L.A. Noire coddles rookies

L.A. Noire

As reported back in December, L.A. Noire was selected as the first videogame to be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. The festival was held last night, and in addition to showing off a previously unseen case from the game, Rockstar revealed that the game will include a system that lets casual players skip some of the more action-based sequences. (via MTV Multiplayer)

Art Director Rob Nelson explained that upon failing a particular action sequence two or three times, the player will be prompted with the option to skip over the sequence entirely. While variable difficulties had been largely absent in Rockstar games until Red Dead Redemption, this new system could help bring the world of L.A. Noire to a larger audience. "You can skip those action elements and still experience the bulk of the narrative," said Nelson.

Only twenty percent of L.A. Noire is estimated to be action-based, with the lion's share of the game dedicated to sleuthing and interrogating. Case and point: during the hour-long presentation, MTV reported that only about five minutes of the demonstration was devoted to action-based gameplay. If the buzz is to be believed, L.A. Noire will end up being spiritually closer to an adventure game (like Heavy Rain) more than it will be like another Grand Theft Auto.