Yet another Social Games Portal Emerges: Friendster is back

Friendster, like the phoenix has thousands of times before, has risen again renewed, refreshed and predictably re-branded. TechCrunch reports that the failed social network, after it shut its doors less than a month ago, has reopened for business as a social games portal. (Another one, seriously?)

And here's the clincher, the website features Facebook Connect, just like owner MOL Global promised. We'll let that one sink in for a minute. The new-and-improved Friendster already offers a litany of social games, some of which are already being enjoyed by thousands of players as of this writing.

To sign up either traditionally or with Facebook, users must create a name and persona for their Avatar. Then, they're free to play any games they wish, like Battlestations (pictured below).

However, Facebook Connect with Friendster doesn't go far beyond simply inviting friends to play games. These games aren't using the features that Facebook provides like posting to News Feeds, sharing and gifting. (However, whenever you start playing a new game, a Facebook News Feed post is created.)

Battlestations on Friendster
With Facebook on the verge of establishing its Facebook Credits platform, and Google revealing that its games effort is real, it's unsure whether Friendster can fit in the social gaming pool without some overflow. And that's especially considering the myriad of other social games services on the horizon from DeNA's Mobage mobile network to Hi5 and TeePee Games. Let's just say Friendster, even with help for developers, is surrounded by even more sharks in this pool.

Fox ladies, karate masters and robot men will do battle in Prime World

Don't worry, we're a little confused, too. Nival, the Russian social game studio behind King's Bounty: Legions, has released some new images of Prime World. The screen shots reveal a bit more of what's about to go on your PC or Mac (or Android phone and iPhone) in this downloadable strategy game that's said to have deep Facebook Connect support.

For one, the game looks pretty gorgeous, especially the spell effects like fire and what appear to be laser weapons. (Yeah, we have no idea what type of setting Nival is going for at this point.) More important are the characters within the images that are duking it out: You'll see a woman with a fox tail, a necromancer of sorts, a karate master amongst giant robot war machines. Oh, and let's not forget the giant towers and other various defensive structures.

We scored an early look at the game during this year's E3, and game looks to tread on dynamic territory. Actually, that could be said of the simple fact that this is a downloadable, apparently hardcore strategy game that uses Facebook Connect. According to a release, Prime World uses the Unity 3D engine to create its flashy graphics.
Gallery: Prime World (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)
But we think the goofy mash-up of characters is all Nival's doing. Prime World still has not been given a release date, but you can bet we'll follow the trail this game is blazing. You know, if only to see who would win in a fight: a fox lady or a robot with spiked clubs for hands?

What do you think of Prime World so far, based on our preview and these new screens? Will Facebook Connect drive the game to success?