[VIDEO] Leaked L.A. Noire video reveals May 17th release date

L.A. Noire, the new crime epic from Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar, looks like the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, and the kipper’s knickers.

I marked it as one of my 11 titles to watch in 2011, pointing out its stunning facial animation, noirish atmosphere, and clever use of technology (telling if AI characters are lying just by looking at their faces).

Well, now it has something else to go with all that other stuff: a release date! The video footage below leaked over the weekend, revealing a U.S. release date of May 17th. And I’m not lying. OR AM I? *pulls suspect face* No, really, I’m not. Look, it says so right at the end of the trailer. Publisher Take-Two has confirmed Europe will be getting this on May 20th.

On an unrelated and slightly despairing note, gaming from March to May is going to cost me an arm and about fifteen legs. Between this, Portal 2, Brink, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Ico Shadow of the Colossus HD, and the small matter of the Nintendo 3DS, I’m going to be frigging cleaned out.

[YouTube, via Joystiq]