Highlights
- L.A. Noire 's groundbreaking motion capture technology made it iconic, and recent advancements in facial motion capture could allow L.A. Noire 2 to achieve the same impact.
- Unreal Engine 5's Face Capture Technology offers hyper-detailed models and the ability to capture micro-expressions, providing exciting opportunities for a potential L.A. Noire sequel.
- The success of L.A. Noire is attributed largely to its use of motion capture, and while a sequel has been unlikely, modern technology could give it the boost it needs to happen.
Calls for L.A. Noire 2 have been persistent within Rockstar's community for years, despite often being overshadowed by news regarding other franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. A large part of the original title's success came from its ability to put forward groundbreaking technology in the way of motion capture, and enough time may have passed for this kind of showcase to be achieved once more.
Facial motion capture in particular was the staple of L.A. Noire, and this technology has received some significant developments in recent years. There are still a plethora of stories to be told within the franchise's universe, and L.A. Noire 2 could portray them while still possessing the wow-factor that made its predecessor so iconic.
Unreal Engine 5's Face Capture Technology
The recently released Unreal Engine 5 has created huge opportunities for video game development in a variety of ways. With Unreal 5, in-game environments can be intensely detailed and dense without compromising performance, for example. One of the main takeaways from Unreal Engine 5 came from its forwarding of motion capture technology, especially within the faces of in-game characters.
With the MetaHuman modeling tool built into Unreal 5, hyper-detailed models can be created quickly with little additional work. This technology is capable of capturing micro-expressions and fidelity in a way that the gaming industry has not seen before, with exciting new opportunities being present to truly showcase the engine's ability. When considering what kind of title could best utilize this new tech, a potential L.A. Noire 2 is one of the first releases that comes to mind.
L.A. Noire's Legacy and a Potential Sequel
L.A. Noire is a shining example of Rockstar's rare forays into ambitious side projects, away from its flagship franchises like GTA. The game was of course aided by its seedy 1950s Los Angeles setting and character-driven story, but its use of at-the-time groundbreaking tech is at the forefront of its core gameplay and overall legacy.
As L.A. detective Cole Phelps, much of L.A. Noire sees the player gather evidence, interview suspects, and solve a range of devious crimes. This gameplay is largely focused on determining the facial expressions of witnesses and suspects to determine lies, which can then be exposed by any contradictory evidence. This focus on facial motion capture brought the technology to the forefront of the gaming industry, and a sequel would have to achieve the same kind of impact.
With some thinking that L.A. Noire's success is owed to its motion capture "gimmick," it is understandable as to why Rockstar has been so apprehensive regarding a sequel to the game. However, recent tech advancements such as Unreal Engine 5 have finally created an opportunity for Rockstar to achieve similar success, allowing the L.A. Noire formula to be modernized and refined in a huge way.
L.A. Noire 2 could take the franchise to a different city and timeframe, with something like New York in the 1970s or even 80s fostering a setting as recognizable as the first's focus on Hollywood in the 50s. This kind of setting could easily be home to the same framework as the first L.A Noire, with the environments and motion capture capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 pushing this formula in a logical and impactful way. While L.A Noire 2 has always been quite improbable, the modern technology of the industry could be the boost that the title needs to come to life.
L.A. Noire is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and legacy consoles.
