L.A. Noire

Since I started to earn my own money, one of my biggest "investments" was a PS3, and I'm kind of devoted to find the games that are acclaimed by the critics, innovative and that match my preferences. A friend of mine talked about L.A. Noire at the time the game was released. At the time, I didn't have my PS3, so I had to wait to play it for a long time. Everything in the game pointed out to a very good experience. But the graphics caught my eye... Carrying the Rockstar Games logo on the cover is a fairly good sign that the game will be good. At the time, I had already played GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption and, in their own ways, they were pretty amazing.

The game is set in the 1940's and it drinks it's inspiration in the noir films of the 40's and 50's. Like a masterpiece, every detail matters. From the music, the cars, the background, the story... It's kinda funny to see Los Angeles being built. Never been there, but still, it's a nice thing. The story follows Cole Phelps in his career in the Los Angeles Police Department. The point of the game is solving crimes, taking clues and leads and interrogating suspects. And here is the brilliance of this game... You have to guess if the suspect is telling the truth or lying. And you do that based on facial expressions and reactions of the suspect. It may not be a perfect system, but it's amazing how this was achieved...

The game uses Depth Analysis's MotionScan. The actors were filmed by 32 surrounding cameras to capture facial expressions from every angle, making the lying detection possible in the game. The technology made the next video possible too: a gag reel. Yes, that exactly...

Again we are watching real mistakes from the actors, a video released by Depth Analysis. This is the first motion captured blooper reel!

At the time I was playing, it felt like I was in a movie, directing it in a way. I was a part of the game by the way that I felt immersed in this world. For all that, and the brilliance of the technology used, this is an amazing title to play. Rumor has it that a sequel is on the works. Let's hope so. Bring it, bigger and better.