By Nelson Schneider - 11/25/11 at 04:19 PM CT
This is the first in what I hope to make an irregularly-recurring column in which I (or one of the other MeltedJoystick staff) review a product that is related to gaming but isn’t an actual videogame or console. This week the product in question is Pepsi’s “Game Fuel” varieties of Mountain Dew.
Game Fuel first made an appearance in 2007 as a tie-in promotion for the release of “Halo 3.” I didn’t get in on this because the promotion period was so short (and because I don’t give a fig about “Halo 3” HA!). When this cherry-citrus flavor returned in 2009 to promote “World of Warcraft,” I managed to snag some (despite also not giving a fig about “World of Warcraft” HA!).
The two “WoW” tie in flavors were Orc Red and Elf Blue, with cherry-citrus red and a blue-raspberry blue that tasted very similar to Mountain Dew Voltage. Both flavors were incredibly tasty, but the red flavor disappeared after the promotion ended while the blue flavor lived on as Voltage.
Currently the third round of Mountain Dew game fuel tie-ins is in full-swing, this time for “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” (yet another game I don’t give a fig about… What’s the deal Pepsi?). The two new limited-edition flavors are Goggles Red and Gas Mask Green. The red flavor is the third coming of cherry-citrus goodness, while the green flavor proclaims to taste like ‘tropical fruit,’ but actually tastes (and looks) a whole lot like the classic Green River phosphates served by throwback diners (such as King’s, before they were bastardized, re-branded as King’s Classic, and shoe-horned into Amigo’s locations). These two flavors are, in a word: AWESOME. While these flavors both appear to be based on older flavors (Code Red and Distortion, respectively), they taste much better, and are smooth rather than sharp.
Mountain Dew was the first flavor of soda I ever liked (yeah, I’m a cola-hater). In recent decades, I’ve switched allegiance to Coca-Cola’s Mello Yello, as Mountain Dew’s original recipe started to taste metallic and weird after they went X-TREME during the 1990s in a vain attempt at appealing to snowboarders, et al. Game Fuel is so amazing that it brings me back to the fold every time. I don’t know why Pepsi doesn’t keep these varieties available all the time. It’s not like there isn’t a constant flow of new videogames being released. Maybe they could even have one version for each console (and a version for PC gamers that just tastes like carbonated water and the can explodes every time, regardless of whether you shake it).
Sure, guzzling sugary drinks while sitting around playing online games all day isn’t good for you (which is why I limit my consumption of sugary drinks to 1 can per day and my consumption of online gaming to 0 hours ever), but Game Fuel is still good. And thanks to its limited run, anyone who likes these flavors should hoard the Hell out of them in order to have enough to last until the next round of Game Fuel is produced.
Comments
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/27/11 at 11:45 AM CT
Now only if videogame manufactures could do the same thing for vodka, I could get into it - for those not in the know, I have never and will never drink anything carbonated - so it's not that I don't like the idea, just that I don't like the product.
