Comments on: In my experience, everyone lies the first time

In my experience, everyone lies the first time

The Whelk — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:14:43 -0800

A former LAPD detective gives commentary on the 1940s LAPD simulator, L.A. Noire (previously, previously, and so)

By: sideshow

sideshow — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:36:39 -0800

I think we now need Dorner's Law.

By: restless_nomad

restless_nomad — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:43:12 -0800

Ok this is fucking fabulous.

By: The Great Big Mulp

The Great Big Mulp — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:55:08 -0800

"Yeah, we don't usually get that lucky."

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:06:14 -0800

Ray Kelly watches The Naked City (1948) with a New York Times writer.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:07:14 -0800

(Kelly is the NY City police commissioner.)

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:07:17 -0800

I will say this, every time Cole Phelps picked up a bloody object with no gloves, I died a little.

By: Rustic Etruscan

Rustic Etruscan — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:11:15 -0800

This is cool. I'm surprised that "shoot at the cops and run" happens frequently enough for its occurrence here to be praised.

By: Joh

Joh — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:22:40 -0800

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet - Christian Donlan plays LA Noire with his father, who grew up in LA in the 40s. Also Christian's grandfather was a cop in LA in the 40s.

By: capricorn

capricorn — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:25:35 -0800

This is very cool, thanks for posting!

By: Old Man McKay

Old Man McKay — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:36:10 -0800

Joh: Great article. When I showed LA Noire to my grandparents, who grew up in Hollywood in the 40s, they had the same reaction. They noticed all kinds of little inaccuracies here and there, but they were still blown away by some of the details that were packed into the game (that nobody but people like them would notice). For example, the movie theater where my grandma worked during high school had its facade perfectly recreated. My grandpa's church where he went as a boy was exactly as he remembered it. They could even tell me how to navigate around Hollywood as I drove Cole Phelps around... "turn left here and you'll see the Pantages on the right side in just a bit." And there it was. The whole time they were spinning stories... "remember when we went to that restaurant after we met? Remember how your dad used to take you to this store?" A wholly imperfect game, but I appreciate the beautiful memories it gave my grandparents.

By: Harvey Kilobit

Harvey Kilobit — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:54:14 -0800

"Good evening, ma'am. I'm Detective Ken Cosgrove, Accounts."

By: Joh

Joh — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:01:14 -0800

Old Man McKay, I feel like there should be some kind of traveling LA Noire roadshow, that takes the game to people who grew up in LA during that era. They would sit down and watch the game being played just like you did with your grandparents, and video their reactions and stories. It's a fantastic way to draw memories and stories out of people and create a historical document of its own.

By: Ad hominem

Ad hominem — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:28:00 -0800

I should probably finish this game. I played straight thought, I had to know what would happen next, of course knowing that since the story drew from so many classics that there needs to be a fall from grace and an act of redemption. Well I got a far as the first but as too drained to go on. Maybe I'll replay from the beginning. I don't remember it being a very sophisticated take but it was a compelling. Noir is essentially classic tragedy, they are almost never fair by modern standards, but they are inevitable. More modern takes play with the idea that the tragic hero is not a victim of human frailty or error, but driven by a compulsion for self destruction.

By: Bwithh

Bwithh — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:59:35 -0800

"New life insurance is always a big clue."

By: thinds66

thinds66 — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:12:36 -0800

I've been playing this lately; it's been the daily deal on Steam twice in the past few months for about $5. The game is fun (gets a bit repetitive) but the cast is great. You keep bumping into people and thinking "wait, isn't that...?"... From some shows I've watched.. Kenny, Harry, Pete, and Kinsey from Mad Men, Salinger from SouthLAnd, Cousin Johnny from Justified, Walter from Fringe, the coroner from Psych, Tom the neighbor from CougarTown, Libby and the Bearded Lady from Carnivale, Weiss from Alias, even Malachai from Children of the Corn. :-)

By: dry white toast

dry white toast — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:35:05 -0800

It only recently dawned on me that Phelps was played by the same actor as Ken Cosgrove. Now I keep waiting to find out that Ken is publishing a story about a messed up LA detective in the '40s and he's leaving SCDP for the west coast.

By: Katjusa Roquette

Katjusa Roquette — Sun, 05 May 2013 02:34:25 -0800

I really like this. I am *not* a gamer, but I can relate to this game. Too few kosher delis. Those were all over the place in LA at that time. My step-dad was born there, photography was one of his hobbies. He had so many pictures of those places.

By: Ursula Hitler

Ursula Hitler — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:32:02 -0800

"They noticed all kinds of little inaccuracies here and there, but they were still blown away by some of the details that were packed into the game (that nobody but people like them would notice)." I had a similiar reaction playing True Crime: Streets of LA, which was set in a sketchy but sprawling and occasionally startlingly lifelike recreation of contemporary Los Angeles. It wasn't that they got the details right, it was more like they absolutely recreated LA's silhouette but fudged the details. What I mean is, you could drive down a familiar street and if you squinted everything looked just right, but if you looked more closely you'd see that that that one big condo on Lincoln was now an office building and the Ralph's was a movie theater. It was like visiting an alternate reality, where everything is just the same, except when it is very different. Somebody should just make "virtual city" games, where cities in different eras are recreated as faithfully as possible. I imagine a lot of people who can't afford to travel might like to visit virtual Paris, or visit their own hometown during the era when they grew up. The closest I'll ever get to visiting 1960s London is probably Destroy All Humans 2, and that ain't right.

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Sun, 05 May 2013 06:10:39 -0800

I have enjoyed L.A. Noire, but I say this as someone who has never even set foot in California. Once in a while while playing I have paused the game and gone to look at the same intersection in Google Street View and while it is often interesting, I lack a visceral connection to what is on either screen. Occasionally I muse on what the experience of the game must be like for people who live there. "Okay, looks like I have to snoop around this print shop over at Vernon and Sixth. Hunh. It is in the same spot that the burger place is now. But look -- the tailor's was a tailor then too."

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sun, 05 May 2013 07:07:07 -0800

Now I keep waiting to find out that Ken is publishing a story about a messed up LA detective in the '40s and he's leaving SCDP for the west coast. We beat you to this

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:55:07 -0800

Having played this while watching Mad Men, I now really want a sandbox intrigue set in 190s Manhattan.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:56:08 -0800

Also, I want a DLC case where a wooden fork is TOTALLY THE MOST VITAL CLUE.