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Virtually Explore 1940s Los Angeles with L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

While the game only has a limited selection of cases tailor-made for virtually reality, there's a bit of surprise for anyone that decides to give the VR version a try.

Charles Singletary Jr

December 18, 2017 11:50 AM

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Suddenly and largely out of nowhere, Rockstar's L.A. Noire has become a prominent part of the gaming ecosystem once again. The open-world detective adventure made its way to Nintendo Switch, albeit with a few caveats when it comes to storage. Now, the VR version has come to the HTC Vive and, while there are only a handful of cases to dive into compared to the original game, the entire world of L.A. Noire is yours to explore in VR Case Files.

When L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files was announced, it was revealed to have seven cases that were rebuilt for virtual reality. The first-person perspective is new for L.A. Noire and interacting with the environment would be very different, but significantly more immersive in this version. It's not unreasonable to think that the full game world may not get recreated entirely for this launch because of these significant differences, but that's actually not true.

The entire eight square miles of 1940s Los Angeles is available to the player and you can walk around using blink movement, object-based movement, motion-based virtual walking or sprinting, and trackpad movement. Better yet, you can hope into a classic car at any time. You'll have to realistically start the car by turning the key in the ignition and steer with your arms out with hands gripping the wheel. If you're in a patrol car, you'll even be able to sound the siren by pressing a button in the car, grab a mic to call dispatch, and grab a weapon out of the trunk during a specific case. If there's a companion in the car, you can look over to them for directions as well.

In addition to fleshed-out cases, there are eight novels and twenty badges spread around the map in areas completely unique to VR Case Files. There are also records to find and add to officer Phelps' collection in his office. The seven available cases in L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files are as follows:

• "Start"
• "Upon Reflection"
• "Armed and Dangerous"
• "Buyer Beware"
• "The Consul's Car"
• "The Silk Stocking Murder"
• "Reefer Madness"
• "A Different Kind of War"

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is now available on HTC Vive for $29.99 on Steam, the Rockstar Warehouse, and Viveport.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.