Product placements in games are sometimes a little on the nose, aren't they? If you're playing Death Stranding and you see a lot of Monster Energy, you tend to wonder: what sort of business deal does Monster have with Hideo Kojima? Right? But a few cans in Death Stranding are incredibly subtle compared to entirely branded games, like the (in)famous Pepsiman on the original PlayStation.
Pepsiman on PS1 is like the original Temple Run. You play the titular Pepsiman, who is running and collecting beverages - and that's it, that's pretty much the entire game. Duck and dive through a course and rack up higher and higher scores while on your way to deliver an ice-cold can of Pepsi to a dehydrated civilian. Truly, the hero we deserve.
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Despite its obvious limitations, there are so many people who remember the game Pepsiman fondly that it's never quite left the games media conversation. So far as an interactive drinks advert from the 1990s goes, it's genuinely impressive that people still love this game, this many years later. And it's not only nostalgia keeping the memory of the game alive, as a seriously dedicated fan has recreated Pepsiman for next-gen consoles.
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YehyaDann on the PlayStation subreddit has shown off a project where they've brought the original PS1 game up to what it might look like if it was released on PlayStation 5 today. And, actually, it's impressively alike to the original. Same obstacles, neighbourhood, and the same placement of fizzy drink cans - if you were the type to know Pepsiman like the back of your hand, the visual improvement is just a nice touch to the original gameplay. And of course, you can't forget that it's got RTX capabilities for those juicy puddles everywhere.
Eagle-eyed players will note that the UI is a little updated, with the newer Pepsi logo. What hasn't changed, though, is the rippling muscles on the back of Pepsiman. Seriously, what is this guy's workout routine? I'd ask about his diet but I'm sure just drinking Pepsi all the time won't get me half as ripped. Some people are just born muscular, I guess. If you want to watch a fuller video, just click the player below or, I guess, head to YouTube.
Topics: News, PlayStation, Retro Gaming