Since their inception, Facebook games have been derided as little more than board games, casino games, and farm simulations for procrastinating college students and stay-at-home moms. Despite lucrative revenues from micropayments and addictive gameplay, so-called hardcore gamers can’t help but scoff. The perception remains that browser games are simple affairs (i.e. Elf Bowling) and have a low ceiling of innovation.

Today, Reno-based 3G Studios announced a first person shooter called Brave Arms that will hopefully alter that perception. As seen in screenshots, the game will have simple but colorful graphics reminiscent of Battlefield Heroes. But its most impressive quality is the fact that you play the game inside Facebook. Okay, it’s technically not the first FPS for Facebook. (That honor goes to Paradise Paintball 3D.) But this is definitely the one getting all the publicity.

Combined with heavy hitters like Civilization Network (the online version of Sid Meier’s Civilization) and Playfish’s unnamed game based on a major EA property, the way that browser games are perceived will shift in some very interesting ways. However, I wonder if these games signal the beginning of a trend in which browser games migrate from independent websites onto the Facebook platform, or if developers are merely leveraging Facebook’s user base to drive traffic back of their independent game properties.

Links:
Brave Arms Official Site

After numerous spinoffs and 3D adventures, players are finally going to get their hands on a 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game (aka Project Needlemouse). Actually, it’ll be one of those hybrid 2.5D games where the gameplay is sidescrolling but the graphics are rendered in 3D. And get this, they’re going to call it Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and release it via Xbox LIVE, PSN, and WiiWare.

I’m excited. Partly, it’s because I still play the classic Sonic games and the gameplay remains blissful. But more importantly, I long for a return to basics, away from the gun-wielding doppelgangers, werewolf transformations, and annoying supporting cast of animal friends. Sega’s brand manager Ken Balough said that the team is going to “deliver a Genesis-era Sonic game as if it were created today that goes to the core of what classic Sonic fans desire.” I take this to mean that there will be a lot of running through chutes and jumping on bounce pads.

We should thank the people who’ve been supporting retro remakes and episodic games with their dollars. From a developer standpoint, projects to revive old franchises can be risky because nostalgia can only carry a game so far. But the success of titles like Mega Man 9 and Tales of Monkey Island have given them more courage to take these risks. They’re also seeing the writing on the wall — that is, digital distribution is the future of console gaming because of reduced overhead costs and the elimination of middleman markup. For games with a more niche audience, it’s perfect.