Detective game L.A. Noire is famous for many things, from its motion-captured facial expressions and engaging interrogation mechanics to its stellar plot and acting. However, the game is arguably most famous for its setting and general noir tone, which made its open world of 1947 Los Angeles incredibly interesting to explore. A sequel, L.A. Noire 2, has long been speculated upon, and while many fans assume another game in the series would also set itself in the 40s, a different decade entirely could be just what the series needs to keep it as unique as the first entry.
An L.A. Noire sequel was teased by Rockstar earlier this year, which has led to a fair amount of fan speculation over what L.A. Noire 2 would look like. Much of this will be based upon the game's time period, which in turn influences everything from outfits and cars to the way characters talk. It would be easy to return to the classic noir feel of the 40s, but the genre itself is not only relegated to that many decades in the past - there are plenty of more recent examples of noir that prove a new decade would help L.A. Noire 2's setting flourish.
A 1970s L.A. Noire Sequel Would Be Amazing
While the inspiration L.A. Noire draws from the noir films of the '40s is certainly a well they could continue to draw from, that decade of noir was already portrayed so well in the game it's hard to imagine how developers could one-up themselves in the same setting. L.A. Noire 2's open world could sur RDR2 in of its detail if done correctly, and it would be much more fun to see such a feat done in a new era. The 1970s in particular would be an incredibly rich time period to draw from, taking a page from noir films of the time like Klute and The Long Goodbye.
L.A. Noire 2 Would Be Right At Home In A 1970s Setting
Just as L.A. Noire perfectly captured a post-war Los Angeles, weaving in historical references and locations from the time period, L.A. Noire 2 could do the same for the 1970s. It was a time period of social revolutions, economic decline, and overall upheaval of many American values, and this could manifest into an engaging storyline. The '70s is also a time period in which the concept of serial killers first became part of the zeitgeist, which could tie into interesting cases to solve.
While a new time period would likely mean Cole Phelps and his infamous L.A. Noire yelling would likely be replaced by another protagonist, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if the world itself made up for his absence. While noir as a genre is often associated with incredibly old black-and-white films, that era was not the end of noir - in fact, the style of filmmaking has continued to this day. It's of course not a necessity that L.A. Noire 2 attempts to pull from an entirely new page of history, but it would open up a whole new world of possibilities for the series.
Source: Rockstar Games/YouTube
