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| writer = Brendan McNamara<ref name="GameSpotTrailer"/>
| writer = Brendan McNamara<ref name="GameSpotTrailer"/>
| composer = Andrew Hale and [[Simon Hale]]<ref name="eurogamer1">{{cite web|author=Oli Welsh |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-16-l-a-noire-review |title=L.A. Noire Review - PlayStation 3 - Page 1 |publisher=Eurogamer.net |date=4 May 2011 |accessdate=2011-05-17}}</ref>
| composer = Andrew Hale and [[Simon Hale]]<ref name="eurogamer1">{{cite web|author=Oli Welsh |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-16-l-a-noire-review |title=L.A. Noire Review - PlayStation 3 - Page 1 |publisher=Eurogamer.net |date=4 May 2011 |accessdate=2011-05-17}}</ref>
|version= 1.1.2406.1 (PC)
|version= 1.2 (PC)
| engine = <!-- The RAGE technology group helped Team Bondi with the programming of Bondi's own bespoke engine, hence the end game credit. The game does NOT use the RAGE engine. -->Custom engine<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/02/15/new-exclusive-screens-for-l-a-noire.aspx|title=Exclusive New L.A. Noire Screens|author=Matt Helgeson|publisher=GameInformer}}</ref> <br><small>(including a combination of facial motion capture and animation software)</small><br/>[[Havok (software)|Havok Physics]]</small>
| engine = <!-- The RAGE technology group helped Team Bondi with the programming of Bondi's own bespoke engine, hence the end game credit. The game does NOT use the RAGE engine. -->Custom engine<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/02/15/new-exclusive-screens-for-l-a-noire.aspx|title=Exclusive New L.A. Noire Screens|author=Matt Helgeson|publisher=GameInformer}}</ref> <br><small>(including a combination of facial motion capture and animation software)</small><br/>[[Havok (software)|Havok Physics]]</small>
| released = '''PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360'''<br>{{vgrelease new|NA|17 May 2011<ref name="GameSpot">{{cite web|author=Eddie Makuch|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6286823.html?tag=latestheadlines%3Btitle%3B1|title=L.A. Noire emerging from shadows May&nbsp;17|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=22 January 2011|accessdate=2010-01-22}}</ref>|AU|19 May 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/14251/asked-answered-la-noire-edition.html |title=Asked & Answered: L.A. Noire Edition |publisher=Rockstar Games |date= |accessdate=2011-06-24}}</ref>|EU|20 May 2011<ref>{{cite web|author=Johnny Cullen |url=http://www.vg247.com/2011/01/24/la-noire-confirmed-for-may-20-in-europe/ |title=Blog Archive » LA Noire confirmed for May&nbsp;20 in Europe |publisher=[[VG247]] |date=24 January 2011|accessdate=2011-01-24}}</ref>|JP|7 July 2011<ref name=JP>{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/07/02/l-a-noire-praised-in-japan/ |title=L.A. Noire Praised in Japan |publisher=Playstation LifeStyle |date=2 July 2011|accessdate=2011-07-04}}</ref>}}'''Microsoft Windows'''<br>{{vgrelease new|v=2|NA|8 November 2011|EU|11 November 2011<ref name="GameSpot2">{{cite web|author=Brendan Sinclair|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6337093/la-noire-hits-pc-in-november?tag=updates%3Beditor%3Ball%3Btitle%3B10|title=L.A. Noire hits PC in November|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=28 September 2011|accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref>|AU|11 November 2011}}
| released = '''PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360'''<br>{{vgrelease new|NA|17 May 2011<ref name="GameSpot">{{cite web|author=Eddie Makuch|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6286823.html?tag=latestheadlines%3Btitle%3B1|title=L.A. Noire emerging from shadows May&nbsp;17|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=22 January 2011|accessdate=2010-01-22}}</ref>|AU|19 May 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/14251/asked-answered-la-noire-edition.html |title=Asked & Answered: L.A. Noire Edition |publisher=Rockstar Games |date= |accessdate=2011-06-24}}</ref>|EU|20 May 2011<ref>{{cite web|author=Johnny Cullen |url=http://www.vg247.com/2011/01/24/la-noire-confirmed-for-may-20-in-europe/ |title=Blog Archive » LA Noire confirmed for May&nbsp;20 in Europe |publisher=[[VG247]] |date=24 January 2011|accessdate=2011-01-24}}</ref>|JP|7 July 2011<ref name=JP>{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/07/02/l-a-noire-praised-in-japan/ |title=L.A. Noire Praised in Japan |publisher=Playstation LifeStyle |date=2 July 2011|accessdate=2011-07-04}}</ref>}}'''Microsoft Windows'''<br>{{vgrelease new|v=2|NA|8 November 2011|EU|11 November 2011<ref name="GameSpot2">{{cite web|author=Brendan Sinclair|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6337093/la-noire-hits-pc-in-november?tag=updates%3Beditor%3Ball%3Btitle%3B10|title=L.A. Noire hits PC in November|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=28 September 2011|accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref>|AU|11 November 2011}}

Revision as of 18:00, 16 February 2012

L.A. Noire
Official box art released worldwide
Developer(s)Team Bondi
Rockstar Leeds (PC)
Rockstar Games[6]
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Director(s)Brendan McNamara[7]
Writer(s)Brendan McNamara[7]
Composer(s)Andrew Hale and Simon Hale[8]
EngineCustom engine[9]
(including a combination of facial motion capture and animation software)
Havok Physics
Platform(s)PlayStation 3[10]
Xbox 360[11]
Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation 3 & Xbox 360
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: 8 November 2011
  • EU: 11 November 2011[5]
  • AU: 11 November 2011
Genre(s)Open world, third-person shooter, action-adventure, neo noir
Mode(s)Single-player

L.A. Noire (pronounced [ˌɛl ˌɛɪ ˈnwaʁ]) is a 2011 neo noir crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.[11][18][19] L.A. Noire is set in Los Angeles in 1947 and challenges the player, controlling a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detective, to solve a range of cases across five crime desks.[18] Players must investigate crime scenes for clues, follow up leads, and interrogate suspects, and the players' success at these activities will impact how much of the cases' stories are revealed.

The game draws heavily from both the plot and aesthetic elements of film noir, stylistic films made popular in the 1940s and 1950s that share similar visual styles and themes including crime, sex, and moral ambiguity. The game uses a distinctive colouring-style, but in homage to film noir it includes the option to play the game in black-and-white. Various plot elements reference the major themes of gum-shoe detective and mobster stories such as Key Largo, Chinatown,[20] The Untouchables, The Black Dahlia, and L.A. Confidential.

L.A. Noire is notable for using Lightsprint's real-time global illumination technology, as well as Depth Analysis's newly developed technology MotionScan, where actors are recorded by 32 surrounding cameras to capture facial expressions from every angle.[21][22] The technology is central to the game's interrogation mechanic, as players must use the suspects' reactions in questioning to judge whether they are lying or not.

L.A. Noire is the first video game to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.[23][24] Upon release, the game received wide acclaim for its advances in storytelling and facial animation technology. As of February 2012, both PC and console versions have sold nearly 5 million copies combined.[25][26]

Gameplay

The game takes place in the year 1947 in the city of Los Angeles, a city of glamour, fame, and wealth, but also where crime, vice, and corruption are rife. The player assumes the role of Los Angeles Police Department Officer and later Detective Cole Phelps.[27][28] The game starts with Phelps as a uniformed patrolman,[29] and follows his career as he advances through the police department bureaus of Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. Instead of missions or levels, the game assigns the player with cases. Each desk gives the player a new partner who will help Phelps in his investigations. After each case, the player will receive a rating of 1-5 stars depending on their performance in both interrogations and searching for clues. When searching an area for clues to the crime, in some cases, players can also find newspapers. Besides reading the story, the newspapers give access to a short cinematic that covers a part of the game's overarching plot or a flashback to Phelps' war memories. Near the end of the final desk, Arson, the player assumes control of Phelps's old Marine comrade Jack Kelso, who becomes the protagonist for the rest of the game; although different in appearance and personality, he controls identically to Phelps.

The game blends investigative elements such as mystery and crime solving, with fast-paced action sequences, including on-foot and car chases, hand-to-hand combat, interrogations and gunfights.[27] In addition to the storyline cases, the player can work on optional side-investigations known as Street Crimes, which are 40 unassigned cases that are not related to the case that you are working on. The player can travel on foot, as well as in various vehicles. The player also has a total of ten detective suits available; an initial six, plus four downloadable ones. The suits are equipped with special abilities, such as increased damage protection.

Phelps interrogating a witness at a crime scene. Part of the gameplay includes interrogating both witnesses and suspects in order to progress through the case.

When the player is interrogating suspects and witnesses, the player must listen to the story that he or she gives. The player will be given the option to either believe them, doubt them or accuse them of lying. (If the player accuses them of lying, the player must have evidence to prove that they're lying.) If the player interrogates two people at the police station, the player will be able to decide who to charge for the crime. The captain's attitude will tell if the player charged the right person.

If the player is having trouble completing an action sequence, after three failed attempts, they will have the option to skip past and continue through the narrative.[30]

Weapons are only allowed in appropriate circumstances and only when a player is working on a case where a weapon is warranted. However, players are allowed to commandeer civilian cars. The game features a free roam mode called "The Streets of L.A.", which is unlocked on completion of a desk. In this mode, players can solve street crimes, search for gold film reels, landmarks and badges (some of which contribute to 100% completion of the game) or just drive around the city.[31]

Synopsis

Template:Image

L.A. Noire follows Cole Phelps, an LAPD detective and World War II veteran who is haunted by his actions in the war. Phelps is from San Francisco, California, and is a Stanford University graduate who commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in 1942. He often clashed over matters regarding military procedure with his fellow Marine Jack Kelso. The events of L.A. Noire largely take place after the end of the war, following Phelps' career as a police officer, although flashbacks document events during the war which have a direct influence on the present.

Phelps served as a Second Lieutenant in the 6th Marine Division in the Battle of Okinawa. During a battle on Sugar Loaf Hill, he witnessed his fellow Marines being slaughtered by Japanese soldiers. The trauma of this caused Phelps to go into shock and he hid in a fox hole, until Kelso found him the following morning. For his actions, Phelps was awarded the Silver Star and promoted to First Lieutenant, achieving status as a war hero. However, Phelps was branded a coward by his fellow Marines. Phelps was shamed by the event, and became determined to prove himself.

Near the end of the battle, Phelps was given orders to clear out any houses or caves that might be housing Japanese soldiers. Phelps and his unit came upon a large cave that he suspected to be holding soldiers, and he requisitioned a flamethrower from another squad in order to clear it out, wanting to "do it by the numbers". Flamethrower Corporal Ira Hogeboom was assigned to incinerate the cave. Upon investigation, Phelps and his squad realized the cave was a makeshift medical hospital for wounded Japanese civilians. Phelps, he and his squad in a panic, ordered the execution of the civilians to "put them out of their misery." Pushed to the breaking point by Cole's orders, medic Private Courtney Sheldon shot Cole in the back. Kelso ordered for Phelps to be taken to an Army field hospital and then told the men to never speak about the event.

The game begins with Phelps on the Patrol Desk at the Wilshire Division 7 Police Station as a new member of the Los Angeles Police Department in Los Angeles, California, in 1947, investigating a murder with his new partner, Officer Ralph Dunn. After catching the killer, Phelps discovers a pay-out notebook, which contains the name of the Homicide detective in charge of the case, Floyd Rose, whom the two dislike. Phelps decides not to reveal this, even though he thinks that the detective might be corrupt, and continues to work as a patrolman. After successfully interrogating a murder suspect and bringing him to justice, Captain Donnelly of the Homicide Desk gives Cole a promotion to the Traffic Desk.

Now a detective, Phelps receives his new partner, Detective Stefan Bekowsky. The two solve a case involving a man who faked his own death, catch a double-homicide suspect involved in a hit-and-run, and finally bring to justice a film producer responsible for statutory rape and attempted murder. Phelps is then promoted to the Burglary Desk. Phelps also meets the corrupt Vice Desk Detective Roy Earle on the desk, who introduces Cole to an emotionally damaged German lounge singer, Elsa Lichtmann, at a Hollywood jazz club.

After six months at Burglary, Phelps is once again promoted, this time to Homicide, where he and his new veteran and old school partner, Detective Finbarr "Rusty" Galloway, solve a series of very similar and gruesome murders committed by a serial killer: the same man who killed Elizabeth Short in The Black Dahlia murder that same year. At first, Galloway believes all the murders to have been committed by the victim's husband or boyfriend, suspecting that each is only a copy-cat of the previous, with no connection at all. Finally, however, they realize, after arresting five innocent men, that the murders were committed by the same man. The two track him to an abandoned church catacombs, following a trail of notes and clues left by the killer. They discover the killer is one of the bartenders Cole spoke with while investigating one of the first murders, who strung the two along. Once he is killed, Captain Donnelly dismisses the case and releases the innocent quietly, explaining that the killer is a relative of one of the most powerful politicians in the country, and releasing the information could cause a massive scandal.

Phelps is then promoted to the Vice Desk. He and his new partner, corrupt Chief Detective Roy Earle, succeed in halting Los Angeles's government-issued morphine and marijuana drug trade, and bringing down several drug dealers, including associates of real-life mobster Mickey Cohen. However, Phelps's past comes back to haunt him when a U.S. Marine from his former unit is found brutally murdered. Phelps discovers many of his former squad members are being assassinated as well, and after meeting with his old comrade, Jack Kelso, Phelps deduces that the men in his unit were selling morphine on the street after stealing a large supply from the U.S.S. Coolridge, the ship that carried the unit back to Los Angeles at the end of World War II. The men are being killed by the mob, who currently controls the drug trade and refuse to have competition. At the same time, Phelps begins an extramarital affair with Elsa. Because of the corrupt actions taken by the LAPD, Roy agrees to disclose Phelps' affair to get the public eye away from the corrupt members of city hall and the LAPD, including the mayor, police chief, and himself. Because of this, prior to the revealing of the drug trade by the members of his former unit, Phelps is removed from the case, suspended, and later demoted to Arson.

On the Arson Desk, Phelps partners with cynical World War I veteran Herschel Biggs, an expert on fires. Trying to reattain his former glory, Phelps investigates a series of house fires which he believes to be caused by an arsonist working for a company called Elysian Fields Development. Elysian Fields is running a program known as "The Suburban Redevelopment Fund," which hopes to build houses for homecoming American servicemen while obtaining more land. However, many of the houses made by the Suburban Redevelopment Fund keep burning down, and Phelps believes that Elysian Fields is behind the fires as part of an insurance scam.

Initially, Phelps makes progress with Herschel on the case, but he is warned off by Roy Earle, who is on the Elysian payroll. Realizing there is no way to investigate further by himself, Phelps manages to get Jack Kelso to work with him and Herschel, Kelso having become an insurance investigator for California Fire and Life. Through their work, they manage to not only topple Elysian Fields, but also the morphine case from Vice (the money made from selling the morphine was being invested in the Suburban Redevelopment Fund.) They also discover that the Suburban Redevelopment Fund is much more than an insurance scam. It is a scam in which poorly-built houses are overly insured by California Fire and Life, then cleared to make way for a new highway, resulting in complete recompense for the owners and a turnover of millions of dollars for the members of the fund. Eventually, Kelso finds out that the identity of the mysterious arsonist is Ira Hogeboom, the flamethrower in Phelps's squad. After the war, Hogeboom suffered from extreme guilt and mental anguish due to his actions in the war. Elysian used him as an arsonist, but he eventually got out of control, burning down houses that he was not told to burn and sometimes with the families still in the house. Hogeboom believed that by burning houses, he was helping people be together, and uniting them with God faster.

While hunting down the arsonist, Kelso finds out that Hogeboom has taken Elsa to the Los Angeles River Tunnels where he is trying to hide. Phelps and Kelso race to the River Tunnels and fight their way through corrupt policemen and thugs trying to stop all of them from uncovering the Suburban Redevelopment Fund scam. Due to a heavy rain, the waters in the sewer continue to rise to a dangerously high level. Eventually, they find Hogeboom and Elsa hiding from the thugs in the tunnels. Phelps, Kelso, and Elsa flee from the tunnels after Kelso puts Hogeboom out of his misery. Eventually, the trio finds an open manhole that Hershel uses to lift Elsa up from the surface. As the water begins to rise, Phelps voluntarily lifts Kelso to the surface as well; as there is no one else to help Phelps, he says a final goodbye to his comrades as a current sweeps him away, killing him.

A few days later, Phelps' funeral and memorial service takes place and all of Phelps' partners attend along with Kelso, Elsa, and his ex-wife and children. As Roy Earle delivers the eulogy, it is shown that many of the corrupt police officers and politicians are in attendance. Elsa stands up and berates Earle for belittling Cole's memory before storming out. Herschel tells Kelso that Kelso was never Cole's friend. Kelso replies that they were also never enemies. Hershel tells him that Cole knew that and then leaves to go after Elsa.

An end credits sequence shows the members of the Sixth Platoon on the way home from Japan on the USS Coolridge, during which Courtney Sheldon encourages his fellow Marines to participate in the morphine theft. While reading the paper, the soldiers learn of Cole's success as a police officer, and become jealous that they are not thought of as heroes. Kelso tells the other Marines that no matter how anyone else views them, he will always remember them as heroes, but if they steal the morphine and go down a path of crime, they will become nothing in his eyes. Unfortunately, the theft goes as planned, laying the foundation for much of the following story.

Development

L.A. Noire is nothing like other games in the genre. It isn't a game about action and firefights. We really wanted to nail the detective aspect of the game. Each object, each street, each investigation is a result of research using archived images and film as to make the perfect illusion that you are there. While playing L.A. Noire, you'll quickly realize that you must first investigate before shooting.

— Brendan McNamara, founder of Team Bondi.[32]

In February 2004, Brendan McNamara, Team Bondi's president, responded to an interview with Kristen Reed that "the project is wholly funded by Sony Computer Entertainment America. We have a long-term exclusive arrangement with SCEA."[33] In October 2005, Brendan McNamara, director of the PlayStation 2 game The Getaway, left his position at Team Soho in London to form his own studio in his native Australia. The former employee of SCEE named the new six-person studio Team Bondi and immediately announced that the company had begun work on its first project, a game for "a next-generation Sony platform." In June 2005, the developer revealed that the game will be called L.A. Noire, and it will be an exclusive PlayStation 3 title. Little was known about the game except that it was described as a "detective thriller." It was also revealed that Team Bondi was in an exclusive agreement with Sony to produce two more PlayStation 3 games.[34]

In September 2006, Rockstar Games announced that it would be publishing L.A. Noire, Team Bondi's debut title. While the game was originally revealed as a PlayStation 3 game to be published by Sony, Rockstar's announcement only referred to it as a "next-generation crime thriller", with no platforms specified.[35] On 11 June 2007, Take-Two Interactive, the sole publisher of Rockstar Games, re-confirmed the release of the PlayStation 3 version by listing it amongst its "announced to date" titles for "fiscal 2008" in a press release regarding the company's second quarter financial results.[10] However, during the shareholders conference-call, a spokesperson for Take Two implied that both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases were likely and that "L.A. Noire is being developed for next-generation systems."[36] At that point, however, L.A. Noire had only been officially announced for the PlayStation 3.

On 10 September 2007, as part of their Q3 2007 financial disclosure, Take-Two announced the game had been delayed until their 2009 fiscal year.[37] On 21 January 2010, in a Question and Answer section on their blog, Rockstar said "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."[38] On 4 February it was announced that L.A. Noire would be on the cover of the March 2010 issue of Game Informer, which confirmed that the game would also be available on Xbox 360 and it will arrive in September 2010. The issue of Game Informer arrived with the long-in-development mystery game's film-noir-style visuals splashed across the cover.[18][39] On 3 March 2010, Take-Two confirmed that L.A. Noire will be released during the August-October quarter.[40] On 2 September 2010, Take-Two delayed the game to first half of calendar 2011.[41]

An in-game trailer was released on 11 November 2010, which subsequently confirmed the release date as Q1/Q2 2011.[42][43] L.A. Noire was featured on the cover of the February 2011 edition of PlayStation: The Official Magazine, which confirmed that the game would be released sometime in March 2011.[44] However, several US retailers listed 5 April as the launch date, though Rockstar had "no comment."[45] A trailer for L.A. Noire, called "Serial Killer", was leaked on 22 January 2011, two days before its planned official release. It showed 90 seconds of new gameplay footage as well as a release date. Take-Two later had the video removed from websites, citing copyright infringement. The video noted that L.A. Noire will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 17 May.[2]

File:LANOIRE MOCAP.jpg
L.A. Noire features Depth Analysis's newly developed technology for the film and video game industries called MotionScan that utilizes 32 cameras to record an actor's every wince, swallow, and blink which is then transferred to in-game animation.

L.A. Noire has a considerable amount of voice work, over 20 hours according to Game Informer. Aaron Staton lent his voice and likeness to the main character, Cole Phelps.[46][47] Team Bondi recreated 1940s' Los Angeles by using aerial photographs taken by Robert Spence.[48] In a career spanning over 50 years, Spence took over 110,000 aerial photographs of Los Angeles.[49] The developers used Spence's photographs to create traffic patterns and public transport routes as well as the location and condition of buildings.[48] While striving to recreate an accurate model of 1947 Los Angeles, the developers also took some artistic licence, such as including the appearance of the film set for D. W. Griffith's Intolerance; the set had actually been dismantled in 1919.[50][51] When asked by PSM3 about how Team Bondi came up with the idea to make L.A. Noire, Brendan McNamara stated, "We wanted to do something new, something that nobody had developed before. To do this, we looked at what people watched the most (on TV). And then, we realized that police dramas had become increasingly popular nowadays. So our game had to be like these series so that everyone could benefit from the experience."[32]

On 23 June 2011, it was announced that a PC version is in development by Rockstar Leeds for a Q3/Q4 2011 release. Enhancements include keyboard remapping and gamepad functionality, increased fidelity, improved graphical enhancements, and stereoscopic 3D support.[52] On 28 September, Rockstar officially announced the L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition for launch on 8 November in the US and 11 November in Europe on PC, Steam and OnLive. In addition to the original full game, The Complete Edition comes with a multi-use code to access all previously released DLC from the console versions.[53]

Speaking to Official PlayStation Magazine (UK), Brendan McNamara talked about why L.A. Noire took seven years to make. Brendan McNamara said L.A. Noire's ambitious scale and proprietary tech blew development out to seven years. "One [thing] is the size, it’s a huge game – probably too big. The map’s massive, and so that’s probably my fault." As well as sheer scope, L.A. Noire's pace was hindered by the team’s devotion to getting the feel - if not all the details of 1940′s Los Angeles just right. "I'd say the first year and a half – [maybe] even longer – was just research," McNamara commented.[54]

Staff complaints

At the start of June 2011, a group of former Team Bondi employees launched a website called lanoirecredits.com, which contained 100 extra employee names that had not been in the game's credits list or that had been incorrectly listed in it. The majority of the names were employees that had either left Team Bondi or been made redundant as the game reached completion. The omission of the names "went against the International Game Developers Association's (IGDA) framework for games crediting which aims for ethical representation of those who contribute to games of all sizes."[55][56][57]

Just over a month after L.A. Noire's release, an article was published on IGN Australia entitled "Why Did L.A. Noire Take Seven Years to Make?". The article contained quotes from 11 anonymous ex-Team Bondi employees, who discussed the managerial style of the studio, the studio's staff turnover rates, and the working hours and conditions associated with L.A. Noire. The article also interviewed Team Bondi studio head Brendan McNamara, as well as Erin Hoffman, the author of the EA Spouse blog, which focused similar attention on the labour practices of Electronic Arts in 2004.[58] Further internal emails, and comments from staff members were released in July 2011 on Gamesindustry.biz.[59] Lead programmer Dave Heironymus claimed that ex-staff members were on a mission to 'destroy Team Bondi' by ruining its reputation, and that the studio would learn from its mistakes.[60]

A week after the IGN article was published, the IGDA announced that it would investigate the claims over working conditions at Team Bondi; with IGDA chairman Brian Robbins saying, "Certainly reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole."[61][62]

In July 2011, two more former employees came forward and offered up internal e-mails which they claim is further evidence of these allegations; the e-mails highlight the contentious relationship between Bondi and Rockstar and indicate that the two companies are unlikely to work together again.[63] Speaking about this situation, a source who worked with Team Bondi, and spoke to GamesIndustry.biz on condition of anonymity, stated:

"I've heard a lot about Rockstar's disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi's next game. Team Bondi are trying to find another publisher for their next title, but the relationship with Rockstar has been badly damaged -- Brendan treats L.A. Noire like a success due to his vision but I think Rockstar are the ones who saved the project. They continued to sink money into L.A. Noire, and their marketing was fantastic. Without their continued support, Team Bondi would have gone under several years ago."[64][65]

In the interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the same source also claimed that:

"Rockstar also made a huge contribution to the development; their producers were increasingly influential over the last two years of the game's development, and overruled many of the insane decisions made by Team Bondi management. At a lower level, Rockstar also pitched in with programmers, animators, artists, QA, etc.[66] Part of the conflict between Team Bondi and Rockstar was due to Rockstar's frustration with Team Bondi's direction, and eventually Team Bondi's management in turn resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control. It's also worth pointing out that Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like 'Rockstar Sydney' - the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea. I have a few logs (see below) that show the relationship souring."[64]

The old (top) and the final (bottom) logo for the game. The original logo was created by Team Bondi, but Rockstar redesigned the L.A. Noire logo in terms of visibility and commercial.

The source backed up its claim by releasing copies of emails from Brendan McNamara to the rest of the studio, detailing disagreement between McNamara and Rockstar over Rockstar's decision not to attend E3 in 2010. A second email shows McNamara's reaction to a Rockstar's redesign of the L.A Noire logo and the lack of a Team Bondi logo on the game announcement.[67]

Brendan McNamara said that when it came to publishing L.A. Noire, no other studio was willing to take a risk on the game other than Rockstar. Speaking in an interview with Computer and Video Games, McNamara said the risk paid off well for both firms and he seems to have nothing but the highest amount of respect for Rockstar.[68]

In a series of interviews with Eurogamer in November 2011, McNamara commented on the success of L.A. Noire and the staff disputes. When asked if he had any regrets, McNamara said "I have lots of regrets. The process was hard and difficult. Lots of people [at Team Bondi] were very upset about their experience and first time in video games. But it's a pretty hard and difficult business. It's a business that's on an 80-20 business model. If it isn't happening then you aren't going to get paid. That's the bottom line for it. You either push very hard or you don't and then you don't get anywhere anyway, and everybody's out of a job. Having said that, we're trying to do things differently this time around."[69] Commenting on the allegations that Rockstar didn't want to work with him again, McNamara said "We're all pretty volatile. We had our ups and downs in the making of it. But we're all big boys. We were all trying to make something that was financially risky. I've known Sam [Houser, co-founder and president of Rockstar Games] for maybe fifteen years. We go a long way. We still talk when we need to. Anything that was part of the process is all water under the bridge to me."[66]

Marketing and release

Prior to its release, L.A. Noire was marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. Rockstar ran a competition to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Festival of Film Noir at the Egyptian Theatre (which is actually featured in-game as a location), take an Esotouric Black Dahlia bus tour, and play the game a month before its official release.[70] Take 2 Interactive announced that L.A. Noire had been selected to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, the first videogame to be recognised by the festival.[23] L.A. Noire was screened as a sixty minute long film on 25 April, 2011, followed by a question and answer session on the game's story and the technology used to make the game.[24]

Rockstar collaborated with several retail outlets on preorder bonuses available through store chains throughout the world. The pre-order bonuses were the bonus case The Naked City, the side quest The Badge Pursuit Challenge, the bonus detective suits "The Broderick" and "The Sharpshooter" and the traffic case A Slip of the Tongue. The official online Rockstar Games store, the Rockstar Warehouse, offered a L.A. Noire T-shirt as the pre-order bonus. Target offered a $5 Gift Card, and a free Rockstar Games t-shirt if the game was purchased in-store during launch week.[71]

In addition to the pre-order bonuses, all new North American copies of the PlayStation 3 version of the game came with an extra traffic case, The Consul's Car. The Consul's Car traffic case became available for purchase from PlayStation Store on 27 July, 2011, for European players.[72] On 6 June, 2011, Rockstar published L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories, a collection of short stories from noted crime authors, all based on the L.A. Noire universe.[73][74] The Rockstar Games Social Club is a website that displays the gameplay statistics of registered users and feature competitions and awards based on player activity within the game.

Downloadable content

On 31 May 2011, Rockstar announced that through the summer months, several standalone cases, collectibles and challenges will be released via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, including all of the pre-order exclusive unlockable bonus content as well as a free downloadable weapon. All of the pre-order downloadable content, with the exception of The Consul's Car, became available to the general public on 31 May 2011. Each item was released individually, as well as in a pack called the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass.

The Rockstar Pass allows players to buy all the DLC at once for a discounted price. The pass was available at a discounted price until June 21, after that date the price increased but was still less expensive than buying all the DLC individually. The Pass also includes access to two post-launch downloadable content cases, the Arson case Nicholson Electroplating that was released on 21 June, 2011, and the Vice case Reefer Madness, released on 12 July, 2011. Both cases were also released individually.[75] Rockstar is one of the first game companies to introduce a Season Pass for DLC. The concept is described as "a long term, pre-paid, post-launch downloadable content plan", which was later used by Warner Bros. Interactive for Mortal Kombat, by Microsoft Studios for both Forza Motorsport 4 and Gears of War 3, by SCE for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, by Activision for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and by THQ for Saints Row: The Third.[76][77]

In addition a machine gun "The Chicago Piano" and a bonus suit "The Chicago Lightning" is available to players that sign up for the Rockstar Social Club.

The Complete Edition

System requirements[78]
Requirements
Microsoft Windows[78]
Operating system Windows XP (Service Pack 3) / Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7
CPU Intel Dual Core 2.2 GHz / AMD Dual Core 2.4 GHzIntel Quad Core 3.2 GHz / AMD Quad Core 3.2 GHz
Memory 2 GB of free space8 GB
Free space 16 GB
Graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 512 MB / ATI Radeon HD 3000 512 MBGeForce GTX 580 1536 MB / Radeon HD 6850 1 GB
Sound hardware 100% DirectX 9 Compatible

On 28 September, 2011, Rockstar Games announced a PC version of L.A. Noire, dubbed The Complete Edition, contained all previously released DLC from the console versions of the game. Enhancements include keyboard remapping and gamepad functionality, increased fidelity, improved graphical enhancements, and stereoscopic 3D support.[79]

The game was released on 8 November in North America, and 11 November internationally. On 20 October, 2011, Rockstar announced that the same edition would be available for consoles a week after the PC release, on 15 November in North America, and 18 November internationally.[80]

However, the PlayStation 3 exclusive traffic case The Consul's Car is included in all The Complete Edition version of the game and must be done to continue the story.

Soundtrack

Untitled
Untitled

L.A. Noire's soundtrack consists of an original score by Andrew Hale and Simon Hale, as well as original 1940s style songs composed by The Real Tuesday Weld and sung by Claudia Brücken.[81]

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Main Theme"Andrew Hale3:06
2."New Beginning, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:06
3."New Beginning, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:25
4."New Beginning, Pt. 3"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale3:18
5."Minor 9th"Andrew Hale2:50
6."Pride of the Job, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:38
7."Pride of the Job, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:32
8."Noire Clarinet"Andrew Hale2:33
9."Temptation, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:14
10."Temptation, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:12
11."Temptation, Pt. 3"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale0:52
12."J.J."Andrew Hale & Fly1:30
13."Redemption, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:07
14."Redemption, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:28
15."Redemption, Pt. 3"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:21
16."Slow Brood"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:02
17."Use and Abuse, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:26
18."Use and Abuse, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale0:49
19."Use and Abuse, Pt. 3"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale0:38
20."Use and Abuse, Pt. 4"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:21
21."Fall from Grace, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:44
22."Fall from Grace, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale1:13
23."Murder Brood, Pt. 1"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:34
24."Murder Brood, Pt. 2"Andrew Hale & Simon Hale2:18
25."Main Theme (Redux)"Andrew Hale1:25
26."(I Always Kill) The Things I Love"Claudia Brücken & The Real Tuesday Weld2:55
27."Guilty"Claudia Brücken & The Real Tuesday Weld2:14
28."Torched Song"Claudia Brücken & The Real Tuesday Weld4:12
Total length:55:21

Remix album

A second soundtrack album for the game was released, consisting of six jazz classics from the era, remixed by modern DJs. Advertised as a "special installment" of the Verve Remixed Series, the album includes songs by artists of the period, such as Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, remixed by DJs such as Ticklah, DJ Premier, and Moodymann.[82]

No.TitleOriginal artistLength
1."Stone Cold Dead in the Market (Ticklah remix)"Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan4:17
2."Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop (Midnight Sun remix)"Lionel Hampton & his orchestra5:57
3."A Slick Chick (Maximum Balloon remix)"Dinah Washington2:57
4."Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens (DJ Premier remix)"Louis Jordan2:37
5."Sing Sing Sing (Truth & Soul remix)"Gene Krupa4:19
6."That Ole Devil Called Love (Moodymann remix)"Billie Holiday4:16
Total length:24:19

Reception

L.A. Noire has received positive reception upon release. It holds an overall score of 89 out of 100 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360[86][87] and an overall score of 83 out of 100 for the PC on Metacritic.[88] GameRankings rated the PlayStation 3 version 88.12%,[83] the Xbox 360 version 87.76%[84] and the PC version 81.70%.[85] L.A. Noire has been widely praised for its advances in storytelling and facial animation technology.[107]

The first review was published by UK newspaper The Guardian, which awarded the game a perfect score, and stated "Ever since it first worked out how to assemble pixels so that they resembled something more recognisable than aliens, the games industry has dreamed of creating one thing above all else – a game that is indistinguishable from a film, except that you can control the lead character. With L.A. Noire, it just might, finally, have found the embodiment of that particular holy grail."[102]

IGN gave the game 8.5 out of 10, stating "L.A. Noire may not reach the emotional heights of a game like Heavy Rain, but it's something everyone must try out. It reaches high and almost succeeds as a brilliant new type of video game narrative."[98] GameTrailers gave the game a 9.1 out of 10, concluding that "L.A. Noire floors you out of the gate, loses some steam due to repetition, but eventually wins the day thanks to its subtlety, attention to detail, and stunning character interaction."[96] Gamespot's Carolyn Petit awarded the game a 9 out of 10, concluding that "L.A. Noire's absorbing investigations and intoxicating sense of style make it an unforgettable journey through the seamy side of the City of Angels."[92] GameZone gave the game an 8.5/10, stating "The story is intriguing, albeit a little slow at first. L.A. Noire takes an old school approach toward its storytelling. It’s a much slower approach, similar to older movies, with a heavy emphasis on detail. It is that attention to detail that sets L.A. Noire apart from other games and makes it enjoyable to play."[97]

Edge praised the facial technology, and pointed out that while there are no other major aspects of the game that had not been done better elsewhere, the fact that Team Bondi had brought together such a wide range of game genres in such a stylish, atmospheric, and cohesive manner was an achievement that few developers had managed.[90] Joystiq gave the game a score of 9, and stated that "L.A. Noire may not always be 'fun' in the traditional sense, but it's also unsatisfied with being 'merely fun,' and the result of that aspiration is something that no one who cares about video games should miss."[100]

Official Playstation Magazine gave it 9 out of 10, and stated that "In many ways, L.A. Noire is similar to an AMC series... It's a slow build, but once hooked, we couldn't get enough of this provocative adventure, with its compelling characters and innovative gameplay. It's not perfect, but it's also unlike anything else on the PS3 right now."[86] Official Xbox Magazine gave it 8 out of 10, and concluded with "Yes, it's flawed, but L.A. Noire is an honest-to-goodness detective crime thriller - a genuine breath of fresh air that values narrative and story above all else in an age where scripted action sequences and online deathmatch rule the day. It's the closest thing Xbox has to PlayStation's unique adventurer Heavy Rain."[87] GamesMaster gave the game 92%, and concluded that L.A. Noire is "Rockstar's most mature take on open-world fun to date, brought to life with incredible tech."[86]

Despite the overall positive reception, some reviewers thought that the game had too many redundancies in the cases and left too little control to the player,[98] leading to the game being boring at times.[108] Although 1UP gave it a perfect score, they also warned that the extended cut-scenes in the game could make some players feel they lost control of the action.[109] The game has generally been praised for its depiction of post-war Los Angeles, but the accuracy of the depiction has been criticised on some points by some architectural and social historians.[110][111]

Responding to criticism that accused the character's bodies of being lifeless, despite the game's use of motion capture, Brendan McNamara stated in an interview with Eurogamer, "People were saying people were dead from the neck down. That's because we had all this animation in the neck and all this animation in the face, but the clothes don't move. Once you get to the level that people can actually see that level of realism, then people expect to see clothes moving and the rest of the body moving in a way we can't replicate in video games." In the same interview McNamara also responded to queries about why Phelps sometimes responds with particularly aggressive lines of dialogue during interrogation scenes. "It's funny. A lot of people say Aaron (Aaron Staton - the actor who portrays Phelps) turns into a psycho. When we originally wrote the game the questions you asked were coax, force and lie. It was actually force because it was a more aggressive answer. That's the way we recorded it. But when the game came out it was truth, doubt or lie. Everyone always says Aaron on the second question is a psycho. So that's not his fault."[112]

Technical issues

Shortly after the release, a minority of players on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 experienced game freezes due to overheating of the consoles.[113] After initially judging that the problem was due to the latest PS3 firmware, Rockstar later acknowledged the problem on their game FAQ.[114] In a subsequent joint statement, Sony and Rockstar declared that the problem was caused by neither the PS3 firmware update nor the game.[115] In a statement on 20 May, Rockstar reiterated that neither the game nor the console manufacturers were at fault. It also stated that the troubleshooting tips on its website had been "erroneously picked up by some news outlets as a 'story,'" and that those stories were "categorically untrue."[116]

The PC release also has received some criticism regarding various technical and performance issues,[117] some which stop the game from working at all.[118]

Sales

On the day of the game's U.S. release, shares in Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, closed up 7.75% on the day; a three-year high for the company. The rise was attributed to the positive reviews that L.A. Noire had been receiving.[119] As of February 2012, the game has sold almost 5 million copies.[26]

According to NPD Group, L.A. Noire was the best-selling game in the United States in May 2011,[120] at 899,000 copies across the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[121]

L.A. Noire went straight to top of the UK games chart and became the fastest selling new IP ever in the UK.[122][123] It stayed top of the UK game chart for three weeks.[124] In Australia, the stores that had the game for sale reported that it was going out of stock after a week.[125] L.A. Noire debuted in Japan for the week of 4–10 July and sold a combined 71,057 units on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 version topped the chart, with 58,436 units sold, and the Xbox 360 version moved 12,621 units.[126][127]

Possible sequel

On 22 May 2011, Team Bondi's Brendan McNamara told GamerLive.TV that a sequel to L.A. Noire would take less than the five years it took to develop the first as the technology already exists. McNamara also stated that they are considering using the MotionScan technology for full body performances rather than only faces.[128] In an investor conference call, Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnick, said that L.A. Noire was "a very successful release" and that they "have every reason to believe that L.A. Noire is another strong franchise for this company". He reiterated that they "do see L.A. Noire as a powerful new franchise".[129] During an investor call in November 2011 Zelnick re-iterated the importance of the game to Take-Two, stating that the game "has become an important franchise for the company." Zelnick announced that the game was Take-Two's "most successful new release" in the past fiscal year and has become a key property in its portfolio.[130]

In November 2011, it was announced that McNamara's next game would be titled Whore of the Orient, which is described as "one of the great untold stories of the 20th century". It will be published by KMM Studios.[131]

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  108. ^ "L.A. Noire Review: A Compelling Yet Flawed Epic That Fascinates". Game Informer. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011. At times, L.A. Noire is one of the most vivid, gripping game experiences I've had. Other times, it can be plain boring.
  109. ^ "L.A. Noire Review". 1UP.com. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Gamers who had soured on more "cinematic" games like Heavy Rain or Metal Gear Solid 4 may get a little annoyed at the film-inspired cut-scenes in L.A. Noire. While most of the cinematics last only a minute or so, there're a lot of them. It eventually becomes more like watching an interactive movie, with the game only demanding that I hop in the car and drive to the next location in order to trigger another cut-scene
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