I don’t know where to begin with this one. Suffice to say, I’m now intrigued about this Minecraft game.

Coca-Cola follows up their magnificent Happiness Machine with the Happiness Truck, which hits the streets of Rio de Janeiro to deliver – what else? Happiness.

Love this campaign.

By Definition 6.

You’ll want to take a shower after seeing these hot, sexy new Subaru Forester ads featuring near-naked (aren’t they always near-naked?) sumo hunks.

Well-executed and fun, but I’m a bit disappointed in the sumo tie-in. Really? It’s because the car is Japanese? That’s it? No line about “heavy-duty performance” or some other one-liner?

Oh well. By DDB Canada.

One of the most amazing videogame trailers I’ve ever seen, and it just may be the most controversial.

Dead Island is a “survival horror first-person shooter with RPG elements” slated for release in 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

I’m keeping my eye on this one. Awesome find by Kevin.

The unbeatable Nike and Wieden + Kennedy team return with Throwdown, a highly watchable tour de sport featuring numerous athletes engaging in a friendly “sport off”.

The spot promotes Nike’s Free line. Besides being false advertising (the shoes are not free), the line promotes natural movement and simulate barefoot running.

Me like.

In what has been old hat (delightful, delightful old hat), Skittles and agency TBWA\Chiat\Day continue to crank out good, dumb fun.

Because they’re so random, varied and stupid, the spots don’t seem to lose steam like the Old Spice The Man Your Man Could Smell Like spots, which focus on a single character in new situations.

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Super Bowl XLV came and went, and the overall story (beyond Christina Aguilera screwing up the national anthem) is that the ads stunk. Lacking any real inspiration or powerful concepts, the ads seemed to fall back on typical Super Bowl mainstays: Slapstick humor (shots to the groin, etc.), celebrities (Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne for Best Buy, Kim Kardashian for Sketchers, Richard Lewis and Roseanne Barr for Snickers), babies (hello E*Trade), and cute animals (hello E*Trade again).

Even worse, there were multiple head-shake moments induced by the likes of Pepsi Max, Doritos, Mercedes and everyone’s favorite Super Bowl whipping boy, GoDaddy. Unlike last year, when Google pulled through with their simple and engaging Parisian Love, there wasn’t any ad that struck hard and stayed with you.

So which spot does this blog choose as the ad winner? With lukewarm applause, it would have to be the logical, safe Volkswagen spot. Although it uses a couple crutches to walk (cute kids, pop culture icons), the concept is just simple and smile-inducing enough to cross-over to multiple audiences. Nice job, Deutsch.

The funniest spot nod goes to CareerBuilder, who once again exploit monkeys to torment our young everyman just trying to make an honest buck. Props to Erik W for spotting the Nebraska plates.

Yet another Coca-Cola smile-maker that warms living rooms across America with that classic Coke cheer:

Though a bit somber and heavy-handed, I was impressed by the copywriting and engaging tone of this spot. The true pride and grit of Detroit is simply seething throughout and it shows. And though some will question the selection of Eminem… would you have rather had Kid Rock?

Riding the post-Betty White wave, Snickers again turns to previously obscure celebrities. The spot would’ve been my choice for Best Of Super Bowl XLV if the scene with Roseanne Barr was real.

The NFL dials in some pop culture faves to perfectly capture how deeply ingrained America’s love for football really is.

Metaphors come full circle in this spot for CarMax. Unfortunately, it was the only CarMax ad during the Super Bowl that was worth a damn.

The latest Old Spice ad is finally released! This, after a short pre-launch campaign that granted one lucky Old Spicer Super Fan status. As a Super Fan winner, 16 year old Chris Gatewood got full access to the new ad 24 hours before it hit the net. Oh, and some Super Bowl tickets.

Is it awesome? Yes. Mind-blowing? Debatable. Looks like there is finally a subtle feeling of diminishing returns on the whole campaign, but it’s still better than 98% of the ads out there. Discuss.

London-based Aled Lewis (aka Fatheed) is a savvy, nerd-culture obsessed designer and illustrator and Threadless contributor. His Real Life Videogames work is amazing in its simplicity and yet incredibly frustrating – mainly because I didn’t think of it first. See more at his flickr page.

Via Nate Custard and Kevin Fuller.

BBDO’s campaign for HBO has re-enacted key scenes of HBO flagship programs such as True Blood to hilarious effect. This one (which I somehow missed over the holidays) features Eastbound and Down, and it’s the best because of how gleefully demented it is. The cut to the graduation photo as the two parents suck face is absolutely priceless.

Inspired? Make your own re-enactment.