10 Times Rockstar Games Crossed Over With Each Other
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Rockstar loves to have its games crossover with one another! From reused assets to hidden Easter eggs, Rockstar has made it clear that just about every game they make takes place within a single world. Our list includes Better Than Claussen's Bread, Up-n-Atom, Leary & Malley, and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 Times Rockstar Games Crossed Over With Each Other! From reused assets to hidden Easter eggs, Rockstar has made it clear that just about every game they make takes place within a single world. Did you find any of these crossovers yourself? Let us know in the comments and tell us what your favorite Rockstar game is!
Zero RC - a quaint little hobby store located in San Andreas, perfect for anyone looking to get into model cars and RC toys. But did you know that this shop also holds a few figures for collectors as well? In addition to two figures of Lance Vance and Tommy Vercetti from “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City”, Zero RC proudly displays toys of two characters from another Rockstar game: James Earl Cash and Piggsy from the notorious 2003 title, “Manhunt”. And they both come with official packaging! Grab yours today!
If you’ve played a lot of “GTA Online”, you’ve probably become familiar with the dozens of fictional stores and brands that litter Los Santos (assuming you’re not getting wrecked by hoverbikes every two minutes). One restaurant you might be familiar with is Up-n-Atom Burger. This equivalent to our In-&-Out Burger is what ties the world of GTA to 2011’s “L.A. Noire”. One of the in-game commercials for Up-n-Atom Burger reuses stock footage that was made for “L.A. Noire”. Even the models featured in the game look somewhat like the characters you see in the open world detective game.
While this connection isn’t as direct as most of the other entries you’ll see, we have a sneaky suspicion that “Grand Theft Auto” and “Manhunt” share a faction of enemies. One of the gangs you’ll encounter in “Grand Theft Auto 2” is the Loonies, a gang that inhabits Sunnyside and can be easily identified by their winking smiley face icon. It’s a motif that is awfully similar to the Hoods, the psychopaths you come across throughout the first “Manhunt” game. Considering the Loonies do reside in a mental ward as their headquarters, we can’t help believing the two games are definitely connected.
This one might be a little more speculative, but it is too on-the-nose not to discuss for this list. One of the missions in “Grand Theft Auto IV” will introduce you to a criminal named Aiden O’Malley who committed several robberies before getting thrown behind bars. In “Red Dead Redemption II”, Dutch uses O’Malley’s name as an alias, but there is a second reference to the character in the series. “Red Dead Redemption” features a character named Aiden O’Leary who suffers a similar fate as the GTA criminal - falling off a cliff.
Adding to our speculation of “Manhunt” taking place within “GTA” is the reuse of some assets. We’re not talking about the mundane stuff either. Sure, you can find vehicles and even a toilet that was used for “GTA III”, but the more interesting assets to note are the billboards. The level “Doorway into Hell” features several billboards that can be found in “GTA: Vice City”. While both games take place in different time periods, we can easily assume the Loonies (or the “Hoods”, whichever they prefer) took whatever junk they could to claim their territory.
One of the most famous urban legends in gaming is none other than Sasquatch, specifically the Sasquatch a few players claim to have seen in “GTA: San Andreas”. While the big lug is playable by using the Golden Peyote in “GTA V”, this is not his first appearance in a Rockstar game. One of the achievements for “Red Dead Redemption” is called “Six Years in the Making”, referencing the number of years between the releases of “Redemption” and “San Andreas”, and it requires you to kill a Sasquatch. If you’ve been struggling to hunt for one yourself, you have an opportunity to bag him during the side mission “Birth of the Conservation Movement”.
Now this one might be a tad tricky to spot considering “Bully’s” polygonal characters and how close you can get with the camera. One of “Bully’s” more enigmatic characters is Edgar Munsen, a Townie who briefly becomes one of Gary’s lackeys before getting his butt handed to him by Jimmy. If you can get a good look at him, you’ll notice one of his tattoos is of the Valkyr icon from “Max Payne”. While there have only been three known users in the “Max Payne” games, could Edgar be an unknown fourth? Or maybe he just thought the design was cool.
To spot this connection in “L.A. Noire”, you will need to get to the Black Caesar case and investigate the first crime scene. Once you get into the apartment, go into the kitchen and look for a piece of toast. Looks like any old ordinary piece of toast, but look at it from a different angle, and you’ll notice something odd. The burn marks form the face of a man in a cowboy hat. That man is none other than John Marston, our protagonist in “Red Dead Redemption” which had just launched the year before “L.A. Noire”.
Man, we would be stoked to see Rockstar return to the good old street-racing days of “Midnight Club”. “Midnight Club: LA” was one of the coolest racing games you could get at the time, and it had one of the coolest Easter eggs for Rockstar’s fans. One of the strangest locations you can visit is a GameStop. Yes, an actual GameStop is in “Midnight Club”, but try to get a good look inside. Seems like all they are selling are copies of “Bully: Scholarship Edition” and…wait, “Table Tennis”? How in the world does anyone remember “Table Tennis”?? Did anyone even play this game?
It’s perhaps the greatest mystery out of all the Rockstar games, and it’s probably going to haunt us for a long, long time. Ned Luke is known within the Rockstar community as the voice actor of Michael De Santa, one of “GTA V’s” three protagonists. However, he is also credited for an unknown role in “Red Dead Redemption II”. Though many have claimed to have seen him, no player has managed to track down his character. It is worth noting his credit on Wikipedia says “Various strangers” with a note saying “Voice unreleased”, but someday, someone will pinpoint who and where Ned Luke is in RDR2.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 Times Rockstar Games Crossed Over With Each Other! From reused assets to hidden Easter eggs, Rockstar has made it clear that just about every game they make takes place within a single world. Did you find any of these crossovers yourself? Let us know in the comments and tell us what your favorite Rockstar game is!
Zero the Toy Collector
Zero RC - a quaint little hobby store located in San Andreas, perfect for anyone looking to get into model cars and RC toys. But did you know that this shop also holds a few figures for collectors as well? In addition to two figures of Lance Vance and Tommy Vercetti from “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City”, Zero RC proudly displays toys of two characters from another Rockstar game: James Earl Cash and Piggsy from the notorious 2003 title, “Manhunt”. And they both come with official packaging! Grab yours today!
Up-n-Atom
If you’ve played a lot of “GTA Online”, you’ve probably become familiar with the dozens of fictional stores and brands that litter Los Santos (assuming you’re not getting wrecked by hoverbikes every two minutes). One restaurant you might be familiar with is Up-n-Atom Burger. This equivalent to our In-&-Out Burger is what ties the world of GTA to 2011’s “L.A. Noire”. One of the in-game commercials for Up-n-Atom Burger reuses stock footage that was made for “L.A. Noire”. Even the models featured in the game look somewhat like the characters you see in the open world detective game.
Storied Ultraviolence
While this connection isn’t as direct as most of the other entries you’ll see, we have a sneaky suspicion that “Grand Theft Auto” and “Manhunt” share a faction of enemies. One of the gangs you’ll encounter in “Grand Theft Auto 2” is the Loonies, a gang that inhabits Sunnyside and can be easily identified by their winking smiley face icon. It’s a motif that is awfully similar to the Hoods, the psychopaths you come across throughout the first “Manhunt” game. Considering the Loonies do reside in a mental ward as their headquarters, we can’t help believing the two games are definitely connected.
Leary & Malley
This one might be a little more speculative, but it is too on-the-nose not to discuss for this list. One of the missions in “Grand Theft Auto IV” will introduce you to a criminal named Aiden O’Malley who committed several robberies before getting thrown behind bars. In “Red Dead Redemption II”, Dutch uses O’Malley’s name as an alias, but there is a second reference to the character in the series. “Red Dead Redemption” features a character named Aiden O’Leary who suffers a similar fate as the GTA criminal - falling off a cliff.
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Adding to our speculation of “Manhunt” taking place within “GTA” is the reuse of some assets. We’re not talking about the mundane stuff either. Sure, you can find vehicles and even a toilet that was used for “GTA III”, but the more interesting assets to note are the billboards. The level “Doorway into Hell” features several billboards that can be found in “GTA: Vice City”. While both games take place in different time periods, we can easily assume the Loonies (or the “Hoods”, whichever they prefer) took whatever junk they could to claim their territory.
Six Years in the Making
One of the most famous urban legends in gaming is none other than Sasquatch, specifically the Sasquatch a few players claim to have seen in “GTA: San Andreas”. While the big lug is playable by using the Golden Peyote in “GTA V”, this is not his first appearance in a Rockstar game. One of the achievements for “Red Dead Redemption” is called “Six Years in the Making”, referencing the number of years between the releases of “Redemption” and “San Andreas”, and it requires you to kill a Sasquatch. If you’ve been struggling to hunt for one yourself, you have an opportunity to bag him during the side mission “Birth of the Conservation Movement”.
Living Canvas
Now this one might be a tad tricky to spot considering “Bully’s” polygonal characters and how close you can get with the camera. One of “Bully’s” more enigmatic characters is Edgar Munsen, a Townie who briefly becomes one of Gary’s lackeys before getting his butt handed to him by Jimmy. If you can get a good look at him, you’ll notice one of his tattoos is of the Valkyr icon from “Max Payne”. While there have only been three known users in the “Max Payne” games, could Edgar be an unknown fourth? Or maybe he just thought the design was cool.
Better Than Claussen’s Bread
To spot this connection in “L.A. Noire”, you will need to get to the Black Caesar case and investigate the first crime scene. Once you get into the apartment, go into the kitchen and look for a piece of toast. Looks like any old ordinary piece of toast, but look at it from a different angle, and you’ll notice something odd. The burn marks form the face of a man in a cowboy hat. That man is none other than John Marston, our protagonist in “Red Dead Redemption” which had just launched the year before “L.A. Noire”.
Power to the Players
Man, we would be stoked to see Rockstar return to the good old street-racing days of “Midnight Club”. “Midnight Club: LA” was one of the coolest racing games you could get at the time, and it had one of the coolest Easter eggs for Rockstar’s fans. One of the strangest locations you can visit is a GameStop. Yes, an actual GameStop is in “Midnight Club”, but try to get a good look inside. Seems like all they are selling are copies of “Bully: Scholarship Edition” and…wait, “Table Tennis”? How in the world does anyone remember “Table Tennis”?? Did anyone even play this game?
Have You Seen This Man?
It’s perhaps the greatest mystery out of all the Rockstar games, and it’s probably going to haunt us for a long, long time. Ned Luke is known within the Rockstar community as the voice actor of Michael De Santa, one of “GTA V’s” three protagonists. However, he is also credited for an unknown role in “Red Dead Redemption II”. Though many have claimed to have seen him, no player has managed to track down his character. It is worth noting his credit on Wikipedia says “Various strangers” with a note saying “Voice unreleased”, but someday, someone will pinpoint who and where Ned Luke is in RDR2.
