ESPN Return Man goes for a touchdown in Facebook football games

What's this? A football game on Facebook in which you play the game? That's right, and it's called ESPN Return Man. In its third collaboration with Disney and Playdom, ESPN has brought its top game on ESPN Arcade to Facebook, adding social features but keeping the same action-packed play hook. (Trust us, when you give it a shot, you'll agree that it's "action-packed".)

In Return Man, you're a return kicker in the NFL that must use his skills to make touchdowns on returns like it's nobody's business. Players control the kick returner with the "IJKL" keys, and use the "ASDF" keys to avoid defenders and obstacles with special moves like jukes and front flips. For those used to clicking around a screen, it definitely poses a learning curve. But players have the opportunity to master their return skills in the single-player Season mode.

Only then is it time to tackle your friends' high scores in Blitz mode, applying the popular social mechanics employed in puzzle games like Bejeweled Blitz and Diamond Dash. Players play through kick returns, using their unlocked special abilities and collecting power-ups, and attempt the highest score among their friends for each week.

"ESPN Return Man has already proven itself as an incredibly fun hit for millions wanna-be return men on ESPN Arcade, so it only made sense to bring it to the growing audience of Facebook gamers," Disney Social Games VP of Studio Operations Mike Rubinelli said in a release. "We think fans are going to love having the chance to challenge their friends and compete with each other to dominate the leaderboards."

ESPN and Disney packed some interesting features into Return Man, such as the likenesses of ESPN's Herm Edwards and Trey Wingo as the game's coach and host, respectively. But even more intriguing is that players can listen to the live ESPN Radio broadcast while playing Return Man. Now, that's just plain neat-o.

Click here to play ESPN Return Man on Facebook Now >

Have you tried Return Man before it hit Facebook? What do you think of more action-oriented sports games on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.