Facebook's Finest: See if your game made the cut
FarmVille is the call brand of Facebook gaming -- you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't at least heard of this virtual farm game -- but there are hundreds of other social games on the platform waiting for discovery. How do you know which ones are worth your time? Take a gander at this list of the 20 best Facebook games, based on number of players.
FarmVille
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/
Join the virtual farming revolution with the game that started it all -- FarmVille. Plant and harvest crops, trees and animals, while working with friends to collaboratively build a hodge podge of items, everything from a beehive to a pigpen. Once you've mastered farming, try your hand at running a winery, spa or bakery. Give it a try -- 60 million players can't be wrong.
Texas Hold 'Em Poker
http://apps.facebook.com/texas_holdem/
Knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em is crucial to beating the competition in the best poker game on Facebook. Play Texas Hold 'Em against random live players and partner up with friends to give each other extra chips and boosts. Best of all, no one will ever be able to read your 'tells' when you're bluffing.
FrontierVille
http://apps.facebook.com/frontierville
Travel to the Wild West and create your very own frontier town, while keeping nature at bay, in this case, wild grass, trees, snakes, bears and other pesky varmints. This simulation game gives you lots of missions, so you're never stuck wondering what to do next, and IMHO, is a must-play for anyone interested in Facebook/social gaming or life as a pioneer.
Mafia Wars
http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/
If you like any of the following: The Godfather, Scarface, Sopranos, Grand Theft Auto or Mafia II, take your passion for mob life and put it into this text-based social game where you head up your own virtual mafia. Clicking on buttons and watching progress bars has never been more fulfilling.
Cafe World
http://apps.facebook.com/cafeworld
Try your hand a running a virtual cafe, cooking dishes and returning to serve them before they go bad. Recently, the game added a series of Catering Missions that have really turned up the heat.
Treasure Isle
http://apps.facebook.com/treasureisle/index.php
Dig up buried treasure in Zynga's click-adventure game on Facebook. You'll unearth scads of items while digging your way through umpteen islands, including some that are populated with ninja monkeys. Ninja monkeys - can you dig it? We can.
PetVille
http://apps.facebook.com/petville/
Raise and care for a virtual pet by feeding and bathing it regularly and doing other normal pet things -- like building their wardrobe and decorating their palatial homes from top to bottom.
MindJolt Games
http://apps.facebook.com/mindjolt/index.jsp
Word games, puzzles games, card games and clones of your favorite old-school video games make up the always popular Mind Jolt games Facebook app.
Pet Society
http://apps.facebook.com/petsociety/
Pet Society is a pet simulation game where you care for pets -- feed, bathe and clothe them -- and take them treasure hunting for rare items and to the pond to scare up some of the most creative fish you've ever seen. My favorite? The Macaronfish.
Bejeweled Blitz
http://apps.facebook.com/bejeweledblitz
This is Bejeweled for the Facebook gaming set. Match three or more sets of the same colored gems as many times as possible in one minute. Then see how your score fares against your friends. Keep playing for countless hours to beat them all, only to have your high score erased in a week, and then it all begins again.
Happy Aquarium
http://apps.facebook.com/happy-aquarium/
Stock and run your own virtual fishtank in Happy Aquarium. Keeping your tank algae free has never been easier and, if you forget to feed your fish, they'll be sad, but you won't ever find them floating belly up.
Zoo World
http://apps.facebook.com/playzoo/zoo/home.php
Play Zoo Keeper to the world's largest island zoo. Keep the place stocked with animals and draw more visitors by constantly building and adding new attractions. The best part of the game? This is the one zoo where you're actually encouraged to feed the animals.
Restaurant City
http://apps.facebook.com/restaurantcity/
It's your turn to play restaurateur in this adorable game from Playfish. This game is similar to Cafe World, but focuses less on
cooking times and more on collecting ingredients to build out an impressive menu.
Market Street
http://apps.facebook.com/marketstreet/
Put your retail ambitions to the test in this game that lets you set up and run your own store -- whether it's clothes, music or
hardware goods -- or a combination of all three. Just remember to put your stock on the floor or you'll be forced to liquidate.
FishVille
http://apps.facebook.com/fishville
Take care of your own virtual fish tank, stocking it with fish and keeping them fed. Warning: if you don't take care of your swimming friends regularly, you'll find yourself with a tank full of floaters.
Happy Pets
http://apps.facebook.com/happy-pets/
If you've ever wondered what it'd be like to be a cat lady, this is your chance. Pile as many cats as you can in a room (the more you upgrade, the more your house can hold) and then care for them and play with them. Kitties not you thing? There's dogs, gerbils, bunnies and pet dinosaurs, too.
Nightclub City
http://apps.facebook.com/nightclubcity/
Keep the party happening long after the night is over in this dance club simulation game from Booyah. Keep the bar stocked and the patrons moving as your virtual DJ plays real-life music tracks from indie artists.
YoVille
http://apps.facebook.com/yoville
Deck out your crib and then watch at your virtual friends drop by to say 'yo.'
Happy Island
http://apps.facebook.com/happy-island/
See what it's like to run your own virtual island resort in Happy Island. Deck out your place with businesses and attractions to keep visitors happy, and don't forget to check back every once in a while to clean up after the sun-seeking masses.
Hotel City
http://apps.facebook.com/hotelcity/
Turn your tiny hotel into a luxury sleeping palace, adding rooms, decking them out and keeping your hotel open for business as a steady flow of customers visit, take a nap and leave just in time for another weary traveler to take their place.
Which of these games do you play? What other Facebook games are the 'best?' Sound off in the comments below. Add comment.
