Remember L.A. Noire, Rockstar’s 1940s-themed PS3 exclusive? You know, the game that we’ve pretty much seen nothing of, except for two trailers that were released in late 2006? (The video above is the game’s full-length debut CG trailer, since you probably forgot what it looked like.) Well, the last we heard of it, development at Sydney-based studio Team Bondi was reportedly “coming along quite splendidly.” Now, Rockstar has broken its silence once again to let us know that a full reveal is finally coming next month via a “big cover story.”
This is a game that PS3 owners have been waiting forever to hear about, though I think most folks’ desire for information stems from pure curiosity at this point. Rockstar, of course, is doing its part to whet our collective appetite, saying that February’s “proper in-depth look” at the game will explain why we should care: it’s apparently “ground breaking [sic] and innovative, both in terms of the game's design and the amazing new technology to support it.” It’s certainly stuff we’ve heard before, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t true.
The phrase “cover story” obviously implies a gaming magazine; Nick Chester has his money on Game Informer (after all, Rockstar has premiered prior big-name games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Max Payne 3 in the publication). But here’s some perspective on L.A. Noire: Fronz listed it as one of his most anticipated PS3 games of 2009, and that article went up more than a year ago!
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It should stay as a ps3 exclusive because Rockstar kinda let Sony fans (everyone owned a ps2, right?) down with Grand Theft Auto 4 becoming multiplatform with the 360 getting exclusive content. This and Agent could help the ps3 gain more momentum. If both get released on time.
@ LazyEyelids - yea i kinda agree - I like when games go multiplatform, since I have alot more friends with 360's than ps3s, but when u release a game for 2 sytems, shouldnt the dlc be available for both systems also?
news moar. Noire was never an exclusive in the first place, having rockstar mentioning "next generation consoles" a while back while sony was doing the misleading that it was exclusive. and at this point, i doubt Agent barely exists and was just in the concept phase of that one's announcement, which was purely for hype - no footage of Agent exists outside of that teaser with just the title. the gta4 sales would indicate otherwise that rockstar would be very unwise sticking with a ps3 exclusive.
@lazy: not all ps2 owners were sony fans per se. many 360 owners owned a ps2 and not all ps3 owners owned a ps2 (well that would've been diferent if BC were still existant). therefore rockstar doesn't "owe" sony anything if the people who enjoyed GTA on the ps2 are spread out (i myself played the GTAs on the PC up till now). sony is just exercising the cheque book. you're working off predications in your logic.
Somehow I doubt that LA Noire will ultimately be a PS3 Exclusive. The main reason for this is the development of Agent. That on the other hand most likely will be a PS3 exclusive.
@Genebeef
Apparently you don't know Rockstar all that well. EEDAR Director Jesse Divinich has described Rockstar as a very intrepid developer that would do a PS3 exclusive and make it profitable just for the challenge. Not only that but since the release of the PS3 Slim the PS3s user base has grown considerably and will likely grow further still with the continued release of heavy hitting PS3 exclusives like God of War 3.
Furthermore there is this quote from Ben Feder, the president of Rockstar "parent" Take-two interactive: "I have a lot of confidence in Sony. I have a lot of confidence in their ability to lead the market, as they always have. Their console is a terrific platform to be developing for, and Agent is a great testament as to our belief in what that platform can do, and what they can do with us as part of a partnership."
Here is also a Q and A from Rockstar's blog:
The question posed was, “I was highly anticipating the release of The Ballad Of Gay Tony, but just found out that it is only on the XBox360. I am certain that I am not the first person to ask this, but how come it wasn’t released on the PS3?”
Which Rockstar replied, “We know that it continues to be an often-asked question – and believe us, we understand the frustration of PS3 owners like yourself who haven’t been able to play any of our most recent releases. All we can say is that we at Rockstar promise to be very good to you with our releases in 2010. Please stay with us and stay tuned!”
And finally here's one from the Playstation blog:
This is Michael Shorrock. I’m the Director of 3rd Party Relations at SCEA. As you may have seen this morning/last night on GameHead with Geoff Keighley, we are announcing that a new franchise from Rockstar Games will be exclusive to PS3. As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we’ve agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios.
Everyone knows to have success in this business you need to look ahead, identifying the talent and titles that are going to give consumers new kinds of gaming experiences that help set the bar for the rest of the industry. Rockstar has a heritage for doing just that. We have had incredible success with the GTA franchise and are happy to continue to offer those titles on our platforms, and even more excited about what’s to come from the current and future relationship between our companies. Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3, harnessing the power of CELL and Blu-ray disc and this deal lets them do just that.. This is really a win-win situation for both companies. As Jack mentioned in the interview with Geoff, this franchise is not LA Noire, but something all new. We agreed with Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software that we wouldn’t disclose anything more about the deal or title at this time, so stay tuned, we’ll share more info as soon as we can.
I hope this thing isn't PS3-exclusive anymore. Listen, I know 360 has two exclusive DLC packs, but DLC does not equal a full Rockstar game (Even though they were both long as shit). Hopefully PS3 doesn't get both Agent and L.A. Noire, even though I'm sure they'll make their way to other systems at some point (When was the last time Rockstar released a game exclusively for one console? Yeah, long time).
I'm a sucker for anything in the Phillip Marlowe/Sam Spade, L.A. Confidential style, so this is a day one purchase for me. *sigh* why can't men wear fedoras and trench coats anymore? When did it become okay to go out in public wearing sweat pants and baseball caps....sorry, I'm off topic.
I'm almost certain that L.A. Noir is a multi-plat title. If it hasn't already been confirmed I'd be willing to bet that it will be in this "cover story". I'm really excited for this. So much thematic potential.
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Contest:
7:00 AM on 01.22.2010
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Like now.
An action game does not become "noir" by throwing in some jazz and filters.
Love it.
I remember it was once a Sony published "PS3 exclusive" and remember when it changed to Rockstar published "next generation consoles".
Also, The Agency is the confirmed exclusive. A long time back, they said they had one exclusive for PS3, not two.
The film noire is, at the very least, a refreshing concept.
@lazy: not all ps2 owners were sony fans per se. many 360 owners owned a ps2 and not all ps3 owners owned a ps2 (well that would've been diferent if BC were still existant). therefore rockstar doesn't "owe" sony anything if the people who enjoyed GTA on the ps2 are spread out (i myself played the GTAs on the PC up till now). sony is just exercising the cheque book. you're working off predications in your logic.
I'm pretty sure that the last news (or rumor) I heard about La Noire was that it had gone multiplatform so that's probably a safe bet.
Though for PS3 only fanboy owners it will be something for them to foam about.....
But as we've seen before....being labeled exclusive hardly guarantees a AAA game....on 360 or PS3.
@Genebeef
Apparently you don't know Rockstar all that well. EEDAR Director Jesse Divinich has described Rockstar as a very intrepid developer that would do a PS3 exclusive and make it profitable just for the challenge. Not only that but since the release of the PS3 Slim the PS3s user base has grown considerably and will likely grow further still with the continued release of heavy hitting PS3 exclusives like God of War 3.
Furthermore there is this quote from Ben Feder, the president of Rockstar "parent" Take-two interactive: "I have a lot of confidence in Sony. I have a lot of confidence in their ability to lead the market, as they always have. Their console is a terrific platform to be developing for, and Agent is a great testament as to our belief in what that platform can do, and what they can do with us as part of a partnership."
Here is also a Q and A from Rockstar's blog:
The question posed was, “I was highly anticipating the release of The Ballad Of Gay Tony, but just found out that it is only on the XBox360. I am certain that I am not the first person to ask this, but how come it wasn’t released on the PS3?”
Which Rockstar replied, “We know that it continues to be an often-asked question – and believe us, we understand the frustration of PS3 owners like yourself who haven’t been able to play any of our most recent releases. All we can say is that we at Rockstar promise to be very good to you with our releases in 2010. Please stay with us and stay tuned!”
And finally here's one from the Playstation blog:
This is Michael Shorrock. I’m the Director of 3rd Party Relations at SCEA. As you may have seen this morning/last night on GameHead with Geoff Keighley, we are announcing that a new franchise from Rockstar Games will be exclusive to PS3. As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we’ve agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios.
Everyone knows to have success in this business you need to look ahead, identifying the talent and titles that are going to give consumers new kinds of gaming experiences that help set the bar for the rest of the industry. Rockstar has a heritage for doing just that. We have had incredible success with the GTA franchise and are happy to continue to offer those titles on our platforms, and even more excited about what’s to come from the current and future relationship between our companies. Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3, harnessing the power of CELL and Blu-ray disc and this deal lets them do just that.. This is really a win-win situation for both companies. As Jack mentioned in the interview with Geoff, this franchise is not LA Noire, but something all new. We agreed with Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive Software that we wouldn’t disclose anything more about the deal or title at this time, so stay tuned, we’ll share more info as soon as we can.
I've got a coat I feel is up to the task. Lacking a fedora though.
Fucking music.
Now I'm interested.
Although they have a lot on their plate to handle with Max Payne 3, etc.