team-bondi
Latest
Pre-order LA Noire and get $15 credit on Amazon
As is so frequently the case with big, upcoming blockbusters, Amazon has sweetened the pot for anyone willing to lay down a pre-order on LA Noire. Anyone who pre-purchases Rockstar and Team Bondi's cinematic crime drama will also get their hands on a $15 credit for future purchases.
First installment of LA Noire: The Collected Stories posted
The first of eight original short stories in Rockstar's LA Noire: The Collected Stories series has just hit the web. Jonathan Santlofer's What's In a Name? (no relation to our own series, we assure you) tells the story of "a sociopath with high hopes, and a curious knowledge of the Los Angeles underworld. And of a young LAPD detective working to crack the latest murder case to terrify the city." The series, which includes big names like Joyce Carol Oates, revisits some of the "characters and cases in the game." If you'd rather wait until all eight installments are available, "the complete L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories which will be available for download at all major eBook retailers" on June 6th. For your reading convenience, Rockstar is offering a downloadable PDF or, if you find yourself sans-Kindle or iPad, perhaps the web-based reader is more your speed. At a brisk 4100 words, it shouldn't take you long to read it, so you can get back to doing more important things ... like not playing LA Noire for another ten days.
LA Noire's criminal inspirations compiled on interactive map
Rockstar Games and the L.A. Times recently collaborated on a very neat (and yet very upsetting) project -- an interactive map displaying all of the real-life crimes that inspired the plot of Rockstar's upcoming drama, LA Noire. The crimes, all of which took place between January 1 and December 31, 1947, are heavily detailed by the map, with excerpts from news articles about each crime available for your perusal. If you've got a strong stomach, many of the cases prove to be an interesting read. Like, for instance, the one about the acrobat burglars who robbed a store for $2,500 and a few gulps of milk. Or, the one about the wife who "playfully" stabbed her husband in the neck until he died from it. Keep an eye on the map in the coming weeks as the outlet adds even more quirky murders to the list.
LA Noire mysteriously marked down to $45 on Buy.com
Alright, gumshoes, bust out your novelty-sized magnifying glasses and fingerprint dusters -- we've got a heck of a mystery for you today. We've gone ahead and titled this case "The Mystery of How Buy.com Can Afford To Pre-Sell LA Noire For $44.99." Have at it, inspectors!
Social Club features for LA Noire revealed
Rockstar has announced both the in-game and web-based online Social Club features that will be integrated into LA Noire. Within the game itself, logging into the Social Club will unlock the Chicago Lightning Suit, which can be worn by protagonist Cole Phelps once he becomes a detective. For some unfathomable reason, the suit improves Phelps' accuracy with shotguns and machine guns -- we guess they just don't make them like they used to. Players will also be able to "Ask the Community" when Phelps is interviewing witnesses and suspects. When deciding whether or not someone is telling the truth, Phelps can use Ask the Community to see percentages of what other Social Club members chose in the same situation. The feature requires Intuition Points to use, which Rockstar notes are "in short supply." Again, we're not sure where Phelps acquired his magic, time-traveling, internet-connected notepad, but we suggest everyone just roll with it. Several features are available via the Social Club website, including a 100 percent completion checklist, game statistics and Achievement and Trophy tracking. The site also includes a Case Tracker that allows players to access Phelps' notebook, which contains "virtually everything" that he has jotted down within the game, letting players stay "on the case and connected with [their] investigation" no matter where they are. %Gallery-122494%
LA Noire will let you skip those pesky action sequences (upon repeated failure)
If the bevy of trailers and previews we've seen of LA Noire are any indication, it looks like it might be Rockstar's most cinematic game to date. What about those poor souls who want to enjoy these film-like qualities, but can't manage to virtual-shoot to save their virtual-lives? According to MTV Multipalyer, Rockstar art director Rob Nelson assuaged this group's fears while demoing the game at the Tribeca Film Festival last night, telling attendees that they'll be afforded the option to skip action sequences after failing them two or three times. Nelson explained, "You can skip those action elements and still experience the bulk of the narrative." Can you? We're not exactly sold on the idea. Wouldn't that be like reading a book, and then skipping those pages where the protagonist shoots hundreds and hundreds of dudes?
How Rockstar built 1947 Los Angeles for L.A. Noire
While much has been said about the animation technology used in L.A. Noire, a recent piece from the Los Angeles Times reveals that Rockstar and Team Bondi have expended considerable effort in recreating Los Angeles as it was in 1947. The development team used 1930s era Works Progress Administration maps and topographical information from the US Geological Society to create a city layout. Beyond the city itself, the developers also strove to accurately represent the lives within it. For example, aerial film and photography from the period was used to recreate authentic traffic patterns. Many other factors were researched, from clothing to the levels of smog that were present in 1947. Head over to the L.A. Times site for the full story.
LA Noire crime desk screens are short on desks
Rockstar said it had some new "Crime Desk" screens from LA Noire, but then we looked through the gallery in this feature and found a knife, a boxing ring, a slot machine and plenty of people ... but no desks. What gives? Oh, wait -- we get it. "Crime Desk" refers here not to a literal desk, but to the LAPD's Vice division. That's pretty embarrassing on our part. We might have a little trouble with the in-game detective work.%Gallery-122230%
Latest LA Noire trailer details your career trajectory
The rise from lowly beat cop to member of the Vice Squad will be one fraught with danger, but you're up to the challenge, right? The latest trailer for LA Noire certainly hopes so, as it shows off some exciting details leading up to your big promotion. You've only got a few weeks left! Look lively!
LA Noire to feature PS3-exclusive content, 'Consul's Car Traffic Case'
While catching up on our everyday viewing of The Daily Show on Hulu, we noticed an advertisement for Team Bondi's forthcoming detective drama, LA Noire. According to a note displayed at the end, the "Consul's Car Traffic Case" will only be available in the PS3 version. Though we weren't quick enough with our cameras, a cheetah-like commenter on Rockstar's blog snapped the pic you see above, confirming the case. Red Dead Redemption fans will no doubt remember Rockstar offering similarly exclusive PS3 content in last year's Wild West shooter. As VG247 reports, a Rockstar staffer allegedly told the commenters to "Look for more details on that, coming soon" with regards to the PS3-exclusive DLC, but that comment has since been removed. Either way, with just over a month until the game's official launch, we expect to hear more about the Consul's Car Traffic Case soon. [Thanks, MLC]
Remedy working on new facial animation tech, aiming to overtake LA Noire [update]
Edge recently visited the offices of Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment, where the studio is hard at work implementing brand new facial animation technology. Created by lead animator John Root, the system uses motion capture to generate scans of actors (accurate to within 0.02 inches) and encapsulates 64 different facial poses. Root claims those are a basis for every possible human expression. Animators can manipulate faces in real-time rather than rely on canned recordings, and future improvements to the technology may allow them to adjust coloring based on simulated blood flow beneath the skin. The first showcase for Root's kit is a new model of Alan Wake -- a fitting subject, considering he had some trouble with lip syncing in his debut game. Remedy CEO Matias Myllyrinne says Rockstar and Team Bondi has "set a bar" for facial animation, but that the studio wants to push it higher. Further clarifying via Twitter, Myllyrinne complimented LA Noire, saying it remains "the benchmark for emotional characters today." It looks like Remedy doesn't have any hard feelings toward Rockstar for that whole, you know, May 2010 thing.
Deceit, drugs and detective work come together in new L.A. Noire trailer
Crime and drama are present and accounted for in the latest trailer for Rockstar and Team Bondi's noir crime drama L.A. Noire. So is another well-known addition to the cast: John Noble, who plays Dr. Walter Bishop on Fox's sci-fi series Fringe (and was Denethor in the third Lord of the Rings film). Noble and the rest of the cast are looking better than ever in this new footage that seems to show the game in its most current form -- one in which the characters' facial animation is still fantastic, but looks much more refined (and thus way less creepy). There's probably, oh, a second or two of actual gameplay, but what do you expect ... it's a Rockstar trailer. Investigate it for yourself after the break.
Rockstar's Dan Houser on transmedia and building L.A. Noire
The Hollywood Reporter chatted with Rockstar's Dan Houser at the Tribeca Film Festival (where L.A. Noire is being shown off as an "interactive screening") and he said that, despite all of the attempts at solid transmedia properties recently, "no one has done it very successfully yet." The issue, in his opinion, is that companies are all too often going for money rather than what's right for the medium. "Too often, however," he said, "the aim appears to be to cash-in on the success of a particular game, book, pop singer, website, etc., and that usually produces mediocre results." Houser also said that Rockstar has "explored a lot of movie deals," but wants to stick with games for the moment. He's personally enamored with two genres: The Western, which was explored in Red Dead Redemption, and film noir, which developer Team Bondi plays with in this latest game. Providing some insight into its development, Houser said that his company "employed a massive number of actors in the game –- over 400," along with "hair and make-up artists, a great television director ... and a lot of original costumes, props and other research from the studios themselves" to recreate the golden era of Hollywood. We'll see if Rockstar can make up that virtual fedora budget on May 17.
David Cage: L.A. Noire mocap tech interesting, but limited
Just about every human being that's laid eyes on the eerily accurate visages of L.A. Noire have had roughly the same reaction of shock and awe. Every human being, that is, except for Quantic Dream's David Cage, who spoke to CVG about Team Bondi's mocap process, saying, "I think it's an interesting solution to a problem for now." He later expounded, "Their technique is incredibly expensive and they will never be able to shoot body and face at the same time." Cage revealed that Quantic Dreams is leveraging just that kind of tech for an unannounced title, saying, "We see a huge difference between shooting the face and body separately and shooting everything at the same time. Suddenly you've got a real sense of acting that is consistent." Well, there's our first hint about the studio's follow-up to Heavy Rain: Its characters will have both faces and bodies. Not one or the other, as was the case in Quantic's earlier, far more upsetting game, The Disembodied Faces vs. The Disemfaced Bodies.
LA Noire trailer demos 'Slip of the Tongue' pre-order bonus case
There are plenty of similarities between LA Noire and Rockstar's other crime-centric franchise, Grand Theft Auto. Namely, the former contains a lot of grand theft auto. Check out the trailer for "A Slip of the Tongue," a case offered exclusively as a Walmart pre-order bonus, posted just below.
L.A. Noire subject of Tribeca Film Festival special event
To hear Take-Two describe it -- "L.A. Noire has been honored as an Official Selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival [...] the first time ever that a video game has been recognized by the festival" -- you'd think that Rockstar's latest production was a small-budget longshot, competing for necessary distinction amid the eclectic slate of films that will be screened during De Niro and company's annual gathering of international movie makers and moviegoers in the lower Manhattan neighborhood. Instead, the Team Bondi-developed "cinema-videogame hybrid," as Tribeca Film puts it, will be more of a sideshow -- though no less prestigious. As part of the "Tribeca Talks" special events series, L.A. Noire will be the subject of a one-night-only gameplay demonstration and discussion, featuring Rockstar representatives. The event will be moderated by Tribeca Enterprises COO Geoff Gilmore, who sounds particularly excited about the film festival's latest discovery. "It's an invention of a new realm of storytelling that is part cinema, part gaming, and a whole new realm of narrative expression, interactivity, and immersion," he heralded in an announcement. "We are poised on the edge of a new frontier." Don't worry, Gilmore, it's safe to step on in -- the games industry has actually been settling this very frontier for decades. The L.A. Noire event is scheduled for 5:30PM on Monday, April 25 at one of the School of Visual Arts theaters (an official festival venue; though not located in Tribeca). An hour has been set aside for the "live interactive screening" of one of the game's detective cases, plus an additional 45 minutes or so for the Q&A conversation. Tickets will be priced at $25 per attendee (some discounts available) and go on sale to the general public on April 18.
No LA Noire special edition for you, gumshoe
She had breezed into my office two weeks ago looking for a missing game, a special edition of LA Noire. Not my usual gig, but I was strapped for cash so I took the job, running down every Google Shopping and eBay back alley I could think of. And then it was staring me in the face, right in the comments section of Rockstar's own website. @LiL.A.King There won't be any special edition release of L.A. Noire, just the preorder bonus content with certain retailers as announced here: http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/14011/presenting-preorder-exclusive-unlockable-bonus-content-when-you-.html Also as mentioned, all that content will be made available as DLC after the game comes out. She would be disappointed that the special edition had disappeared, if it had ever existed in the first place. I got the feeling she wouldn't like hearing the news that all she could hope for was some pre-order DLC. Not that it mattered to me. My biggest concern was figuring out how to pad the expense report. Beyond that, it was just another case I could take off the books.
New LA Noire screens depict spiffy post-war lifestyle
From way back when an "Old Fashioned" was just a whiskey and bitters, these latest LA Noire screens paint a time when everyone wore a sweet hat and played golf. Sometimes both at the same time! It was "the high life," folks.
LA Noire preview: Perceptive policeman
I've had murder on my mind for the last couple of days. A woman, seemingly cut down in the prime of her life, laid dead and naked on a bluff on the outskirts of LA. She died of blunt trama to the head, her murderer striking her head in the dead of night with what looked like a pipe. The only witness was an ominous full moon. I know this because I watched her murder, only briefly, before LA homicide's newest member, detective Cole Phelps, was assigned the case: The Red Lipstick Murder. Phelps may be new to the murder beat, but his skills of detection are unparalleled, both at the crime scene and when interrogating persons of interest. Sure, it was odd to see him put his hands all over the body, twisting it and analyzing it for clues: a bruise here; a missing wedding ring there; a nearby size 8 man's boot print. Modern detective shows have taught us that touching any evidence is a big no-no, but in 1947, it was the norm -- at least, LA Noire says as much. After stomping around the scene of this gruesome murder, Phelps walks away with a lighter from the Bamba Club and a cause of murder. Odd, since I could've just told him how she died, if only he asked me. %Gallery-119196%
LA Noire interrogation, investigated on video
The second of Rockstar's "gameplay series" videos for LA Noire emphasizes, once again, that it'll take brains -- not necessarily brawn -- to crack open the various cases the game holds. See how investigations unfold and how to interrogate suspects in this brand new video.
