Video game publishers often team up with other companies for promotions to highlight their newest games, a practice that’s seen throughout the world. However, games and drink partnerships are much more common in Japan. They’re also more diverse.

Game and drink promotions in North America most often amount to a soda company, like Mountain Dew, teaming up with a developer. In Japan, coffee, energy health drinks and soda companies all work with publishers to get specialized products out there.

This week, Important Importables is taking a look at some of the more notable Japanese video game and drink collaborations…

Konami may have gone overboard with its forthcoming PSP game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The company has basically turned it into a game/advertising vessel. Players won’t just be experiencing Naked Snake’s latest adventures, they’ll also be learning how Axe body spray can heal you and getting a taste of the Monster Hunter series.

Konami and Hideo Kojima held a Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker event in Tokyo to reveal information about the game, but it seemed like the bulk of it dealt with all of the commercial tie-ins. While the Assassin’s Creed II collaboration doesn’t seem too farfetched, the other inclusions seem ridiculous and unnecessary. This is especially true since the game takes place in 1974 and many of these products didn’t exist then…

Do you love Metal Gear Solid so much that you’d buy a can of soda just because a character from one of the games was on the can? This isn’t just a hypothetical question. Konami and Suntory have teamed up in Japan to promote Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker with Mountain Dew soda.

There are eight different Mountain Dew can designs, each prominently featuring one of the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker characters on it. For example, you can enjoy a Dew with Snake, Huey, Miller or Paz. They won’t have any special flavor – just plain old Mountain Dew. They also will only be sold in Japan, starting April 27, 2010 and cost ¥115 ($1.25). Don’t worry, if you really want a Metal Gear can of Mountain Dew, I’m sure that you’ll eventually be able to find some online store stocking them.

A similar promotion hasn’t been announced for North America or other regions…

As a followup to its 2007 release of the Halo-themed Mountain Dew drink, Mountain Dew has created a pair of limited edition World of Warcraft-themed beverages known as Mtn Dew Game Fuel.

The two flavors I tasted, the two available, are Citrus Cherry (Horde Red) and Wild Fruit (Alliance Blue) which are available in WOW packaging until August 20, 2009. (My review cans were void of any art.)

As an incentive for gamers to buy these beverages, other than the WOW branding, each also contains either a free 14-day-trial of World of Warcraft or an in-game battlebot pet.

And now, on to the tasting.

I found myself in line at my local supermarket the other day when I noticed a large munitions dump of annoyingly orange 2 liter bottles glaring at me from the end of the checkout line. The bottles contained Mountain Dew’s brand spanking new Halo 3 themed drink, innovatively titled Game Fuel. Now, I pride myself more »

The Halo 3 feeding frenzy has begun…literally. Microsoft announced today (August 9, 2007) that Burger King will be part of the all out marketing offensive for Halo 3 alongside other venerable brand names such as Pontiac, Mountain Dew, and 7-Eleven. Look for the Master Chief’s battle hardened visage to be staring at you from the sides of drink cups, french fry containers and bags of your favorite synthetically flavored corn chips. Get this — limited edition aluminum bottles of Mountain Dew featuring special designs by Bungie. 7-Eleven is even issuing special Halo 3 themed Slurpee cups. Can you say overkill?