Soccer Games on Facebook: Which One Should I Play?

soccer games on facebook
The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and we're finding it impossible to contain our excitement. As a result, we've been searching endlessly for a great soccer game to get into on Facebook. Being the most popular sport in the world, you'd think more game developers would try to engage the passionate audience.

Despite the shortage in games, we're here to give you the low-down on the five biggest soccer titles on Facebook. We've put the games to the test. Continue reading to see which footie games made the cut.

premier football facebook
Premier Football
Features:
- Matches are presented with news ticker style commentary.
- Players use their friends to fill up their roster.
- Complete sponsorship deals to make big money.
- Players can upgrade their stadium to bring in more fans.
- Select tactics to use during the games.

Recommended: No. Premier Football is one of the many Mafia Wars clones that simply uses the same system with a new theme (soccer) pasted on top. You don't actually get to play during matches and are forced to read text updates describing the action on the pitch. The outcome is entirely dependent on your stats, forcing players to focus on training. Unfortunately, training is extremely expensive and will eventually push players to consider the advertiser sponsorship deals and their rewards. Simply put, there are better soccer games out there that are more fun and more interesting to look at.

Click to play Premier Football>


epic goal facebook
Epic Goal
Features:
- Fun, easy and compelling gameplay that lets players influence the outcome of the match.
- Training system that requires the player return to make sure the training is remembered (like withering crops in FarmVille).
- Players use their friends to create a roster.
- Set a formation and strategy based on team talent.
- Buy Epic and Boost upgrades to give your team the edge.
- Play friendlies against Facebook friends for daily experience and coins.

Recommended: Yes! Epic Goal is the perfect balance of fun and complexity. Outside the match, players can train using a straight forward system to gain an edge over rivals. During matches, soccer players will run routes automatically, and whenever possible, the player will be prompted to pass, tackle and shoot (pictured above). Although players don't have complete control over their team's actions during the game, the player is still involved with every clutch play or embarrassing misstep. This makes every victory satisfying and makes Epic Goal quite possibly the best soccer game on Facebook.

Click to play Epic Goal>


bola facebook
Bola
Features:
- Player is given full control of their team during matches through awkward control scheme.
- Temporary training system. Buy upgrades that eventually expire.
- Hire different coaches to unlock new formations and strategies.
- Send gifts such as fans, upgrades and items. to Facebook friends.

Recommended: No. Using the arrow keys to move, the space bar to switch player, A to pass and S to shoot, Bola tried to make a fully playable, action-packed Facebook soccer game. While they meant well, they didn't deliver. The game is awkward and frustrating. I consider myself quite the soccer gamer and I struggle to get the ball down the pitch skillfully. Beyond that, the game uses a similar style of management to the other soccer games, and uses purchasable temporary boosts rather than permanent training in order to give players a limited advantage over opponents. However, in the end, Bola revolves around it's core gameplay, and because it could use some improvement, the game suffers the same outcome.

Click to play Bola>


fifa superstars facebook
FIFA Superstars
Features:
- Matches are reliant on stats and are shown using non-interactive cutscenes.
- Players can fill their roster with hundreds of real world stars.
- Challenge your friends daily to gain extra experience and coins.
- Send mystery gifts containing players, coins and more.
- Straightforward training system makes has players keeping their team in top form.

Recommended: Yes! Despite not being able to actually play during matches, FIFA Superstars boasts something the other games don't: production value and quality. After putting in a few games, your only complaint will be that you simply can't get enough of FIFA Superstars. Players need match credits to play games and unfortunately, only one credit is replenished every six hours. Team management and strategy is fluid, and new players can be bought in packs like playing cards. Buying a new set is always exciting, you never know what famous footie stars you'll get. Like all Facebook soccer games it has short comings, but after giving it some time I can definitely say that I'm hooked and I expect you will be too.

Click to play FIFA Superstars>


winning goal facebook
Winning Goal
Features:
- Watch 5 on 5 matches play out from a top down perspective.
- With each victory, open a mysterious prize box containing powerups, players and more
- Scout, recruit, fire and manage real players from all over the world.
- Bet on matches to earn extra cash.
- Manager tasks such as daily goals and achievements can be completed for bonus rewards.

Recommended: Perhaps. Similar to FIFA Superstars and Premier Football, Winning Goal puts players in the position of team manager. Once they've set their strategy, players can only look on as the action unfolds. Although the visuals are more appealing than Premier Football's, the quality of FIFA Superstars is far superior. Nonetheless, a number of cool features such as betting and scouting make this a football game worth checking out.

Click to play Winning Goal>

Game of the Day: Sparkle

The game of the day has a little bit of bling. In Sparkle you use your Orb Slinger to shoot colored spheres into groups of three or more and reclaim every corner of this once vibrant forest. Discover amazing amulets and glittering power-ups hidden along the shaded path.
Click here to play Sparkle.

Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.

Games for iPad: Top 10 Racing Games

It may not look like it, but Apple's iPad is a speed demon in disguise. To unlock its potential, you'll need to download the best racers for the platform, transforming the innocent looking tablet into a high end muscle machine that can go from zero to 60 in seconds.

Turn on the iPad, step behind the virtual wheel and burn rubber.

1. Real Racing HD


If you prefer the new hotness, go with the superior Real Racing sequel. Part 2, otherwise known as car porn, ups the proverbial ante with an experience optimized for iPad 2, allowing for superior graphics. Beyond that, the game has 30 licensed cars, 15 locations, a ten plus hour career mode and YouTube support, allowing you to upload races within minutes. Don't even hesitate. Buy this now.

2. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD


We have to hand it to Gameloft. The company knows how to deliver an arcade quality racing experience on the iPad. Exhibit A- Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD. This over the top and positively gorgeous video game has 42 cars, a plethora of tracks based on real world locations (Bahamas, here we come) and some of the most spectacular looking effects we've seen on the platform, like cinematic blur, bump mapping and real time reflections. We can't say enough positive things about this stellar App.

3. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit HD


We lost track of the hours we invested in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of this game, and the iPad edition is almost as addictive. Like its console brethren, Hot Pursuit lets you command the highway as local law enforcement or a speeding criminal. The developers even took a page from the popular Burnout series, allowing you to take down rivals en route to the finish line.

4. Real Racing HD


No Gran Turismo on the iPad? No problem. You'll never miss Sony's real driving simulator, thanks to Firemint's Real Racing HD. This sim heavy speedster comes with a variety of licensed cars, detailed tracks and a variety of options, such as online multiplayer, leaderboards, vehicle customization and realistic engine sounds. This should be one of the first iPad games you buy.

5. Need for Speed Shift HD


Electronic Arts released a sweet version of NFS Shift on the App Store with iPad exclusive features, like eight new cars, physics based acceleration and manual controls. Test-drive these sexy mommas through 18 tracks set in such locations as Chicago, Tokyo and London, all the while marveling at the sweet cockpit view. Bottom line, you can't go wrong with this game.

Read the rest of the Top Ten iPad Racing Games on Modojo.

Modojo is a mobile games industry website, which primarily covers the iPhone games, iPad games, Android games and Windows Phone 7 games. Chris Buffa is the editor-in-chief.

Game of the Day: Sudoku X

Sudoku X is a challenging rendition of the classic puzzle game. It's everything you're used to in Sudoku, but with one mine-bending twist. The object of Sudoku is to completely fill the grid with numbers. You aren't allowed to repeat the same number in any row, column, or 3 by 3 box. In Sudoku X you also aren't allowed to repeat a number in either of the purple diagonals running from corner to corner.

If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!

Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day     sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?

Battlefield 3 HD Comparison

You know what week it is? It’s Battlefield 3 week. Send the cat to a shelter, divorce the spouse, board up the house: We’re going in. For some silly privileged reason, the Xbox 360 version of the game comes packing an HD textures install option that purportedly allows for much-improved graphical zing throughout. Yeah yeah, talk’s cheap and gamers get a lot of it. Does it really make a difference? Check out this handy comparison video and decide for yourselves.

Batman: Arkham City's Official Map App

One of things I neglected to mention in our review of Batman: Arkham City is that yes, it’s an open-world environment but no, it doesn’t have a mini-map down there on the right to help you along. This is something I really liked, because I hate having to fixate on the GPS when I could be enjoying the road and scenery. However, the lack of a mini-map has annoyed some gamers, so here comes iOS to the rescue with Arkham City’s Offical Map App. Pretty good if you’re busting your butt hunting down all those fiendish Riddler quandaries.

BBCW launches CBeebies games app

Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.

CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.

Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.

Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.

She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”

More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.

BBCW launches CBeebies games app

Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.

Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says

Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.

Game of the Day: Stars Logic

Folks, though Stars Logic looks rather different, it's still a match 3 game at heart. The object of Stars Logic is to eliminate all the orange stars outlined in blue. To do this, box each one with 8 stars of the same color. To get more points, create the colored combos shown on the left side. But don't take too long racking up the points, because time is ticking and if the clock runs out, it's game over!

Sure you'll breeze through the first level with ease. But after that, it's going to take some wit and planning to clear those stars. Carefully attempt to box the stars while creating patterns to create extra space. If you fill up the board, it's all over, so make sure you think ahead.

And in case you're confused about the controls: Use the arrow keys to aim and rotate the board. Press space bar to launch a star. Awesome, give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Click here to play Stars Logic!
stars logic game of the day     stars logic game of the day
What level of Stars Logic were you able to reach? Did you get a high score?

Game of the Day: Bubble Town

One shot from the chute and you'll be hooked. Bubble Town is the arcade-style puzzle game that will test your wits, not just your reflexes. Match three Borbs of the same color to knock them off. Collect the various power ups to gain an edge with special bonus abilities. But don't take too long; if the Borbs reach the Danger Zone, it'll be game over!

Join the unforgettable cast of characters for an adventure of bubble-popping proportions, just watch out for that Danger Zone. Choose to play with your Borbs grouped up in a ball or straight up. Either way, the addictive gameplay will give you hours of fun.

Click here to play Bubble Town!
bubble town game of the day     bubble town game of the day
Pro Tips:

    * Bank shots! These are crucial to your Bubble Town success. If you're trying to line up a bank shot, wait for a moment. A little cursor will appear to assist your aim making it easy to hit those two wall bank shots.
    * Look for big drops. If you see a bunch of Borbs being held up by a couple of the same color, hitting that shot should be your top priority.


Click here to play Bubble Town!

What do you think of Bubble Town?