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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

By Michael Lopez

It takes a brave celebrity to admit their "nerdiness" and attend a video games award show. But this past weekend brought out plenty of famous faces, all eager to celebrate the year's greatest button mashers. Yup, the Spike TV VGA's were back in business and they delivered one heck of a show.

The 2011 ceremony was hosted by Chuck star Zachary Levi, who definitely showed he was "game" to participate in some irreverent skits. His grand entrance included a mashup of scenes from Call of Duty, LEGO Star Wars, and Batman: Arkham City. Levi even "flew" onto the stage carrying a prop from Portal 2.

"I'm jazzed about hosting the awards," Zachary said prior to the event. "As a gamer, I definitely want to bring as much legitimacy and respect to the game community as I possibly can."

And across the web, most fans seemed pleased with the VGA's outcome. The massively popular Modern Warfare 3 won for Best Shooter, Mortal Kombat took home Best Fighting Game, and Batman: Arkham City won a slew of honors, including Best Adapted Video Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, and Best Action Adventure.

Arkham even attracted the attention of MMA faves Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler. They proudly declared their love of the Bat and his clown-faced nemesis, when they announced The Joker as the VGA Character of the Year.

Family Guy’s Seth Green drew huge applause when he brought Shigeru Miyamoto on stage. The Nintendo mastermind accepted the night’s Hall of Fame Award for his company’s The Legend Of Zelda series. Humble as ever, the gaming icon simply said,

"None of this would be possible without you, and all of us at Nintendo are humbled by your support."

Tony Hawk also brought the crowd to their feet when he stepped up to the podium. Interestingly, he wasn't there to promote one of his famous skateboarding titles. Instead, he debuted never-before-seen clips from the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man game.

Comedy played a big part in the night too. Kevin Jonas spoofed himself in a commercial for a fake game called Wall Climb and web star Felicia Day cracked up App fans with her hilarious take on the Fruit Ninja craze.

Believe it or not, there were even some musical segments mixed in too. The Black Keys proved their gaming geekiness by taking the stage and performing their hit song Lonely Boy.

And as far as the 2011 Game of the Year? That nod went to the role-playing smash, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Universally praised across the board, it’s sold seven million copies in the last month and is certain to wind up in quite a few stockings come Christmas time.

What was your favorite video game of the year? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Award Shows, Batman: Arkham City, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Eddie Alvarez, Felicia Day, Fruit Ninja, Kevin Jonas, Modern Warfare 3, Mortal Kombat, Nintendo, Seth Green, Shigeru Miyamoto, Spike TV, The Black Keys, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda, Tony Hawk, VGAs, Video Game Awards, video games, Zachary Levi