So I recently hired LA Noire from my local library just to see what all the hype was about. If you recall about a couple of weeks ago (maybe more) I was asking about dating sims/visual novels, how they work and what kind I would like. I like the idea of progressing through a story based on the decisions you make. Having multiple routes and multiple endings is also very intriguing to me. The closest thing I have ever played to incorparate this is Dragon Age I'm yet to beat that but my workmate has multiple times and we often talk about how different the game becomes based on even the slightest of choice changes you make.
I really think a dating sim with the technology behind LA Noire would be exceptional, this is all wishful thinking ofcourse but with a niche like galge which is only big in Japan it needs to lose some things and gain others in order to gain a wider audience. Losing the text is one thing, I would enjoy a datim sim that had good voice acting behind it there are plenty of modern voice actors that would do a good job on those. Im fine with reading but not everyone is and besides giving a voice to these characters would make them more 3 dimensional.
Real time facial animation is another.I was amazed at how well this was done in LA Noire they finally managed to get rid of "the uncanny valley" the facial animation was spot on. With dating sims wouldnt it be easier? I mean its not that complicated to make an anime-esque face move, theres no cheeks, wrinkles and sometimes nose movements to worry about.
I guess the closest game I can look forward to that might be similar to what I wish for would be Catherine, just have to wait and see huh.