LAPD Homicide Detective details L.A. Noire's inaccuracies

by Jordan Mallory on Jul 3rd 2011 2:30PM

Sure, Rockstar's detective simulator L.A. Noire is popular, but is it accurate? If hard-pressed, could Noire train someone to solve a real-life murder, or would they make a hash of it and go to prison forever and ever? We're really hoping it's the former: Ever since Joystiq PD's Homicide Desk got wiped out by the recession, we've had a lot of unsolved murders piling up around here. Like, a lot.

Thankfully, long-time LAPD veteran Skip Bauchman (yes, his real name) is here to tell us just how true-to-life Rockstar's true-to-life melodrama really is in the G4 video above. It's all fascinating stuff, but after watching the interview we're starting to think L.A. Noire hasn't given us the skill-set necessary to finally figure out who shot J.R.

[Thanks Michael!]

Source: G4TV

Tags: chris-grant-is-dead-miss-him-miss-him, LA-Noire, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, RockStar, Rockstar-Games, xbox

Reader Comments (43)

L. A Noire's note real? Damn. Here I thought it was a factual, accurate portrayal of the life of a 1947 detective.

Woe is me. Thankfully, G4 TV was here to correct me.

the first thing he says is "i can't really speak to what they did in the 40s" making this entire video moot.

@sinai

well, yeah. It's cool they got an interview with a detective but maybe an historian would have been more relevant?

It's like interviewing a 40 year old doctor to point out what went wrong in "Hospital Game 1920."

@arkweld

agree completely should have gotten a historian.

@sinai
Not really. The people that made the game weren't detectives in the 40's either and this guy is at least a detective today. He probably has a better idea than what the employees of rockstar have.

@barkie You've seen previous articles where they dug up aerial photos of old LA to reconstruct what the town looked like. SURELY they did their homework on historic investigation techniques.

@Once known as Shadsy

That's pretty much it. I'd believe a bunch of programmers who actually looked into the historical techniques rather than someone who uses modern techniques daily for detective work.

Just as with IT, you don't learn to program an ABC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff%E2%80%93Berry_Computer), any detective training now relies on modern techniques.

@barkie

anyone who has ever seen television could probably point out that Cole is contaminating a crime scene, doesn't read Miranda rights, you shouldn't run over pedestrians and knock down lamps, you should get fingerprints, don't handle murder weapons etc. under modern investigative procedure.

You don't really need an expert to tell you what cop shows have been showing for decades. That's one of the attractions of the game setting. It's outside of the normal police procedural. Where instinct and brute force solved crimes instead of science and technology and there wasn't much difference between a suspect and a witness..

@arkweld

Well, Miranda rights didn't become a practice until after 1966. So ... yeah.

@arkweld

Also, forensics back then weren't anything like it is today. Once the initial people got there, photographed everything, and marked the evidence, there wasn't really anything to contaminate. Fingerprints don't automatically override other fingerprints, so when they pull prints from a gun or knife, and they see Cole's and Joe Blow's, they know they can ignore Cole's.

@sinai

not to mention the fact that he's black. i don't imagine there were a whole lot of black homicide detectives back in the 40's or 50's, even in L.A.

@Once known as Shadsy they may have, but they probably also chose to ignore certain, boring components of it. Would anyone actually enjoy equipping gloves or even watching a glove putting on animation before checking evidence? No.

Remember kids, when you find a murder victim, DONT TOUCH! Find an adult from the next century so the crime scene can remain intact. And just say no to picking up murder weapons by the hilt kids!

Yeah, I found out the hard way that games don't prepare you for the real world.

Apparently, a perfect run of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is not an acceptable alternative to passing your state's bar exam. For some strange reason.

@slickie

LOOOOOL, omg I'm in tears right now

@slickie

I don't know about that. The game Operation made me the surgeon I am today.

BUZZZZ ah crap, I screwed up the removal of my patient's wish bone.

Clearly a historically accurate game

@chocobox

That's correct.
Instead, during the 40s if a Detective found all the important clues, they'd bring out the marching band and have them play "saints come marching in".
They also worked with a 10 gold star system, not 5. All the best detectives had rows of golden star stickers covering their desks, and if you hit 100, you win a prize!

Crap. Next they'll be telling us that WWII wasn't one by a lone soldier killing hundreds of Nazis all on his own.

@Breakdown
It wasn't. WWII was actually won by six soldiers, the Cobras.

@Breakdown

Actually... It was.

But in order to explain how, I'd have to get in depth into quantum physics and theoretical sciences involving DeLoreans, crazy-white-haired scientists, and the poor soldier who knew him.

@chocobox

Yeah, and normally I'm a stickler for grammar. Good catch.

he clearly didn't answer the most important question? how many empty bottles do detectives pick up when they're doing an investigation?

@neilbasini

If he's anything like me, every damn bottle in that alleyway or kitchen, because you never know.

So I should probably take "Platinum Trophy'd L.A. Noire" off of my resume?

It's Griffin killing the interns, Joystiq. One of the survivors contacted me.

@original fred
They're just interns, who cares? You can get them a dime a dozen down at Sams Club, that's where I buy them. Even have a Lifetime Guarantee, wherein if they die, Sams Club comes out and cleans it all up free of charge.

You mean getting in someone's face and yelling when you doubt their story isn't an accurate depiction of how detectives investigate?

@Faceless Troll
I thought that's what all detectives did.

WHAT there were no supercars and gold movie reels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i'll never trust another rock star game ever!!

Thanks to the last line of this article, now I feel old. Thanks, Joystiq, haha.

As for any inaccurate information & locations, as long as no one is breakdancing next to a boombox or modding a Scion car, it's not that huge of a concern, heh.

"I'm a black man with a gun. When they see that they thinking they getting robbed." I loled.

@Kougeru

Agh vaguely racist jokes. Even the race they're directed at find them funny.

@Dooliss
Who do you think that joke is directed at? I'm pretty sure it's to make fun of people who believe in stereotypes.

@Dooliss
I'm pretty sure that wasn't a joke,it's the truth. That's also what makes it funny.

Cole Phelps find evidences at a crime scene, drive across L.A., interrogate numerous people, and arrest the person all in one day. Its not only one crime he solved, but it can be 2 to 3 different case in a day and Phelps magically solve them all. Sometime I thought he was the one that cause the crimes and just frame a random person.

@chocobox

no horns, but every squad car was equipped with a pianist to walk you through crime scenes with a plinky plink noise.

"I can't really speak to what they did in the 40's.." *Stops watching*

Yeah, L.A. Noire isn't a very realistic game, I know...

The real question is, what about Police Quest?

My question is...who cares if it's real? Is it fun? Yes. That is all that matters. That's like having an interview with a ninja to see if Ninja Gaiden is an accurate portrayal ninjas.

@DarqueDragonus

Not accurate. In Ninja Gaiden there is obviously a fantastical twist to being a ninja. LA Noire presents you with a premise that is supposed to be more of a simulation, or at least closer to reality.

Which is complete and utter bull, mind. It's an experience. It doesn't revolve around realism because utter realism really kinda sucks.

I'm surprised the guy didn't complain Cole can take several shots to the chest, take a breather, and then take a couple more.

@SpiderKnives

I get what you are saying, but I meant it that way. I was exaggerating to prove my point. It may be based on a realistic concept, but even he would not play the game if it were truly realistic. If you died after one shot, or had to wait several in-game days to get the info you needed to break the case, even he wouldn't play it.
All I'm saying is he is bashing the lack of realism on a game no one would play if it were truly realistic. That is what games are for. To suspend disbelief and enjoy the experience, but this guy seems to be unable to do that.

Wow..they skipped a bunch of official detective stuff in the interest of making an entertaining product? I'm blown away!

Maybe in the next military shooter the game will feature days/hours of not actually being in combat, but laying around the barracks smoking and joking, doing PT, going on patrols where nothing exciting happens, and cleaning your weapons regularly.

L.A. Noire

LAPD Homicide Detective details L.A. Noire's inaccuracies

Reader Comments (43)

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 2:33PM Vesuvium said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 2:34PM sinai said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 2:39PM arkweld said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 2:53PM ZoneoftheEnders said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:41PM barkie said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 6:11PM Once known as Shadsy said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 6:28PM sortius said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 7:28PM arkweld said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:19AM A Sandwich said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 6:56AM greycobalt said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 8:31PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 5:00AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 2:35PM Cavall said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:14PM slickie said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 4:57PM PrimeSynergy said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 5:10PM Zombie Jesus said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:15PM Imperial said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:16PM DevilSei said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:22PM Breakdown said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:33PM Zamzoph said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:43PM DevilSei said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:06AM Breakdown said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:29PM neilbasini said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 6:58AM greycobalt said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:31PM blunote said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:40PM original fred said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:45PM DevilSei said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 3:58PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 6:55PM Jawmuncher said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 4:22PM milliniar said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 4:35PM foxhound said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 4:35PM Kougeru said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 6:22PM Dooliss said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 6:52PM AnimeJet said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 10:28PM easo said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 7:13PM Crowley said

Posted: Jul 3rd 2011 7:30PM arkweld said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 12:10AM birdizzle87 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 4:33AM Paviel said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 3:31PM DarqueDragonus said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 9:02PM SpiderKnives said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 4:33PM DarqueDragonus said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 4:00PM iceveiled said

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