The clip uploaded and pinned by AntoMayo on February 12 showcases Grand Theft Auto 5 co-protagonist Michael De Santa crashing a blimp into the side of the Galileo Observatory in Vinewood Hills so that he can enter a cutscene conversation with FIB agent Dave Norton. Fans of GTA 5 will recognize the moment as a part of the “Dead Man Walking” mission.
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While the cut from fire and screaming as a result of the Hindenburg-level catastrophe to a conversation with Michael shouting “Davey!” is hilarious, putting the moment into its real-life equivalent context is something else entirely. Everything in the Grand Theft Auto universe is based on real locales, as one fan pointed out with a map of the full GTA United States, so the clip essentially shows someone flying a Goodyear Blimp into the Hollywood Hills’ Griffith Observatory — just with absurdist, silly ragdoll physics instead of actual carnage.
What makes AntoMayo’s clip especially interesting, is that other Twitter users point out videos discussing the blimp trick as a well-known, risky speedrunning strategy. One of those discussion videos comes from GTA 5 runner FriendlyBaron, who has a whole series dedicated to similar risky strategies.
While Grand Theft Auto thrives on the absurdist, often hyper-violent acts possible in its sandbox world, mods also play a huge role in keeping the games relevant. Those mods have encompassed just about anything imaginable, but notable examples bring memes like Tesla’s Cybertruck into the games.
The blimp cutscene entrance does not require any mods to achieve, however, making it both hilarious to watch and attainable for casual players who want to put in the time. Similar wacky events will undoubtedly continue to emerge going forward, as Grand Theft Auto isn’t going anywhere between rumors about GTA 6 surfacing and GTA Online server issues making headlines.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is out now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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