Video games and fast food go together, like football and Gatorade. Sometimes, they mix well and other times it's best they be enjoyed on their own merits. So it's no wonder that companies have attempted to capitalize and put their brand in the virtual playground. Some have been surprisingly good, some terrible, and some just downright strange. Here are some that I recall:

Yo! Noid - Nintendo Entertainment System, 1990 (Domino's Pizza)

Yo! Noid featured the anti-hero of Domino's Pizza commercials, the mysterious Noid, as the main playable character. Levels were completed by collecting scrolls before time expired. Boss battles involved pizza eating contests. The game was met with mix reviews at the time of its release, but has since garnered a bit of a cult following.

A fan-made sequel, entitled Yo! Noid 2: Enter the Void, was released online in 2017 as freeware. Included in the instruction booklet of the game was a coupon for $1.00 off a pizza from Domino's. Don't try to use those now, however, as the coupon expired at the end of 1992.

Burger King Xbox Trilogy - 2006

In 2006, Burger King released a trio of games that were compatible for both the original Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360. The games were Sneak King, Pocketbike Racer, and Big Bumpin'. Each title could be purchased at participating Burger King restaurants for $3.99 with the purchase of any value meal. 

Big Bumpin' was a bumper car style game which pitted drivers in theme park arenas and allowed drivers to get power-ups, in a type of Mario Kart battle gameplay. Pocketbike Racer was a typical run of the mill racing game, in which racers rode tiny bikes. The game was memorable as each character appeared to be extremely uncomfortable with raised knees seated on a tiny racing bikes. Sneak King was a strange game where the player assumed the role of The King who was tasked with stealthily delivering different Burger King meals to hungry people. 

If that doesn't sound strange enough for you, how about this: professional video editor/wrestler Leroy Patterson is on a quest to collect every single copy of Sneak King. As of November 2021, he has over two thousand copies. There are thought to be over one million in existence, so he's got a ways to go! He is an interesting follow on Twitter to say the least - https://twitter.com/HumanTackboard

McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure - Sega Genesis, 1993

While not even the first McDonald's video game, it was the most memorable for me. I can recall renting this game not once but several times from Blockbuster and just not having enough time to complete it. Treasure Land Adventure was exciting, challenging, and captivating. The game had four magical levels: Forest, Town, Sea, and Moon. If you played any Mario or Sonic game in the late 80s/early 90s, you were the target audience for this game because essentially this platformer took elements from both of those popular series to keep kids thinking about that next Happy Meal while their imaginations were lost in this 16-bit world.

How about the strange test screen with creepy, unsettling music that can be accessed by entering a secret code?

Honorable Mentions:

• Hooters Road Trip - PC/PlayStation, 2002
• M.C. Kids - Nintendo Entertainment System, 1992
• Pepsiman (Japan Only) - PlayStation, 1999
• Cool Spot - multiple platforms, 1993
• M&M's Kart Racing - Nintendo Wii, 2007
• Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool - Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis, 1992
• Dorito's Crash Course - Xbox Live Arcade, 2010