Impressions: LA Noire's Investigation & Interrogation Trailer

Rockstar Games recently released the latest in a series of trailers for their 1940's crime drama LA Noire, this one focusing on both the investigative and interrogative tactics used by the game's main character, Cole Phelps, a police officer moving up through the ranks in Los Angeles. One of the hallmarks of the title, which have been talked about extensively in interviews and developer videos, is the facial animation technology for this game, which records a motion-capture actor/actress' every facial expression and then transfers both their likeness and their facial nuances into the game at a near-perfect level (it's really something to see - check out the trailer for some examples; I'll include a previous video at the end of this post, as well as the facial animation tech video).

The Good:
Facial Animations: This is a whole new level of motion capture; it almost makes Uncharted look not as incredible as it is. Almost. Every wrinkle, every sneer, every blank expression on someone's face is captured. If you look closely, you'll see that they are using Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman from Heroes and veteran video game voice actor), John Noble (Walter Bishop), as well as a few others (anyone recognize a Dinner For Schmucks alum?).

Gameplay: It looks very similar in gameplay to both Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, which makes sense given that they have the same developer. The similarity does not bother me; both GTA and Red Dead were awesome games, so it bodes well for this title!

Interrogation: From the small snippets they show of it in the trailer, it looks well thought out. Your questions and line of questioning being based on the subtle facial tics displayed by the alleged perpetrator is a very fresh idea and, if it plays anything like it looks in the trailer, should be nerve-wracking (in a good way) in the game. I'd be curious to know if you can fail a case in the game?

The Bad/ The "Why?"
Color Palette: Maybe it's just me, and it's not all the time in the trailer, but I feel like the colors look a bit washed out on occasion, especially when it comes to character's faces and clothing; skin is a pale, blanket color occasionally, and suits look like they've been white-washed. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but definitely something I'd watch for in later trailers.