Launching shortly after the remastered versions on traditional consoles, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is the kind of high-profile title virtual reality platforms like the HTC Vive needs more of in the coming months and years if they’re going to gain traction as viable gaming platforms.
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files doesn’t follow the narrative of Cole Phelps’ rise up the LAPD ranks. Instead, it streamlines the experience into a collection of seven cases pulled from the original game that lend themselves best to the VR format: Upon Reflection, Armed and Dangerous, Buyer Beware, The Consul’s Car, The Silk Stocking Murder, Reefer Madness, and A Different Kind of War. Unlike the original game, which used a third-person perspective, you experience each of these cases from the first-person perspective of the ambitious detective.
My demo starts in Phelps’ office. This closed off space serves as the hub between cases where players can interact with their immediate surroundings. I picked up a still-burning cigar and waved my hand through the smoke, opened the bullet chamber of Phelps’ highly detailed revolver with the flick of a wrist, and even spent some time listening to music with the record player. You must pick up an album, remove the record from its protective sleeve, place it on the turntable, and set the needle just as you would in real life. Standing in front of the mirror allows you to change into Phelps’ various outfits by grabbing hats from the nearby rack and trying them on.
Before I hit the pavement for my first case, I play through a brief demo that introduces the basic controls. Every developer is still struggling to find an ideal solution to locomotion in virtual reality, and Rockstar is in the same camp. Catering to different preferences, The VR Case Files allow you to use teleportation to move through the environment, or you can swing your arms like you are running to give chase to perps, not unlike Sprint Vector. I felt silly moving in that fashion so I quickly defaulted to the teleportation options.
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Source: Game Informer