I really shouldn’t have to indicate that this preview of L.A. Noire that we were a part of at PAX East this past weekend is going to be filled to the brim with spoilers, however, I know there are many people out there that need to be spoon-fed this information. So, there are spoilers in this post. Myself and the other seven people in the ‘theater’ endured them, so you’ll have to as well, for the sake of this preview.
We were greeted with a scene taking place late at night, with the moon being the only source of light. We witness a woman get her head and face severely brutalized by a metal bar. The next scene depicts Detective Cole Phelps, a World War II veteran, being assigned his first murder case. This case is that of the “Red Lipstick Murder”, which happens to be the scene we witnessed taking place the night before. With partner Rusty Galloway in tow, Phelps heads to the scene of the crime.
Now you must remember, this game takes place in 1947, long before the technology we have today is in place. So when Phelps starts manhandling the body and picking up evidence, think nothing of it. As a keen detective, Phelps knows what to look for quickly. Distinct markings on the body and certain evidence at the crime scene make him suspicious, and after finding a lighter from the Bamba Club he knows just where to go next.
At the Bamba Club, we approach bartender Garret Mason. With this moment we are presented with our first interrogation. With L.A. Noire‘s ‘Motionscan Technology’, facial expressions are very realistic and can be easy to read… sometimes too easy. In the demoed portion, it seemed that if the person of interest was looking away and being shifty, they were being dishonest; and if they made eye contact, they were being truthful. Garret Mason was no liar. He pointed us in the right direction by revealing the deceased’s name (Celina Henry) and by giving us the club owner’s name (McCall) whom we proceeded to interview next.
McCall wasn’t very forthcoming with information, but when the screws were put to him, he let Phelps know that Celina Henry was seen leaving the club at 11PM with a man, and that he had gotten a partial plate number off of the car. Next, when Phelps asked if he thought Celina’s husband (Jacob) killed her, he said no. However, based on his actions he seemed to be lying. The problem is, without solid proof that the person of interest is lying, Phelps can only express doubt in his words. In doing so, McCall gave information that was very helpful, including that Celina Henry often came to the club and got drunk, and that he would phone her husband when she needed to be picked up.
However, on this occasion, Jacob refused to come pick up his wife. With this, the interview ends and Phelps heads to the door (pulling Galloway from his spot at the bar) and stops at a telephone to call in the license plate number. Dispatch promises Phelps some information (that isn’t heard in the demo). Phelps and Galloway then get in their car (in which Galloway drives) to go to the Henry household.
When we see Phelps and Galloway get out at the house, we are told by the Rockstar employees demoing the game that weapons are a last resort, however, since this a murder investigation every caution needs to take be observed. So, with pistols drawn, Phelps and Galloway approach the door of the residence. With no response to knocking, Galloway moves to the back door in which he sees a window that has been broken. Instead of climbing through the window in his $30 suit, he kicks open the door and proceeds to let in Phelps through the front.
After looking for clues in the house, which according to them has been burgled, Phelps heads out the door with an address of an apartment that Jacob is staying at. And while Galloway is calling in the crime, Phelps must talk to the neighbor, one Jennifer Horgan. Ms. Horgan admits to knowing Celina for at least 10 years, and that while she may overdrink on occasion, Jacob is the real problem. Jacob has beaten Celina on several occasions, and even the previous night Horgan heard a loud exchange between the two of them. With this information in mind, Phelps and Galloway head over to Jacob’s new quarters.
Again, they both approach with caution, however, this time Jacob is there and lets the policemen in. Galloway stays with Jacob while Phelps searches the apartment. Several items of interest are found, one being a size 11 shoe (there were size 8 footprints at the crime scene) and a piece of evidence that all but condemns Jacob to the murder, a note that has implications of a paid hit.
Phelps returns to Jacob and Galloway and begins his questioning. Beginning with a question on the whereabouts of his wife. When Jacob insists he had no knowledge of where his wife was, we got to see Phelps show proof that he was lying, as he knew Jacob had talked to employees at the Bamba Club. After several more lies by Jacob, and several more implications of murder by Phelps, Jacob flipped off the handle and punched Galloway in the face. This brought on an extremely pathetic fist fight portion of gameplay. It was hard to watch and, considering the rest of the demo’s impressive quality, I couldn’t believe this clunker made it all the way through development.
This was the ending of the demo and honestly, it was a poor falling-off point. It left me with a sour taste in my mouth and I prayed that there were not many segments in the game that mirrored that of the fist fight. With that in mind, I still feel it was one of the best games that I saw at PAX East. The rest of the game was at a high enough quality that it made me overlook and even completely put that poor section out of my mind until it came to the notes I took several minutes ago.
On May 17th when this game is released, I suggest you consider purchasing the game for whatever (reasonable) sum of money stores offer it for. Or, better yet, take advantage of what will be a deluge of pre-order bonus offers that every site will be offering. This is truly a genre-defying game that is at a very high level of polish and might be well worth the money you spend.
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