You know that feeling when a witness is staring you right in the face, sweating, and you just know they're lying through their teeth? That’s basically the entire vibe of L.A. Noire A Slip of the Tongue.
It’s one of those cases that feels refreshingly grounded. Unlike some of the later Homicide or Arson desks where everything is high-stakes and cinematic, this Traffic desk DLC stays in the weeds. It’s about paperwork. It’s about forged pink slips. And honestly? It’s arguably the most "detective" the game ever gets because it forces you to actually pay attention to the boring stuff.
If you played the original 2011 release on PS3 or Xbox 360, you might remember this as a pre-order bonus from Walmart. Later, it became a staple of the Rockstar Pass and the Complete Edition. It’s a short one, but the way it handles the 1947 Los Angeles setting is pretty much perfect.
The Setup: Just Another Day in Traffic
The case kicks off with what looks like a routine fender bender. You’ve got a green Frazer Manhattan smashed up at the corner of Figueroa and 9th.
Most people just breeze through the dialogue here, but Cole Phelps is, well, Phelps. He notices something is off immediately. Harrison Leary, the guy who was supposedly driving the car, seems way too nervous for a simple traffic accident. Then there's the vehicle itself.
The paperwork says one thing. The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) says another.
This is where the game really leans into its "search everything" mechanic. You find a pink slip in the glove box, but it’s a mess of inconsistencies. Most players miss the tiny details on the first pass, like the fact that the engine number doesn't match the registration. It’s a classic case of a "slip of the tongue" leading to a much larger conspiracy involving car theft rings.
Why the Interview with Cliff Harrison is So Infuriating
Cliff Harrison is the first real hurdle. He’s the driver of the other car involved in the crash, and man, is he a piece of work.
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When you’re interviewing him, the game’s "Doubt" (or "Bad Cop" in the Remastered version) mechanic feels genuinely earned. He claims he bought the car from a guy named Jean Latimer. He says he has the receipt. But if you look at the receipt, the dates don't align with his story.
What makes L.A. Noire A Slip of the Tongue special is that it doesn't give you a "murder weapon" right away. The weapon is a piece of paper. You have to use the "Pink Slip" evidence to catch him in a lie. If you pick "Truth," you lose the lead. If you pick "Lie" without the right evidence, he shuts down.
It’s a tightrope walk.
The Marquee Motors Connection
Eventually, the trail leads you to Marquee Motors. This is where the case expands from a simple accident into a full-blown fraud investigation.
The manager, Gordon Leitvol, is the kind of smug "legitimate businessman" that L.A. Noire excels at portraying. He’s helpful, but in a way that feels staged. You find out that multiple cars—all Frazer Manhattans—have been sold with the exact same serial numbers.
Basically, someone is "washing" stolen cars by giving them the identities of legitimate ones. It’s a high-level scam for 1947, and Leitvol is right in the middle of it.
Tracking Down the "Big Fish"
As you dig deeper, you run into Jean Latimer. Except, Latimer isn't who he says he is.
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One of the coolest parts of this case is the chase scene that happens about midway through. It breaks up the monotony of looking at ledgers and receipts. You end up at a printing press, which makes total sense once you realize the core of the crime is forgery.
You’re not just looking for a thief; you’re looking for the guy who makes the fake documents.
The climax at the printing shop is one of the more satisfying shootouts in the early game. It’s fast, messy, and rewards you for using cover properly. But even after the smoke clears, you still have to close the case with Leitvol.
How to Get a 5-Star Rating in A Slip of the Tongue
Getting a perfect rating in this case is actually harder than it looks because the evidence is so granular. You can easily miss a clue in the car or fail to ask the right follow-up question to the mechanic.
Here is the checklist of what you absolutely cannot miss:
- The Glove Box: Check the registration and the pink slip immediately at the crash site.
- The Engine Block: Don't just look at the car; check the actual VIN stamped on the frame.
- Coombs’ Auto Shop: When you talk to the mechanic, pay attention to his nervous ticks. He knows more than he’s letting on about where those cars are coming from.
- The Ledger at Marquee Motors: This is the smoking gun. You need to find the entries where the same VIN appears multiple times.
Honestly, the trick to L.A. Noire is just being patient. If you rush the dialogue, you’re going to pick the wrong reaction. Watch their eyes. In the 2017 4K remaster, the facial animations are even clearer, making it a bit easier to spot Leitvol's subtle smirks when he thinks he's outsmarted you.
The Cultural Context: Post-War L.A.
What a lot of players overlook is how L.A. Noire A Slip of the Tongue highlights the economic boom after World War II.
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Everyone wanted a new car. The Frazer Manhattan was a symbol of that "new American dream." Because demand was so high and production was still catching up, the black market for luxury vehicles was exploding. Rockstar Games did their homework here. They didn't just invent a crime; they picked a crime that was actually rampant in the late 40s.
The case also touches on the corruption within the DMV and the city's administrative layers. It shows that the "rot" in Los Angeles wasn't just in the dark alleys of the Homicide desk—it was in the brightly lit showrooms of Wilshire Boulevard too.
Technical Nuances of the DLC
If you're playing the VR Case Files version of this, the experience is totally different.
Holding the pink slip in your actual hands (virtually) and turning it over to find the forged signature adds a layer of immersion that the standard version lacks. You actually feel like a detective sifting through trash and paperwork.
On the Switch version, the touch controls for the notebook make the investigation feel a bit more tactile, though the graphics obviously take a hit compared to the PC or PS4 versions. Regardless of where you play it, the core logic remains the same: the truth is in the details.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re booting up L.A. Noire to tackle this case again, try these specific tactics to see things you might have missed:
- Ignore the Mini-Map: Try to find your way to Marquee Motors using the in-game street signs. It forces you to look at the world-building Rockstar put into the 1947 recreation.
- Listen to the Music: The score changes when you’ve found all the clues in an area. If the "investigation" music is still playing, you’ve missed something—likely a small piece of paper or a stamp on a desk.
- Pressure Leitvol: When you get to the final interview with Gordon Leitvol, don't be afraid to use your "Intuition" points. He is one of the toughest characters to read because he’s a professional liar.
- Check the Manifest: At the shipping yard, there's a manifest that links the stolen cars to a specific delivery route. Connecting these dots early makes the final confrontation much more logical.
L.A. Noire A Slip of the Tongue isn't the longest case in the game, but it’s one of the most cohesive. It doesn't rely on shock value or over-the-top gore. It relies on your ability to be a detective. It’s about the "slip" in the story—the one moment where a criminal says too much and lets the mask fall.
Keep your notebook open and your eyes on the VIN numbers. In the world of Traffic, the paper trail never lies, even when the people do.