L.A Noire

 
  The latest creation from Rockstar Games and Team Bondi Studios out in Australia provides us with a fully recreated 8 by 8 square mile historically accurate version of 1947 Los Angeles. Rockstar and Team Bondi have set out to create a rich noir crime story and succeeded spectacularly. But Jake, you say. This is not a game blog, so why are you reviewing video games? Well i'll tell you. L.A Noire is not your typical mystery game, L.A Noire has something special about it, something no other video game has attempted before. Using a new technology called MotionScan (developed by Depth Analysis), Rockstar and Team Bondi have pushed the envelope of human qualities in a game. Every glance, twitch, nod is captured and transfered to an animated character to be used in the game, you will see no blank faces or any static characters, for all the acting and facial movements in this game are done by real actors.

Aaron Stanton reciting lines. ((Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

  Aaron Stanton from Mad Men plays a lead role, as he sits in a chair in his orange jumpsuit plastered with tiny balls in front of 32 cameras, he is made to recite lines just as he normally would on a hollywood set; but instead there are no co-stars or props, only his face. And only a few days later his image is recreated into his character in the game. Thanks to MotionScan technology, video games can now be given cinematic elements that are desperately missing, this opens up a new door in the world of interactive entertainment and L.A Noire is at the Frontline.

(Property of Rockstar Games/ Team Bondi)

L.A Noire is out right now, and is the only video game to be featured at the Tribeca Film Festival.