Game Informer's March issue contains the world's first glimpse at Team Bondi and Rockstar's long (long) in development L.A. Noire, and the contents are now out for consumption.
Set in a historically accurate, open-world 1947 Los Angeles, L.A. Noire is the tale of Cole Phelps (just as the leaked casting details revealed), a detective with a sordid past, and an honest member of an otherwise corrupt police force running the city. It's said that through the course of the story, he will advance in rank, spanning areas such as traffic, vice, and even homicide -- as the magazine cover indicates.
Gameplay in Noire will be quite different than what we're used to in a Rockstar title, as there is less focus on shooting (though weapons are there), and more on investigation, interviewing witnesses and suspects, and even interrogations when necessary. Brand new technology is being implemented by Team Bondi, allowing for next-generation facial capture and performances that do not require an animator's touch. Actors are staged "in a giant room with cameras all around. In full make-up, the actor delivers their dialogue. Every facial moment is recorded, from the most exaggerate of motions to the slightest twitch of an eye. The dialogue is recorded at this time as well, creating a seamless scene."
When investigating, players will have to deal with natural looking crime scenes, ones that require a bit of work to make out what they're supposed to be looking for. Objects of interest are able to be picked up and examined, then noted in your journal, whch can be access any any time. As for the aforementioned performance details, they are key to certain parts of the experience. During interrogations you will have various dialogue choices that can influence what's told to you, and you'll also have to watch characters' faces and movements in order to tell if they're lying.
Sounds interesting and dare I say, innovative? L.A. Noire is set to make a big splash in the coming months (especially when we get a look at gameplay), and it's slated for a September release.
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