Will L.A. Noire Be 2011's Heavy Rain?
L.A. NoireI don't mean to imply that L.A. Noire will be as amazing as Quantic Dream's masterpiece, nor would I put both titles in question in the same category.
More specifically, I'm wondering if the advancements in storytelling offered by L.A. Noire - which I think we're all anticipating - will assist the industry in the "growing up" process, in much the same way Heavy Rain was progressive. We've heard a great deal about the MotionScan technology utilized by Team Bondi, and the idea of making facial reactions and emotions an integral part of the gameplay is potentially evolutionary. If it works well enough, it might open the floodgates for other developers: how many situations might benefit from such a technological leap? How many dramatic and emotional scenes might be all the more intense and immersive thanks to our interaction with the evident emotion? What if we take this idea and apply it to what we already know?
What if in Red Dead Redemption, you could sense the fear in the face of an opponent during a duel; when that fear appears to peak, he'll draw. Or what about in the Mass Effect franchise or any game that allows for player choice? We make our choice based on the reaction and emotion of another character, exactly as humans do on a daily basis. What if we're caught in a tense situation in the next GTA; we're making some sort of trade (hostage for money, or something), and we watch the faces around us for any sign of danger; even for any sign of betrayal from supposed friends. The point is, the majority of human communication is non-verbal...if we could somehow harness the gestures and movements that gives away our mood, attitude, and even thoughts, that'd be an amazing step.
And it's possible we'll see the start of that artistic revolution when L.A. Noire releases this spring. Here's hoping we're not setting the bar too high; in our estimation, we almost need a Heavy Rain each and every year, just to insure the forward progression of the industry.
Related Game(s): L.A. Noire
Tags: la noire, l.a. noire, team bondi, rockstar, heavy rain
1/23/2011 9:05:21 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (37 posts)
WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:01:59 PM
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In regards to this and Heavy Rain, I think the one thing they both have in common that should be addressed is that both involve the actors more heavily than many games have before. Even Uncharted is forward thinking insofar as they do the motion capture and the voice acting together so it doesn't come off stilted. Heavy Rain went so far as to mold the characters after the actors, and Noire has this amazing facial expression stuff.
The coolest thing is we will finally see some innovation in a multiplat title. It has been a long time since that happened.
1 up, 1 down
Qubex
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 2:00:16 AM
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
0 up, 0 down
Ludicrous_Liam
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 11:07:37 AM
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:15:44 PM
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1 up, 1 down
kevinater321
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:29:28 PM
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3 up, 8 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:33:24 PM
7 up, 1 down
FM23
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 11:26:45 PM
2 up, 4 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 11:56:30 PM
6 up, 0 down
FM23
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 2:08:15 AM
Second, because it's not a game and it's not very long. That has always been my dilemma w/ Heavy Rain, but it never once ruined the experience...more or less my feeling that $60 wasn't well spent if that makes sense. This is why I can't recommend it to friends. My words read differently, but thats what I really meant. Anyway, Heavy Rain only takes 6hrs to beat so it's not that hard to play through it. I bought it Day 1 and beat it that night. Both a good and bad thing.
Like I said before, Heavy Rain is a great game, but I definitely put alot of games ahead of it from the PS2 era and this era. Doesn't discredit the games accomplishments, more or less, I just find alot more games that stick to me. It's kind of like and not like the ME2 thing. I love ME2 and have put alot of hours into it, but you don't care for it though you can appreciate what it brings to the table. I enjoyed Heavy Rain, but I just don't have the same feelings towards it like I have for MGS, GOW, Uncharted, Demons Souls, Fallout 3, ME2, GTA, RDR, AC, etc. Is it clearer now. I put it in the same boat as Infamous. A great game, but doesn't stick to me like the aferomentioned titles.
Last edited by FM23 on 1/24/2011 2:19:24 AM
0 up, 5 down
Qubex
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 5:52:51 AM
Nonetheless, I understand what you are trying to say... if it is not your thing, it is not you your thing, simply put... but man, if you play something 4 times... that is a lot of times you need to convince yourself the game was not worthy of a purchase :)
Some games I have bought, and had for a matter of years now, I haven't even finished yet, let alone playing a game over 4 times...
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Last edited by Qubex on 1/24/2011 5:55:28 AM
3 up, 0 down
kevinater321
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 8:22:02 AM
1 up, 1 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 10:22:56 AM
Personally, HR does something no other interactive game has done in the past, which is why most find it so amazing. But I understand your situation. If you don't know anyone who would appreciate it, it's tough to recommend.
0 up, 0 down
FM23
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 1:50:19 PM
Seriously. Who said Heavy Rain isn't my thing? I beyond liked Heavy Rain, but never once loved it like my man Ben. I can like a game very much and appreciate all it's ups, but that doesn't mean it's game of the year status to me. Like I said, it's hard to recommend a game that's not even a game especially to people who aren't interested. Like I told been, my thing with Heavy Rain is similiar to the ME2, as in I can appreciate this game, but it's not similiar because I actually liked HR and was hooked by the story, drama, emotion, and intense cutscenes. And you don't have to love a game just to play it over. I don't love Heavy Rain, but my feeling towards it are above the "like" mark. And I'm not sure whats funny about what I said, but I hope your laughing for all the right reasons ;)
@Ben
Thanks for understanding. I too find HR amazing, but that doesn't result in me loving it the way I like some other "games" (lol). Like I said, I consider it a classic and it was definitely fresh as HR, GOWIII, Bioshock 2, Fallout NV, ACB, RDR, GT5 stood out the most me last year....not bad company right. And on that list, I found HR to more satisfying then 2 games on that list.
0 up, 0 down
Alienange
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:30:33 PM
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We've come a long way.
3 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 11:30:49 PM
Speaking of talking heads.....
Who else remembers "Max Headroom"????
1 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 8:12:11 AM
I loved that show.
2 up, 0 down
FxTales
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:47:07 PM
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Last edited by FxTales on 1/23/2011 10:47:28 PM
0 up, 0 down
hadouken
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 10:53:00 PM
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Creativity is the key to imagination.
Last edited by hadouken on 1/23/2011 10:53:19 PM
1 up, 0 down
FatherSun
Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 11:30:25 PM
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Innovations such as this moves the industry ever closer to what I have dreamed of in gaming for years. We are almost there.
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___________
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 1:01:13 AM
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this and desus ex human revolution, so cant wait for both of them.
only thing im a little worried about in LA Noire is i hope they dont make crimes too hard to solve.
they keep saying there is allot of interrogation in the game, but 99.999999% of us are not detectives so how are we suppose to know which follow up questions to ask?
they say you have to look at the suspects face and determine if he or she is telling the truth or not.
i just dont see how your going to do that, in real life its not exactly a easy thing to do but in a game?
also the crime scenes, i hope they dont make it too tedious and boring to find all the evidence.
hopefully they make it like heavy rain where its quite easy and fun to search around, and its easy to know when you have found everything.
hopefully they balance the game well, not too much detective work and not too much racing and shooting.
its quite a big chunk team bondi are taking off, i can see why its taken them so long.
i just hope they have not bitten of more than they can chew.
3 up, 1 down
Lawless SXE
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 2:55:50 AM
I actually hope that the crime scenes reflect the difficulty of reality. I hope that you will have to search to find them, but this is likely a given considering the lack of anything similar to ARI. Perhaps they'll use a minimap/indicator type of interface to point you towards clues?
Peace.
0 up, 1 down
___________
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 7:28:04 AM
i just hope they dont dump you in a crime scene and you have to be on top of a clue to know theres one there.
you know, walking around for half a hour trying to find a clue, well, thats not exactly fun!
i hope theres drastic effects on everything you do too, with heavy rain your decisions almost did nothing!
like if you missed all the evidence, you still had quite a few chances to save everyone.
i hope there a little more unforgiving in LA Noire, not the one miss and fail, but have a more drastic effect.
make it that say if i accuse the wrong person of the crime, than i miss out on some extra clues, or people loose trust in me something like that.
i want to be able to say thank god i made that decision, or dam i wish i could go back and do this differently.
HR never really had any of that, because very few decisions really had any consequences.
1 up, 2 down
maxpontiac
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 8:13:47 AM
I personally do not like mini maps, and turn them off quite frequently.
2 up, 0 down
Looking Glass
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 1:20:38 PM
Anyway, our knowledge of the gameplay of LA Noire is limited right now and there has been nothing to suggest that the game is aiming for the same kind of story flexibility as Heavy Rain.
Last edited by Looking Glass on 1/24/2011 1:21:41 PM
0 up, 1 down
___________
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 @ 7:04:03 AM
all i was saying is i hope they dont make the detective scenes too tedious.
shesh!
0 up, 0 down
Kevin555
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 1:22:27 AM
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I can't wait to get hold of this.
On a side note; What's the go with Agent? That still happening?
0 up, 1 down
Lawless SXE
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 3:00:38 AM
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However, my hope for this game goes deeper than Motionscan to the control mechanics themselves. Searching for clues and interrogating witnesses is nothing new, but never has it been done in a manner that makes you feel like a crack detective for getting it all right. There is great potential for this game to revolutionise the industry in a manner as great as Heavy Rain, and all the more so if the story is engaging (I'm actually expecting it to fall somewhat short here).
Fingers crossed that they can live up to our expectations... Or at least come close to them.
Peace.
1 up, 0 down
cowboynwo4life
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 6:46:47 AM
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4 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 8:09:28 AM
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I don't mean to imply that L.A. Noire will be as amazing as Quantic Dream's masterpiece, nor would I put both titles in question in the same category.
Well sir, you just answered your own question.
Heavy Rain was about the new playing experience fused with emotional responses.
LA Noire sounds to me like another third person shooter with outstanding technology at it's core.
I am not saying LA Noire wont be a great game, for in all likelihood, it will be. However, I am stating that it will not be the mold breaking piece of interactive media that Heavy Rain was.
Plus, I said it when your review was posted but the one thing Alpha Protocol did right was the time responses. That was something I enjoyed so much to the fact that I was able to beat that game three times. More games should use that feature. It sure adds to the immersion.
4 up, 0 down
spaceboy
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 10:30:04 AM
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What if the future holds well known actors lending their "talents" to games the way they do movies? Then we no longer get John Marston, we get a character named John Marston played by Keifer Sutherland or something.
Just a thought.. I never really liked the comparison of how games are becoming like movies, because I like games BETTER than movies.
4 up, 0 down
Oxvial
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 11:53:44 AM
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0 up, 0 down
AcHiLLiA
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 1:00:41 PM
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0 up, 0 down
SmokeyPSD
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 3:28:59 PM
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I could be wrong but I'm starting to feel like it's going to be lacking and not feel authentic to the period from the trailers. More along the lines of cliche and hamfisted than anything.
0 up, 0 down
fdgtyr568
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 @ 7:54:37 AM
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fdgtyr568
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 @ 7:54:37 AM
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ZettaiSeigi
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Sunday, January 23, 2011 @ 9:54:50 PM
I cannot say anything more about Heavy Rain. Despite a few technical glitches and plot holes (although they've been explained by Quantic Dream after the game's release), I still love the game just because of everything it did right. If LA Noire would be anything like Heavy Rain when it comes to artistry, then it'll be a day one purchase for me.