So as most of us know, each game has a lot of references to actual events or songs/movies and so on... But my question is how many have you spotted while exploring the vast and rich world of GTA SA? As you know your first mission is to steal a bicycle...an old reference to the old 8bit skit on youtube So, people, which of the references did you find and how?
I don't think that has to do with 8bit actually - more likely something like New Jack City or Boys in the Hood or even all the old NWA videos. Speaking of which there is the character (I forget his name right now) who looks like Easy E. Same hat and hair, marked resemblance, even moves like him a bit. New Jack swing is in reference to New Jack City. CJ might as well be Omar Epps considering the role he plays. Basically it was the early 90s - gangster rap and all.
It has been a long time since I had played San Andreas. I always like the drive by shootings as a gang. I do not know if this would count as a reference or not, but I look at Rider and can tell he is a reference to the late Easy-E. I also noticed that Salvatore from the Third GTA game was in San Andreas.
This game is fulfilled with anything, literally! The most references that I've ever seen were at the radio. The radio presenters were mocking politicians, artists and even entire governments! Even today I wonder how they could've released the game in such conditions... I guess the freedom of speech at that time was truly respected, because GTA V doesn't have this flexibility at this chapter.
Politics was just there in this game but I did not care too much about the radio. I was more likely focusing on driveby shootings and the plot. I went to Burgershot when I could.
The game is full of references, indeed. It's all for something deeper. It even ties into the GTA V chiliad mystery - "everyone will be related"- it's not about family (even though all GTA Online characters are related for the most part ), it's about the references - it's about getting you to relate, like you relate to a song, the game relates to many things. I noticed all the references. In all the games. I am fully on board with Rockstar North's rock and roll gaming interactive paintings. As potent as entire artist discographies. GTA is the view of how everyone is related. Most people are completely blind to it currently. Won't be for too much longer.
There are the subtle references, but to be honest I didn't really pay any attention to them because it was actually kind of a trend during those years (and still is) for video games to have subtle references to pop culture and etc.