Why did L.A. Noire fail?
L.A. Noire was one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2011. The open world detective thriller boasted groundbreaking motion capture technology and a sweeping recreation of 1940s Los Angeles. Developed over seven years at a cost of over $50 million, L.A. Noire was expected to revolutionize interactive storytelling and deliver a true cinematic experience. However, despite strong initial sales of nearly 5 million copies, L.A. Noire failed to achieve mainstream success or leave a lasting impact on the industry.
The hype and expectations surrounding L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire was published by Rockstar Games, the blockbuster studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series. The game had been in development for over 7 years, led by the upstart Australian team Team Bondi.
L.A. Noire made waves with its use of advanced motion capture called MotionScan to recreate extremely lifelike facial animations down to small ticks and expressions. Over 20 actors reportedly spent thousands of hours in this elaborate facial capture rig.
According to Rockstar‘s founder Sam Houser, the game was meant to push interactive storytelling to new cinematic heights:
"We believe that we can do a crime thriller that‘s more compelling than any TV show or movie, that you can play, and feel an intense emotional involvement with the characters and the unfolding drama."
The trailers showcased what looked to be an incredibly cinematic and stylish period crime drama. The hype reached fever pitch after multiple delays and rumors of a troubled development.
L.A. Noire launched in May 2011 to enthusiastic reviews, including a metascore of 89/100 on Metacritic and multiple perfect scores from major outlets:
- IGN: 10/10
- Game Informer: 9.5/10
- GameSpot: 9/10
The game shipped nearly 5 million units — an impressive figure for a new IP. However, after this strong debut, L.A. Noire quickly tapered off and failed to achieve the kind of long-term mainstream success Rockstar was used to.
The gameplay was too narrow for lasting appeal
L.A. Noire presented a novel concept on paper — using real detective skills to solve crimes in an open world setting. In practice however, the gameplay revolved heavily around just interviewing and interrogating suspects.
The actual detective gameplay mechanics involved searching environments for clues, asking witnesses and suspects probing questions, and presenting evidence to catch liars during interrogations.
While well implemented at first, these mechanics grew repetitive as the game progressed with little variation. Critics noted the lack of depth in the detective gameplay systems, and how most cases boiled down to finding the right sequence of prompts to move the case forward.
Compared to Rockstar‘s previous smash hits like GTA and Red Dead Redemption known for their varyingly gameplay and activities, L.A. Noire was seen as far too narrow in scope.
As games analyst Tom Bramwell argues:
"As a set of mechanics, L.A. Noire‘s detective gameplay lacks the diversity and versatility players expect from contemporary blockbuster games."
Thesingled-minded focus on crime scene investigations failed to captivate players in the long run.
It didn‘t innovate within the genre
L.A. Noire‘s striking use of MotionScan tech was a graphical achievement, but the game design itself was deemed largely derivative. Beyond the facial capture, L.A. Noire adhered closely to tried-and-tested open world and detective game tropes.
The mission structure revolved around visiting locations, finding clues, chasing down leads, interrogating shady characters, and getting into the occasional shootout. While well executed, none of this gameplay felt like a true evolution of the genre.
As venturebeat.com noted:
"The investigation mechanics and gunplay don’t cover any new ground in terms in gameplay innovation…You get the feeling that you’ve done all of this before in other games."
Critics argued the detective gameplay lacked depth especially compared to classics like the Phoenix Wright series which required real logic, deductions and risk taking from the player.
More recent detective games like Sherlock Holmes Chapter One have built on L.A. Noire‘s foundation with more varied cases, branching evidence trees, reconstruction mechanics and character customization.
Lackluster open world setting and characters
As an open world title from Rockstar, there was hope L.A. Noire would feature a rich interactive city brimming with personality like GTA and Red Dead.
Instead, the expansive recreation of 1940s L.A. turned out to feel oddly sterile and devoid of life outside the scripted story moments. Pedestrians and traffic were mostly window dressing with little interactivity.
Unlike the thriving ecosystems of Rockstar‘s other cities, there wasn‘t much to do in the open world beside chasing down petty crimes. Activities like side missions were extremely limited.
Central protagonist Cole Phelps also failed to resonate as a memorable Rockstar antihero. While well acted, Phelps came across as a bit plain for a leading man meant carry 25 hours of drama. Supporting characters like Roy Earle also lacked the color and magnetism expected of Rockstar casts.
Video game writer Robert Ashley lambasted the empty world and flat characters:
"L.A. Noire‘s open world is little more than elaborate window dressing when compared to the living, breathing worlds of GTA and Red Dead Redemption. And Cole Phelps is far cry from Rockstar‘s rogues gallery of charismatic criminals and antiheroes."
For a game centered on storytelling, the lack of a compelling stage and characters was a significant limitation.
Underwhelming action sequences
As an open world title with shooting and vehicular gameplay, L.A. Noire was expected to deliver exciting Hollywood-caliber action alongside the brooding drama.
Unfortunately, the game‘s shootouts, car chases and foot pursuits were widely seen as lackluster, especially measured against Rockstar‘s previous cinematic triumphs.
The clunky on-foot gunplay lacked the smooth mechanics and gory impact that won praise in Max Payne 3 released the same year. Car chases fared better, but lacked the white-knuckle thrills of GTA‘s best vehicular mayhem moments.
The lack of satisfying shooter and driving action revealed a disconnect between Team Bondi‘s more subdued sensibilities and Rockstar‘s usual high-octane style.
PC Gamer‘s investigative breakdown pinpointed the weak action as a critical flaw:
"L.A. Noire fails to deliver the thrilling Hollywood action to match its cinematic styling. The plodding shootouts and car chases are mere distractions rather than tentpole moments."
For many players, L.A. Noire‘s story could not overcome the disappointment of pedestrian gameplay failings in key areas.
Technical troubles at launch
As one of the most advanced titles of its time, L.A. Noire suffered noticeable technical growing pains especially on console.
The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were prone to significant frame rate drops, glitches, and crashes – unacceptable even by 2011 standards. The game simply pushed the aging hardware past its limits.
Rockstar struggled to patch many lingering issues. For players who persevered through the technical mishaps, the experience felt decidedly unpolished.
The shaky launch compounded the gameplay and design complaints, leaving a sour first impression for many.
Muddled overarching story
L.A. Noire excelled in delivering engrossing self-contained cases focused on individual crimes. However, the overarching story attempted to weave these together into a convoluted conspiracy proved unsatisfying.
The arson desk in particular was panned for an abrupt genre shift to action and weak connection to the central plot. The ending tried to wrap up all the disparate threads with a grand conspiracy but left many loose ends and logical gaps.
While possibly aiming for bold artistic choices, the messy narrative failed to fulfill the promises of a tightly woven cinematic saga.
What could a potential L.A. Noire 2 have improved?
Had Team Bondi continued work on a sequel, there were several clear areas for improvement based on feedback from the original:
- More varied and freeform detective gameplay allowing for greater player choice and deduction
- Expanded RPG elements like skill trees to develop Phelps‘ abilities
- A more fully interactive and organic open world environment
- More colorful side characters and cases beyond just the golden age Hollywood aesthetic
- Expanded action set pieces and mechanics to better deliver on the thrilling promise
- A streamlined overarching plot bringing the intriguing self-contained cases together more tightly
Sadly, the studio‘s closure dashed hopes of a sequel that could have built upon the original‘s strengths while rectifying critical weaknesses.
The divisive legacy
In the end, L.A. Noire stands as a flawed gem — a valiant attempt to push narrative and technology in new directions, but hobbled by by genre conventions and execution missteps.
Its legacy is caught between the game it could have been, and the merely decent one we ultimately got. For every achievement like performances and facial capture, there‘s a counterpoint like dull action or technical failings.
While succeeding as a proof of concept, L.A. Noire fell short of mainstream success due to playing it too safe in areas like gameplay and story. It failed to become the true evolution in interactive crime fiction it aspired to be.
Yet even in its imperfect state, L.A. Noire represents a captivating experience like no other for those willing dive into its unique retro crime fantasy.
