Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook is taking the dude world by storm. While Bejeweled 2 and Bejeweled have always largely attracted the females, the Blitz is taking the Bejeweled to the boys. Even the name, "Bejeweled Blitz" appeals to men - when I hear the word Blitz, I think of linebacker coming off the corner to sack a QB or maybe some cool World War II documentary covering the Blitz on England.

I don't know what secret sauce Popcap Games is using (maybe the same they used with Plants vs. Zombies, which was just nominated for a dude-tastic Spike TV Video Game Award), but here are five reasons every man should play Bejeweled Blitz.

UPDATE: Popcap games loved the post so much they were kind enough to send me a reply.
They thought of another awesome reason for dudes to play Bejeweled Blitz.






6. Smack Talking
From the time we're little dudes, men always talk smack. You know, an "everything you can do, I can do better" type of thing. Bejeweled Blitz addresses those manly needs for one-upmanship (see, even that word has 'man' in it) with Jewel Jabber, a messaging system that lets you send taunts to friends on Facebook.



5. Lots of Game Stats
Guys love numbers and showing we know things. Bejeweled Blitz feeds that need by letting you dive into your game numbers and compare your stats with other players. It's almost like playing fantasy sports, except it has got more diamonds than your average baseball game.

Bejeweled Blitz, the addictive Facebook game that gives you one minute to match as many colored gems as possible, is headed to the iPhone. The mobile game includes Facebook Connect, so you'll be able to log in and then show off your sweet gem-matching skills by posting high scores on your Facebook page.

We got our hands on the Bejeweled Blitz iPhone update early and after extensive hands-on testing, are happy to report that it works seamlessly with the Facebook version of the game. It also has the same high production values expected from any official Bejeweled game -- a lush soundtrack, good-looking graphics and over-the-top sound effects, including -- our favorite -- a chain of bro-tastic explosions at the end of every round.

The iPhone version also includes all of the same power-ups -- score multipliers and laser gems -- vital to pushing your score to unbeatable heights. Your high scores will automatically show up on the leaderboard in the Facebook version, and you'll be able to post brag notes on your Facebook page anytime you score a metal in the game (see example below). We were impressed to see our new high scores appeared in the Facebook version's leaderboard in real time, as well as our brag notes.


Bejeweled Blitz, officially announced today, is not a standalone game. The gem-swapper is actually an add-on to the existing Bejeweled 2 for iPhone, and will be available starting next week as soon as Apple says 'go' ("Coming soon," a Popcap rep says). If you already own Bejeweled 2, the Blitz add-on update can be downloaded from the app store for free, and if you don't, you can buy it for $2.99 at the app store and Blitz will automatically be included.

This is the first time that PopCap has created a game that will work across platforms, something that other social game companies have just started to implement. We'd love our iPhone version of Mafia Wars to work just as seamlessly with the Facebook version, and vice versa. We expect Bejeweled Blitz is just the beginning of being able to play our favorite social game whenever, wherever.



Related Stories:
Bejeweled Blitz Tips: Six Ways to Bust Gems Like A Pro

Bejeweled Blitz, the Facebook version of PopCap's popular gem-swapping game -- gives players 60 seconds to score as many points as possible before the time runs out. The kicker is -- matching three games of the same color or more isn't second nature to everyone -- so if you're a slow on the draw and want to beat your friends' high scores, these six tips (courtesy of the game's official Facebook page) will help you go from a match-three newbie to a jewel-busting junkie.

1. Try to keep your speed bonus up at all times. With a maxed-out speed bonus every move is worth 1250 points!

2. Multiplier gems apply not only to matches, but also to your current speed bonus. For example, with a x3 multiplier, each match made with a full speed bonus would be worth 3750 points. So once you've established a respectable multiplier, maintaining your speed bonus is extremely valuable.

3. Keep an eye out for bigger matches. Look for the opportunity to match 4 or 5 gems. This will create Hypercubes, Flame and Star Gems. These special pieces are instrumental in creating large explosions, which will earn you lots of points, more chances at extra Multiplier Gems and will help mix up the board, potentially making it easier to find new matches. Lost opportunities mean lost points.

4. Matches made lower on the board are more likely to generate cascades. If you're finding it hard to make matches lower on the board, try creating and using a Hypercube or Star Gem.

5. When you earn a Hypercube, don't waste it on the first color you see. Try to use it to on the color with the most gems on the screen. Or if you have any multiplier gems on the screen, consider matching it to the color of that gem.

6. The score chart provided on the Game Over screen is a great place to discover strategies of your own. Make sure you take the time to review this chart for your highest scoring games to learn the secrets of your own success.

[Via Bejeweled Blitz Facebook page]

Play Bejeweled Blitz Now >

Facebook game Cafe World is attracting virtual restaurateurs in droves, hitting 20 million users since it launched three weeks ago. That makes this, officially, the fastest growing social game of all time -- outpacing FarmVille, which is now at 60 million active users roughly four months after its debut.



Roller Coaster Kingdom, a theme-park game also from Zynga, has also shown positive growth -- bringing in 4 million new users last week. This game has suffered from ups and downs in the past, as has the number four gainer this week -- Bejeweled Blitz from PopCap. The match-three game from PopCap launched a redesign last week -- with new powerups an more -- which has obviously struck a chord with Facebook users.

Playfish, Zynga's main rival, games have also seen positive growth, but no where near the booming numbers of Cafe World and FarmVille. Pet Society, Playfish's pet game, has the same number of active users as Cafe World, and that's been around since August 2008. There's also rumors that game publishing giant EA has bought Playfish, so we'll be interested to see how that changes the game playing population once that takes effect.

In the meantime, we'll be serving up endless batches of Chips and Guac in our Cafe World cafe -- alongside 20 million other people. See you in the kitchen.

[Via Inside Social Games]

If you log into the newly redesigned Bejeweled Blitz. you'll find an option to send smack talk, aka "Jewel Jabber,' to your friends. Click the jewel icon next to someone's profile on your personal leaderboard (see second image below) and up pops a window with a smarmy red gem ready to deliver your best diss. We can already see Mr. T starring in this game's commercial -- "Quit that Jewel Jabber, fool!"



Play Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook Now >