Has Rockstar gone all cerebral on its fanbase? Find out, as we take a look at its latest epic - LA Noire.
Time was, you knew what you were getting from a Rockstar game: the seedy underbelly of urban decay exposed and torn into with guns, grit and a terrible vengeance. Oh and ping pong occasionally. But normally the gritty stuff with the guns and the driving.
Of course Red Dead Redemption changed a few things, not least of which was putting you in the shoes of man trying to do the right thing, even if it was in penance for having been an utter prick for most of his existence.
LA Noire takes a similar departure, but in more than just a thematic way. For the first time in Rockstar history, you actually play as a cop, rather than just shooting or bribing one. Cole Phelps is a decorated war hero and rising star of the LAPD, and from what we saw in the hands off preview Rockstar treated us to this morning, he may well be the most sincere and likeable character they’ve done.
As a cop who’s on the fast track, Cole bounces around the various “desks” in the LAPD, letting him investigate a variety of different crimes. Traffic, Vice and Homicide are just three of the departments you can work in, with Rockstar not committing to a final number yet. The key gameplay is actually all about investigation – you and your partner will travel to various crime scenes, look for clues, talk to the coroner and interview witnesses and Persons of Interest.
In the mission we watched – Fallen Idol – Cole searched a car that had been involved in an accident with a female driver and passenger, both under the influence. Musical cue let you know when clues are available to be found and even when you’re close to finding them. After searching the car and speaking with coroner, Cole went to interview the driver, using information he’d gathered to open up conversational topics and questions.
When a POI is being interrogated, you have a few options on how to respond to their statements: you can coax them for more information if you believe what they say; you can take the heavy handed method and intimidate or threaten them; or you can accuse them or show them evidence that contradicts their story if you think they’re lying.
To aid you in this, LA Noire uses a brand new motion-capture technology called MotionScan. After the actors have shot their standard mo-cap movements, they were then subjected to MotionScan, a 360 degree camera array that records all facial expressions and head movements. It lets you naturally tell when someone is lying or holding back information by reading their facial expressions or non-verbal tics. In addition to turning you into a console version of Cal Lightman from Lie to Me, it presumably means them game is unplayable by anyone with Aspergers.
It also gives LA Noire a far more measured pace than most games. You slow down to really take in your surroundings or the NPCs – it almost feels like a natural progression from old-school point and click adventures.
And for anyone concerned that this sounds a little too Heavy Rain, we also indulged in a car chase complete with gunfire and a rooftop chase with more gunplay than you could shake a M1911 .45 at. If Team Bondi can mix this blend of action, story and investigation in the right way, LA Noire could be a genuinely novel game with a slightly broader appeal than some Rockstar titles. With a release date of “first half of 2011” we might need to wait a little before we close the case on this title just yet.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012