Better take care of this masterpiece, rock star!

GTA 6 has been eagerly awaited for years. At least we now know that the next open world hit is actually already in development. But between us: I wouldn’t mind if Rockstar paused work on GTA 6 again and instead donated a sequel to this masterpiece.

I don’t want GTA 6 – I want LA Noire 2!

In February 2022, Rockstar Games officially announced that a new GTA part was in development – and the gaming world went nuts. Finally! After almost 9 years there was a sign of life from the GTA 5 successor. The news spread like wildfire. Meanwhile, the corresponding tweet over 600,000 likes accumulated – even though the information content is extremely low.

I, on the other hand, was a bit disappointed. Because if it were up to me, GTA 6 could happily wait a few more years – at least if Rockstar Games uses the time to give another classic a well-deserved sequel instead: LA Noire.

The action-adventure from 2011 is one of my absolute favorite games. Gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses and providing chases with suspects as Cole Phelps – I loved fighting crime in Los Angeles.

I especially liked the serial format of the story. Instead of working on just one case throughout the game, I’m treated to a cornucopia of different crimes – and almost every one of them is suspenseful, mysterious, and offers a little plot twist that I rarely saw coming. That doesn’t happen often!

You can now play Cole Phelps’ adventures on the go on your Nintendo Switch:

What would a sequel to LA Noire need to do differently?

Admittedly, LA Noire is far from a perfect game – and in particular the motion capture recordings of some characters’ facial features have sometimes not aged well at all, as you can see in the clip below:

But just imagine how cool it would be if the same game principle were implemented with the latest technology. I wouldn’t just throw 60 euros at Rockstar for it, but my entire wallet. And to keep the production costs relatively low – I also want it to be worthwhile for you, Rockstar – the team could save elsewhere: the Open World – because that is completely superfluous.

It was obvious from the start that the developers didn’t really know with which they should fill their huge game world. Here and there a collectible or a sight, every now and then another crime popped up on the side of the road that could be solved within 5 minutes. Sounds like a good idea at first, but actually just tears me out of the story and stands in its own way.

And while we’re on the subject of the story: The overarching plot that runs through the entire game should definitely go a little deeper in the sequel and leave fewer questions unanswered, Rockstar.

Despite all the criticism – LA Noire is unique

But although LA Noire has some problems, I will always remember it fondly. Because this game is absolutely unique. I love the 1940s Los Angeles settingthe serial staging ensures that I never get bored and each of the cases is a hundred times more interesting than any run-of-the-mill quest in any role-playing game.

So I beg you, Rockstar: Put GTA 6 on hold again and rather give me a new LA Noire.