As great as Team Bondi's recent L.A Noire trailer was, things just moved too quick and it was all fairly brief. What the team at G4tv have done was look at the trailer in slow motion, and at times frame-by-frame, to catch and inspect the many details that were easily skipped in normal speed...
The trailer was far too brief for our tastes, but even so, it is jam packed with details if you take the time to pick them out. So that’s exactly what Stephen Johnson and I did in the video you’re about to watch. With the help of our resident computer wiz Donell “10010101101” Tucker, we combed over the trailer frame by frame, and picked out some of the more notable details to discuss.
Those who enjoyed the trailer and are eager to find just that little bit more about L.A Noire will find this closer look fascinating, from recognising landmarks and reading the various billboards in 40's era L.A, to seeing some of the clues in the crime scenes depicted in the trailer.
Most extraordinary is seeing the facial animation in slower motion. At normal speed, the facial animation is great, but when you see the faces move frame-by-frame, a greater appreciation of the MotionScan technology that Team Bondi used is gained when you see some of the small nuances that tech captured. The randomness of half blinks and the lip curls when actors speak, it's very rare that we see this kind of detail in any other game.
Head on over to G4tv for a look!
You know, I can appreciate
You know, I can appreciate the video. I truly can. I dig the 1940s stuff, the detail they've created in the visuals. And the motion scan tech, definitely a step in the right direction not just for game, but also, for film -- to a lesser degree.
But that kind comes to my point here, all I see is an ANIMATED film. Where is the game?
It's coming in small pieces
The game itself has been hinted in small pieces since the Gameinformer magazine feature, however Rockstar are slowly opening up and have been demoing the game missions to journalists very recently. Check out the "hands-off" preview that Ausgamers had of a L.A Noire demonstration and you get some idea of how the game plays:
http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/2985614
I don't think this game will
I don't think this game will get released in the US Spring; our Spring probably. I'd be surprised if they do release early next year, rather, than taking the time to get the gameplay as right as they can, even if it is flawed...
Just a hunch of mine, and no amount of reading about how journos got to watch the publisher play off of a tightly controlled script. Will change that. Plus, I'm an experience game developer, not, just an experienced game reviewer; I can see the holes when they can't.
But hey, if I'm wrong then that won't be all that bad a thing as long as the title is some measure of success for all those involved.
It's pretty common for new IP
It's pretty common for new IP to introduce the universe of the game first, then the gameplay. I'm guessing there will be at least one more trailer before it's released.