Facebook has already become a viable gaming platform, filled with all sorts of casual, browser-based games players can add to their profile and account and play as they wish. But what happens when Facebook users become bored of the casual games they’re playing? The casual games on Facebook are quite entertaining and all, but after a while their simplicity can cause their users to become tired of following the same routine to succeed.

That’s where console, handheld and computer games can step up. Many of the Facebook casual games, like YoVille, Mafia Wars or FarmTown, are incredibly similar to existing major releases. Facebook users can easily transition to the game that corresponds to their favorite Facebook applications, and hopefully find something that will hold their interest and perhaps even help them find other games they may enjoy.

Gamertell is taking look at some of the most popular game applications on Facebook today, and pairing them up with comparable major releases, in the hopes of expanding the horizons of casual, Facebook gamers…

The Educational Games Research Blog recently took the time to compile a list of the ten most influential educational games of the 80′s,a wonderful list that honors a slew of games that many gamers likely grew up playing. I know for a fact that I’ve played and enjoyed at least half of the games on the list.

The list contains both popular and forgotten favorites. Some of the most notable of the ten cited are The Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, SimCity…

EA Games has announced that its infamous city-building game franchise is moving to the Wii and returning to the DS. SimCity Creator will be coming to both the Wii and Nintendo DS in September, 2008. Also worth noting is that the PAL and NA versions of the game are coming out at almost the same time – The games will be out in Europe on September 19, and in North America on September 22.

While the two games are both titled SimCity Creator and involve building cities, they aren’t the same game. SimCity Creator for the DS is a localization of the Japanese SimCity DS 2: Kodai kara Mirai e Tsuduku Machi, and is more about creating and maintaining a city from ancient times to the future. The Wii version of SimCity Creator is a more standard version of SimCity, only with different city styles based on cultures around the world.

Sims fans who purchased SimCity Societies and SimCity 4 may want to sit down. Are you seated? Good. I have some bad news for you, but just buckle down, you’ll make it through. Of course it’s good news for other Sims fans who waited to get those games.

EA will be selling SimCity 4, SimsCity 4 Rush Hour, SimCity Societies, SimCity Societies Destinations and The Sims Carnival SnapCity altogether as The SimCity Box for $39.99. The big bundle will be available in June 2008. Oh, and according to Amazon, the box includes a trial version of the Spore Creature Creator…

SimCity designer o’ fame Will Wright was heard complaining that too many sequel games are currently on the shelves. Wright made the comments during an interview with the German website Stern:

Yeah, that is indeed a bad development. One would rather play it safe than be creative. Still, this seems to work. But for how much longer? Besides, there are simply too many games on the market. Lots of bad games are coming out because of this.

Anyone who’s gone to a movie this summer can probably relate…