March Madness Facebook Game Faceoff 2012: Round 1 has begun!
Note: ROUND 2 IS NOW LIVE, GO VOTE!ROUND 1 HAS ENDED. STAY TUNED FOR ROUND 2, WHICH KICKS OFF AT 4 PM 5 PM EST TODAY.
Every March, the college basketball season ends with 68 teams going head-to-head in a frenzied single-elimination tournament and whomever is left standing is named the best team in the nation. You and your office betting pools might know this as March Madness.
Last year, Games.com ran the very first March Madness tournament for Facebook Games, and EA/Playfish's Pet Society beat out Bejeweled Blitz and took home top honors thanks to its devoted fan base. Pet Society has fallen out of the top 16 since this time last year, so we're curious to see which game will take over as the BEST Facebook game in 2012. Will this be Bejeweled Blitz's big year?
Here's how the Facebook Game Faceoff 2012 works:
1. We've picked the top 16 Facebook games, according to recent AppData info, and have matched them up in the first round (see chart above).
2. Head to the polls below and vote on who will win each match-up. The game with the most votes will move onto the next round. We'll tally the votes in the next few days and then set up the second round match-ups.
It's win or go-home time for your favorite Facebook games.
VOTE in the polls below and let the madness begin!
Can the mobile turned Facebook game Fruit Ninja Frenzy by Halfbrick stand up to Zynga's juggernaut CityVille? Fruit Ninja Frenzy's popularity is still on the rise, while CityVille seems to be losing some players, but the Zynga game is still top dog.
CityVille (1) vs. Fruit Ninja Frenzy (16)
The number two seed belongs to Zynga, Zynga Poker, which has been hanging around in the top 10 list for years. Does PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, a favorite among Games.com staffers, stand a chance? Two very different games with two very different kinds of players, but only one can advance to the next round.
Zynga Poker (2) vs. Bejeweled Blitz (15)
Another mobile game turned Facebook game, Angry Birds by Rovio, goes head-to-head with the decidedly different Zynga's Hidden Chronicles. Is Birds the word? Or will the hidden object darling find itself moving on.
Hidden Chronicles (3) vs Angry Birds (14)
Our fourth match-up puts two wildly different games into the arena. FarmVille, which was the reigning champion two years ago takes on OMGPop's white hot Draw Something game on Facebook. Could this be the first upset of this first round?
FarmVille (4) vs. Draw Something (13)
Zynga's kingdom building sim, CastleVille, takes on Wooga's Bubble Island. These two games are completely different, but are both equally addictive. Will fantasy win out in the end? Or will we be popping the bubbly for Bubble Island?
CastleVille (5) vs. Bubble Island (12)
It's a war of words.. or is that a word of wars -- either way it's the wordsmiths vs. the warsmiths in this matchup between Zynga's Empires & Allies and Words with Friends (also from Zynga). Is the pen really mightier than the sword? We'll have our answer soon.
Words with Friends (6) vs. Empires & Allies (11)
Two classics that make the move to Facebook meet in this match-up. This battle will determine which game -- The Sims Social or Tetris Battle -- really deserves that 'classic' moniker.
The Sims Social (7) vs. Tetris Battle (10)
This last pairing between Wooga's Diamond Dash and King.com's Bubble Witch Saga makes us wonder: Are diamonds really a girl's best friend? Or is it bubbles? (Guys, you can get in on this one too).
Diamond Dash (8) vs. Bubble Witch Saga (9)
Thanks for voting! Please 'Like' us on Facebookto see who makes it to Round 2 in Games.com's 2012 Facebook Game Faceoff.
