Your interrogation skills will be put to the test in upcoming detective game L.A. Noire.
Image courtesy Rockstar Games

NEW YORK — L.A. Noire is not your average Rockstar game.

On first glance, it might appear to be in the same vein as the company’s acclaimed open-world action games Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. But L.A. Noire, to be released May 17 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, is a detective story that feels like a big-budget version of Ace Attorney: Investigations.

It’s not about causing havoc or even exploring the world of 1940s Los Angeles. Though a sprinkling of car chases, fisticuffs and gunfights spice it up with action, L.A. Noire is first and foremost about finding clues, interrogating witnesses and solving crimes.

After playing L.A. Noire for an hour at Rockstar Games’ Manhattan offices Thursday afternoon, it seems likely to me that the game will be a unique, engaging experience — a standout among this year’s deluge of sequels and clones.

The case Rockstar showed me, a homicide called “The Silk Stocking Murder,” started off on a morbid note as I was asked to investigate the nude, bloodied corpse of a murder victim. After a few conversations with the other cops at the scene, I could walk around the body, hunting for clues as to what had happened.

New evidence, locations and people of interest were automatically added to my notebook, making for a handy reference as I explored the crime scene. A piano chime sounded whenever I approached a piece of evidence, helping me figure out when to take a closer look at the things around me. A Rockstar rep noted that sometimes the clues turn out to be totally irrelevant, and it would be my task as a detective to flush out the red herrings.

Eventually I found a trail of blood.

Eventually I found a trail of blood, which I followed across a series of fire escapes and rooftops, collecting evidence along the way. At the end of the trail, which protagonist Phelps pointed out might have been an intentional setup, I discovered the final piece to this particular puzzle — the second half of a library card containing the victim’s address.

So I headed to the victim’s apartment, where I searched the building for clues and spoke to the neighbors about what they might have heard. I sat down and questioned the landlord, which is where the game’s brilliant facial animations really came into play: As she talked, I had to look at her facial expressions to determine whether she was telling the truth.

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