Pepsiman is a Japanese promotional game created by studio KID for Pepsi, in which the player controls the title superhero in a soda-can costume and races him through streets, highways, and sewers across four short stages. It's one of the first widely recognized representatives of what we'd today call an endless runner, only with a fixed track and a clear finish, where Pepsiman rewards himself with an ice-cold can of soda at the end of each level.
The gameplay is simple – Pepsiman runs forward automatically and the player reacts to obstacles by dodging, sliding, or jumping at the right moment. Between the individual sections play live-action footage of an actor in costume, which contrasts with the otherwise fully 3D character graphics and gives the game a distinctive, deliberately kitschy sense of humor. The game also includes collecting Pepsi cans, a straightforward promotional element built into an otherwise lighthearted arcade experience, and mistakes during a run don't set you back far, since the individual stages are short and straightforward. Visually the game looks clean and colorful, with prominent branded references to the product, making it one of the most blatant examples of product placement in a 1990s video game.
Pepsiman never released outside Japan and, as an official product, remained a fairly obscure affair, partly due to its short length. Even so, thanks to its curious character and timelessly absurd humor, it's now counted among the best-known "guilty pleasure" titles on PlayStation, and it still holds a firm place among collectors and lovers of gaming curiosities.
Why play it: For a short, absurdly entertaining ride that ranks among the most curious promotional games on PlayStation.
Game 164 of 215 for Sony PlayStation
