The images of 1947 Los Angeles in Rockstar’s L.A. Noire show a haunting world of cops and corruption.
If you ever watched the 1997 Oscar-winning film Chinatown, except without all the incest. The shots also show off a L.A. Noire‘s “MotionScan” technology which allows for an almost photo-realistic animation of an actor’s face. That’s why the faces looked so expressive in the trailer released this week, MotionScan picks up the entire face instead of the scattering of data points that traditional motion capture uses.
The details about L.A. Noire‘s story are taken right from history. Set in 1947, when so many GIs were returning from World War II and Hollywood was really taking off, Los Angeles is rife with corruption and murder. You play as Cole Phelps, a decorated veteran and new detective, and the story is told through a series of connected yet independent criminal cases that Phelps must investigate. The cool part is that the crimes that you investigate are inspired by real cases in L.A. of the period. Combat and action are a part of the game, sure, but it seems that the story unfolds through a more CSI-like discovery of clues and interrogation.
So far, everything I’ve heard about L.A. Noire has been really exciting. It had better live up to its promise, or I’m going to pay someone to knock it off. And then frame the mayor. Or maybe the film executive.
Check out L.A. Noire‘s newly released trailer here.
