Football Games on Facebook: Which one should you play?

               

As of last Sunday, the 2010 NFL Season has officially begun. Fans around the nation held parties complete with chips, dip, beer, soda and whatnot to huddle around the HDTV and watch in awe as their favorite team dominated the field (or got creamed in Philly's case). But something... different was going on alongside just watching the games this year.

Amongst the chest bumping and high-fives, there were a select few clicking away on their mouses to the first football-themed Facebook games. But were they playing the good ones? Here we'll rate five of the newest Facebook games all about one of America's favorite sports: football. Join us after the break to find out which games make the cut or will end up on the sidelines.
Ultimate Fan Match
Ultimate Fan

Features:

    Prove that your favorite team has the most fans each week through Boost Meter
    Win Fan Points and Tickets to make the best tailgate party and rate others' parties
    Predict the outcome of this season's games to win more Fan Points
    Rate members of the team before and during every NFL game on several criteria



Recommended: No. While Ultimate Fan has fun visuals and exciting music, there isn't much else here than showing your home team pride. "Boosting" a team doesn't have any consequences other than being able to say you were right or the other team's fans got served, so to speak. Simply creating the most intense tailgate party isn't going to make itch for more. Wouldn't you rather play football instead?

Play Ultimate Fan Now >

NFL Superstars Gameplay
Madden NFL Superstars

Features:

    Manage a team of NFL players to greatness by playing fun, interactive cut-scene-style season matches
    Train your team through practice drills to keep your rating at its maximum
    Buy Player Packs for more players and rare high-level players
    Play in the NFL Pro League against the real teams of the NFL to win the Super Bowl
    Predict every week's real NFL matches for points, player cards and free games



Recommended: Yes! Madden NFL Superstars has the most enduring franchise in football video games to live up to. And EA Sports keeps the Madden name strong with entertaining visual, music and gameplay. While we've yet to see a real time, fully controllable football game on Facebook, this gem gets close with Game Changers. These one-time-use power ups can be used at any time during a game and add a layer of strategy that has yet to be seen in a football game on Facebook. Not to mention that NFL Superstars doesn't forget everyone's favorite management elements with Practice Mode and the ability to upgrade your stadium. Honestly, if you consider yourself a Madden fan, you need to at least give this one a shot.

Play Madden NFL Superstars Now >

Franchise Football win
Franchise Football

Features:

    Manage your own NFL team in a league populated entirely by Facebook players
    Win games against real players to entice free agents to sign on to your team
    Winning games also earns you draft picks to participate in the ongoing NFL draft
    Earn or buy Reputation Points to boost your team's stats
    Join discussions with other players in the in-game forum, Sports Bar



Recommended: No. CBS Sports came out strong with a football simulator that brings on the features. Personally, hardcore stat crunching was never my thing and Franchise Football has it in spades. Nearly every aspect of the game boils down to a statistic, from team ratings to Reputation Points to team worth. Now, don't misunderstand, we all know sports are driven by statistics. The game cannot be faulted on revolving around them, but when there is quite literally nothing else to look at on the screen but numbers, eyes begin to glaze over and that "Back" button is pressed on the browser before you can even yawn.

Play Franchise Football Now >

Title Town Football Screen
Title Town Football

Features:

    Raise revenue and fan numbers for your team by completing daily tasks like conducting interviews
    Upgrade your playing grounds from a forgettable field to a spectacular stadium
    Manage a team of real NFL players by maintaining a salary cap and signing exempt contracts
    Participate in the "Tailgate," and in-game forum designed to connect players without having to leave




Recommended: No. Essentially, Title Town Football is your standard football manager game with cheeky dialog and hilarious animations. However, once the charm of the quirky characters wears off, all you'll see is your run-of-the-mill team management game. While it wins bonus points for realism, players won't exactly be waiting anxiously to gather enough stamina to do the next menial task that will boost his salary cap. Not many people that I know want to play a football game without actual football.

Play Title Town Football Now >

SI Fantasy Football Live Scoring
Sports Illustrated Fantasy Football

Features:

    Join a create a public or private fantasy league right within the game
    Participate in live, scheduled drafts within your league
    The Sport Illustrated Draft Kit available for download
    Live scoring during football games, no need to refresh
    Get fantasy football news from within the game



Recommended: Yes! While all of the other football games on Facebook feature fantasy football elements, this game is a fully fledged fantasy league backed all of your friends on the network. You can do everything in SI Fantasy Football from hold a live draft to watch your scores update live during the real games. While it has a ways to go before it can replace the titans of the genre like ESPN and Yahoo, this fantasy football game shows promise if only because of where it's located. If you're looking for the true fantasy football experience on Facebook, come to a game that's at least taking it seriously.

Play SI Fantasy Football Now >