Get Big Love in Big Love Land

HBO's Big Love is back and what HBO series would make a return without being accompanied by some sort of online game? That's right. Check out Big Love Land, created by Deep Focus, and wallow in the land of multiple wives, angry relatives, seething doubters and overly curious co-workers. It's always fun to explore someone else's lifestyle, right?

Seventeen Launches Gofer Game for Mini Editors-in-the-Make

Seventeen Magazine is on some kind of Elf Quest to find (or just mold?) the perfect editor in the earliest possible stages of life. Toward that goal, Hearst and Arkadium have launched Editor's Assistant, an advergame that the fine folk of PR call an opportunity to step into the shoes of the magazine world's "unsung hero" - assistant to the editor-in-chief.

The game is comprised of bitchwork, which include managing schedules, booking shoots, hiring stylists, answering an ever-ringing phone, checking email, and watching the editor-in-chief's happiness meter. The object is to not be fired in a week, and maybe - just maybe - you'll win a cool treat, like a trip to Fashion Week.

We played for a couple of minutes and grew aggravated with the ringing phone and bored with staring at the virtual desk. The whole thing was a lot of fun until we had to do actual work. Then it was like, dude, this is a game, not our lives. After that happy conclusion, we said "fuck you" to the hope of our earnest little avatar hitting Fashion Week. She must be bummed - but that's okay, she was anorexic anyway.

Candystand's Vector Makes Us Feel Strategic in a Non-WoW Way

Candystand, which, if nothing else, has begun addressing us on a first-name basis, just pointed us to Vector TD. The game takes a second to learn and is slightly more complicated than the meditative Awesome Blossom, but there's no laggage and you feel a little bit productive after blowing half your morning learning how to kill the malicious red asterisk things.

We also got to watch Steve-O during loading time, which primed us with a desperation to feel accomplished about something.

It's Not So Easy to Get A Lion

Damn, damn, damn. This has been sitting in our "to be published" folder somehow unnoticed since May 30 collecting dust but we're still not too late in getting to it. Y&R Israel put together an online game called Lion Combat in which the player tries to get a lion using a selection of different weaponry. Closing with "it's not so simple to hunt a lion," the game then lets you bet which work you think will win a Lion at Cannes with a plasma TV as the prize.

You can go and get drunk or stay at home and win a TV. Your choice.

Orbitz Game Sucks. Can They Do Anything Right?

This Orbitz game, which involves some really weak shakram-like throwing, is amusing until you realize how much it sucks, which takes about 35 seconds.

It's also way too salesy. Why don't you give Wrigley's a call? They know how to throw together simple brand-oriented games that are actually fun.

Orbitz last disappointed us about a month ago.

Candystand, We Wish We Knew How to Quit You

Remember Dr. Mario? Okay. Candystand's new Awesome Blossom is like that, except with flowers instead of pills. (Come to think of it, how did Dr. Mario ever get past the PC police?)

The blossom explosion is for LifeSavers. We could use some, considering our blood-sugar levels are low from concentrating on winning back flower petals for the last three hours. (We're overachievers.)

Altoids Unveils Sindy in Google-Powered Search Game

You know how much we love games. Find Altoids' Sindy in a game built right into Google Earth. We were never superkeen on Carmen Sandiego, but Sindy probably won't have trouble inspiring a chase.

Nice to see Altoids is over its frightening identity crisis. We salute you, Hal Riney WDDG (oops, sorry about that, guys).

This Contest Could Land You a Sportscar in England. We think.

If you can make head or tail of these instructions, courtesy of Grupow.com for Unilever's Rexona, you'll have a competitive advantage over us in this game (because you'll actually know how to play it):

Rexona, a deodorant brand from Unilever, offers the possibility of going to England and drive 4 sports car if you can get one of the 4 lowest temperatures in this advergame, where you have to mix speed when typing your arrow keys and some coordination to type them alternate so you can avoid the guy inside the car to sweat while driving.

Despite our confusion we think the graphics and sound quality in this piece is really sexy. We actually felt our fingers tingle in competitive anticipation.

Our only qualm was waiting for it to load while it ticked off the seconds (over 100! Come ON). You know how we hate that.

EA: School Sucks, Come Play Potter

For EA's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game, Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam remind school kids why lives of fantasy can be way better than everyday education.

See another variant on the print campaign here.

We remember grade school. It was hard enough to drag our asses to class without having to deal with moving stairs, talking pictures and breaks in which we may actually be, well, broken.

Otherwise, the print images speak a thousand favourable words for the quality of the game.

'Flight of the Conchords' Get Game For HBO Show

Courtesy of Deep-Focus, here's an absolutely whacked promotional site for the absolutely whacked upcoming HBO show Flight of the Comchords. The show follows the trials and tribulations of the New Zealand-based digi-folk band as they, Bret McKenzie on guitar and vocals, and Jemaine Clement on guitar and vocals, make their way to New York. There's videos. There's a game. It's all as hipsteresque as they come.