Weazel News isn't a new addition to the GTA universe. The first segment aired in Chinatown Wars and became a default radio station in GTA 4 and 5. Both titles featured ranting reporters, apocalyptic guest speakers, and crass advertisements.
As if it could be any more obvious, Weasel News is a thinly veiled parody of Fox News.
Weasels get a sneaky representation in literature and the visual arts, possibly alluding to Rockstar suggesting that politicians can’t be trusted.
While the 2008 slogan "Reporting the Right News" seems tame in comparison to the sarcastic hyper-irony of the newest title, it simultaneously plants the seed right-wing political affiliation and maintains plausible deniability.
In the same vein as the GTA IV Twitter-based internet café (tw@t), Rockstar didn’t beat around the bush. In the mission Friend Request, Michael Townly goes undercover as an intern at tech corporation Lifeinvader, a social media platform that is sweeping and even reshaping the fabric of society.
If you have any inkling of doubt or reservation about the implications of which site it might be, you might notice something familiar about this photo.
Later in the mission, Michael detonates a bomb from the comfort of his home, assassinating CEO Jay Norris on live television (Weasel News, to be precise).
If we're correct in the assumption that Life Invader is the Facebook of the GTA universe, it only stands to reason that the CEO would be the virtual incarnation of billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.
From slogan echoing Apple's campaign advertisements to the phallic logo, there's no doubt what computer company Fruit is parodying.
The GTA 5 companion app iFruit was released in 2013 for download on Apple and Android app stores and included numerous story mode functions. Players can train and bond with Franklin and Lamar's rottweiler sidekick Chop or access Los Santos Customs.
This continuity was a great idea in theory, but didn't work out for Rockstar in practice as the user interface was ripe with bugs and rarely received patches. Today, iFruit is no longer available for download.
While we're on the subject, Los Santos Customs is the GTA universe's equivalent to West Coast Customs, a auto repair and customization shop in Los Angeles under a similar logo.
LS Customs can be accessed in both story and online modes. Following the mission Nervous Ron, Franklin can purchase the Harmony property for 350k. If Franklin purchases the LS Customs garage on Route 68, all of his vehicle modifications will be free at that location.
Sprunk first appeared in GTA: Vice City as a satirical off-brand Sprite that can be purchased from vending machines across the map. Unlike most lemon-lime sodas, Sprunk is heavily caffeinated and each $1 can slightly increases a player's overall health.
Live talent shows are somewhat of a staple of American culture, and so is the insatiable thirst for fame. This makes it hard to pinpoint exactly which of the innumerous talent competitions Fame or Shame is trying to replicate.
The clearest guess is America's Got Talent, as this show is not just a singing competition but accepts acts of any kind. In GTA 5, Tracey doesn't exude any specifiable talent but dances on the show in what is obviously an exploitation ploy staged for views.
Michael's anger fuels the production team's lust for content, and the mission ends with Michael beating up the crew and fleeing the building with Tracey in tow.
We can accept this as Rockstar's critique on reality TV as a whole, in that it exploits both the subject and the viewer for money or clout.
In story mode, each main character has the opportunity to invest in the stock market. While there's no lore behind the NASDAQ parody, players have the choice between two brokers, Liberty City National Exchange, or the crassly named BAWSAQ.
