Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ Carl Johnson gets around, and we’re not just talking about the drive over to Las Venturas. Less than 24 hours after Armored Core 6’s launch, the hardened Grove Street gangbanger has found a new career as a combat mech, courtesy of some very quick work by longtime Dark Souls modder Dropoff.
Seeing the ordinarily stoic and unflappable CJ dance around the desolate planet of Rubicon firing off person-sized machine gun rounds can only be described as surreal.
Really, all that’s missing are his one-liners, but the fact that he remains completely silent and expressionless, as though he’s taking this more seriously than he’s ever taken anything in his life, might just add to the effect. This isn’t the first of CJ’s unusual outings, however, as he’s been turned into a bit of an icon for the modding community.
Related: Is Karl Urban in Armored Core 6?
Maybe it’s his relatability as an American everyman, maybe it’s his status as the protagonist of one of the most iconic games ever made, or maybe it’s the way his adorably blocky PS2 era art style clashes with virtually any contemporary setting, but CJ has found a renaissance in the PC game modding scene, putting in unlikely appearances everywhere from the neon soaked streets of 1980s Japan to the skyscrapers of New York (complete with spider powers). Rubicon is just the latest of CJ’s adventures, and in a way, it’s endearing to see a classic protagonist take on new life almost twenty years after his time in the spotlight ended. Whether or not he’ll be able to hold his own in AC6’s brutal Arena is a different story altogether.
Fight on, CJ—we can’t wait to see where you go next.
