Set amid the violence and corruption of post-World War II Los Angeles, L.A. Noire is a crime thriller that blends crime-solving, clue-finding, car chases and shoot-outs with new interrogation-based gameplay that will allow players to read characters’ emotions in order to reveal the truth.
Players will take on the role of Cole Phelps, a decorated war veteran, who rises through the ranks of the LAPD by solving a series of gruesome murders and other crimes that bring him face-to-face with the dark heart of Los Angeles during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Phelps starts off his career as a patrol-man, then a traffic detective, homicide, vice, and finally arson investigator. Each rank gives the player a partner who will help Phelps in his investigations, fights, and arrests. The game blends investigative elements such as mystery, and crime solving, with fast paced action sequences from chases on foot to car, as well as gun-play. As well as the storyline missions, the player can choose to work on optional side-investigations following a call from dispatch. The player can also travel on foot, as well as in different vehicles.
The foundation of L.A. Noire is a brand new technology called MotionScan that enables Rockstar to capture and scan every nuance of a real actor’s facial performances and put them right into the game itself. It provides a level of realism, detail, performance and emotion never seen before in a videogame, and brings them to life in a totally new way. This goes beyond the limited grid of data points delivered by traditional motion capture – these are the actual performances themselves, scanned and placed onto the digital characters. This marriage of gameplay and technology allows players for the first time ever to truly feel like a detective, reading the emotional behavior of every character.
L.A. Noire will also feature a soundtrack inspired by the sweeping orchestral scores of the great films of the 1940s. This all-original score was recorded in London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios and composed by Andrew Hale, of the band Sade and Sweetback and whose credits include scores for such films as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The soundtrack also features modern takes on the classic torch songs of the period. Three original vocal recordings were created for the soundtrack, all produced and written by Stephen Coates (of The Real Tuesday Weld) and featuring the guest vocals of Claudia Brucken (of Propaganda). Additional music was composed for the score by Woody Jackson, who won multiple awards for his work with Bill Elm on the original score of Red Dead Redemption. Players will also hear over 30 classic licensed jazz tracks in the game itself, including songs from such greats as Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk.
L.A. Noire is due for release on Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 20th.
