Neopets

Neopets (1999)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Originally started playing this game late high school/early college days. Stepped away from it for several years until recently. I've found that it's expanded game collection gives something for everyone - if you want something easy or hard, a short or long game. Naturally, some events are more challenging than others. The option of customizing your pets and gaming experience is highly appealing, and the "pet" foundation is an easy hook for any child or animal lover. It's a good way to take a quick break and reset before tackling the next event of the day. Far cry better than any of the Facebook pet games flooding the internet.

Bejeweled Blitz

Bejeweled Blitz (PC for Facebook & Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Bejeweled is an old favorite in the game series. It's fun to see friend's scores and play online, however the game sometimes has loading issues, causing point loss or game failure because it won't read or respond to your moves. Very frustrating in the long run.

Pet Society

Pet Society (PC for Facebook)

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This game was very simplistic and focused largely on real life. You are responsible for feeding, grooming, petting, playing with, and cleaning the litter box of your virtual pet. There are a few pieces of furniture you can buy and mostly just more pets to adopt. If I want to do those things, I'll go do more of them for my own real cats, not virtual ones. Too basic with not enough interest to make it a game worth playing.

Treasure Isle

Treasure Isle (PC for Facebook)

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I lasted for maybe a little over a week on this game and could not really get into it. Another Zynga game that I tried because many of my friends were playing it. Similar to FarmVille in the fact that you plant things on your island. You can also steal crops from your friend's islands and find random animals. Overall didn't have much challenge or anything you could do yourself without other players contributing, so I lost interest in it quickly.

PetVille

PetVille (PC for Facebook)

My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars


The first of the Zynga games that I played on Facebook, this one focuses on caring for a pet and building their house. I quit playing the game after I maxed out on levels and lost interest in all the house cleaning and nothing to do besides changing clothes or furniture. Like with other Zynga games, you can earn things by playing the game or paying for it in cash. There are also items exclusive only to the iPhone application that Facebook only or android users cannot access. A cute idea, but too monotonous and not enough challenge for any attention span long term.

FarmVille

FarmVille (PC for Facebook)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This game is played via Facebook profiles or on farmville.com. It requires help from your "friends" on the network to complete building projects and collect animals or items for your farming needs. The game itself is not very difficult except for the fact that it relies on other players who often do nothing even when asked to help. It falls into the category of "mindless entertainment" - a series of repetitive clicks each day at the appropriate time intervals for whatever you're growing and you continue on to the next level. Their newest addition is the launch of the sister English farm that can be played separately or simultaneously to the original farm. Every time I think I'll quit this game, they add something else and you think, "maybe after I finish that challenge," so it keeps on going. There are some items that are only available on the iPhone or by paying "farm cash" which you can either earn by playing the game or pay for with real cash. Personally, I would never fork out real money for this game. It's not worth it and is only a matter of time before I decide it's so mindless and monotonous that even the simple entertainment value it has now is not worth the time it takes to load the game, let alone play it.