Originally supposed to be released sometime in 2009, L.A. Noir is finally on its way. Rockstar Games has just sent over this first trailer for the game, which showcases the dark and corrupt world of 1940 and 50s Los Angeles. “First trailer” is a bit misleading though, since there was a trailer released for the game four years ago. But they’ve clearly been doing a lot of work since then- check it out.

Based on groundbreaking performance capture technology that goes beyond traditional methods to render every subtlety and nuance of an actor’s facial expressions and emotions, L.A. Noire is the first game to truly explore what it means to be a detective, offering players the opportunity to solve crimes through a blend of classic action, clue-finding and interrogation, allowing players to analyze every subtle nuance of an actor’s performance in order to get to the truth.

If the lead character (Cole Phelps) looks familiar, it’s because he’s being played by Mad Men actor Aaron Staton. Let’s hope that the game has more of a focus on detective work and solving crimes; although an action-packed Grand Theft Auto: LA Confidential sure wouldn’t be a bad thing it would be nice to have a new experience here.

The game is being created by the Australian developer Team Bondi, and this will be their first project. Expect it to hit Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in Spring 2011, if all goes well.