Obsessively Cataloging Video Game "Pop" Culture
Statistically Improbable plays off the frequently cited statistic that more people are killed each year by vending machines than by sharks, pitting a Thirsty Boy soda machine against a shark in head-to-head competition. Thanks for the screenshot, Cornelius!
Hidden Asset is still in development, but it looks like the assassination sim’s soda machine assets are coming along quite nicely. Thanks for the submission, Cornelius.
Launch deadly cans of soda, candy bars, and chips at the humans who have taken advantage of your kind for so long in Vending Machine Vendetta: Vendcenzo’s Vengeance. Thanks for tracking this one down, Cornelius!
🎵 S-U-G-A-R, jump into your racing car. It’s a sugar rush! Sugar rush! 🎵
Along with a bunch of sugary snacks, this vending machine from Disney Heroes: Battle Mode includes a few bottles of soda on the bottom row. Here’s a version of the same machine without the Sugar Rush branding…
While we’re on the subject of soda, Wreck-It Ralph‘s Vanellope von Schweetz glitches into battle with a back-mounted Soda Soaker as a weapon.
Chrome SpecForce, a 2005 first-person shooter for Windows, presents the player with a difficult choice: blue or red SyntCola? Either way, it’s hard to believe this series eventually transitioned into a popular web browser. [Source]
I assume this Ballz vending machine from Postal 2 is a riff on BAWLS Guarana, frequently marketed as the drink of choice for video gamers. Or it could just be a lazy joke that stands (or falls) entirely on its own.
Do androids dream of electric drinks? Detroit: Become Human explores this and other deep philosophical questions through the lens of a combination snack/soda vending machine. Thanks for the screenshot, Gus!
Most management sims would only include one soda machine model, but Mall Tycoon 3 isn’t most management sims.
Treat yourself to a refreshing Ora-Cola — a fine product of the Oracle Corporation — in sci-fi shooter Chrono-Drive. Thanks for the submission, Cornelius!
