The Domino's Noid triumphantly returns in ... a Facebook advergame

I've been waiting years, people, years for the Noid to return in something more than a t-shirt. And now, the infamous Domino's Pizza mascot has made his re-entry into the minds of children of the '80s and '90s with ... a Facebook advergame? You know what, after this long since a real Noid video game, I'll take it. Titled "Noid's Super Pizza Shootout," the game looks and plays just like the arcade light gun games of the '90s, and was released to honor the weird bunny suit-wearing toon's 25th anniversary.

The game essentially amounts to a shooting gallery of pizza, tomatoes and Noid. Lots of Noid, and I love it. (I know, I know, it's an advergame. But it's a dang fun one.) Players must use the mouse to aim and shoot at as many pizza pies as possible while Noid throws tomatoes at you for extra points. Shooting a sign with Noid's face on it--or Noid himself as he is so wont to swoop in unannounced--will deduct points from your score.

Perhaps it's an uncontrollable nostalgia for all things retro, or maybe I'm just craving pizza at 10 a.m., but Noid's Super Pizza Shootout is a fun distraction for a few minutes. It's certainly not something you'll revisit over and over again--unless, of course, you really want one of those free pizza coupons at stake. Of course, you need to "Like" the Domino's Facebook page to play, but you could always remove that from your profile later if you're not to keen on associating yourself with it since ... you know.
Domino's Noid Facebook game

McDonald's and Google Maps take us on a crazy quest for the McRib

The McRib, a McDonald's BBQ pork sandwich with an on-again, off-again relationship with the public, took a brief hiatus from playing hard to get when it reappeared last month with a Facebook game, "The Quest for the Golden McRib".

As a result, I've spent today being bombarded by a steampunk-ish aesthetic, delightful Photoshopped monstrosities, and left field trivia. More specifically to the second are Viking accountants, a ninja ballerina, sky pirates with BBQ chips for wings, and time-traveling muscle-bound (literal) pansies. As to the last, a good example is being asked whether polar bears are right-handed or left-handed.

If you managed to grasp any of that, and you worship the golden arches of fast food, then maybe you should give this game a go. Everyone else is probably asking themselves, what were they thinking? But therein lies the charm.

Gallery: The Quest for the Golden McRib

You only need to find ten Golden McRibs hidden in ten McDonald's around the world. By feeding the game your address, Google Maps shows you every real world McDonald's with your area. You hunt for the McRibs through playing short and simple web games that are basically point-and-clicks, and by answering questions not necessarily related to McDonald's. If you find all ten, the game sticks you on a public leaderboard, "The Champions of Delicious".

You're not getting any other special treatment for playing this game. There's no free sandwiches to win or points to score. It's a game as finite as the McRib itself, since they're both disappearing on November 30th. So check this out if you haven't had your daily dose of the absurd. Just bring your own fries and soda.