Obsessively Cataloging Video Game "Pop" Culture
In an era before drones and teraflops, we had radio-controlled helicopters and the PlayStation 1. These soda machines appear in RC Helicopter, a PS1 game originally released in Japan as part of the Simple 1500 lineup of budget titles. Thanks for the screenshot, NeoGamer!
Unsurprisingly, there’s a soda machine on the front porch of Grunkle Stan’s Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls: PinesQuest, a Zelda-inspired Flash RPG. There’s also what appears to be a snack machine inside the Shack…
Greetings from Gravity Falls! Swing by Grunkle Stan’s Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls: Postcard Generator and treat yourself to a refreshing Pitt Cola.
The great thing about a cartoon that prominently features a soda machine at one of its recurring locations is that you can be reasonably assured the same soda machine will pop up in video game adaptations of the cartoon, like this Pitt Cola machine from Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets for the 3DS.
Where we droppin’ boys? Well, if you’re in the mood for a refreshing soda, I recommend parachuting on down to the Atlas Superstore in Call of Duty: Warzone. Here’s a closer look at one of the soda machines…
In case anyone is curious, the latest issue of Game Studies features an article I wrote about my work here at The Video Game Soda Machine Project. If peer-reviewed academic research about pixelated soda machines is your jam, check it out!
The Dragon Lord has returned! I’m not sure if that means the world of mobile MMO Dragon Raja is doomed or whatever, but it certainly can’t bode well for its vending machines.
Thanks for the heads-up, Mooeena!
Chilling out with a refreshing Colo is always a winning strategy in Get in the Car, Loser!, an upcoming lesbian road trip RPG from Love Conquers All Games. Thanks for the screenshot, Christine!
These pressurized cans of Grob food paste from Journey to the Savage Planet aren’t exactly soda, but they’re definitely savage. Thanks for the screenshot, KukaBarnus!
This vending machine is a random encounter in World of Horror, a creeptastic 1-bit RPG set in Shiokawa, Japan. Just be careful not to fail your dexterity check when buying a soda. Otherwise, your hand gets caught in the machine and you end up injuring yourself when you jerk it out. Bummer.
Cool off with an ice-cold Halvaad or Pealan soda in mobile racer Asphalt Overdrive! As an added bonus, I tracked down a video that features work-in-progress versions of Asphalt Overdrive’s garage environment, featuring Frosty and Springer vending machines in place of Halvaad and Pealan, respectively.
