Throwback Thursday: Pepsiman – The Pepsiest Game Ever Made (VIDEO)
Let’s throw back to March 4, 1999, when Pepsiman released for the original PlayStation. Under a premise of bizarre product placement, the arcade-style platformer presented an experience with undeniable charm and likely the most hilariously blatant advertising ever seen in a video game.
Background
In the late-90s war for soda supremacy, two contenders stood at the peak battling for the affection of the sweet-toothed masses: Coca-Cola and Pepsi. While Coca-Cola fared pretty comfortably due to its longtime popularity and widespread brand recognition, Pepsi pursued a more entertaining approach with its pop culture-fueled and often bizarre advertising campaigns. One of their most inexplicable creations of the time was “Pepsiman”, the extreme soft drink superhero.
While most of us in the Western region may not remember such a strange character, the Japanese market were all-too familiar with the heroic exploits of Pepsiman. In the various commercials aired, the shiny faceless mascot would run, jump, and overcome hilarious obstacles to deliver refreshing Pepsi to the thirsty public. As the ad campaign was considered a big success, Pepsi felt best to further promote this premise with an aptly-titled video game.
Gameplay
Developed by visual novel studio KID, Pepsiman was greenlit as an action game for the original PlayStation, offering an experience not unlike endless runners of today. Players control the character of Pepsiman as he fulfills his thirst for quenching thirst by continually running and completing crazy platforming courses. As one would expect, advertisements for Pepsi are featured throughout, sprawled on billboards, signs, vehicles, and even Pepsi-shaped buildings.
As Pepsiman travels through the game, players can collect up to 100 Pepsis and earn extra lives, the latter of which is very much needed as the challenge begins to ramp up. Continually running through various cityscapes presents a challenge in itself, as leaping over fences and ducking under stray Pepsi trucks quickly becomes commonplace. Periodically, new elements are introduced to spike the difficulty, such as being trapped in a garbage container, piloting a radical skateboard, and being chased by an oversized rolling Pepsi can.
While the game largely consists of in-engine gameplay and cutscenes, intermittently placed between stages are live-action videos of a peculiar man drinking, you guessed it, Pepsi. Snacking, watching TV, and surrounded by an ungodly amount of Pepsi cans, the unnamed man does little other than goofily speak in a collection of outlandish slogans such as “Everybody Pepsi!” or “Pepsi, only my choice!”. This guy really, REALLY loves Pepsi.
Legacy
Pepsiman suffered from poor sales and, therefore, only saw a release in Japan, but that wouldn’t be the only appearance of the character in a video game. The nimble hero also appeared in the Japanese version of Fighting Vipers as an unlockable character. To this day, non-Japanese audiences still have never received a localized Pepsiman game, likely due to a slew of licensing issues.
The strangely enjoyable game continues today as a fan favorite source of memes and nostalgia, mostly due to its overly odd and “of its time” presentation. One has to imagine if a modern re-release were to somehow happen, it would feel right at home among the numerous other endless runners in the mobile scene. Wait, anyone else suddenly craving a Pepsi?
What’s your opinion of Pepsiman? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! Also, be on the lookout for the next Throwback Thursday where we’ll highlight yet another title from gaming past. For entries from previous weeks, check out these next few links below:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
