe?

[Eden]

I haven't heard about this before... It looks interesting and I should keep an eye on it.

Rockstar Games are great even aside from GTA. The Warriors was a good game as well.

[Archangel]

I think the problem is the console exclusivity. It certainly appears that for whatever reason, Rockstar don't seem to do PC games any more.

Right on the money, sir.

Because of pirating maybe?

Irrelevant. If your engine can be made to run on both Xbox360 and PS3, it can be made to run on a PC. Once that first multi-platform leap has been made, the others are far, far easier to perform.

Hell, it's far, far easier to write a universal engine provided you know what you're doing from day 1. No, the problem here is that devs and publishers like to take the money from corporations over the money from consumers.

[AzH]

How is it irrelevant that several game publishers/developers have gone on record to say that piracy is killing PC gaming and that consoles are moneys makers?

[Archangel]

How is it relevant when it costs them a fraction of the sales that will be made on the PC platform to make the game completely platform-independent?

Sure, 50% of your PC users might pirate the game, but 80% of them were never going to buy the game on console anyway, so factoring them into the profit margins only applies if they're making a PC-exclusive game. And the other 50% will buy the game, thus likely recounting the costs of publishing it to the PC platform. In the case of Rockstar, they've always been more than able to write their games to be multi-platform, too, so there's no question of inability to create a multi-platform release--they're just choosing not to do it.

Not to mention the root of my concern (of which you agreed with, anyway) being that more-and-more, devs and publishers are forgoing their consumer base and actively working not to make people happy, but to make more money.

Plus, I could insert rant here about the profiteering nature of consoles destroying our hopes for proper technological advancement in both computing and gaming capabilities, but I've already done that one to death I think, so I'll leave it be.

Anyway, that's me done. Game looks nice, but alas, I won't be playing it.

[Jason]

Well, as you may have seen in the other thread, we've got a confirmed release date and an interesting looking trailer that indicates at least one of the cases you'll be dealing with will feature a serial killer. I'm going to hold out and see what I can find with regards to pre-order bonuses, but this has got me thoroughly excited, and could well be one of those rare games I pre-order.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7NTSfYpJkw

EDIT: and as I couldn't find it, here's the first trailer, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3pxaZq1t_w

[Archangel]

Well, I do have a PS3 now, so maybe I will get to play this afterall.

In any case, that looks pretty darn nice. I can only hope that there's some form of over-arching plot/investigation of epic proportions that could put this in the same line of greatness as something like Heavy Rain. 'Cos that'd be awesome.

[Tiny Cy]

http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/blog/article/21806/la-noire-literally-changes-the-face-of-gaming.html

The groundbreaking new 'L.A. Noire' videogame shows Hollywood actors bringing real, not just realistic, performances to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

This blog contains a short 'making of' video...Wow, just wow.

[Archangel]

That... is pretty damn awesome. It's an increasing trend for MoCap to replace good ol' fashioned modelling, but y'know, I don't really mind. That looks amazeballs.

Their notion that you'll be able to determine when people are lying probably won't pan out so much, though, unless their actors are really, really good. Or so bad that they're really obvious when they act the part of lying. Either way, I expect the game won't do a terrific job of actually letting you determine who is or isn't lying, and you probably won't be able to act on it very well anyway. But that's just my suspicion--maybe it will come out really quite well. Either way, I do kinda want this game, now.

[Jason]

All the hands-on previews have said that it actually works pretty well for the most part if you have even a basic grasp on human body language. It won't hand it to you on a plate, and it will allow you to miss things if you don't make the right calls, but the 'tells' are also significant enough that you should spot them if you're paying attention.

Also, it's worth noting that this is Rockstar we're talking about here - these boys and girls tend not to do things half-assed, so you know that at the very least, they'll certainly have put plenty of time into it.

[SushiMooshi]

quality story is hard to find in todays gaming market... Thats why I love the Bioshock seris so much and Rockstar just has the knack to make awsome storys and characters. Excited for this one.

[Eden]

Sad for asper's, I guess. I am thrilled. I liked the Rockstar games that had a real movie feeling. Warriors for example.
I wonder whether it will feel like an oldschool adventure in a new shape, which would be really awesome in my eyes.

[Br1ckt0p]

Gameplay video!! > Here (http://www.rockstargames.com/videos/6731)

I'd like to play this now please.

[Jason]

Indeed. I'm still waiting to see whether the preorder bonuses are going to be worthwhile or not before I decide whether I'm preordering this or just picking it up locally.

Actually, pre-order incentives are the one area where Rockstar tend to be a little weak, if you ask me, so I'll be looking on with interest to see where they go with this one.

[Kozahk]

I really wanna see Rockstar take on the Mercenaries approach in one game, actually set it in a warzone. Multiplayer could be like a free roam with players picking a faction to side with and just generally causing havoc when they all collide in the field.

[Daggers]

I have it preordered :D Quite looking forward to this one.

[Jason]

Pre-Ordered this from GAME. Cost me a little more than it would have done through Amazon, but I get an extra mission for my mild expenditure, so I'm happy.
Less than two weeks now, and I'm thoroughly excited. Good to see it getting some TV exposure as well.

[Jason]

Huh. Ninja'd. What are the odds?!

[Daggers]

Its free to preorder from GAME right? At least it was for me, an the guy said he'd order the limited edition aswell but I'm not sure if that was for Brink or LA Noire because I did both.

[Jason]

To the best of my knowledge (although I may be wrong - I haven't done much research), there isn't a limited edition of LA Noire, or if there is, GAME kept it well hidden on their website.
But yeah, apart from the minimum £5 deposit (which comes off the price you pay when you pick it up - you can pay for the whole thing on preorder if you so desire), there's no additional charge for preordering.

[Daggers]

To the best of my knowledge (although I may be wrong - I haven't done much research), there isn't a limited edition of LA Noire, or if there is, GAME kept it well hidden on their website.
But yeah, apart from the minimum £5 deposit (which comes off the price you pay when you pick it up - you can pay for the whole thing on preorder if you so desire), there's no additional charge for preordering.

Hmm I paid no deposit.

Oh well!

[dimples]

I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be. What a hype and what expectations I had. Been playing GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption lately, so I was really into getting another Rockstar game. Don't get me wrong, game is not bad at all. Just not as good as it could have been

[Kozahk]

I feel the same way, I think the game suffered badly under the hype machine. Though personally, I do not think I will pay full price for it ATM (played it at a friends).

[Jason]

I, on the other hand have been massively, massively impressed with the game. Once I've finished it (hopefully by the end of Monday), I'll put up a full review, but from what I've seen in the 8 hours I've played so far, I'm sold on it.

[Daggers]

I'm loving this game but getting infuriated with the suspect quesitoning lol, I seem to get it wrong each time.

Luckily though you can go back and play each case individually which I imagine I will do after completion. This is definitely one of those games I'm going to try and 100%.

[dimples]

I suck and follow a guide online.. Yeah so what :D I only check out which of the 3 things to accuse the dude with :D

[Daggers]

Did anyone else think it strange seeing Matt Parkman (Heroes) in "THE GOLDEN BUTTERFLY" Case?

I half expected him to use his mind powers on me.

[Jason]

As I don't really watch Heroes, I didn't really notice so much, but a friend of mine alerted me to it - nice cameo though!

I'm now on Disc 3 (Vice desk), and I'm still loving the game, even though I'm still getting to grips with thinking like a detective, where the evidence that links someone to a scene isn't always blatantly obvious, and even though you can't prove it, you know full well some bastard is lying through his teeth.

[Daggers]

As I don't really watch Heroes, I didn't really notice so much, but a friend of mine alerted me to it - nice cameo though!

I'm now on Disc 3 (Vice desk), and I'm still loving the game, even though I'm still getting to grips with thinking like a detective, where the evidence that links someone to a scene isn't always blatantly obvious, and even though you can't prove it, you know full well some bastard is lying through his teeth.

Yeah I got to disk 3 earlier today, I'm on the "Manifest Destiny" case at the moment.

[Jason]

Ah, you're ahead of me by now then. Couldn't play as much as I wanted to today unfortunately due to a badly timed eyestrain/headache thing I get sometimes.

I'll be back on it tomorrow though, headaches be damned.

[Daggers]

Ah, you're ahead of me by now then. Couldn't play as much as I wanted to today unfortunately due to a badly timed eyestrain/headache thing I get sometimes.

I'll be back on it tomorrow though, headaches be damned.

Which case are you on now? "The Black Caeser"?

[Jason]

Nah, just finished that one (have to give credit to Cy, who spotted the wallet on the corpse with the frequency that helped me prove Jones' involvement), and I'm on the one after, the name of which escapes me.

I've been adamantly refusing to restart any case though, no matter how bad the interviews go. Next time round I might try restarting a few times, but I'm loving the experience of having no safety net and having to use my own wits to try and solve cases and spot when someone's lying to me.

[Daggers]

Nah, just finished that one (have to give credit to Cy, who spotted the wallet on the corpse with the frequency that helped me prove Jones' involvement), and I'm on the one after, the name of which escapes me.

I've been adamantly refusing to restart any case though, no matter how bad the interviews go. Next time round I might try restarting a few times, but I'm loving the experience of having no safety net and having to use my own wits to try and solve cases and spot when someone's lying to me.

I'm trying my best with it, I've restarted one or two just because they went so ridiculously badly. The Moller case was particularly tough I thought.

These narcotics ones aren't so bad, we're beginning to see some tie-ins with the story of Phelps during the war ;)

[Jason]

I did pretty well in the Moller case - the one I struggled a little with was the Alexandra case (can't remember the surname - the Hispanic girl who is holding her library card at the scene). The other one I screwed up was the Studio Secretary one (the alcoholic) where I didn't cotton onto the fact that the other half of the letter tied the author to the scene until about half a second after I pushed the 'doubt' button.

[Lyght]

This game doesn't look all that fun tbh. i guess im just kinda sick of rockstar producing the same stuff just with different titles.

[Kozahk]

Seconded, I didn't like Red Dead Redemption for the same reason that I had already played the same game in GTAIV. Now before I get the whole: "you're not playing it right" or "WTF, you suck" comments, nothing is going to change my view on that. Went through it, finished it, and will never touch it again. It didn't help that multiplayer was broken at the time I was playing it.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I was under the impression that LA Noire was rather different to the GTA/RDR games? That whole detective thing going on...

[Kozahk]

To me it just wasn't enough to convince myself it was something different. Interesting? Yes, but not quite as revolutionary as I was under the impression it would be.

[Daggers]

This game is nothing like GTA. There are portions of the game that are similar. The basic elements are there but the story mode is based on a different principle entirely. LA Noire= investigate crime scene/ GTA= Create crime scene. :P

Im about to start the final case now so I will write up a review later tonight when I finish it with my complete and full opinion.

[Kozahk]

As said before: In my opinion, I simply felt like I was playing a GTA game. Investigating crime scenes rather than creating crime scenes just didn't click with me to see it any differently. I am not saying it is a bad game, I just didn't like it.

[Jason]

I just don't see any way that you can claim it feels like GTA in any way other than driving between crime scenes (which is skippable anyway) or the odd car chase once in a while. Unless I missed the bits in GTA where you have to carefully watch someone while they speak to see if they're lying or not, or I've not quite got to the mission in LA Noire yet where you commandeer a helicopter and rain firey death upon the unsuspecting citizens of LA.

People as a rule are far, FAR too quick to call any sandbox game based in a city a GTA clone these days. In some cases it's true (the Saints Row games, although arguably they're in a position to overtake the GTA games), in others it's not (LA Noire).

LA Noire isn't perfect. It's got its flaws and annoyances, and I'll cover them once I've finished the game, but one thing I certainly can't level at it is that it's too much like anything Rockstar have done before.

[Kozahk]

Well excuse me then for having an opinion that doesn't agree with your view of the game, Mr *X* JASON!

[Jason]

I could perhaps say the same. :)

All I'm saying is that unless I'm mistaken, you've not actually played the game. I think you said earlier that you've only ever seen a friend play it? I'd perhaps argue that this isn't really the best way to experience a game like LA Noire, and certainly wouldn't be enough to dismiss it as a GTA clone where you just play the other side.
Either way, you're entitled to your opinion (however wrong it may be :p), but I would urge you to consider taking a second look at the game if you're thinking that it's a GTA clone, because you're dismissing it unfairly on a set of criteria that it simply doesn't even try and meet.

[Daggers]

Just finished the story mode...wow. Full report later!

[Kozahk]

No I said I played (underlined in case we miss it again) it at a friends house for a few hours. I've experienced it and it disappointed me, I felt like it was a GTA game with a neat (but ultimately unimpressive) detective system, just because they have not done it before does not necessarily mean I must jizz over it. I will probably play it again in the future, but I will definitely not buy it.

[Jason]

Ah, my apologies. Memory must be going. Explains why I'm such a rubbish detective, actually. >_>

Still, it's your opinion and you're entitled to it, although I'd re-iterate once again (for the benefit of those who haven't played it, because calling it a 'GTA clone' is the kind of rubbish lazy games 'journalists' were trotting out long before it launched, and we all know how mud sticks) that it's one that I disagree with most strongly.

[Kozahk]

Then we must agree to disagree and not discuss this further /discussion

[Lyght]

Honestly i just felt like i was playing GTA just with a new twist. To me i wasted a decent amount of money buying this. Me and the game just didn't click. Feels to similar(probably from other games i played).

[CemeteryGates]

I don't think GTA and RDR were very similar at all. The controls were similar, it being a game about traveling certain distances and shooting stuff is similar too, but then that sounds like every FPS ever made, doesn't it?
Then one is about cowboys in the US/Mexico border in the early twentieth century, the other is about immigrant gangsters in New York in the modern day.
I don't even think Saints Row and GTA are all that similar.

Either way, I'm buying this game as soon as I have the money. I've never been disappointed with Rockstar Games. Quite the contrary.

[Jason]

Whilst I agree with CemeteryGates to a certain extent regards RDR/GTA, I can certainly see where the comparison comes from - the actual formula of the two games is very similar - travel from Point A to Point B, kill someone/collect something, then travel back. Alternatively, instead of travelling back, get chased/chase something to point C then kill it.
Okay, I oversimplified things massively, but the actual core of the gameplay between the two games is very similar - just replace 'car' with 'horse' and 'rocket launcher' with 'dynamite'. Of course there are big differences too, but at least I can understand comparisons between RDR and GTA, even if I don't necessarily agree that it's a bad thing.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Simplifying the concepts and content of games to make a point in a comparison is a pretty precarious course to be taking. After all, is not FIFA <insert year> a game where your goal is to take something from Point A and deliver it to Point B, avoiding obstacles along the way?

So, thusly, FIFA and GTA are the same game.



Just sayin'.

[Daggers]

I wonder if Rockstar and Nintendo will ever get together and make a GTA: Hyrule...

[Kozahk]

GTA: Firefly would be absolutely fuckin' KICKASS!!!!

[Daggers]

What about GTA: Super Mario World : Mario Bros Stories

I bet there's loads of dirt and hidden secrets in that family.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Hehehe, reminds me of an article I read... you guys will love it. (http://www.industrygamers.com/news/mario-may-miss-project-cafe-launch-but-nintendo-likely-to-get-rockstar-or-valve-exclusive---analyst/)
It is entirely possible that Project Cafe will launch without a Mario title. They can afford to do it as long as there are some titles to attract early adopters. Management has indicated that 3rd party releases will be more of a focus going forward. I would expect that we will hear about some Nintendo exclusives from the likes of Rockstar, Epic, or Valve going forward.
Best. Analyst. Ever.

[Jason]

Simplifying the concepts and content of games to make a point in a comparison is a pretty precarious course to be taking. After all, is not FIFA <insert year> a game where your goal is to take something from Point A and deliver it to Point B, avoiding obstacles along the way?

So, thusly, FIFA and GTA are the same game.



Just sayin'.

Yeah, I suppose that wasn't the best explanation of it - however, the similarities in GTA/RDR obviously run far deeper than the mission structure. They're also both set in sandbox environments where you're not railroaded towards the story missions, both allow the player to either break or uphold the law (although GTA's upholding of the law is primarily relegated to the 'cop car' side missions) as they choose to (including the consequences of being chased by police/attacked by gangs) - I could continue for some time, but it would be arguing against what I actually feel, which is that despite their similarities, it would be massively unfair and dismissive to just call RDR 'GTA with horses'.

EDIT: I just read your last post about the analyst predicting Rockstar/Valve exclusives for the 3DS...

It's nice to see that being off your face on crack doesn't necessarily prevent you from realising your dream of making insane statements about videogames with little factual proof.

Hell, it's not stopped me.

[dimples]

I finished the game yesterday. It was a painful experience. A great game, but so boring after a while! I had to force myself to playing it. I'm still aiming to get 100% complete because I love free roaming around the city. But the interviewing those people was just so very boring. Because it was repeative.

[dimples]

Now it's 100% complete :) Glad it's over :D Please don't bring out more DLC, because I want to keep it in my 100% collection