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[Neuromancer]

This preview had me until

You'll tail unreliable witnesses, chase down suspects, and get into GTA-like shootouts where you kill an inexplicably high number of enemies.

Goddamn it

 

[StevePharma]

Although a few months old this is still worth a read...

EDGE - Open World Confidential: LA Noire [April 14 2010]



.

 

[Kinyou]

L.A. Confidential the videogame? effing day one

 

[Dennis]

If I'm doing anything, I'm dismissing closed world games. Mafia is my favorite series. Open world and linear. I don't feel like I'm being dismissive though, just saying that I think that's the direction things are heading, and should head, for these sorts of action/adventure games.

We experience the world as an open environment. I think recreating that very basic element of how we experience the world is very valuable and should be preferable as a way to design a game. And admirable, since it is more difficult and less explored.

Oh, Bob you got so close.

The Holy Grail of gaming is non-linear open-world with choices and consequences

 

[Scythian Empire]

I really wonder how far they're going to take the gameplay from GTA. I really hope it plays more connected to the character and slow paced atmospheres, with your character being forced to walk with the camera locked in. Kind of like Heavy Rain, but not that intense obviously. Glad to see the studio is doing something different with all the potential they have. Really looking forward to this one. Oh, and the whole using over 300 actors with real life expressions is just astounding.

 

[brotkasten]

The dude's face looks like the Gaffer who posted a pic of himself holding up the 007 game. :lol

Can't unsee.

Was too lazy to change the color of the faces, sorry.

 

[Takuan]

Protagonist looks like a doofus, but the game sounds interesting. The screens are not representative of this, however. Awfully barren.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Oh, Bob you got so close.

The Holy Grail of gaming is non-linear open-world with choices and consequences

Uhh, yeah, but Mafia is my favorite series and that's what it is. I mean... am I supposed to lie? A little confused here. :lol

 

[bathala]

adventure game. sold

and play as ken cosgrove

 

[Gorgon]

My one question -- how does the game work outside of cases? How do you unlock new cases? If I choose one case from a set of three, does it impact the other two? Are some cases taken on by other detectives while I work on a case? Is there an overarching story, or is it isolated episodes like Phoenix Wright with some background plot development leading to a conclusion? How many cases are there? Does each case have many endings? Can you flub a case and continue on in the game?

I guess that's not one question.

You're probably handed one case after the other by your superiors (like receiving a call, etc). Also, the previews mention getting a call by radio while driving a car in the middle of one investigation to go help some other police officers and so on. I don't think you can have a lot of open cases at the same time or that they will influnce others directly, at least not in general.

As for an overarching story, the game is set in 1947 and some of the earlier PR blurb said that you are trying to solve a "series of horrendous crimes". I think that there will be a series of cases connected with some serial killer that will form a backbone to the game. There was also some info that I managed to find on the Internet (and that was later deleted, including from the Wikipedia) mentioning a closed doors presentation back in 2009 that included a character from LA Confidential. It's quite possible that Team Bondi/R* licensed some stuff from James Elroy novels and from the movie. Also, the horrendous crimes smack to me of Black Dhalia. I almost bet that the Black Dhalia case is going to be in the game...and the real worls case was actually in 1947, the same year the game is set in, plus we also know that the game takes inspiration in real worls cases from back then.

 

[Takuan]

adventure game. sold

and play as ken cosgrove

Shoulda used Michael Pitt.

 

[Amir0x]

The Game Informer write up with this detail has my head spinning:

L.A. Noire is not GTA in 1940s drag. The game revolves around real police work: interviewing suspects, collecting data, and piecing together the facts to reveal the truth. To do that, you have to be able to read faces and decide whether or not you’re being lied to – something only possible through the stunningly realistic facial capture Team Bondi has worked so hard to accomplish.

“It’s obviously cool technology, but the key thing for us is that when you’re interrogating someone, you can read their face and tell if they are lying,” McNamara claims. “That’s a key component of the gameplay.”
Producer Jeronimo Barrera considers L.A. Noire “an adventure game that plays like a GTA.”

At the beginning of our demo, Phelps and his partner Stephan Bekowsky pull up at a freight yard to check out a report on an abandoned car. Something fishy is going on. Phelps inspects the scene, noting that the car’s interior is drenched with blood. Nearby is a bloody pipe, which seems to suggest foul play. A street cop on the scene tells us the car is registered to a Mr. Eugene White, who has been reported missing.

Walking around, Phelps gathers more clues from the scene, showing off another of L.A. Noire’s important features. Instead of finding simple items that sit on top of tables with an otherworldly glow around them, this game forces you to use your powers of observation to gather information. Thousands of period items have been fully modeled, and can be manipulated by the player. Near the car, Phelps sees a pair of broken glasses and a wallet. Opening the wallet, he pulls out the various cards and photos, jotting down White’s address while noting a picture of White and his wife in happier times and the name brand of the glasses. Phelps picks up the bloody pipe, rotating it around to view the inscription “Instaheat.” Elsewhere, he sees a receipt for one live pig purchased by an A. Hogan.

This made me just fucking smile and grin from ear to ear. It's like a dream game, one that doesn't treat you like a simpering retard! This is why Heavy Rain sucked, and why L.A. Noire most likely won't suck.

 

[Snuggles]

It is like a dream game, but I'll believe it when I see footage of something like that actually happening. I hope it's not just GTA: Occasionally Search a Room for Shit

 

[Scrow]

This made me just fucking smile and grin from ear to ear. It's like a dream game, one that doesn't treat you like a simpering retard! This is why Heavy Rain sucked, and why L.A. Noire most likely won't suck.

i think in practice it's going to be tedious

 

[Solo]

i think in practice it's going to be tedious

"Is that a baton over on the nightstand? No, its just a dildo. Damn, better keep looking..."

 

[Amir0x]

i think in practice it's going to be tedious

maybe for some people, not for me. I want games that actually require me to think for more than two seconds. To actually, ya know, observe my surroundings and make educated guesses about things before me.

 

[SolidusDave]

This made me just fucking smile and grin from ear to ear. It's like a dream game, one that doesn't treat you like a simpering retard! This is why Heavy Rain sucked, and why L.A. Noire most likely won't suck.

yeah, because the focus in Heavy Rain was the detective gameplay (and solving the case wasn't even that obvious, though obviously you can manage it by trial&error)


Anyway, I hope Noire will deliver on the promises of these reviews.
This reminds me also that I want Silent-Hill-3-puzzle-mode-set-to-hard level of riddles in mainstream games.

 

[StarEye]

So, this will be a bit like the old Police Quest games then? If so, great, I've always wanted more games of that kind.

 

[TriniTrin]

Shoulda used Michael Pitt.

That dude looks like he just ate a lemon! :lol

Game should be sweet tho! Love detective ish!

 

[Haunted]

+

= excitement

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Man this looks spectacular.

 

[Mifune]

This sounds like Police Quest.

DRAW GUN.

Awesome.

 

[NIN90]

Something seems off about the faces. Dunno.

 

[Discotheque]

Good, kinda burnt out on open world anyway.

Yes indeed.

and...

wow. Most hyped game of 2011 already for me. This somehow eclipses Witcher 2 and other quality titles next year. Just the concept of it. Investigation-based detective game sounds nice.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Shoulda used Michael Pitt.

[im g]http://www.kingsroad.it/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/boardwalk-empire-michael-pitt-nella-serie-hbo-139881.jpg[/img]

Michael Pitt has a weird face. He fits into Boardwalk Empire because of it. That show is basically men with weird faces walking around prohibition Atlantic City, doing shit that dudes with weird faces would do in such circumstances.

I think this Cosgrove Mad Men guy is great for it. He has the face of a modern Sherlock Holmes, far moreso than Robert Downey. If L.A. Confidential hadn't come out I would think Guy Pearce would be great for it, but now its too obvious. :lol

edit:

Something seems off about the faces. Dunno.

It does a bit, but I think it looks great in motion. You can get a sense of real emotion from it that doesn't feel caricatured. I think their tech has done a great job of translating real performances to virtual ones. It might take a little adjustment to not think it strange though. It is certainly a new level of affectual likeness.

edit: I think the weirdness might come from a strong reliance on normal maps for lighting instead of real geometry.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

I'm still fairly skeptical about this game, we'll just see how it turns out

 

[Ranger X]

This sounds like Police Quest.

DRAW GUN.

Awesome.

Exactly what I hope this will end up. Sort of a "modern child of Police Quest".

 

[BobsRevenge]

I'm still fairly skeptical about this game, we'll just see how it turns out

You have to admit that the concept is enormously appealing.

 

[Neuromancer]

You have to admit that the concept is enormously appealing.

With great hope often comes great disappointment.

 

[wolfmat]

This sounds like Police Quest.

DRAW GUN.

Awesome.

Don't forget to pick up the fucking keys though. Also, good luck finding the crime scene.

 

[disappeared]

This sounds like Police Quest.

DRAW GUN.

Awesome.

It's been a while.

 

[Mifune]

Don't forget to pick up the fucking keys though. Also, good luck finding the crime scene.

Doesn't matter. I had a blowout on the way there because I forgot to do an inspection back at the station.

 

[Kittonwy]

Shoulda used Michael Pitt.

Shoulda used Chris Pine. Chris Pine in everythin'!

 

[Kittonwy]

Something seems off about the faces. Dunno.

Because they still look like they're pasted on at times.

 

[disappeared]

Doesn't matter. I had a blowout on the way there because I forgot to do an inspection back at the station.

Or forgetting the field kit in PQ2.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T DUST FOR PRINTS!?"

 

[Max]

Let me tell you how excited I am for this game.

So excited.

 

[Mifune]

Or forgetting the field kit in PQ2.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T DUST FOR PRINTS!?"

Ah. I was an Apple IIGS owner so I never got to play PQ2. Sad.

 

[JasonUresti]

Michael Pitt has a weird face. He fits into Boardwalk Empire because of it. That show is basically men with weird faces walking around prohibition Atlantic City, doing shit that dudes with weird faces would do in such circumstances.

Great line, made me laugh. I'd love to hear a dramatic voice over narrator using that to describe the show.

In a world of men with weird faces...

 

[Amir0x]

yeah, because the focus in Heavy Rain was the detective gameplay (and solving the case wasn't even that obvious, though obviously you can manage it by trial&error)

i solved the case with all the right answers/clues found on the first try, with no trial and error and got the best ending with virtually no second thought required whatsoever. It was explicit and clear, the so-called "grey" decisions almost painfully obvious which was the right/wrong one.

And in any event, you're right... the focus was the story. And that worked out great for them so I guess I--

--oh.

In any event, I love that L.A. Noire is at least trying to provide non-retard gamers with the ability to critically analyze crime scenes and maybe put a clue or two together. Its success for me will depend on how deep that analysis/investigation actually goes, and if it will really be as open-ended as it sounds.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

You have to admit that the concept is enormously appealing.

that's EXACTLY why i'm skeptical =). They're aiming high, very high, and you know how it usually ends up in the videogaming world

 

[Neuromancer]

In any event, I love that L.A. Noire is at least trying to provide non-retard gamers with the ability to critically analyze crime scenes and maybe put a clue or two together. Its success for me will depend on how deep that analysis/investigation actually goes, and if it will really be as open-ended as it sounds.

I agree and I hope you're right although "GTA-like shootouts where you kill an inexplicably high number of enemies" doesn't sound very promising.

I will try to remain cautiously optimistic, but I've been burned so many times before.

 

[Ben Pierce]

looks and sounds very promising, but remember: this is from the people who did the getaway games, and those were huge let downs.

 

[Persona7]

It is like a dream game, but I'll believe it when I see footage of something like that actually happening. I hope it's not just GTA: Occasionally Search a Room for Shit

I am expecting this game to be exactly as such. I'm not jumping on the hype train this time around.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Game looks so interesting... I'm hyped. No word on whether there is a central narrative or case a la the Nite Owl murders in LA Confidential?

 

[Das-J]

Beyond excited - If this fulfills my LA Confidential fantasies I'm going to dive in and forget about the rest of the gaming world for a few weeks.

 

[Fantastical]

This game sounds like something I would love. Don't fuck this up!

 

[Haunted]

You have to admit that the concept is enormously appealing.

It absolutely is.

An intelligent game posing an intellectual challenge to an adult audience... it's been a long time.

Spoiler

hush, PC games don't count on GAF.

edit: then again, lines like this:

And while the game isn't as crammed with side missions and hidden entertainment as GTA or Red Dead Redemption, there are occasional opportunities to take a break from the case at hand. In one example, while driving, you might hear a call come in over the police radio to lend a quick hand with a shoot-out or a speeding vehicle.

bring me down to earth real quick. :/

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

edit: then again, lines like this: bring me down to earth real quick. :/

I personally like that. I don't mind breaks like that.

 

[StarEye]

Or forgetting the field kit in PQ2.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T DUST FOR PRINTS!?"

The worst offender though, is if you forget to adjust the aim of your gun, you'll be dead later on. Even if you're supposed to miss.

 

[Snuggles]

I just hope that the gunplay is good enough!