Among the powerhouse franchises of Rockstar Games, there’s also several smaller IPs that haven’t received the same widespread acclaim in quite some time. For as big as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption has become, Rockstar Games has also published titles like Bully and Midnight Club in the past. One of the more recent one-off titles in Rockstar Games’ catalogue is L.A. Noire, a high-budget detective game that featured realistic facial simulation as its defining feature. Comparatively speaking, at least as a standalone/one-off title, L.A. Noire was an incredibly ambitious effort that’s yet to see any kind of sequel or new iteration.
Despite this, Rockstar Games still touts the late-1940s detective adventure as one of its defining video game franchises. Even in spite of successful and similarly dormant franchises like Midnight Club, the one-hit wonder L.A. Noire hasn’t seen a sequel or spin-off since its original 2011 release date. Considering the triple-A development expense, many would’ve figured additional L.A. Noire-style games were on the way, and perhaps another entry is in development. L.A. Noire was an interesting proof of concept, but the game does show its age in a number of ways in 2021. Among Rockstar Games’ huge hits, L.A. Noire certainly deserves another entry/sequel in the future.
While the highly accurate facial capture technology used on L.A. Noire was beyond its time in 2011, the game hasn’t particularly aged as well in every regard. For its heavy focus on microcosmic investigations and up-close interrogation, the unnecessary open world felt comparatively empty. Some occasional side activities like patrols and petty crime reports could be taken care of by players, but they quickly became repetitive fast. It was clear that the main story’s cases were the focus of L.A. Noire‘s gameplay loop. An L.A. Noire sequel would presumably solve this problem well; whether that’s through better world-building, or making the game strictly linear.
Even facial and performance capture itself has come a long way since L.A. Noire‘s release, both in terms of visual fidelity and practicality. Games like The Last of Us 2, Uncharted 4, Detroit: Become Human, and even Red Dead Redemption 2 have far superior character animation that arguably surpasses L.A. Noire. Even if a potential sequel utilized similar photorealistic facial scanning like on the original L.A. Noire, performance capture in games is far more practical now than in 2011. The original L.A. Noire‘s development took around seven years, compared to a game with excellent performance capture like Uncharted 4, which took five years.
Putting aside technical advancements, the subgenre of detective/investigation-style adventure games has also seen plenty of love after L.A. Noire released. Recent games like Disco Elysium, the Sherlock Holmes series, Return of the Obra Dinn, Observer: System Redux, all released afterwards to great fanfare. The subgenre is showing no signs of stopping either, with Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One and several other indie detective games on the way in 2021. Another triple-A effort by Rockstar Games in the detective subgenre would only help emphasize adventure-style games even more, not to mention the brand recognition L.A. Noire has received since release.
Seeing another triple-A effort in detective games, in general, can only help emphasize the importance of a subgenre that’s already got so many great games in it. Not only would a L.A. Noire sequel boost other games in that same category, but it could also cement the franchise truly as a mainstay in Rockstar Games’ lineup. Obviously Rockstar Games fans aren’t dissatisfied with the company’s focus remaining solely on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, but expanding into L.A. Noire again wouldn’t be nonsensical. The game has retained a solid following since its release, and even if the game didn’t initially perform well, it’s certainly a long-term success.
Unfortunately, there are several factors that are working against a potential L.A. Noire sequel, assuming a new entry really is in development. For one thing, the original development team behind L.A. Noire (Team Bondi) has since disbanded after controversy behind L.A. Noire‘s grueling development conditions. The huge turnover at the studio and unethical treatment of developers left an unfortunate but important stain on an otherwise successful detective game. Of course, with Rockstar Games’ own first-party studios dealing with its own respective issues on crunch, the company would be right to keep development of a L.A. Noire sequel under wraps because of its history.
However, assuming the best-case scenario, working on a new entry in the series with a new development studio could help inject a new perspective into L.A. Noire. There’s plenty of potential in the framework of L.A. Noire expanding, whether that’s through different settings/time periods, new characters, or new gameplay mechanics. The inherent focus on reading people and determining truth from lies via interviews, at least in the way L.A. Noire presented itself, is still entirely unique. Plus, when the game was remastered, L.A. Noire was given another chance to shine. Another entry in Rockstar Games’ detective adventure IP couldn’t come at a better time.
L.A. Noire is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
MORE: L.A. Noire 2 Would Be Perfect for PS5, Xbox Series X
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