What games are set in Los Angeles?

January 13, 2008 1:30 PM

What video games feature Los Angeles as the setting?

I'm looking to do a research project on simulations of Los Angeles.. I'm not so much interested in flight and driving sims but games with some kind of narrative, or if possible god games. The only two that I can think of off the top of my head are GTA's Los Santos and an old PC title called Terminator. In fact, I'm probably more interested in older 90s (and 80s if possible) digital versions of Los Angeles. Console, PC.. anything goes. So, I'd love to hear your (collective) wisdom.

posted by serial_consign to media & arts (14 comments total)

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
posted by iconomy at 1:34 PM on January 13, 2008

Midnight Club: Los Angeles (XBOX 360)
posted by LordSludge at 1:35 PM on January 13, 2008

True Crime: Streets of LA
posted by phatkitten at 1:36 PM on January 13, 2008

Seems to me that the third chapter of "Duke Nukem 3D" was set in Los Angeles, or a kind of post-holocaust (or post-Earthquake, or post-alien-invasion) version of Los Angeles. But I may be remembering wrong; it's been years since I played it.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 1:38 PM on January 13, 2008

ah, just saw the "no driving sims" -- sorry
posted by LordSludge at 1:40 PM on January 13, 2008

Bladerunner
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:41 PM on January 13, 2008

If you go to Google Advanced Search and type in Los Angeles and ask for results only from Home of The Underdogs, there are lots of older titles, such as The Big One, 688 Attack Sub, Black Dahlia and Beverly Hills Cop.
posted by iconomy at 1:43 PM on January 13, 2008

Two I can think of right away are Police Quest IV and SWAT 3
posted by samsara at 2:03 PM on January 13, 2008

Bad Day L.A.!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:32 PM on January 13, 2008

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, based off the White Wolf tabletop RPG. It was made by Troika (mostly ex-Interplay guys) and is actually really good. You can get it off Steam for $20 and as long as you install that latest patch, it's a great play.
posted by Nelsormensch at 2:57 PM on January 13, 2008

You might find this post at City of Sound interesting--it compares virtual and real settings in L.A. as portrayed in film and video games ala GTA.
posted by prinado at 4:29 PM on January 13, 2008

SSN-668 was the Los Angeles so don't use that.

Sega's Harley Davidson motorcycle game "LA Riders" was set in, yes, LA
posted by panamax at 4:39 PM on January 13, 2008

There was an interesting Terminator game for DOS where you could play as either Kyle Reese or Ahnold. You had a map of LA with various points of interest, and you could go anywhere on it. I believe this wikipedia entry refers to the same title, but it doesn't have much detail. There were also later 8 and 16 bit Terminator titles that had LA levels, and at least one T2 game must have taken place in LA.

GTA San Andreas doesn't exactly take place in LA, but Los Santos was designed as a miniaturization of Los Angeles and really did a good job of capturing the feel of LA, far better in fact than True Crime, which had the map but lacked the visual style of the city.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 5:50 PM on January 13, 2008

It may be not be quite what you are looking for but Duke Nukem 3D from the mid 90s was set in a post disaster version of LA.
posted by cftarnas at 6:31 PM on January 13, 2008