L.A.NOIRE (with 'The Naked City' case) PlayStation 3

Released on 20/05/2011

L.A. Noire on PS3 Includes:

• The Naked City: In this bonus case from L.A. Noire’s Vice Desk, detective Cole Phelps investigates the supposed suicide of a stunning fashion model. Can you help Cole unravel the truth in a city blighted by drugs, corruption and greed, where the death of a beautiful woman is never as straightforward as it seems?
• The Badge Pursuit: Hidden around L.A. Noire's beautiful recreation of 1947 Los Angeles are 20 police badges to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked which provides extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides 5 additional XP which will help further unlock Intuition Points – special credits that can be used to give Phelps a key investigative insight when you need it most.

L.A. Noire on PS3

Amid the post-war boom of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Cole Phelps, an LAPD detective is thrown headfirst into a city drowning in its own success. Corruption is rampant, the drug trade is exploding, and murder rates are at an all-time high. In his fight to climb the ranks and do what’s right, Phelps must unravel the truth behind a string of arson attacks, racketeering conspiracies and brutal murders, battling the L.A. underworld and even members of his own department to uncover a secret that could shake the city to its rotten core. Using groundbreaking new animation technology that captures every nuance of an actor’s facial performance in astonishing detail, L.A. Noire is a violent crime thriller that blends breathtaking action with true detective work to deliver an unprecedented interactive experience. Search for clues, chase down suspects and interrogate witnesses as you struggle to find the truth in a city where everyone has something to hide.

• LA Noire is a biiig game

  If you're looking for a game that you can really get stuck into, you're probably going to enjoy LA Noire. Rockstar's just announced that the latest crime game from the makers of GTA IV and cowboy classic Red Dead Redemption will take you anything from 25 to 30 hours to see through to completion. Woo!

  In a report on PlayStation Life, the developer explained that between the story campaign's "assigned cases" and "unassigned cases" which act like side-quests in an RPG, there's more than enough content to keep you plugging away for hours and hours. There's also plenty of scope for the developers to bulk up that time by adding new cases via DLC.

  That's not the only reason to get excited, however. Set in an LA straight out of Raymond Chandler, Rockstar's latest is a fascinating detective game that sees you investigating gruesome crimes by interrogating suspects and chasing down perps. The facial capturing technology really breaks new ground in terms of digital acting, and you can always rely on the people who made GTA IV to lay on a great script.

  LA Noire is almost here, too. It will be released in the UK on 20th May, and will be available for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

• LA Noire headed to the PC

  It been selling like crazy on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and now LA Noire is headed to the PC. Rockstar announced that the brilliant open world crime game will be making the leap in platforms at some point this autumn.

  And it good news for all you PC owners out there, because along with the game youl be getting 3D support, improved graphical capabilities and gamepad functionality, should you want it.

  Best of all, though, you get one of the cleverest and most engaging new games in years: a crime drama of real subtly and emotion as you rise through the ranks of the 1940 LA police department, solving crimes, bagging perps, and getting in one or two gunfights along the way.

  At the centre of the experience is a new facial capturing system which allows Rockstar to create some of the most realistic acting performances wee ever seen in a game. It a good thing too, as a lot of the action revolves around questioning witnesses and trying to work out whether or not theye telling you the truth about things.

  Wel get you that PC release date as soon as we have it.

• The Best Games of 2011... So Far!

  The Best Games of 2011...So Far!

  Summer can be torture for us gamers. It's the slow season, when publishers hold back their biggest releases for Christmas and we're forced to venture outside, blinking and confused, in the hope of a few days of decent sunshine.

  It doesn't have to be this way though. True, July may not bring much in the way of blockbuster releases, but why not take advantage of the lull and catch up on some of the great games that have already been released? Here's our pick of the year so far.

  

  Killzone 3

  Sony got 2011 off to a bruising start with this hefty, punishing first person shooter which surely ranks as one of the most visually stunning games of this console generation. Trapped on the toxic planet of Helghan, you'll battle your way through some of the most memorable action set-pieces in the genre as Guerilla Games shows you just how high the FPS bar has been raised. Also playable in 3D and with PlayStation Move, Killzone 3 is a taste of the future of shooters today.

  "One of the most visually stunning games of this console generation."

  

  Brink

  If you prefer your shooting action a little more fluid and team-based, this striking multiplayer mash-up from Splash Damage hits all the right notes. Playing as either Security or Rebel forces on a ramshackle floating city gone to ruin, the ability to run, scramble and leap over scenery with a single button press opens up the traditional deathmatch action in fresh new ways. Add in some of the best character customisation ever seen in a shooter, and the option to play offline against AI bots, and you've got one of the smartest genre refinements in years.

  "One of the smartest genre refinements in years."

  

  Mortal Kombat

  How do you expect to FINISH HIM if you haven't even started yet? OK, so the Mortal Kombat series hasn't been in the best of health in recent years, but this blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right you can safely start over with this one. It's simply a blistering one-on-one fighting game, with an array of well balanced classic characters, but it's the ridiculous gore that makes it stick in the mind, like a ruddy big kitchen knife. Bodies are sliced, diced, crushed and skewered with savage abandon, so even if you're getting beaten to a squishy pulp it's impossible not to be entertained.

  "This blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right."

  

  Portal 2

  Maybe you prefer a little more wit and style in your gaming? If that's the case then the lovely polished geniuses at Valve have you covered. This sequel to their oddball Orange Box bonus game is a master-class in interactive storytelling, as Stephen Merchant's quirky robot walks you through another mind-bending series of space-warping puzzle rooms. Effortlessly building on the potential of the already brilliant original, Portal 2 even offers a completely separate series of co-op multiplayer puzzles, making it an unmissable package.

  "A master-class in interactive storytelling."

  

  L.A. Noire

  Rockstar takes us back to the Los Angeles of the 1940s in this critically acclaimed adventure, which benefits from the most stunningly realised characters in gaming history. As Cole Phelps you move from beat cop to homicide detective, uncovering conspiracies and solving serial slayings in a city that's drowning in sleaze in L.A. Noire. Ground-breaking facial capture techniques mean that catching the culprit is only half the job you then have to outsmart them in nail-biting interrogations where every twitch of the lips or flicker of the eyelids can be a clue. Truly a game that has to be played to be believed.

  "Ground-breaking facial capture means that catching the culprit is only half the job."

  

  3DS

  Feeling a little flush? Fancy treating yourself to a whole new gaming system? The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library, with must-haves like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time now reworked in astonishing glasses-free 3D. The wireless StreetPass lets you swap game data with passing strangers, there are built-in Augmented Reality games, and it can even take 3D photos. Just like its predecessor, the DS, this is a handheld that will only get better with age. Jump aboard now and ride the wave!

  "The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library."

• LA Noire comes to PC in November

  After waiting patiently for six months, presumably while chewing a matchstick and talking about 'dames', wannabe 1940s detective types will finally get their hands on Rockstar's LA Noire in November.

  The technically accomplished adventure earned acres of press coverage for its ground breaking performance capture technology, which added realistic faces and genuine performances from recognisable actors to an adventure steeped in corruption and conspiracy.

  PC players will at least save money, as they receive all the downloadable bonus cases for free. These include The Naked City, A Slip of the Tongue, Nicholson Electroplating, Reefer Madness and The Consul's Car.

  The cost of those lifelike animations is pretty steep, however. A minimum 2Gb RAM is recommended, with 16Gb of hard drive space needed to contain post-war Los Angeles in all its seedy glory.

  LA Noire is out on PC on November 11th, and is available now for Xbox 360 and PS3.

• Rockstar "considering" LA Noire 2

  A sequel to last year's acclaimed detect-em-up may be in the offing according to a Rockstar spokesperson, but don't expect it any time soon.

  "Don't count out the possibility of a new game in the L.A. Noire franchise in the future," was the reply posted on Rockstar's forum after a fan enquired whether we'd be seeing more period detective action. "We simply have not decided anything," continued the post. "We're all very pleased with how that game turned out and are considering what the future may hold for L.A. Noire as a series."

  Despite healthy sales and critical acclaim, LA Noire developer Team Bondi flew to pieces shortly after release, amid accusations of unpleasant working conditions. Rockstar owns the series, however, and may decide to continue with a sequel in its own style.

  The publisher won't be hurrying a Part 2 onto shelves for the sake of a fast buck, however. "We don't always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won't get to them eventually - see Max and Red Dead for evidence of that - we have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing."

  Rockstar is certainly busy at the moment. As well as the upcoming Max Payne 3, due in the UK on May 18th, there's also the small matter of Grand Theft Auto V, announced last November. Details on that game are still scarce, but Rockstar plans to start dishing the dirt soon.

  "We know that there are a ton of questions you all have about the game, including release date and lots else," is the official line. "Right now, we are very hard at work on the game and are excited as well to show and tell you more as development progresses - expect that we'll be talking much more about GTAV starting at some point in a few months' time."

  Published: 14/02/2012

• Batman and LA Noire lead 2012 Video Game BAFTA nominations

  The finalists for the 2012 British Academy Video Game Awards have been announced, and this year everyone will be watching the detectives, as Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire top the lists with eight nominations apiece.

  Sony will be happy that Uncharted 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 both get six nominations, while Skyrim and Portal 2 each have five.

  Categories include Action, Artistic Achievement, Design, Story, Innovation and, of course, Best Game. Batman and LA Noire rub shoulders with FIFA 12, Portal 2, Skyrim and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in that category. The omission of best-seller Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may raise eyebrows, but that gets a nod in both the Action and Multiplayer categories.

  Promising indie projects get a look in thanks to the Dare to be Digital One's To Watch award, and there's also a public vote, with ten blockbuster games to choose between. You can head to http://www.baftagameaward.com to pick your favourite.

  The winners will be announced at a sure-to-be-lavish ceremony on March 16th.

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