L.A. Noire ‘isn’t complete yet,’ according to a Rockstar Games rep

By Adam Rosenberg July 13, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The last announced downloadable content release for Rockstar Games and Team Bondi‘s open world adventure game L.A. Noire. That doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of Cole Phelps, however. That’s what a Rockstar rep seemed to indicate in a recent chat with Kotaku. Actually, forget the “seemed to”… that’s exactly what was said.

“The game isn’t complete yet,” the rep said, without further clarification. Which leaves plenty of room for speculation. There’s still some content out there that hasn’t been released as paid DLC, such as the “Consul’s Car” case that came with PlayStation 3 versions of the game. There are also multiple in-game references to Cole’s time on the Burglary desk, where he worked between Traffic and Homicide. Its exclusion from the final game seemed strange, but perhaps it was meant all along as a large-scale DLC pack.

It wouldn’t be the first time for Rockstar. Red Dead Redemption got the “Undead Nightmare” expansion, which added a zombie-filled six-hour campaign and an all-new multiplayer mode to the game. Zombies probably won’t fit in so well in Noire‘s 1947 Los Angeles — and Rockstar would do well to release more content that isn’t heavy on the action, since it’s not the game’s strong suit — but “Undead Nightmare” worked out great, as did the GTA IV DLC that came out before it. It’s a safe bet that something similarly hefty is planned for Detective Phelps.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

For Atari, preservation isn’t just about saving old games

Atari cartridges sit in a pile.

Even though I was a child of the '90s who grew up with a Sega Genesis, my favorite console was my mother’s hand-me-down Atari 2600. It was the one console I kept hooked up to the TV in my bedroom, while my PlayStation was in the living room. Playing a game like Pitfall! was a special experience. It was almost a ritual, as I’d sit on the floor directly in front of my CRT TV, slot in a massive cartridge, and hold the joystick controller like I was giving an acceptance speech for an Oscar.

That experience isn’t easily replicated decades later. I can head to any emulation site and play Pitfall!, but it isn’t the same. It lacks the physicality of holding an old joystick or the mystique of carefully studying the key art of the cartridge before I slot it in. It’s easy to port a game; it’s much harder to preserve what it felt like to play it when it first came out.

Gaming

The Steam Deck’s killer app isn’t the game you’d expect

A woman plays Vampire Survivors on a Steam Deck.

When I first heard about the Steam Deck, my brain went big. I started imagining all the giant AAA games I’d be able to play on the go once I had a portable computer. When I got my unit, I immediately downloaded Elden Ring and fired up my save file. That’s something my Nintendo Switch couldn’t do.

While it’s been thrilling to fire up PS4-quality games on the subway, those aren’t the titles I’ve been playing the most on my Steam Deck. Instead, my go-to game has been comparatively modest. For me, the early access indie hit Vampire Survivors is the closest thing the system has to a killer app, showcasing the true utility of the Steam Deck.
Getting access
Vampire Survivors is a simple game. The gothic 8-bit game merely asks players to survive a constant wave of enemies for 30 minutes. They’ll start with a basic weapon that auto-attacks and gain more abilities every time they level up. Players move around to dodge enemies, but otherwise, they’re simply building the perfect monster-slaying machine. At the start of a run, players are slowly slashing a few enemies with a whip. By the end, the screen is filled with magic spells and enemies, pushing the frame rate to its limits.

Computing

Xbox PC Game Pass has a big problem — and it isn’t the name

Dave and GaTa at a PC Game Pass meeting.

I'm an Xbox Game Pass evangelist. I've been a subscriber for years, and I've recommended it to the point of annoyance to many of my console and PC gaming friends. Microsoft rebranded the PC version at The Game Awards. I'm still a fan, but the issues with PC Game Pass go far beyond the name.

The Xbox app on Windows 11 and Windows 10 has consistently been an issue since PC Game Pass launched in 2019. And now that Microsoft wants the PC version to sit on the same level as the console one, it's time to start addressing the problem.