Obsessively Cataloging Video Game "Pop" Culture
In the world of video game soda machine preservation, there are obscure platforms, and then there are obscure platforms. This vending machine appears in Backseat Bingo, a game that’s included in the Chrysler Pacifica’s Uconnect rear seat entertainment system. It might also be the priciest game archived here at the site, with an MSRP around $33,000.
Thanks to Jenna Fischer from The Office for the tip. No, really!
Some soda machines make a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearance in the trailer for Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers. Thanks for the screenshots, Tikhon!
Andrew Borman, Digital Games Curator at the Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, discovered this Rock Kola vending machine in a tech demo for an unreleased game based on the Top Cow comic book Witchblade. Let’s take a closer look…
Thanks for the screenshots, Andrew!
The classic red Fortnite soda machine has been in the archives for ages, but the version in this screenshot replaces an illegible graffiti-style logo with the word “COLD.” [Source]
Shenmue’s drink machines are iconic, so it’s not surprising that Ryo stumbles across a few in Shenmue III. This time around, the developers relied on stock Unreal Engine vending machine assets, previously seen in games like Estranged: Act II, SCUM, and Emily Wants to Play Too. Nevertheless, a familiar soda machine is better than no soda machine at all!
Thanks to dnekuen on Reddit for helping me track these down! [Source]
I keep racking up fines for trying to steer my bus across several lanes of traffic to get a closer look at these drink machines from Tokyo Bus Guide 2 for the PlayStation 2.
Tank battles in urban settings tend to generate a lot of collateral damage. Here’s hoping these soda machines from Tokyo Warfare survive the fight.
I’ve spent forever trying to track down a copy of Truck Kyousoukyoku: Ai to Kanashimi no Rodeo (Truck Mad Dash Melody: Rodeo of Love and Sadness) for the PlayStation 2 so I could capture a screenshot of these beachside soda machines.
In the process, I also learned about dekotora—the Japanese word for flamboyantly decorated art trucks like the ones featured in Truck Kyousoukyoku. At last, I have some cultural context for the tricked-out trucks that occasionally appear in the background of Street Fighter stages!
This drink machine is from Simple DS Series Vol. 8: The Kanshikikan – Kinkyuu Shutsudou!! Jiken Genba wo Touch Seyo, a visual novel for the Nintendo DS. I’ve developed a real knack over the past few years of muddling through dialogue trees in Japanese visual novels in order to screenshot the inevitable Act 2 soda machine, despite my inability to read even a single word of Japanese.
I love Kairosoft for their unwavering dedication to including soda machines in every single mobile game they release — including this one from Basketball Club Story.