Jump to content

Home

L.A. Noire - Not vapourware after all (apparently)


DarthParametric

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply

This was the original announcement CG trailer from years ago - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emH9pjAaqA&hd=1&fmt=22

 

I suspect things have greatly changed since then though, especially if Rockstar have directly taken over development. The original was meant to be a detective story, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it turned into a GTA-clone shooter.

 

Platforms should be revealed in the new trailer, but I would think both 360 and PS3 at least would be likely, with the possibility of a PC version emerging eventually.

 

EDIT: Yes, new trailer (in first post) confirms 360 and PS3. Interestingly, it also shows it as still a Team Bondi production. I thought for sure they'd be dead and buried after all this time, but apparently not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't realize this was ever "vaporware" earlier this year (Feb/March?) it was the cover feature for GameInformer magazine and at the time was slated for release this Fall. Then a couple months ago it was announced that it would be delayed, so I mean while it definitely hasn't been at the forefront of gaming news, I don't think it was ever that close to being "vaporware".

 

All that being said, I was interested back when it was first announced and I still am, hopefully we'll hear more soon. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't realize this was ever "vaporware"
Ambitious titles that have been in development 5+ years by tiny studios nobody has ever heard of (especially ones based in Oz) don't often manage to go the distance. I haven't heard anything about it for 3 odd years, but perhaps that's at least in part due to the (temporary) switch to PS3 exclusive, as I pay no attention to that news avenue.

 

I might be excited. If it's not too GTA for my taste I might even like it for the witty dialog that's in almost every Rockstar game. And hours of lenght and stuff to do.
Assuming things remain unchanged, it's not a Rockstar game - they are just publishing it. Given the development period though, they may have taken a more active hand.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No idea - this is their first game. The guy that founded the studio in 2005 was writer and director on the PS2 game The Getaway (a GTA clone by the sounds of things).

 

I suspect that this was originally intended to be out around early- to mid-2007, but they obviously hit some snags along the way. Rockstar must have seen enough promise to keep them afloat all this time, but as I said as a result they may have stepped in to help "guide" it to release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw the trailer on gametrailers.com the other day and it definitely looks like it could be a very entertaining game. If it ever comes out on PC, there's a huge chance I'll play it.

 

As for the similarities with Mafia, well that's a given, considering it's more or less the same time-period, so that "feel" can't really be avoided. However, from what I gathered from the trailer, it looks like you'll be playing as a police detective rather than a criminal, which could offer a different perspective on the game world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The comparison was specifically regarding the use of an "open world" but restricting it to a fairly linear story progression as in Mafia 2, unlike say GTA where there are all sorts of side-missions, mini-games, collectables, etc. scattered around. I wasn't referring to the actual plot or mechanics, which are completely different. LA Noire is probably more closely related to old adventure games than Mafia or GTA in that regard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Developer Diary: The Technology Behind Performance

 

[youtube=hd]aL9wsEFohTw

 

Pretty cool, although I would have liked a more detailed look at the mechanics of the process. Presumably they are generating a super high poly mesh and then using that to produce a normal map for projection onto the low poly game mesh. It's a shame there's so much degradation between the two - the in-game textures look very waxy. It would be nice to see a purpose-built PC game using this tech to really take full advantage of it. Still, the expressions at least seem to transfer across rather nicely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It felt like I was watching a behind-the-scenes documentary for a film rather than a game. Their argument for photorealism was as sturdy as a cardboard tube; even if the animation is fully-choreographed, the facial textures were as ruddy and low-res as wax, creating an almost Deus Ex-esque ratio of animation-to-texture. Although the processing power of consoles might be "next-gen", the memory limitations is what's pushing the futile campaign for photorealism through a 1mm bottleneck.

 

I'd like to see what PC-exclusive games with similar proportions of photorealism like The Witcher 2 use for default texture resolutions for similar facial features compared to this game. I'd expect at least double the resolution, at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
Based on these trailers and such, this game has the best facial animations I've seen... it is creepy at points.

Was about to post the same thing... wow. I'd swear I could mute it and actually read their lips. Pretty sweet.

 

Color me intrigued.. and I'm not even a big Rockstar Games fan, but this just might be a title to tempt me ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...