noir

Streaming game service OnLive is coming to iPad, iPhone, Android tablets, and even the Kindle Fire, thanks in part to a new universal wireless controller.

Previously, the service was available on PCs (Windows and OS X), as well as TVs, via a standalone interface called the MicroConsole (there was also an iPad app that allowed you to watch games being played on the service, but not play them yourself). The new wireless controller, an updated version of the previous PC/MicroConsole OnLive wireless controller, uses Bluetooth to connect to iOS and Android devices, working hand-in-hand with a dedicated OnLive app for each platform.

If you're not familiar with the OnLive streaming game service, it's essentially cloud-based PC gaming. The original PC client allows nearly any laptop or desktop to play high-end PC games by offloading the CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks of actually running the game software to a remote render farm, then beaming the gameplay back to you as a streaming video.

The game library mixes a handful of new, hit games with some older, casual, and indie games, and most of the 200-odd titles will be playable on Android tablets, the iPad, and even smartphones. Some of these devices, such as the Kindle Fire, can play only a smaller subset of games via onscreen controls, as they currently lack any way to connect the wireless controller (and the Nook Tablet is not supported yet). OnLive will also work over AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE networks, on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, and HTC Jetstream.… Read more

To get the visuals it was looking for in L.A. Noire, its new detective game, video game maker Rockstar Games used 3D motion-capture technology called MotionScan.

In this video, GameSpot's Dan Chiappini sits down with Oliver Bao from Depth Analysis, the company that makes MotionScan, to get a deeper look at how the technology was used--and where it can go from here.

In keeping with today's trend of gaming pay services, Rockstar Games has announced L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass, a one-time DLC preorder that will lock in all the game's current and upcoming DLC.

L.A. Noire is a massive 17-hour or more undertaking, but players will now have the option to take on additional cases, challenges, and unlock new suits today and throughout the summer.

Until June 14, the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass will be discounted ($10) on both the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. Afterwards, items return to their normal individual prices.

Click through for a breakdown of each DLC item's release date and price.… Read more

For all the accomplishments of the video game industry, there are still barriers that interactive entertainment has yet to break. Many games look fantastic and play well, but with few if any exceptions, there remains a stubborn wall between the player/observer and the characters in the game world (sometimes linked to the evolving "Are games art?" debate). There are many symptoms of this phenomenon, from stiff animation to stilted dialogue to unconvincing voiceover work, and the situation now is only marginally better than it was when I started writing about games more than a decade ago (many players can name a handful of choice performances, but these are the rare exception, rather than the rule).

Coming closest, in recent memory at least, to bridging that gap (which is much deeper than the typical explanation of an "uncanny valley" between near-photographic images and reality) is L.A. Noire, a gritty detective story set in 1940s Los Angeles. The combination of careful writing (much rarer in interactive entertainment than it should be), a cast of competent professional actors, and a few bits of new technology, puts the game leaps and bounds past the typical action/adventure experience, where it usually feels like most in-game conversations exist only to push the kind of dull exposition that would make David Mamet's head spin.

I've criticized some of my otherwise favorite games for this very problem, saying of Dragon Age, for example, that the game was buried under uptight, wooden characterizations that come off like the dated, stagy delivery of an old fantasy film. Arguably among recent games the inventive detective thriller Heavy Rain probably came closest to surmounting these obstacles--or at least bravely attempting to.

So, why is effective storytelling, as seen in television programs such as "Mad Men" or "The Wire", such a difficult task for video games, where paradoxically nearly any setting, character, or event imaginable is just a few keyboard strokes away for an able team of programmers and artists? … Read more

Tune in to today's episode of preGame for an extended demo of the 1940s thrilling crime drama L.A. Noire. We'll play nearly an entire case to give you an idea of what all three types of gameplay include, and how to make your way through investigations, interrogations, and more.

Need more coverage of Rockstar Games' blockbuster? Make sure to read our review on Crave.

Want to be a part of our live taping? Make sure you head to http://cnet.com/live/pregame every Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT.

Got an idea for preGame? E-mail us! … Read more

Following up what we thought was 2010's best game of the year is no small task, but if there's one developer/publisher powerhouse that can handle the pressure, it's certainly Rockstar Games. From a pairing with Sydney-based developer Team Bondi, L.A. Noire was born, with preproduction dates ranging as far back as 2004.

It's certainly been a long road for the massive title, involving more than 400 actors, more than 20 hours of voice acting, and the invention of a whole new technology to capture realistic facial expressions. Our eyes having been glued to the TV for every waking hour of the past few days, we're ready to share our final thoughts.

First, a little background: L.A. Noire is a crime drama-thriller set in 1940s Los Angeles. Players assume the role of Cole Phelps, a war-hero-turned-cop who is in the process of making his way up in the ranks of the L.A.P.D. In a notoriously violent time in L.A.'s past, Phelps finds himself confronted with an unsettling number of possibly connected murder cases.

Of course, the game borrows its name from the film noir genre, dating back to crime dramas of the '40s and '50s that used stylized cinematography and the high contrast of gritty black and white for dramatic effect. While L.A. Noire is presented in color, players have the option of choosing black and white in the display settings.

Every effort was made to recapture the Los Angeles of 1947, from the painstaking details of a residential kitchen to the historic landmarks on the outskirts of town. Aerial photographs, blueprints, public records--just about every resource available--was consulted in the game's reconstruction of the city and the result is absolutely astonishing.… Read more

What a week for video game news! As PSN outages continue to plague PlayStation 3s, Sony has finally declared the incident a "compromise of personal information" and a "malicious act." Does this mean our credit card info has been tossed into the Internet void? Nevermind that, we just want to be able to play Mortal Kombat online again.

Last night's Tribeca Film Festival screening of L.A. Noire marked the first time a video game was spotlighted at the big event. Jeff was there for the screening and Q&A that preceded; plus he'll give us some thoughts on an entire case he played a few weeks ago.

Since Nintendo has confirmed that the successor to the Wii will debut at E3 2011 and go on sale next year, we'll play an interesting voicemail that speculates on how players will interact with the new console.… Read more

Rockstar Games has earned an elite reputation for developing and publishing innovative and iconic video game software, most recently displayed by the success of the in-house developed Red Dead Redemption (which is also our pick for 2010's game of the year).

This spring, Rockstar Games is teaming up with Australian developer Team Bondi to bring us L.A. Noire, a thrilling crime drama that takes place in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Only since this past November has the gaming community been exposed to L.A. Noire's artistic styling, seen through a series of Hollywood-grade cinematic trailers.

Though the acting and performances appear top notch, the real star of the game has to be MotionScan technology. For the first time during in-game action, MotionScan gives characters shockingly realistic facial expressions, which in this case features Aaron Staton ("Mad Men"), John Nobile ("Fringe"), and many more. We spoke with Brendan McNamara, founder of Team Bondi, about how L.A. Noire's critical-thinking gameplay relies on this technology, and how implementing it went far beyond traditional motion capture. Little has been disclosed about how exactly L.A. Noire will play, and McNamara was able to provide some insight as to what gamers can expect.… Read more

After getting some healthy hands-on time with the Nintendo 3DS last week, Jeff brings his impressions to today's episode of preGame. We'll also discuss some of the recently leaked details regarding Sony's PSP2, though we're anticipating more information on the yet-to-be-announced portable later in the week.

While we don't have a game to demo this week, we do have some show and tell in the form of the Astro A40 Wireless System headphones specifically designed for gaming. They may be a bit pricey, but Jeff will tell us why they're among the best-sounding gaming … Read more