The History of L.A. Noire (2011) (Patreon)

Welcome to the latest episode of Past Games, a Patreon-exclusive monthly series that uncovers the histories of 2026's biggest and most consequential gaming anniversaries. New episodes premiere on the first Monday of each month.

This Month on Past Games:

Act 1: L.A. Noire Is Not GTA

Act 2: The Making of L.A. Noire

Act 3: Adapting LA Noire into a TV-Length Video Essay

Guests:

Tim Rogers: Game designer, video essayist, and founder of Action Button

Closing Song: "The Opening Theme" from Kansas City Confidential

Act 1: L.A. Noire Is Not GTA

ACTION BUTTON PICTURES PRESENTS "LOS ANGELES NOIRE" (Action Button)

Action Button (YouTube)

Cole Phelps (lanoire.fandom)

Interrogation in L.A. Noire (lanoire.fandom)

Game design document (Wiki)

ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS Tokimeki Memorial (Action Button)

Act 2: The Making of L.A. Noire

Why Did L.A. Noire Take Seven Years to Make? (IGN Australia)

Jeff Foxworthy - You Might Be A Redneck If...(1993) (YouTube)

Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 1 "Things Will Be Different" (Rockstar Games)

Kojima Productions' Death Stranding Reveal Trailer - E3 2016 (IGN)

LA Noire - Debut Trailer (2006) (YouTube)

The Getaway review (IGN)

Unreal Engine 3: The Look, The Limits, The Legacy (Digital Foundry)

Red Dead Redemption review (IGN)

George & Jerry Meet The Smog Strangler | Seinfeld "The Trip" (YouTube)

Act 3: Adapting LA Noire into a TV-Length Video Essay

Pulp magazine (Wiki)

Best of the Pulps (Goodreads)

L.A. Quartet Series by James Elroy (Goodreads)

Detour (Archive.org)

In a Lonely Place (Archive.org)

In a Lonely Place ( Colorized, 1950) (Archive.org)

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes (Archive.org)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (Archive.org)

L.A. Noire Facial Capture (Computer Vision for Visual Effects)

[Motion scanning image] The 'amazing' facial capture technology behind 'L.A. Noire' (CNN)

Waterboarding (Wiki)

Closing Song: "The Opening Theme" from Kansas City Confidential