Rockstar Games and Team Bondi have announced that L.A. Noire is expected to launch on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on 20 May 2011 in South Africa and Europe, and on 17 May 2011 in North America.

“L.A. Noire breaks new ground for us,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “Its intense blend of action and real detective work defies genre conventions to create a unique and captivating thriller.”

L.A. Noire is a dark and violent detective thriller set against the backdrop of Los Angeles in the post-war years of the late 1940s. The game draws stylistically from the film noir genre of movies, which were popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Gamers can expect themes of crime, sex, corruption, drugs, and moral ambiguity against a post-World War II backdrop.

In L.A. Noire, players will take the reins of war veteran and newly minted detective Cole Phelps (played by Aaron Staton of Mad Men) as he solves gruesome and mind-bending cases, interrogates suspects, and rises through the ranks of the LAPD.

Crime-solving, clue-finding, car chases, shoot-outs and interrogations that challenge players to read character’s emotions are all promised to be part of the gameplay.

L.A. Noire employs the new MotionScan performance-scanning technology. MotionScan utilizes 32 high-definition cameras to capture actors’ faces in 3D, transferring their performance into the game, enabling players for the first time to lip-read in-game characters and to read every facial expression down to the finest detail.

For a closer look at MotionScan, read MyGaming’s feature on the technology.