LA Noire Information
Release date of LA Noire | 20 May 2011(console), 11 November 2011(PC) |
Which studios created the game? | Rockstar, Team Bondi |
Which platforms is LA Noire available on | PS3, XBOX360, PC (Windows) |
What game engines and software were used to create the game? | Havok (Phys engine), mixed motion capture and facial animation software |
Describe some of the marketing methods used to promote LA Noire in the UK. | Competition to attend Festival of Film Noir, released soundtrack (original & remixed) 06 June 2011, rockstar release |
L.A Noire Development & Gameplay Trailer
Technology behind the development of L.A Noire
- Who created LA Noire?
LA
Noire was created by Rockstar Games and Team Bondi
- Which games engines were used to create LA
Noire?
LA
Noire uses the Havok Physics engine. This allows the player and NPC’s of the
game to react according to the situation. If an in-game character were to be
shot in the shoulder they would react according to this and probably fall
shoulder first or at the angle of impact. This also applies for traffic
collisions and such things.
- Discuss the impact of development in
technology in the creation of the game.
La
Noire uses a mixture of motion capture technology and 360 degree facial
recognition software for in-game cutscenes. This was a relatively new method
during the production of the game and it allowed the characters to show a whole
range of emotions, which manages to make the game a lot more immersive as you
get to decide whether the character is trying to deceive you or not.
- When was LA Noire released in the UK?
LA
Noire was released in the UK and Europe for PS3 and Xbox 360 on the 20th
of May 2011 and it was later released for PC on the 11th of November
2011.
- On which platforms can you play LA Noire?
LA
Noire is available for the Xbox360, PS3, PC
- What rating is LA Noire?
The game was given a PEGI rating of 18+ for its graphic violence, strong
language and depiction of drugs.
- Why was the game given these ratings and
does this have any implications for Rockstar?
The game was given this rating because the adult content in the game isn’t
recommended for viewing by children and it probably doesn’t really have any
implications towards Rockstar as they are known for making quite graphic games.
LA Noire Game play
- Discuss the objectives of the game.
The
overall objective of LA Noire is to start off as a small time police officer
and through solving different cases you are promoted through the ranks. The
game also allows you to solve street crimes after finishing the main case in a
scenario.
- How does the game immerse the audience?
The
game immerses the audience by letting them control how the crimes are solved.
It allows the player to make decisions judging by the clues that they have
found and it allows the player to interrogate or gather information from
witnesses in the area of the crime scene.
- How does the game make the audience more interactive?
The
game is more interactive to the audience as it allows them manipulate the clues
and bodies of victims in crime scenes to make further analysis of how he crime
happened. This also plays a key role in the completion progress of the game.
- What are the key features of the game?
One of the key features of LA Noire is that it allows the player to determine
the outcome of the game judging on their performance during cases. The point of
the game is to rise the through ranks in the LAPD from a street officer in
which the point is to mostly solve simpler crimes and then open new crime desks
for offences such as Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson cases. This gives the
player a stronger sense of accomplishment, as there is more of an objective to
this game compared to previous Rockstar projects. Also for LA Noire Rockstar
used real crimes and people that were reported in the 1940’s to give the more
background information and more depth and immersion.
- How does the game use media convergence?
LA
Noire uses media convergence as a way of allowing the player to display their
game progress and achievements online, which means the player can view online
rankings leaderboards. This tends to be a service that is provided by
Rockstar’s Social Club. Also by accessing the game’s website the player has the
opportunity to download and buy downloadable content for the game. This varies
from costumes and guns for the main character ‘Cole Phelps’ and additional
crimes and scenarios for the game’s storyline.
- What are the possible future developments of the game?
When
the game was first released on the 20th of May 2011 there were plans
to later release a PC version. The PC
version was then released as a complete edition with all of the downloadable
content and higher definition 3D graphics.
This was released on the 11th November 2011. The large gap
between the release dates would have been intentional because people would have
started to forget about the game after playing it for a while and the release
of this version later would put it back in the public eye. Also it would make
the game available to a wider audience and make more money being released so
close to Christmas.
