Gaming News 10 surprising video games from famous brands
Big brands have invested in video games in many ways. If we’re used to product placements in our virtual worlds, like KFC restaurants in Crazy Taxi, Samsung tablets in Perfect Dark Zero, or more recently Monster energy drinks in Death Stranding, some brands have actually spawned real game development in their honor. In this selection of bugs, we’re highlighting companies that made us want to sell us other products.
7-Up (Cool Spot)
The famous lemon-flavored soft drink took center stage in 1993 when Cool Spot landed on Mega Drive and Super Nintendo (before appearing on Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Amiga and MS-Dos the following year). As a matter of fact, Spot, the hero of this platform game, is none other than the little red dot that serves as the logo for 7-Up’s bottles. The American drink is also clearly recognizable in the title image of the software, at least in the non-European versions, after the bottle of 7-Up was replaced by a very classic lemonade on the old continent. FYI, it was David Perry (Aladdin, Earthworm Jim) who did the project on behalf of Virgin Interactive. The game will have a sequel called Spot Goes to Hollywood on Mega Drive, PlayStation and Saturn.
Actimel (Team Actimel vs. the Megakrasses)
After 7-Up, we stay in the cold drinks realm, but milky this time. Team Actimel against the MégaKrasses is a 2D platform game released on PC in which the player controls a hero of the Actimel team. His goal ? Unlock the MégaKrasses and use them to defend the digestive tract of the common people. The levels therefore take place in a human body, which doesn’t stop the hero from recovering bottles of Actimel or even whole packs of the famous drink. It’s impossible not to see the sign, it’s present at the top of the screen on all of the game’s boards, the letters “Actimel” must be picked up, and the ending sequence features a giant bottle of Actimel repelling the MegaKrasses with the slogan , displayed on the screen, “Actimel makes you stronger”. Did you get the message?
Adidas (Adidas Power Football)
Branded games aren’t necessarily bad. Take Adidas Power Soccer, for example, developed for Sony’s PlayStation by the talented studio Psygnosis (Wipeout). This is an arcade soccer game licensed by Adidas that allowed to perform spectacular special moves (like the Predator Shot). The duels were legion, and it wasn’t uncommon to give an opponent a small goad between the eyes to cool his enthusiasm. Arcade, we said! The German provider was put in the spotlight by commercials during the loading screens. Three sequels were released with Adidas Power Soccer 2, Adidas Power Soccer International 97 and Adidas Power Soccer 98.
Burger King (Sneak King)
Sold for the price of a Whopper meal, the Sneak King game features the mascot of the fast food chain Burger King. In this title developed by Blitz Games (Fuzion Frenzy). The player has to infiltrate different locations (sawmill, downtown, etc.) to deliver Burger King menus to hungry people. As part of a massive advertising campaign that ran in 2006, the three Burger King games reportedly helped the chain increase sales dramatically. Be aware that Sneak King is an Xbox exclusive, and at Burger King’s request, Blitz Games managed to put the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions on the same DVD, which is rare enough to warrant underlining.
Domino’s Pizza (Yo! Noid)
In the 1980s, Domino’s Pizza’s mascot was a man in a red bunny suit. Let’s face it, it’s this oddly disturbing character who becomes the hero of a platform game for Domino’s Pizza in 1990. Yo! Noid is actually the adaptation of a Japanese game called Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru developed by Now Production and published by Capcom. On foot or on a skateboard, the player develops on very different levels. The main difference between the two versions lies in the addition of pizzas in the mini-games, as well as in the boss fights, dedicated to Domino’s Pizza mascots.
Kellogg’s (Tony & Friends in Kellogg’s Land)
What better way to start the day than a good bowl of cereal washed down with milk to enjoy before a video game? Quickly so the sugar-glazed cornflakes don’t get mushy. Tony and Friends in Kellogg’s Land is a platform game developed by Factor 5 and published by a German company called Rauser Advertainment. In this title, the player will go through different colorful levels in the shoes of little Kellogg’s characters, namely Tony (Frosties), Dig’em Frog (Smacks), Coco (Cocopops) or even Toucan Sam (Froot Loops). The player must gather crops and complete the levels before time runs out. It’s classic, but pretty well done for a command game of this nature.
Mc Donalds (Global Gladiators)
In an effort to establish its brand in the video game world, McDonald’s, supported by Virgin Interactive, decided in 1992 to associate its logo with platform games. On the Nintendo side, players could have fun at McDonaldland while we tried to save the world from pollution on the SEGA machines on Global Gladiators. It is this second title that we have included in our selection. While Mick and Mack are eating a good McDonald’s, Ronald Mcdonald decides to play a little prank on them by teleporting them into a comic strip. The goal of this adventure directed by David Perry (he again!) is to progress through the levels by shooting the enemies you encounter with a glue gun. Only here, in order to move from one level to another, you need to restore the McDonald’s logos hidden in the levels. If you can’t take your eyes off the big yellow M…
Pepsi (Pepsi Man)
The war between Pepsi and Coca Cola was particularly violent in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1994, Coca Cola drew its video game for the first time, a platform game (yes, another one) published by SEGA for its Game Gear and released exclusively in Japan. In 1999, Pepsi released its hero Pepsi Man on the first PlayStation. The title, developed by KID, proposes to embody the Pepsi mascot and travel through a city to save the inhabitants by delivering them… bottles of Pepsi. Also released exclusively in Japan, the software takes the form of a runner (with the camera behind the hero’s back) in which the protagonist races through the streets of a city at full speed very busy looking for Pepsi cans and Pepsi dispensers. The adventure is as rhythmic as it is funny, thanks to crazy phases and comical cutscenes.
Smarties (Smarties Meltdown)
After proving after the adventures of M&M’s on PS2 and PC that sometimes it’s better to leave treats where they are than to bring them to our slot machines, The Smarties also wanted their moment of glory on the PS2. Considering the poor quality of this 3D platformer where Blue gets his from the evil Dr. Not really pretty, afflicted with various bugs, not very manageable, Smarties Meltdown cannot be put into everyone’s hands. The height for a game based on small chocolate pastilles!
Taco Bell (Tasty Temple Challenge)
To finish off this selection, are you going to have a lot of Taco Bell tacos? Back then distributed with the brand’s children’s menu, Tasty Temple Challenge invites you to embody Baja Bill. This funny character only thinks about one thing: food. One day he discovers a temple full of Taco Bell foods with tacos, nachos and other pizzas. Great, isn’t it? Unfortunately, creatures stand in his way, preventing him from feasting too easily. Tasty Temple is a 3D first-person game in which the player fights scorpions and snakes (as well as a boss) with hot sauce. And all while consuming signature Taco Bell dishes to regain your health. The explanatory manual had a set of 7 errors except that there were 22 to discover.
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