PepsiMan

Are you prepared to get into a debate about what is possibly the most polarizing game of its time? You'd laugh if I said that PepsiMan had sparked an intense argument between gamers worldwide, where half believes the title is a phenomenal input into the gaming world. The other thinks it's a cheap corporate cash grab. That exchange makes us forget that there's a game in between.

PepisMan is, as you would guess, an action game involving the soft drink-slugging superhero popular in Japan. It's only available in the said country, but that hasn't stopped cult gamers from getting their hands on the title to give their input into the gameplay. Perhaps it's about time we gave ours and added fuel to the fire.

How Much More Refreshed Are You?

So let's lay down the law here in this branded action game. PepsiMan features four stages with simplistic mechanics. Players will run, dodge, jump, and dash through various obstacles in different real-world locations. The core objective of each level is comical, where PepsiMan must save somebody from dehydration. Nothing is more life-changing than a cold Pepsi.

We can't tell if PepsiMan was made ironically or on purpose. However, it's relatively surprising how solid the gameplay is, considering it feels like one of those cheap budget gas station games. There's not much gameplay outside the standard 3D platforming mechanics. But getting past each stage is challenging, with some fundamental cognitive skills involved in completing each level.

Perhaps what annoys so many about PepsiMan is that it's one giant advertisement rolled into a video game. Everything is Pepsi-oriented. And where some would find that humorous and enjoyably ironic, others would feel like there is a severe corporate invasion of their beloved video game culture.

So bottom line, is PepsiMan a good game? Personally, it's better than I thought it would be, and I feel many would share this sentiment. The main issue is whether you'll be able to take the blatant advertising on the chin for the sake of enjoying the gameplay. I can easily see why that would frustrate players throughout.

Partial Credit

It's funny how we already see accolades about PepsiMan as being a cult classic. On the contrary, others would believe that it's the worst thing to happen to video games since Cheetoh's branded Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest. Honestly, it's hard to bog down a mutual consensus on such a title because of people's attitudes toward corporate branding in video games.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• A solid platformer that challenges players
• Ironically entertaining in its ridiculousness
• Not an expensive game to purchase

Cons:

• Corporate advertising everywhere will annoy players
• A bit too simplistic for hardcore platform gamers
• The storyline may be obnoxious to those without an open approach