Publisher Take-Two's pre-order promotions will add a few more pretty faces to Rockstar's upcoming crime thriller, L.A. Noire. Purchase the game before its May 17 ship date at any of six participating retailers and you'll add to protagonist Cole Phelps' case load and closet.

The exclusive GameStop pre-order promo appears to be the cat's meow, adding The Naked City vice case and The Badge Pursuit Challenge to L.A. Noire, a package the retailer describes as "robust."


The rundown on the bonus content from Rockstar:
(GameStop) In The Naked City Vice Case, 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?

The Badge Pursuit Challenge unlocks 20 hidden police badges around the beautifully captured recreation of 1947 Los Angeles to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked, providing extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides five 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. Los Angeles is a massive city, so players will have to search far and wide, covering every corner, parking lot and alleyway in search of the badges.

(Best Buy) The Sharpshooter Suit enhances your aim with pistols and rifles. Best Buy will also add an exclusive pistol, but the firearm was not described.

(Amazon) The Broderick Suit ups Cole Phelps' hand-to-hand combat skill and increases his resistance to damage. Amazon is also adding a pistol that was not described.

(Walmart) In A Slip of the Tongue, players will be given what appears to be a standard car theft case that quickly turns into an investigation of one of the biggest auto fraud rings in L.A. history.

(Target) Pre-order L.A. Noire from the retailer and you'll receive a T-shirt and a $5 gift card.

(Rockstar Games Store) Buying the game from the studio will also land you a T-shirt.
L.A. Noire is being developed by Team Bondi for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is set to ship on May 17.


Sharkey says: Team Bondi and Rockstar San Diego are two different studios, but that they're both under the Rockstar umbrella has me hoping L.A. Noire will do for 1950s L.A. what Red Dead Redemption did for the West. Count me among those that got completely lost in the world of New Austin. Given L.A. Noire's much talked-about Motionscan technology, I'm hoping for an even more immersive experience.