Team Bondi and Rockstar have talked at length about the fancy schmancy facial animation technology used for L.A Noire, but they’ve been suspiciously silent about the game’s depiction of pubic hair, blood spurts and marijuana packets. Thankfully, we have the detectives at ESRB who are more than willing to expose the seamier side of life as a 1940s gumshoe.
The ESRB report (opens in new tab) for L.A Noire is pretty much what one can expect from a Rockstar project. Of the violence in particular, the site writes:
%26ldquo;Players use pistols, rifles, machine guns, and flamethrowers to engage in firefights with various enemies%26mdash;these shootouts are highlighted by realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and blood spurts that stain injured characters and the surrounding environment. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence, including a character being beaten with a crowbar (off screen)%26mdash;large spurts of blood are depicted in the foreground. During the course of the game, players may come across crime scenes in which badly beaten or mutilated corpses are subject to investigation.%26rdquo;
As for the aforementioned short-and-curlies, the report cites a number of instances where players must poke around for clues on a dead body, warning, %26ldquo;A few female corpses are depicted fully nude with fleeting images of pubic hair.%26rdquo;
The report also makes reference to multiple drug-related cases and the gratuitous use of racial slurs, most of which are considered common discourse on Xbox Live.
Family-friendly details aside, Rockstar has also released a TV spot hinting at exclusive content for the PS3 entitled The Consul’s Car Traffic Case. Hmm. Very cryptic. Rockstar has not confirmed the details of the bonus content, but promises to do so soon.
L.A Noire – blood, guts, nude corpses, inappropriate slurs, and all – drops for PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 17th for North America, and May 20th for the U.K.
[Source: ESRB (opens in new tab), Joystiq (opens in new tab)]April 13, 2011
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