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LA Noire pre-order bonuses will dress either you or Detective Phelps
Rockstar is deploying a series of LA Noire pre-order bonuses, which vary by retailer -- making you not only have to decide whether or not to purchase the game, but where. The bonuses range from in-game suits that boost your stats -- gritty realism! -- to exclusive missions ("cases," actually, since you're a detective and all). Perhaps weirdest of all is Target, who is offering a t-shirt for in-store purchases on the week of release. It seems really inappropriate to encourage such sloppy attire in what might be the dapperest game of 2011. Find Rockstar's description of each bonus after the break.%Gallery-117566%
LA Noire offers a video 'Orientation'
In the first of Rockstar's "gameplay series" videos, you'll see how it'll take much, much more than guns to break open a case. See why we call LA Noire a "Phoenix Wright game for adults" by watching this new trailer, after the break.
L.A. Noire screens tell a tale of homicide
In L.A. Noire, detective Cole Phelps will wear many hats ... and not just because that was the style of the times. You see, he'll work across various arms of the LAPD during his career, including Homicide -- the focal point of these new screens.
LA Noire release date officially announced, May 20 in Europe
"But, but Joystiq, I already knew the release date for L.A. Noire was May 17! You ... you told me that on Saturday, why are you wasting my time?" Are we, Mr. Smart Jeans? Are we wasting your time? Sorry, we just thought you might like to know that the date was official, and not the puckish creation of trailer-leaking miscreants. Forgive us for thinking that verifying information is a poor expenditure of your blog-reading minutes. Also, Take-Two announced L.A. Noire is coming out on May 20 in Europe. Didn't know that one, didja, smart-o? Guess that makes two eggs on your face. Double-egged. And another thing ... we're -- we're sorry about being so crabby with you. We don't know what came over us. Let us get some coffee in us, the next post will be nicer. You'll see.
Latest L.A. Noire screens are arresting
Happy noire year! Er, sorry, we mean "new year." You'll have to forgive the slip -- we've just had these fresh screenshots of Rockstar's L.A. Noire on our minds. And can you really blame us? They look so nice, occasional creepy face aside, it'd be a crime not to check them out after the break.
LA Noire's MotionScan technology captured on video
MotionScan, the technology that powers LA Noire's impressive facial animation system, is detailed in a new behind-the-scenes video released by Rockstar. "It's a constant close-up," actor Keith Szarabjaka explains in the video. "But it's a close-up from 360 degrees." Sure, you'll see him and the rest of the acting crew don the usual motion capture suits, but the addition of MotionScan lets Team Bondi recreate facial performance with an accuracy previously unseen. A wide array of cameras surrounds the actor, from all sorts of angles, creating a 3D composite that can be used within the game engine. "A big theme of this game is dishonesty and to detect when people are lying," leading star Aaron Stanton emphasizes. "You couldn't have done that in the past."
LA Noire preview: Hold it!
LA Noire is a paradox. It is precisely the kind of game you'd expect from Rockstar, but it also shatters nearly every norm we've come to expect from the collective of studios. Everything about the game was a surprise to me: its meticulously paced gameplay, its straight-shooting protagonist, and the fact that -- in spite of years of media silence -- LA Noire was a real game, running in real-time on a PS3, looking nearly ready for release. As with Rockstar's other games this generation, LA Noire looks, sounds, and feels expensive. The level of detail in the massive environments, coupled with the copious servings of motion-captured dialogue remind me that Rockstar has spared no expense creating the game. At this point, we expect nothing less. Seeing your character race around a realistically-rendered Los Angeles, mini-map in the corner, evokes a more-than-familiar feeling. But, LA Noire isn't Grand Theft Auto set in the 1940s. It's not Red Dead Redemption without horses. Perhaps the best comparison I can offer is this: it's a big-budget, M-rated Phoenix Wright.%Gallery-107790%
Move along, nothing to see here (except new L.A. Noire screens)
Whereas previous media has focused on the whole "Hey, check out our '40s L.A. setting" thing, the latest screens of Team Bondi's L.A. Noire highlight the "investigation" aspect of the game. As a detective, you have to scour crime scenes, talk to witnesses, interrogate suspects, and do actual detective work in order to solve cases. Of course, given the historical setting, we suspect a lot of the investigation time will involve you desperately wishing for a time machine so you could just perform a DNA analysis or check a fingerprint database. L.A. Noire is decidedly pre-CSI.%Gallery-109361%
LA Noire screens include both LA and noir
Though Rockstar released just four LA Noire screens today, they show a lot of promise. The images depict a detailed, if suspiciously tidy-looking model of LA (the cleanliness makes it look more like a period movie than real life), and even some atmospheric shadows worthy of the title.
LA Noire 'first trailer' is here, coming 'Spring 2011'
Update 12:02pm – We've got the trailer embedded just past the break. Does it look like the original 2006 trailer below it? Not really. The most notable addition: color. The slick black-and-white aesthetic has been replaced with bright colors, not unlike other LA-based noir tales, like Chinatown and LA Confidential. And while you're watching it, get a load of those facial animations. Kind of freaky, right? We can't tell if they're perfect or terrifying, but we're leaning towards the former for now. And perhaps the most notable addition to this "first trailer" is the release window: Spring 2011. That's just a few short months away, folks. Expect to be hearing a lot more about LA Noire soon ... or not. This is Rockstar we're talking about. Original post – Heads up: The "first trailer" for Rockstar's open-world crime caper, LA Noire, is scheduled to appear in just about an hour from now. While Rockstar calls this its "first trailer," some of you may think back to the CGI trailer released back in October 2006, almost exactly four years ago. Watch that old one after the break and check back shortly for the new stuff.
LA Noire officially delayed to first half of 2011
We all saw it coming from down Wilshire and up the PCH: L.A. Noire has been officially delayed until "the first half of calendar 2011." The announcement was made in Take-Two Interactive's Q3 earnings release. Noire now joins Max Payne 3 as another major delayed game warming the 2011 bench, while Red Dead Redemption, Mafia 2 and Civilization 5 bring in the bucks. L.A. Noire's delay became apparent after the title made it into some magazine pieces earlier this year with a pre-October release, and then failed to show up at any of the major video game conventions.
L.A. Noire isn't your 'average adventure game'
We don't yet know precisely what to make of Rockstar's upcoming L.A. Noire (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), but after poring over a new Edge piece on the game, we think we may be getting a clearer picture. "With traditional adventure games, everything is based on what the designer wants you to figure out," Jeronimo Barrera, VP of product development at Rockstar, told the publication. "We've kind of gone for a different approach, which is more like real-world detective work." Developer Team Bondi isn't coming right out and putting it this way, but L.A. Noire sounds like a new genre, caught halfway between the open-world action of a Grand Theft Auto and the brainteaser pacing of a classic adventure game. Could we be witnessing the birth of the true "detective" game? Figure that one out.
Take-Two may delay major 2010 release; L.A. Noire, Mafia, Max Payne and Civ V named
Take-Two's financial results briefing today suggests that one of its upcoming titles could be subject to a delay. "L.A. Noire, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Sid Meier's Civilization V are all planned for release in the fourth fiscal quarter [August–October, 2010]," the announcement confirms, "however, the Company's fiscal year 2010 guidance reflects the potential movement of one of these titles into fiscal 2011 [beginning November 1, 2010]." If Take-Two is already adjusting its financial estimates based on one of these titles being delayed, it sounds like more than just potential. Folks have been waiting a long time for pretty much all of these games. Max Payne 3 was already moved from winter 2009 to "late 2010"; L.A. Noire has just been given a expected September date after an extraordinarily lengthy development time; and the very fact that Mafia II is said to release between August 1 and October 31 already represents a delay from its last known release window. That leaves Civilization V, which was just announced two weeks ago, and thus hasn't had time to be delayed yet. This could be its first, people!
L.A. Noire's mocap system claims to set new bar for 3D performances
"Traditional motion capture could never bring to life the subtle nuances of the chaotic criminal underworld of L.A. Noire in the same way as MotionScan," claims Team Bondi's Brendan McNamara, commenting on MotionScan. It's the new motion capture technology being employed first by his studio's moody crime game, L.A. Noire. In a press release yesterday, Depth Analysis announced the new tech and touted its many applications in the forthcoming Rockstar title. Allegedly, MotionScan uses "32 high-definition cameras to capture true-to-life three-dimensional performances at up to 30 frames per second," thus allowing for the supposedly "emotional performances" that McNamara says make L.A. Noire "a truly unique and revolutionary game." Aside from the claims of higher quality, the mocap system supposedly has lower operation costs due to a streamlined post-production processing time. With any luck, we'll finally see all this big talk in action -- and compare ir with other performance-capture scenes in games like Uncharted 2, Alan Wake and Heavy Rain -- this September when the game arrives on store shelves.
L.A. Noire screens are all pinstripes and pipes
"Somebody seems to be covering Bloodco's pipes in strawberry jam," thought Russel. The first batch of screens from Rockstar's long-awaited L.A. Noire have finally surfaced over at Game Informer, likely having enjoyed a lengthy three martini lunch in some dark, smokey bar in Uptown for the past ever. The screens depict things very appropriate to the period -- white wall tires and smart business suits; long shadows and plenty of pistols. As for other details, we won't know until the latest issue hits newsstands.
Keighley: L.A. Noire coming this September [update]
We always assumed that Geoff Keighley's ability to secrete world exclusives only applied video games, but his power/curse seems to extend even to magazines about video games. Keighley says he got an early look at Game Informer's recently teased piece on Rockstar's L.A. Noire and let slip via his Twitter feed that the game is apparently slated to arrive in September. According to legend, Keighley is often able to see pieces like this even before the electrical impulse makes its way from the "typing synapse" of the brain to the writer's fingers. That's our accurate, scientific way of saying we haven't seen the piece for ourselves yet, so we're going on Keighley's word at the moment. We know, we know, we dislike trusting a guy who misspells "Jeff" too. Update: A representative from Game Informer confirmed to us that the L.A. Noire issue of the magazine does list a September 2010 release window for the game. And now, we play the waiting game.
L.A. Noire no longer PS3 exclusive, also on Xbox 360, Game Informer says
At long last, the never-ending mystery of whether Rockstar's "gritty detective tale," L.A. Noire, will be a multiplatform release has ... well, ended. And in a pretty unspectacular way, to boot -- in the comments section of a Game Informer post teasing the magazine's in-depth print preview of L.A. Noire, editor Matthew Kato explained, "It's not a PS3-exclusive," later adding, "it was at one point, but it's coming out for the PS3 and 360." (We've contacted Rockstar to verify this apparent reveal.) Now, we won't know whether this news is worth getting excited about until Game Informer's preview hits newsstands. We're getting tentatively pumped, though -- but that's only because of our pure, unswerving love of fedoras. Seriously, we can't get enough of 'em.
L.A. Noire gets unconfidential in Game Informer debut
As promised, Rockstar's shadowy L.A. Noire has stepped out of the shadows and into the flashbulbs of a Game Informer cover. The magazine has a 10-page feature on the game, highlighting its facial animation and, oh yeah, the recreation of 1947 Los Angeles. Pick up a copy of the magazine for the details or we're sure you can get the information from the dark alleyways of the internet. As for the ongoing saga about what platforms the game is being developed for, neither Game Informer nor Rockstar will comment until the magazine is on shelves.
Rockstar: LA Noire getting cover story reveal next month
In the very same official Q&A where it finally responded to the complaints of the Rockstar Spouses, Rockstar brings up an old friend we haven't heard from in a while: L.A. Noire, the "innovative," possibly console-based, "Ellroy-esque" game that's been in development almost since its noir inspired Los Angeles setting was current. It says that we'll finally get a good look at the game and why it's supposed to be so great as soon as "next month" courtesy of "a big cover story." What magazine? That's still a hush hush, on-the-QT and off the record secret. But said cover story (Time? Popular Science? Dog Fancy?) will reportedly contain information about why both the look and "the amazing new technology" of the game are worth the wait. We would say not to hold your breath, but everyone still holding their breath for LA Noire turned blue and passed out about a year ago. Still, we're interested, so we'll keep eyes peeled on the magazine stands next month. [via G4TV]
LA Noire characters revealed by mocap casting call
Rockstar's LA Noire has been shrouded in so much mystery that its very existence has been called into question. A recent casting call for actors not only confirms the game's continued development, but also reveals the many (if not all) characters to be featured in the game. The call asks for "STRONG ACTORS, able to handle LOTS OF dialog" for a cast of supporting characters, comprised mostly of detectives, police officers and the occasional crook. The casting call is looking for a face similar to actors Gary Cooper or Gregory Peck (pictured above) for the protagonist -- Cole Phelps. Co-stars and supporting roles, such as jazz singer Elsa Lichtmann, will only be required to perform for 10 days or less. However, the actor chosen to play Cole Phelps will work for three months, from November to January, to record his performance for the game. It's evident from the large roster of characters and the use of Hollywood actors that LA Noire is intended to be quite the cinematic game. However, with only three months of mocap, it still pales in comparison to the upcoming Heavy Rain -- which demanded nine months of motion capture work. [Via Superannuation; Image Source]
