Web Fans Flock To Facebook & iPad Games

By Michael Lopez

Forget Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, these days gamers are becoming much more entranced by Words With Friends and Diamond Dash. Yup, simplistic iPad and Facebook apps are proving to be "all the rage" among video geeks.

Of course part of the reason is because most of these apps are free (vs. the $59 price tag on all those PS3 shooters). But these simplistic gems are also quite entertaining and have proven to be great brain teasers.

In the tablet and smartphone world, games like Paper Toss and Fruit Ninja receive thousands of daily downloads. Toss actually reached the 100 million mark and has turned into a very competitive time waster among friends. Though throwing crumbled paper into a waste basket may seem simplistic, added elements like grenades, bananas, and tomatoes make it all the more challenging.

Fruit Ninja is another great way to exercise those finger muscles on your phone or iPad. The concept is simple; slice and dice flying foods, while avoiding pesky exploding bombs. Bejeweled Blitz is an instant classic too, with its "Tetris-esque" qualities and diamond-studded Zen Mode.

Even the Smurfs have made their way into the unpaid app world with the hugely-popular Smurfs Village. Similar to Facebook’s Farm-ville game, Village lets you control Papa, Brainy, and all your favorites from the original cartoon. And you can even compete in a broad range of Smurfberry contests!

And how could you not have fun on an iPad with a game called Tilt To Live? Oh yea, this brain-teaser requires you to maneuver your tablet every which way you can. The programmers did a fantastic job of simulating the Tilt mode, with the slightest shake sending your character shooting across the screen. Can you twist your little red arrow to safety? Give yourself plenty of elbow room and give it a shot!

But let's not forget Facebook. Part of the fun of indulging in apps from the social network is the interaction you can have with your friends. There's standard classics (like that game Alec Baldwin loves), as well as newer entries which are just as addictive.

Hidden Chronicles has proven to be a huge January hit. Though its premise of finding objects in a picture has been around for generations, Chronicles’ designers have thrown in a ton of new original concepts.

Tetris Battle has been making some big Facebook waves too. This latest version still lets you enjoy the "Classic" pile-on mode, but adds a Battle-heavy twist that's taken the web by storm. Friends can now do major damage with their blocks, creating heated puzzle fights that have become much more competitive than anything you’ll see in a Mortal Kombat game.

What's your favorite iPad or Facebook game? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags apps, Bejeweled Blitz, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Facebook, Fruit Ninja, Hidden Chronicles, iPad, Paper Toss, Smurfs Village, Tetris, Tetris Battle, The Smurfs, Tilt To Live, video games, Words with Friends