LA Noire pre-order bonuses

By Robert Purchese Published 25 February, 2011

What's on the slab?

L.A. Noire pre-order bonuses are diverse - a handful of shops all jostle for your heavy, money-dripping purse.

Here's a roundup of what's on offer.

GAME is the only place with two bits of content: the Naked City case and the Badge Pursuit Challenge.

The former revolves around the mysterious death of a beautiful fashion model - no peeking under the white sheet. The papers say suicide, but was it?

Badge Pursuit Challenge scatters 20 police badges around LA for you to find. Each one you collect grants five additional experience points, and if you manage to locate them all then you'll receive the Button Man detective suit. This provides extra ammo for all weapons.

Amazon offers The Broderick detective suit, which boosts fist-fighting power and defence.

Play has bagged the Slip of the Tongue case, a car theft investigation that eventually uncovers a huge auto-fraud racket.

Zavvi, finally, has The Sharpshooter detective suit which, understandably, helps your aim with pistols and rifles.

LA Noire gameplay.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (42) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • mikeck #1 1 year ago

    I know as publishers there is the consideration of keeping multiple retailers happy through various exclusive bits of content, but it's a crappy consumer experience. Placate your fans, not the suits! ;)
    Edited by mikeck at 25/02/11 @ 09:01

  • NewbieZilla #2 1 year ago

    I hate this nonsense of pre order bonuses. I never preorder games. I just buy them.

  • Shikasama #3 1 year ago

    The former revolves around the mysterious death of a beautiful fashion model - no peeking under the white sheet.

    Rob you're a sick fuck.

    Not very happy with these at all. This isn't a blue coloured sword or what have you, this is actual game content. Looks like GAME and Play are the only ones getting it from.

    Although i rarely pre-order games I suppose, I prefer to buy on impulse like some twitchy, socially maladjusted random decision generator.

  • Lotos8ter #4 1 year ago

    What a turn off. So my Zavvi sharpshooter coat makes me more accurate than my independant sourced coat? I really, really object to content like this.

  • HL706 #5 1 year ago

    This wouldn't bother me *IF* the same content was made available for free a few weeks after release on PSN/XBL.

  • CaptainQuint #6 1 year ago

    This has to be the most cynical pre-order incentive yet.

    Awful indeed. Take Two just hit a new low.

  • DavoTheDiv #7 1 year ago

    If they had confidence in their product, they wouldn't need pre-order shizzle.

  • Mr-Brett #8 1 year ago

    @HL706 "This wouldn't bother me *IF* the same content was made available for free a few weeks after release on PSN/XBL."

    Or even for a small fee, say 100-200 points. Although I do object to TDU2's casino that costs 800 points if you didn't pre-order, which is just wrong.

    Amazing, the Play.com description even spoils the content! :D
    Edited by Mr-Brett at 25/02/11 @ 09:27

  • BBIAJ #9 1 year ago

    @TheDellBingo:

    That's already started, BackBreaker was a GAME exclusive I believe, as have been one or two other titles recently...

  • andywilkie35 #10 1 year ago

    I will be getting it from shopto even though there are no preorder "bonuses", I just want the game and they usually deliver early.

  • smoothpete #11 1 year ago

    Fuck this shit. I'm buying the game, don't withhold parts of it from me because I choose not to preorder. You cunts.

  • Murton #12 1 year ago

    This is starting to get stupid quite frankly. Looking at the list there are 3 missions which are only available as pre-order from certain outlets, that means that whether you pre-order or not, from any retailer you're missing content on Day One.

    I can live with pre-order bonuses like alternative skins, small power boosters and the like, but actual game content shouldn't be tied up like this, consumers don't like it and at the end of the day you need the consumers to buy the game if you're to make a profit from it, especially a game like LA Noire that has been in development for so long.

    Hopefully we'll see an announcement saying that these extra missions will hit the PSN/XBLA at time or release or shortly after and at a price reasonable for the amount of content on offer. At the moment this game is officially stricken from my list for 2011, no way I'm spending good money on a game that i know is incomplete.

  • Kill_Crazy #13 1 year ago

    Can you get all items ingame though, whilst generally playing? If so then it's fine.

  • Eighthours #14 1 year ago

    I really, really hate this crap. Stop it, publishers, FFS.

  • charming_fox #15 1 year ago

    This is fucking bullshit, how are we supposed to defend oursoves against this cuntishness.... EUROGAMER! Help us!

  • Tomo #16 1 year ago

    Hear, hear.

    Fucking nonsense all this.

  • Utopolitan #17 1 year ago

    I'd very much like to kill the fucking piece of shit cunt who came up with this piece of shit idea.

  • thebuzzard #18 1 year ago

    Sod all the crap wheres the cheapest place?

  • kinky_mong #19 1 year ago

    Terrible idea, if you're going to do pre-order incentives like this make every bit available to all retailers, don't split it across multiple stores!

  • spekkeh #20 1 year ago

    The exclusive missions are a bit weak, but I'm quite positive that no game company would ever leave out the good missions for 90% of their buyers, so I'm not too bothered by this. Cheapest price is still the most important thing for me.

  • FourQ #21 1 year ago

    C'mon Rob maybe you and Eurogamer could write an article on this all this pre-order nonsense!

    Is it actually possibly to get all the content listed (across various retailers) in the article? Or do I have to make do with my choice?!

    Investigate EG, investigate!!!!

    This is getting beyond a joke and I will be getting my copy from Asda on the day of release for (no doubt) a few quid cheaper.

    Just to shove it in the face of Play etc.

    HA HAA!!

  • Krusty #22 1 year ago

    Must echo many of the views here that I hate this kind of choose your pre-order shit.

    But really, who cares, no PC version, no sale.
    And whilst you're at it, where Red Dead on PC?

  • gandhimaster #23 1 year ago

    NO TO MULTIPLE RETAILER PRE ORDER BONUS!

    a pre order bonus by all means, but not in a way that you cant get them all.

  • KrazyFace #24 1 year ago

    This is exactly what I was talking about when I commented on the TDU2 scenario earlier yesterday. I really, REALLY want this game too, but I'm not going to let them tempt me into buying it as soon as it hits the shelves, or indeed place my loyalties with one shop or another, just to fill their pockets with a little extra of my cash.

    I have every faith that R* have done a great job with this title, but since the fiasco that was FO New Vegas and what became of TDU2 after it's launch, I'd rather just wait and see the final quality of the actual game rather than worry about whatever extras I can get.

    Really all this exclusive launch DLC is here for, is to ensure we buy it for full price rather than wait for secondhand. It's quite unfortunate that publishers feel they need to go to such extremes just glean that little bit extra from our pockets.

  • Darren #25 1 year ago

    Pre-ordered mine (360 version) from GAME, which seems to have the best bonus content, but I hope that the other bonuses can be bought from the Marketplace either at launch or soon after otherwise it would be an annoyance to miss out on some content just because I didn't buy the game from four retailers!!!

  • ZizouFC #26 1 year ago

    Well, I live in South Africa and only one store does pre-order bonuses so I don't even get to choose which one I want!

    Why can't they release it as a download on XBL/PSN a couple of weeks after release? Means more money for Rockstar and adds content to the game - which means fewer 2nd hand sales!

  • kangarootoo #27 1 year ago

    I'll add my "this is shit" tuppence to the growing pile.

    Its one thing to have a little pre-order bonus, I don't mind too much, I takes my choice. However, different bonus content depending on the retailer is nuts. Unless you buy multiple copies, you can't get all the content. Rubbish.

    Stuff like suits I don't care about much (especialluy if they boost stats that will be levelled up in due course anyway), but actual game mission content - I want it all thanks very much.

  • uknortherner2000 #28 1 year ago

    @ZizouFC :"Why can't they release it as a download on XBL/PSN a couple of weeks after release? Means more money for Rockstar and adds content to the game - which means fewer 2nd hand sales!"

    Or here's a novel idea: How about these greedy publisher cunts provide us with a full fucking game they're charging us full price for? Crazy, I know.

  • Toothball #29 1 year ago

    I much preferred it when retailers competed using the price of a product, rather than having content divided up and fed to them by the publishers like chicken nuggets. This is a terrible way to produce competition for consumers and doesn't really benefit anyone who has to pay extra to get the same content.

  • crickson #30 1 year ago

    I would also really appreciate knowing whether these game extras will eventually be open to all. Hopefully someone at EG is on the case!

  • frunk #31 1 year ago

    Pre-order bonuses of some costumes or some other content that does not effect the game hugely... I have no problem with.

    When you are blocking access to actual gameplay on the disc depending upon your fecking retailer. Well they can fuck off.

    If I can't get the full game I really can't be arsed. Sale lost. I will just pick up 2nd hand, when its cheap and the "bonus content" is on special offer.

    I KNOW second hand games are killing game companies/publishers, but when they behave like this - feck 'em!

    Anyone willing to pay FULL price for a new copy of a game should be entitled to the FULL game.

  • ZizouFC #32 1 year ago

    @uknortherner2000

    Fair enough, but we all know that isn't gonna happen. But you are right.

  • MisterM #33 1 year ago

    Oh for God's sake. Just give me ALL of the missions that are available for the game I'm SPENDING MONEY ON.

    Hate preorder bonuses. HATE THEM.

  • Phantom_Dynamite #34 1 year ago

    I will just buy it where its the cheapest, stuff at Game annoys me as there online prices are the same as store where else where you can find a good saving. They should just put one code in the box on the first round of prints.

  • Lebowski #35 1 year ago

    "Yeah, you think you're a real wise-ass, don'tcha, Rockstar? Think with your pre-order bonuses and yer nice suits you got all the angles covered. Well I got news for you, spit-ball, here's forty-five degrees you haven't figured on! What if people don't buy your goodtime game outta protest? What if they wait until it's worth twenty bucks or the price of a hook-handed hooker? Then where will you be, dirtbag? On the streets with Mafia II, that's where! Get him outta here, boys!"

  • The_Inquisitor #36 1 year ago

    This puts me off buying the game! No matter which version you buy, you're missing out on content.
    I'm gonna make sure when I buy the game, it's from another shop. At least that way, I won't regret my decision if the bonus content isn't that great.

  • suicida #37 1 year ago

    "Or here's a novel idea: How about these greedy publisher cunts provide us with a full fucking game they're charging us full price for? Crazy, I know. "

    This. I fucking hate this preorder bonus content bullshit.

  • Soton4084 #38 1 year ago

    The Game one sounds the most appealing. But why should I have to choose!? I normally preorder games from HMV, but now if I do that I'll miss out on extra missions/content. This is nonsense!

  • bburdett #39 1 year ago

    Come on guys you all know every single one of these will later be on XBL/PSN for download. I'll be getting this from work for £34 anyway.

  • Curry_mad #40 1 year ago

    This is just appalling!

    I know in the past some retailers in the have offered "exclusive T-shirts" as an incentive for pre-ordering games, but to now restrict actual content just smacks of desperation. Yes, the retailers should take some of the blame, but let's not forget that Rockstar are guilty aswell.

    There have been some good posts made above about this issue which got me thinking...Are there no Consumer Rights that are being broken here?

    Any lawyers outhere etc?! Or anyone work at the Office of FairTrading?!

  • Ashcroft #41 1 year ago

    This was a great way to make me not pre-order the game.

  • evilrobot #42 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 22:12:53 08-05-2012