What better time than this to bring back the Facebook Game Face-off? For those that don't know how these go down, allow us to explain. We stack each game up based on three loose criteria (i.e. which game has the cooler power-ups) and decide which game does its genre better justice. But of course, that's ultimately up to you, the players. Ready? Fight!
The Bombs Bursting in Air
The explosions. The power-ups. The flash factor. If a match-three game doesn't nail these, then it's not doing its job. Let's start with Ruby Blast: This is the first game from Zynga to utilize the latest in Flash 3D graphics technology, and boy, does it show. Power-ups like Nova Flare explode in bursts of purple fire, while boosts like Star Fall cascade with glittering yellow dust. Add the fact that you can use up to three power-ups as often as you like in each round, and Ruby Blast is onto something.
Facebook Game Frenemies
Ruby Blast, like any good match-three social game, includes weekly leader boards. But Zynga takes that more than one step further, dangling your friends' superior scores in front of you at every opportunity. (In fact, Zynga seems to think it's a fine way of getting you to pay up.) A neat thing that Ruby Blast does, however, is offer prizes to the top three players. An even neater thing is friend gems, which create drills to help you score extra time. With real-time multiplayer in the cooker, Zynga could eventually take the cake here.
The Fun Factor
Ah, the ultimate measure. Ruby Blast keeps the tension high with the ticking clock and fast-paced clicks to destroy groups of gems to flashy fanfare and vertical movement. Watching stars fall, bombs go off and novas flare with overladen particle effects is a sight to behold in a Facebook game. If you're out for a match-three game with lots of movement and demand for furiously fast fingers, then look no further than Ruby Blast.Bejeweled Blitz, on the other hand, is a far more nuanced match-three experience that somehow doesn't skimp on the flashiness. Matching gems in this game is more about setting up combos--sorry, cascades--and timing when to unleash them. That's all against a ticking clock, of course. For players that pride themselves as more cerebral than frenetic, perhaps Bejeweled Blitz is your jam.
The Epic Conclusion
Zynga has taken some excellent notes from the best match-three games on the scene and fused otherwise dissonant concepts into a single game rather successfully. Ruby Blast is somehow even more accessible than its competitors, but sacrifices some of the strategy found in, say, Bejeweled Blitz. Speaking of which, PopCap's match-three offering requires a bit more finesse while incorporating the developer's trademark humor and irreverence. So, while Ruby Blast will undoubtedly go on to achieve great success, it doesn't hold a candle to the quirkiness and panache of Bejeweled Blitz. But we want to know what you think.Have something unique to offer to the debate? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
