L.A. Noire's Badge Challenge Can Eat a Dick

Today we break from our anniversary celebration to talk video games.  You might remember me talking about the pre-order bonuses that came with the game L.A. Noire. I won’t hide the fact that I shop at Gamestop almost exclusively for my video games. This article is not the pros and cons of Gamestop. Regardless of what they may be like in your area, the one I shop at has a knowledgeable staff that has always taken care of me. So when L.A. Noire came out, I had my pre-order through them. The Badge Challenge was one of the items available through the Gamestop pre-order.

When I opened my game I found what I thought was one of the coolest extras I’d seen in a long time. The game had a small envelope which contained fake film negatives. Each one was the location of a badge in the badge hunt challenge. There are 20 badges to find and if you get all of them you unlock the Button Man suit. Little did I know how much those negatives would piss me off.

This is only 1/3rd of the map

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that L.A. Noire’s map is 8 square miles of the L.A. area. Open area games like GTA love give you hidden objects to find I their giant maps. I don’t know if they think it extends gameplay or if they think it makes people appreciate all the time they put into designing the world. And don’t get me wrong, you can see the amount of effort the developers put into making their L.A. look as real as possible. The problem is L.A. Noire isn’t the kind of game you get out of your car and wander around in. You go some place, question someone or search for clues, and then go to the next place.

This isn’t a game where you really want to just walk around. I’ve never been to L.A. either; I’m betting a native to that area could recognize some of the building from just looking at the negatives. Not me though, I was lost on that giant map. In my frustration I pulled a list of badge locations off the internet and found them that way. The coolest thing about this, is I google mapped the majority of the landmarks and found them using my phone. I won’t lie, it wowed me. The Badge Hunt can still eat a dick, but Team Bondi did a fantastic job on the game.

What? Golden Film Canisters? Son of a…..

L.A. Noire Pre-Order DLC

You’ve probably already seen the commercials for Team Bondi’s game L.A. Noire, the 1940s mystery game coming out on May 17th. Obviously I’m excited. If a game is going to let me follow in the steps of characters like Phillip Marlowe and Mike Hammer I’m all over it. Instead of being a private dick though, you’ll be playing Cole Phelps who works for the LAPD. My pre-order is already in. If you haven’t pre-order yet and plan to, let me help you out a little bit. Because there are numerous pre-order bonuses out there, I’m listing all ones I could find.

Gamestop
"The Naked City" Vice Case
In this bonus case from L.A. Noire’s Vice Desk, detective Cole Phelps investigates the supposed suicide of a stunning fashion model. Can you help Cole unravel the truth in a city blighted by drugs, corruption and greed, where the death of a beautiful woman is never as straightforward as it seems.

"Badge Pursuit" Challenge (include Button Man suit)
Hidden around L.A. Noire's beautiful recreation of 1947 Los Angeles are 20 police badges to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked which provides extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides 5 additional XP which will help further unlock Intuition Points – special credits that can be used to give Phelps a key investigative insight when you need it most.

GameStop PowerUp Rewards members: The Chicago Piano Exclusive Gun
The Chicago Piano, used by both law enforcement officers and criminals, was favoured for its reliability, ergonomics, compact size, large 45-round cartridge, and high rate of automatic fire. This bonus weapon will be stored in the trunk of Detective Cole Phelps' car throughout L.A. Noire, ensuring that extra firepower is always close at hand.

Amazon
The Broderick Detective Suit
This unlockable detective suit boosts your fist-fighting capabilities and resilience to damage. Throughout L.A. Noire while working cases, you'll encounter quite a few suspects and persons of interest who prove to be resistant to arrest. Your hand-to-hand fighting skills will be called into action on these cases – the Broderick suit with its enhanced fighting abilities may be that edge in helping make that collar.

Walmart
"A Slip of the Tongue" Traffic Case
"A Slip of the Tongue" is a bonus case from the Traffic Desk in which a seemingly run of the mill car theft ends up sparking an explosive investigation into the largest auto fraud racket the city has ever seen. With the stolen cars piling up and questionable characters at every turn, can you help Cole Phelps crack the biggest case so far in his career?

Best Buy
"The Sharpshooter" Detective Suit
The Sharpshooter unlockable detective suit enhances your aim with rifles and pistols. Always a worst case scenario for any detective working a case, there are of course those occasions for Cole Phelps when pursuing a suspect escalates to gunfire. In these tense shootouts, the Sharpshooter suit provides that extra aiming precision to take the criminal down.

Nickel Plated Pistol
The Sharpshooter pre-order also comes with a Nickel Plated Pistol


That’s all the bonuses I know of at this moment. There were rumors of a PS3 exclusive DLC, but all mentions of that have been wiped away. I’d expect a “surprise” announcement about it as the game’s release date nears. Also if you don’t want to jump on the pre-order bus, it has been said that all the pre-order incentives will later be available as paid DLC.