The Top 7... worst product cameos

Greedy, ridiculous and just plain bizarre. We expose the worst in-game ads of all time

Words: Charlie Barratt on December 6, 2006

1. Kool-Aid, Purina Dog Chow, '80s movies, etc. (Kool-Aid Man; Chase the Chuck Wagon; E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial; Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Advertisers don't take long to sniff out fresh blood. Back in 1983, the home console industry was still finding its legs, but the market was already flooded with tacky product tie-in games such as Kool-Aid Man and Chase the Chuck Wagon (hawking Purina Dog Chow). Poorly made movie-licensed titles like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Raiders of the Lost Ark were destined for bargain bins or, in E.T.'s case, landfills. And, with no regulation on who could make a game for what system, third-party developers as out-of-their-element as Quaker Oats rushed to cash in on the new kid-friendly phenomenon.

The result? A devastating industry-wide crash from which it would take several years to recover. Sure, we're not blaming the whole thing on "commercial" games, but they're the most heinous example of the problem: gameplay and innovation had taken a backseat to corporate objectives while designers valued money over creativity. Many had forgotten the most important ingredient in a game was not a particular brand of food or beverage - it was fun.

We learned, we moved on... fittingly, in large thanks to the first console from Nintendo, a company that had a century's worth of experience making games. But you know what they say about the past - forget it and you are doomed to repeat it.

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Platforms:

Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, Wii, DS, PSP, GameCube, Xbox

Topics:

Top 7, Weird

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ScaryEric - August 8, 2011 7:11 a.m.

The dominos one is called avoid the noid and you had to deliver pizzas to the top floor of n apartment building and avoid the noida and traps because they would ruin your pizza. It was awesome haha
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GamesRadarCharlieBarratt - March 11, 2011 9:57 p.m.

My very first Top 7! Please don't judge too harshly... I was just a child.
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ballplayer27 - February 7, 2010 5:35 p.m.

Burger king was ALSO in fight night round three. Not that that game didn't have other poorly integrated sponsors, but I did think it was funny that the king could become a trainer. What better person to train a world class athlete than the mascot of a company that specializes in creating the exact opposite of world class athletes (aka fat lazy bastards).
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Pepsuber88 - June 17, 2009 11:16 p.m.

Those chester cheetah games were “hip” back in the day... but you forgot the raisin product videogame, and the diabetic dude game. (Nostalgia of NES) either way cool article.
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Jputz69 - June 17, 2009 6:38 a.m.

LOL "we may all soon have BAWLS in our mouths". Great Article
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oryandymackie - June 16, 2009 8:45 p.m.

Quite strange...I actually found a carton of milk floating in the nuclear vat on SR2 with Mr T's face on the side. First I'd ever seen, strangely enough. EASTER EGG!
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zer0_talent - December 22, 2008 8:10 p.m.

because ur very very smart
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StreetsOfExtremeAnger - July 25, 2009 2:26 a.m.

Burger King was also in NFS:MW. Wurd.
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kodesy - June 21, 2009 7:51 p.m.

Noooo! "Massive gets your ad in the game"?! That link at the end of the article is the worst thing ever! A company solely based upon putting ads into games? That bites... ...."Taste the rainbow, sucka"...lol, awesome..
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Hobbs - June 20, 2009 4:41 p.m.

Lol, I remember playing Cool Spot ages ago, when I was like, 4
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assassinS17 - June 16, 2009 3:10 a.m.

I think the skittle of more of an easter egg than a product endorsement, but it's still pretty funny. Great article Charlie.
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AA95mp - December 14, 2008 3:48 p.m.

how did i know darkened skye would be on
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