Myths in GTA San Andreas

Revision as of 23:06, 5 August 2009 by gtw>C-d-rom (Shouldn't be too contentious (I hope) just labeled it as non-canon, as it is, in accordance with the page ON canon)

There are many myths regarding the large world in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Only a couple of these really exist. While some were denied by developer Rockstar Games, the rest can be neither proven nor disproven, though most users tend towards disbelief at the more outlandish claims. Most of these myths are either misconceptions or made up.

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Scan of Mr. Donovan's interview for EGM Magazine, proving that the ghost doesn't exist

Bigfoot

Bigfoot is one of the most popular myths associated with the game. Rockstar confirmed in an interview that Bigfoot does not exist in-game, yet many still claim to have seen him.

Loch Ness Monster

The legend of the Loch Ness monster was one of the first myths to emerge. It was believed that it appears in the Fisher's Lagoon, one of the few lakes accessible by the player at the very beginning of the game. Like many other myths, this had a strong support back in 2005, but lacks any evidence or in-game references, which would seem to classify this myth as fake. It was later confirmed by a Rockstar spokesman that the 'Nessie' myth is fake.

UFOs

UFOs are another popular myth from GTA San Andreas.

Jaws

Jaws is the name given to sharks in GTA San Andreas. It has been debated whether or not they are really dolphins, which are clearly present in-game and can be seen swimming around in the oceans. Many people claim that they were eaten or stabbed to death while swimming. Those who do not believe in this myth usually blame the oxygen level, which some people tend to forget to watch. There were many videos and pictures featuring the shark and CJ, quite often under the Gant Bridge. However, all cases of the shark's appearance were described in a different way, leading many people to believe that all of the stories are made up. Up to now, it is believed by many that sharks are not present in GTA San Andreas; if the dolphins are supposed to be sharks, they do not attack the player in any case.

There is a shark model in the game's data files, which makes these myths plausible, although many people claim that this model is the shark that appears in the sea in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or Steve Scott's robotic shark from InterGlobal Films.

Rusty Wheelchair

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The infamous wheelchair, taken from http://myepsilon.org

There's an abandoned wheelchair at the end of the wharf in Fisher's Lagoon. It uses the same texture as a waste skip elsewhere in San Andreas. The wheel chair was believed by many to be a reference to the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as one of the youths in this movie is in a wheel chair, but is in fact more likely a reference to the Rockstar game Manhunt, where it can be seen at the beginning. The following pedestrian dialog can be heard in Palomino Creek:

- Have you seen this disabled person chair moving?

- No, have you?

- Neither have I, bye-bye!

- Bye-Bye!

Some people see timings on the front wheels of the chair and assume that something will happen at those times. The "mystery of the chair" was never solved in the standard GTA game, and it is believed the chair doesn't carry any hidden meaning. Although, when two members of GTAForums launched their own competition called GTA Treasurehunt, in which the last mission involved solving the wheelchair mystery. After the lake was filled up with rocks and stones a dead body was found floating in the middle. This is, however, strictly non-canon.

Ghost Cars

The Ghost Cars myth is essentially based upon the misinterpretation of a minor glitch. The myth centered on the abandoned cars, which spawn in the rural areas of San Andreas. If they spawn on a slope, they roll down it as if they're being driven. Some curious players investigated the cars and found that there was nobody in it, thus leading them to believe that the car was driving itself. However, there is nothing particularly strange about the vehicles themselves, as they were simply put there incase the player got stranded in the countryside without a vehicle.

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"Ghost Vortex" sliding down the hill with the "ghostly mist" visible.

Some people have also claimed to have seen a ghostly Vortex shrouded by a "ghostly mist" in the San Fierro bay area. The reason that it moves is because, like the Glendale, it spawns on a slope, and the "mist" is the result of the sand being kicked up as it slides down the beach.

There is also a random car parked in a driveway in Playa del Seville‎ that sometimes rolls down into the road (this depends on the car).

Beverly Johnson's Ghost

This myth started when so-called "ghost graffiti" was discovered at Los Santos cemetery (ie, graffiti which only appears at night, a documented fact). Many people were claiming that Beverly Johnson's ghost appears in the kitchen/living room of CJ's house in Ganton every midnight. Sometimes the time varied - it had to be Halloween on the computer's clock, or it has to be Friday in the game. Some were saying that the ghost appears in the cemetery under the same, or similar, conditions. However, nobody has claimed that they have seen the ghost, neither are there any pictures or videos. Furthermore, Rockstar have officially denied it's existence.

Girl from the TV

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One frame from so-called Girl from TV video showing CJ and the dark figure

This myth is also the one that did not get much support - in fact, it all has started with a video uploaded onto YouTube in 2006, featuring CJ in his living room looking around when the black girl appears from the television in the corner and disappears a second later. There is no other proof of this girl. It is believed that it is was either a glitch which caused a pedestrian to spawn in the house by mistake and was removed by the game immediately, or it was a mod for the PC version of GTA San Andreas. The dark figure looks very similar to a homeless pedestrian from San Fierro which has a sign that reads "God is playing with us!" on his chest - there was even a video on YouTube comparing both the TV girl and the tramp pictures. Currently, the myth is remembered occasionally, usually with an ironic purpose as there isn't any proof of the girl's existence apart from the short, blurred video.

Horses in Las Barrancas

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Screenshot showing the legend of Las Barrancas, from the San Andreas website

The reference to horses can be found on the Rockstar website, on the Tierra Robada section of the map. When the cursor is positioned over the Las Barrancas icon, the following text can be seen at the bottom of the map:

A quaint desert town steeped in local history, home to preserved Hopi ruins and the terrible setting of the Barrancas Mass Grave. In 1842, the 66th Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Henry Bolt, was stationed in nearby Fort Carson when they answered a call for help from homesteaders under attack from bandits. Riding to the rescue, the whole force fell down a hole. It is said that the sound of a hundred horses can be heard riding through the town at midnight...

Though there is little support/speculation, some people spent some time trying to hear the sound of horses at midnight, but failed to do so. It is unclear which hole was mentioned in the legend and whether it still exists. So far no evidence has been found about the presence of any type of anomaly in Las Barrancas.

Many people have taken the "hole" referenced here to be the mass Grave near Las Brujas. This would seem incongruous however, as they are on opposite sides of the river, and the hole in question is both up against a wall and too small for an entire cavalry division to fall into.

Panopticon Killer/Leatherface/Chainsaw Killer

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Fake Leatherface pictures, courtesy of http://myepsilon.org

Another strong myth of GTA San Andreas is a Chainsaw killer. He has many names such as Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Hitler, but to avoid confusion this article will refer to him as The Killer. The whole idea of The Killer started when somebody said that they heard a chainsaw in The Panopticon area. Many have assumed this to be true due to the nature of the area - it looks scary when it is foggy, is full of small sheds and cut down trees and contains a chainsaw pickup. The strange sound can be heard during rainy weather on the first version of the game as a glitch. Over time, the myth has evolved, people started to find out more clues and weird objects. It is said that The Killer lives in the countryside, near the Shady Cabin in the Panopticon, he uses a chainsaw or a firearm to kill his victims, and he appears from behind the player (usually from the house) and kills him almost instantly. Although many people have claimed they have seen the killer, there is still no strong evidence to his existence. There are also many descriptions of the killer, they all differ which makes it difficult to believe that killer's existence is plausible. His existence has also been reported at Mount Chiliad, Fisher's Lagoon, shady cabin, other farms.

Phonebooth In The Desert

Many people have reported coming across a phonebooth in the desert. The phonebooth rings until the player approaches and answers the phone. When answered, there is no one on another end. Although it was one of the first myths to emerge, it is still unclear whether the myth is real. It is in some ways - there are many phoneboothes in the desert area, especially in towns (not in the desert itself), but none of them are ringing. There is, however a Phonebooth mod available which places phoneboxes in random places around the desert.

Serial Killer

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Serial killer near his suggested house

This myth is very similar to the Panopticon Killer. The only difference is that this man lives in the desert and uses a rifle to kill his victims. The majority of people tend to think that he lives in a small house in Tierra Robada, not far from a Cluckin' Bell. Some people have posted videos of him in Fort Carson with a combat shotgun or unarmed. He is believed to be the same man as Mr. Trenchcoat (see the UFOs article for more information). He can often be seen on the small road next to the river, just meters away from his house. People have claimed that this person starts randomly shooting and kills other pedestrians - at this moment, no evidence has been found. It is believed that this myth started when someone had a riot cheat enabled without realising it. The Myth of the serial killer is sometimes linked with the myth of the Las Venturas desert Mass Grave.

Screaming Voices

This, just like Bigfoot and Leatherface is another myth that some people have claimed to have encountered while playing the game. The most common hearing of these horror voices is on Mount Chiliad, in a shack halfway up the mountain, used in a mission in the Badlands section of the game. It was midnight and stormy when these hearings happened. Some believe that it is just a mod or a hoax. Other people claimed to hear the screaming voices in Panopticon area and in Back o' Beyond. However, it was later discovered that in one case the "screaming voice" was the sound of an abandoned Quadbike's tyres screeching against the rock, as it was stuck in the ground. It's also possible to hear a loud groan near Gant Bridge, mostly at nights. This has been attributed to Bigfoot, but has been identified as the fog horn of one of the ships around the bay.

Epsilon Cult

Please refer to the main Epsilon Program article for more information.

Door In The Sky

The Yellow door secret is explained in The Epsilon Program article.

The door in the sky are actually yellow markers that allow you to walk through and end up inside of a building.

The only two yellow markers that are found in the sky are above Cluckin' Bell in the desert. In order to proceed, you will need to enable cheats/hacks to reach these doors. They are far up in the sky and are reachable with cheats/hacks.

Reports say the two doors are only houses that were meant for Robbery Missions. Rockstar hides these interiors for a reason for nobody to find or reach. In San Andreas, Rockstar hides these marks above San Andreas.

Suicide Pedestrian

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Suicide Pedestrian about to drown herself.

In Flint County, near the Flint Intersection Bridge, a pedestrian is found taking photos and then walks into the water and drowns. Although the pedestrian's activity seems rather strange, it is likely that they are supposed to simply take photos and walk away - the reason they walk into the water may be due to a programming/coding error.

References

  • Fan-site, covering Epsilon, Leatherface and some other myths [1]
  • Official Epsilon site [2]
  • Czech web-site with many screenshots of UFO [3]