Uncharted 3's Nolan North on LA Noire

By Robert Purchese Published 22 September, 2011

Does the motion capture shape up?

Uncharted 3 developer Naughty Dog, and the actor that portrays Nathan Drake, Nolan North, have given their opinions on the lauded facial animation system used by Team Bondi to create L.A. Noire.

Richard Lemarchand, co-lead game designer of Uncharted 3, admitted he was "taken aback" by the technology.

"We've been working so hard on Uncharted 3 this summer that my game playing has sadly fallen away. I did have some friends around and we looked at the first hour of L.A. Noire and I've got to say that I was really taken aback by that facial capture technology," said Lemarchand, speaking at the Eurogamer Expo 2011 today.

When asked for his opinion on the stationary requirement of the facial capture, North said: "That would be incredibly inhibitive.

"I've talked to some of the actors who've done it. You literally, especially for L.A. Noire, can't move.

Lemarchand added: "And you also can't riff off the other actors."

"More so," Nolan North responded. "You have to stay still. It'd be very, very difficult.

"I've done a lot of things where they put the little markers on your face. And if I sit there and [rubs hand on forehead]. We can't do that. Cut, stop, redo your face. They don't want you to put [your hands] in front of you.

"Imagine doing a very tender scene," North went on, describing a scene with Nathan Drake and Elena, "with an [American] football helmet on; you can't give her any type of kiss, any intimacy - it's not going to happen."

Naughty Dog's approach to animation has been to suit the actors up, video, and mo-cap, their full performance. The animators then "finesse" the mo-cap footage and build a facial performance based on what they see on the video.

It's worked pretty well in the past.

"We've been relying on these brilliant animators," said Nolan North. "They've got it down to a science. And thank god, because the performance becomes much more organic. Much more real."

Lemarchand went on: "Whenever we talk to people about the creative choices we've made - in terms of the way we handle story. A game like Grand Theft Auto handles story quite differently to the way that Uncharted does..."

"Yes," Nolan North interjected, "Nathan doesn't beat up hookers."

"... it just shows that in this amazing, emerging form that is video games," Lemarchand continued, "there's room for an enormous breadth of creative choices in the way you do things, and you can get great results in lots of different ways."

Richard Lemarchand demonstrated, world exclusively, brand new gameplay footage of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception during the Eurogamer Expo 2011. To hear Nolan North ad-libbing, live, over the top, was memorable to say the least.

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 (28) Latest comment 8 months ago

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

  • Ryze #1 8 months ago

    Tradeoffs, eh? I reckon that both games look fantastic.

    What would be more fantastic, would be to have LA Noire facial animation in the next GTA.

  • FearCrads #2 8 months ago

    Is it just my eyes or has drakes face changed a little since uncharted 2?.........Seems slightly off to me. Still, im sooooo bloody excited for 3.

  • dudefella #3 8 months ago

    I wish I was at the EG Expo to see that.

  • Retro_ #4 8 months ago

    Roll on Saturday :)

  • sfp_noodle #5 8 months ago

    I love Uncharted.

  • PixelPirate #6 8 months ago

    Uncharted 4: Nathan doesn't beat up hookers

    probably a free roaming jungle game, right?

  • intpleeus #7 8 months ago

    That was a cheap shot by Nolan North about Grand Theft Auto and beating up hookers. It really had nothing to do with the conversation since the ability to beat up hookers (or anyone else) in Grand Theft Autoreally has nothing to do with how its story is told. I wonder why he thought it would be an appropriate thing to interject, especially when it betrays a clear lack of knowledge about Grand Theft Auto itself -- was he just repeating something he heard someone else say believing that it would come across as an informed and popular opinion? In any case, it doesn't reflect well on Nolan North.

  • evnewell #8 8 months ago

    Evidence that Team Bondi is the better development studio in every possible way. Gimme L.A. Noire over Uncharted any day.







    yeah, I kid.

  • BigDannyH #9 8 months ago

    Zombie eyes aside, Uncharted's mo cap is the best.

    The first two games alone are reason enough to buy a PS3.

  • bionic #10 8 months ago

    Uncharted 3 - can't come soon enough. Its one of 2 games on my wants Radar

  • ukuleleimport #11 8 months ago

    @intpleeus Really? You have no understanding of humour at all?

  • Mister-Wario #12 8 months ago

    Playing it for the first time earlier this year, I always thought the animation in Drake's Fortune was excellent. And that's a pretty old game now.

  • Beano #13 8 months ago

    Recently played thru Uncharted 2 for a second time and actually enjoyed it more than the first - strange. Can't wait for U3...

  • Hindle #14 8 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • greenfanguy #15 8 months ago

    Uncharted 4: In which Sully drives around the tropical Virgin Islands in his speedboat and beats up hookers

  • Porcupine_I #16 8 months ago

    hey may not beat up hookers, but they always follow the hoes!

  • Eraysor #17 8 months ago

    I was at the talk at the EG expo today. Nolan North is an absolute legend!

  • Farzlepot #18 8 months ago

    I sense a meme incoming...

  • kingpin3000 #19 8 months ago

    Any video of this brand new footage?

  • handsonhips101 #20 8 months ago

    @spacedelete;

    Yeah. Right. I'm pretty sure you will soon slag it off in a few months time

  • 16bitfreak #21 8 months ago

    @spacedelete

    Is that your xbox you supposedly traded? you know the one you said was purely an average games console and your new 60gb ps3 was best ever before it magically morphed int o a slim?

    Your full of shit.

  • Mnia786 #22 8 months ago

    @evnewell - Maybe but Bondi's working conditions and credits fiasco did bugger all for their image didn't it? ND are amongst the most talented devs out there and they are merely expressing an interest in tech only ever used by Bondi - doesn't make eitherone much better than the other.

    I personally though both games were amazing but in terms of interest, Unchartered had me hooked more!

  • woodyrulesok #23 8 months ago

    I guess it's a judgement call on which way to go. From a post facility perspective you would love to have the actors being very restrained, not putting their arm up to obscure their face and with very little global motion. From the director and actors POV they want the freedom to be able to move freely and use their full repertoire to aid the performance, but that means more time and effort for the artists later on.

  • TeeHee #24 8 months ago

    >"Nathan doesn't beat up hookers"

    Yet...

  • casodi #25 8 months ago

    own uncharted 1 and 2.cant wait for 3 especially because of the splitscreen

  • Bigglesworth #26 8 months ago

    "Imagine doing a very tender scene," North went on, describing a scene with Nathan Drake and Elena, "with an [American] football helmet on; you can't give her any type of kiss, any intimacy - it's not going to happen."

    Confirmed: Nolan North is a hound who just wants to slobber on his leading ladies!

  • J_C_X #27 8 months ago

    Yet, the voice acting and dialogue in L.A. Noire is far superior than Uncharted's.

    Well in my view anyway.

  • drxym #28 8 months ago

    The facial capture system for LA Noire means the actor is literally stuck in something akin to a barber's chair saying their lines straight to camera. You can imagine how fun that is. Then captured performance is stuck on a mannequin and moved around to simulate walking, conversation, reaction etc. No one can doubt the capture looks great but it looks uncanny in the final result.