It is one of the oldest questions in the video game industry—can a game tell a truly immersive story in the same way that a movie can? Sure, there have been plenty of titles with a cinematic slant, but the nagging question of whether or not a game can actually be used as a medium to deliver a riveting story with real emotions remains. It is an old argument, and one that many gamers have strong opinions on, but for the majority of people, it is a gray area at best. But judging by the clips released for the upcoming L.A. Noire, that question may be put to rest for good.
Set in 1947 Los Angeles, LA. Noire is a detective story that uses the noire theme to its full effect. You play as L.A.P.D. Detective Phelps, as he journeys through the underworld of Los Angeles in pursuit of a killer. Along the way you come across a new influx of drugs on the streets, gambling, prostitution and all the vices you might expect. Corruption and lies are all part of the job, and the open sandbox style game which allows you to roam the streets of LA will offer multiple side stories.
Looking at the trailer, it really is no surprise that L.A. Noire is the first video game to ever be chosen as part of the Tribeca film festival. As you can see in the trailer below, the graphics are solid, but the real emphasis is on the facial animations that make the characters not just come to life, but to tell a story through the way they look and move. In theory it is something many games have tried, but few have truly succeeded at, especially not to this scale.
As with the previous trailer, this trailer is filmed using all in-game graphics. Check out the pre-order trailers as well, which advertise the two DLCs that you can obtain by buying your copy at certain retailers.
Look for L.A. Noire on PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 17, 2011.
[Warning: The following trailer may not be suitable for all ages]
