Mafia Wars Enters Mafia-Based Strategy Game Arena
April 10, 2009
Even though the mafia-based strategy game genre is nearly at full capacity at the App Store, Zynga decided to throw their hat in the ring any way by releasing Mafia Wars for the iPhone.
Mafia Wars is currently available free of charge, but developer Zynga intends on eventually adopting a pricing plan that will allow users to get a leg up on the competition if they so choose. Like the rest of the genre, Mafia Wars rewards players with money and experience points for fighting rival mobs, doing dirty jobs, and developing property. The overall goal is to build your mafia empire bigger than the rest.
The genre itself is pretty massive at this point. It originally caught on because of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, and is now literally a worldwide phenomenon. People just can't get enough of these games. The one that started it all, Mob Wars, has gone on to be an iPhone application as well, titled iMob Online. There have been various court battles over rights to the genre, but that hasn't stopped others from entering the race.
I haven't personally given the genre a try until Mafia Wars, and what else can I say except that I am hooked. Hopefully my goal of mob domination is realized sooner rather than later, so I can eventually put down the iPhone.
Are any of you out there hopelessly addicted to mafia-based strategy games as well?