Summary
Nowadays,Rockstaris known for creating some of the biggest video games on the planet, withGrand Theft Auto 5andRed Dead Redemption 2still being some of the grandest gaming projects ever made, at least in the Western world. And though they took years to develop, all the effort has seemingly paid off, withGTA 5still being a money-printing machine a decade after its release, andRed Dead Redemption 2still being considered as one of, if not the greatest video game of all time. Rockstar has grown such a lofty reputation that fans are even champing at the bit just tosee a single glimpse ofGrand Theft Auto 6, and that’s incredibly impressive.
But while Rockstar tends to stick with the too-big-to-fail projects nowadays, that wasn’t always the case. Just over a decade ago, Rockstar used to take the chance on some more experimental titles, and while fans are always going to keep asking fora revival ofBully, it’sL.A. Noirethat might actually be more deserving of a proper second chance.
Rockstar Games technically didn’t take the lead in development onL.A. Noire. Instead, it was Australian developer Team Bondi that mainly produced the game, though some Rockstar spinoff studios did assist in development later down the line when Team Bondi ran into some significant behind-the-scenes issues.
L.A. Noire Deserves a Second Chance
A game that tookseven years to develop,L.A. Noireis still an incredibly unique game 12 years later, though it definitely isn’t a perfect one. The general premise ofL.A. Noiresees players take control of a 1940s cop named Cole Phelps, who rises his way through the ranks of L.A.’s police force. Along the way, the player will solve various crimes ranging from petty theft to arson and murder, and that’s whereL.A. Noire’s core gameplay loop comes in.L.A. Noirehas players venturing out to a crime scene, collecting evidence, questioning witnesses, and drawing conclusions based on Phelps' notes. Occasionally, some cases result in a chase or shootout, which sees players engage in some barebones third-person shooting.
Every facet ofL.A. Noire, from its lighting to its music and dialogue, tries to evoke the noir thriller movies of old, and it really achieves that vision. Of course, one of the biggest selling points ofL.A. Noireupon its initial 2011 release was itsrealistic motion capture technology, which played a major role during the game’s interrogation sequences. While it looked phenomenal, if not a tad uncanny at the time, in 2023 it doesn’t hold up all that well, with some facial expressions being infamously over-the-top and just plain silly, breaking the game’s immersion instantly, which is such a shame considering how hard the rest of the game is trying to maintain it.
Another issue withL.A. Noirethat’s only become more apparent with age is the game’s smaller scope, but its attempt to pretend that it’s a sprawling open-world adventure. WhileL.A. Noiredoes technically have an open world, there are practically no side activities for players to really engage in aside from a few collectibles and random crimes. Instead, the open world is mainly used as a backdrop for the game’s driving sequences, breaking up the action set pieces and crime scene investigations with meandering car journeys that spew exposition.
But whileL.A. Noiredoesn’t hold up too well under a modern light, it’s still an incredibly unique game, and one that still has so much potential. While the behind-the-scenes drama has undoubtedly madeRockstarwary of revisitingL.A. Noire, it’s a brand that certainly deserves a revival, especially if Rockstar was willing to put in the effort and go all-out with a sequel that was truly open-world.
LA Noire
WHERE TO PLAY
Using groundbreaking new animation technology, MotionScan, that captures every nuance of an actor’s facial performance in astonishing detail, L.A. Noire is a violent crime thriller that blends breathtaking action with true detective work to deliver an unprecedented interactive experience. Search for clues, chase down suspects and interrogate witnesses as you struggle to find the truth in a city where everyone has something to hide.Amid the post-war boom of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Cole Phelps is an LAPD detective thrown headfirst into a city drowning in its own success. Corruption is rampant, the drug trade is exploding, and murder rates are at an all-time high. In his fight to climb the ranks and do what’s right, Phelps must unravel the truth behind a string of arson attacks, racketeering conspiracies and brutal murders, battling the L.A. underworld and even members of his own department to uncover a secret that could shake the city to its rotten core.
