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Have you ever watched the Sopranos on the television and thought, “Big deal, that looks easier than they let on?”
I wouldn’t recommend taking that career path in real life, but if you want to experience the life of a mafia gangster without the risk of being dragged into prison for busting a few caps into a mob boss then sit back and order yourself a plate of cannoli and a glass of fine wine because there’s a war brewing online and it’s called Mafia Wars!
After you register and add the game to your Facebook profile you’re automatically tasked with a job. Apparently there’s a business in your district that has been giving your Uncle Louie’s Deli a little trouble so it’s up to you defeat Fat Tony and earn the respect you deserve. As well as earn some money from the deli in exchange for your protection.
It doesn’t take long to accomplish the tasks that are given you before the godfather grants you his support and you begin unlocking odd jobs here and there. Once you gain enough points the first mob boss you encounter is Boss Giancarlo Morillo, he can be a tough boss to fight if you don’t recruit enough Mafia members to help or watch your health bar. You gain mafia members by completing a few tasks or even recruit your friends on facebook to help.
In the game you can use the reward points you earn to donate to the godfather for better weapons, mafia members or mafia money to buy up businesses and properties in your gang’s district. You begin with five reward points. If you want more you, would have to either earn them by completing the fighting missions, purchase the reward points using a credit card or PayPal service, or fill out random surveys and promotional offers for reward points.
If you choose to buy the points with real money, the cost is $5 for 21 points, $10 for 42 points, $20 for 85 points, $40 for 170 points, $50 for 215 points, $100 for 440 points, and $150 for 700 points.
If you’re worried about reward points, you should remember to check your cash flow from the businesses you’re protecting and take on odd jobs like mugging, robbing a bank or stealing a car. Some of the jobs require you to purchase special items to perform the task, and of course with any fight there’s bound to be injuries, so make sure you have enough money in your pockets to send your wounded men to the hospital when needed -- the more members added to your gang the hospital visits will become expensive.
You can grow your gang by inviting friends to join or defeating a gang and earning one or two members from the losing gang. Other than sending requests to your friends to help you accomplish your tasks, there doesn’t seem to be personal interaction with other players. Mafia Wars appears to have a healthy community of players and the more people you can add to your mafia the more you can do within the game.
Overall it’s a fun game that’s easy to navigate and play. In just the first three minutes of doing odd jobs you will be well on your way to showing your town who they’re dealing with. Capice? See you in Mafia Wars.
Check out Mafia Wars on Facebook. It's also available on MySpace and Yahoo!
