LA Noire is getting its final case next week, July 12th. Unlike the "Nicoholson Electroplating" mission, "Reefer Madness" is not based on a real-life case. In fact, it has nothing to do with the cult film of the same name--except for the fact it deals with drugs, of course. In the case, Cole and Roy "find themselves in the throes of one of the city's biggest narcotics rings." Unsurprisingly, that means a lot of bullets are going to fly, as evidenced by this brief trailer:

As the weeks pass, more light is being shed on LA Noire's sordid development. While much of the spotlight has been on the alleged mistreatment of developer Team Bondi's many employees, today's exposé reveals a strained relationship between Bondi management and publisher Rockstar Games.

A series of e-mails posted on GI.biz further chronicle the mismanagement of the long-in-development adventure game. As the years went by, and money continued to be poured into the project, it appears that Rockstar had to become much more aggressive in its handling of the game. "[Team Bondi director] Brendan [McNamara] treats L.A. Noire like a success due to his vision but I think Rockstar are the ones who saved the project," GI's source says. "Their producers were increasingly influential over the last two years of the game's development, and overruled many of the insane decisions made by Team Bondi management." Read more »

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is planning to investigate allegations that employees of Team Bondi were overworked during the development of LA Noire. In addition to omitting staff from the end credits of the game, various developers have told IGN that 100+ hour working weeks weren't uncommon, and that studio manager Brendan McNamara was difficult to work with. "It's one thing for him to be angry behind closed doors, but it was incredibly common for him to scream at whoever was pissing him off in the middle of the office," one developer recounted.

These forceful accusations are at the heart of the IGDA's new investigation. “Reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole,” Brian Robbins, chair of the IGDA Board of Directors, told Develop. “We encourage any Team Bondi employee and/or family member to email qol@igda.org with comments about the recent past and current situation - positive or negative” Read more »

PC gamers, rejoice! Publisher Rockstar today announced that Team Bondi's 1940s detective thriller L.A. Noire will be released for PC this fall.

The PC port is developed by Rockstar Leeds, and promises "increased fidelity and graphical enhancements," keyboard remapping, and gamepad support. You'll also be able to play it in 3D future-o-vision, if you have the appropriate hardware. Read more »

Seven years and hundreds of developers later, LA Noire made it to store shelves, easily becoming one of the biggest games to come out of Australia. However, it appears that many contributors to the project have been omitted in the game's credits. In fact, over 130 people are claiming to have been snubbed by Sydney-based Team Bondi and the game's publisher, Rockstar.

A diverse group of people are seeking credit, from those that did work on the engine, to code and QA people, and more. One developer spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald, stating that he had to work 10-12 hours "almost every day and on weekends," and said that working for Team Bondi as--in similar fashion to other Rockstar studios--"inflexible and virtually praise-free." No wonder he, along with over a hundred others, feel particularly frustrated that "most of the people that worked on [the game] will never have proof of having worked there." Read more »

LA Noire is getting a brand new case next week, June 21st. The "Nicoholson Electroplating Disaster" is, like many of the other cases in the game, based on real-life events. However, Rockstar notes that while most of the cases are based on "relatively obscure crimes," this caper was a "major national headline." Taking place during the Arson Desk arc, Cole will have to investigate the O'Connor Electro-Plating plant, which exploded early in 1947. This may make for the most dramatic backdrop of any of LA Noire's cases. For a good idea of what to expect, you should check out this brief new trailer:

The discount on L.A. Noire's downloadable content bundle, the Rockstar Pass, has been extended by a week, publisher Rockstar has announced.

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The video game industry had sluggish sales in May 2011 according to data recently released by the NPD Group. "May 2011 was the lowest month of sales for the industry since October 2006," analyst Anita Frazier wrote, blaming "a light slate of new releases.”

Unsurprisingly, Rockstar's latest, LA Noire, released mid-month, managed to climb to the top of the sales list. Read more »

L.A. Noire publisher Rockstar has revealed a bulging downloadable content release schedule for Team Bondi's detective thriller, kicking off today with a bargain bumper pack collecting several new cases and other goodies.

Four new cases, two new suits and a new challenge are coming over the coming weeks and months, which you can get all together in a $10 (800 Microsoft Points) 'Rockstar Pass.' This'll save you 50% on the cost of buying it all individually, which you can always still do if you're a bit wonky in the head. Come June 14, however, the price of a Rockstar Pass will be raised to $12 (960 MSP), so best buy now. Read more »

There's a great quote from the classic film Chinatown that perfectly explains the world of L.A. Noire: "This business requires a certain amount of finesse." The new game from publisher Rockstar and developer Team Bondi is an amalgamation of various inspirations, offering players the chance to be an investigator rather than an instigator in a crime-filled late 1940's Los Angeles. Success in the story isn't based on body count, but a willingness to sit back and pay close attention to everything around you.

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Detective Stone shoved at the station house doors and stumbled in. He slipped a cigarette between his lips and patted himself down as if hunting for matches--a little act he'd honed to avoid the fierce glare the duty sergeant tossed at him every morning. It worked, as far as he cared. Stone ambled along the gloomy corridor and into the video games office. Great, Stone thought, just what I need. His eyes had fallen on his rookie partner wearing a look like he'd just seen Santa Claus.

"Jimmy!" cried O'Brien, leaping to his feet. Stone screwed his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We got a break in the L.A. Noire case. Saturday morning, out of the blue, just like that, a title update drops. What's more," Nowak continued, spitting the words at Stone, "some mook wanders in off the street, saying he's found the patch notes just lying around. We weren't sure 'cause they're vague as all heck but he checks out clean." Read more »

While many folks are busy solving cases (and watching faces) in L.A. Noire, Rockstar's recently-released 1940's crime-solving drama by Team Bondi, some users are reporting that the game is causing overheating issues on the PS3. Some Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners are also complaining that the game is prone to freezing while being played, necessitating a hard reboot of the console.

Rockstar has since issued the following official statement on its blog in response to those complaints: Read more »

The leaked bit of L.A. Noire downloadable content has been made official, and given a release date to boot. Rockstar has opened a redemption page for the Best Buy launch promotion, which is currently just a placeholder, but confirms the DLC name and launch date.

It's titled the "Nicholson Electroplating" Arson Case, and will come out on June 21. The publisher hasn't announced a price for the DLC, but if you were one of the first 16 people to buy the game at one of the Best Buy midnight launches, you can get it for free. If you do have a code, you can't enter it into the page until the DLC launches next month. Read more »

According to a report from MCV, Take-Two has seen a substantial surge in its share price following the release of L.A. Noire. At the end of market yesterday, Take-Two Interactive's stock closed at $17.10 a share--a leap of nearly 18 per cent.

The jump represents the highest value of the Take-Two share price since 2008, when publishing giant EA attempted to acquire the company. Read more »

Field Reports provide our first-hand experience with the latest games, but should not be considered a review.

Climbing each blood soaked rung of the LAPD's career ladder is a long and difficult process. As Cole Phelps, players will gain first-hand knowledge of this journey, starting at the very bottom of the pack and rising to the top of LA's finest. Read more »