Before we get any further into the subject matter I want to mention that this topic is completely open to interpretation. What may be an exciting and addicting game to someone might be a completely boring experience to others. This is simply an opinion of a few collective minds. Also, the games being taken into consideration will mostly be relatively new ones so that the list doesn’t comprise of the usual suspects such as Farmville and Who Has the Biggest Brain.
Okay with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s bring on the list:
1) Nightclub City
Yes I know what you’re going to say. “Another build it and they will come” game. While that may be true, the nightclub tycoon theme is quite exciting to play as you try to increase your popularity and luxury ratings to attract celebrities and such in hopes that they will become regulars at your club.
After playing it past level 10 though the progress becomes excruciatingly slow and the game quickly begins to loose it’s appeal. The A-List celebs (like Shucks Norris) are far too expensive and it seems the game missed out on a whole “middle” level. It goes from too easy, to simply unattainable goals in the matter of a few levels.
All that aside though, the music is great, the concept is a good one, graphics are well done and the game engine seems solid. This one is definitely worth checking out.
2) FIFA Superstars
EA sports must desperately want to get on the social gaming bandwagon after hearing reports that Zynga will be earning north of $750 million in 2010. Their latest effort, FIFA Superstars is a solid way to make a play for Zynga’s crown.
Owning the lucrative players license, FIFA Superstars boasts all the superstars that you followed so closely during the World Cup. You can train your players, upgrade your stadium, purchase new (better) players and move your way up the ranks by beating people in your league or your friends.
For any football fan, this is an extremely addictive game. The thought of being able to purchase better players will keep you coming back to the game to make sure you make the most of your daily match credits, earn the maximum possible amount of cash so you can work towards the goal of one day purchasing Wayne Rooney (or Landon Donovan for that matter).
3) Market Street
The new Playdom game has been making waves as of late, attracting nearly 300,000 monthly active users in a very short time period. The entrepreneur in me simply couldn’t resist and I found myself trying to optimize the supply chain while making sure customer satisfaction stays where it needs to be.
For those not familiar with the game, allow me to explain. Market Street puts you as the owner of a retail outlet where you must set up displays, order products, keep an eye on stock that is running out to make sure you never have empty displays, all the while keeping your store well decorated so that your customers have a pleasant experience shopping there.
With interesting items such as the LameStation 4 and the new Lady La La albums available for you to sell at your store, this game moves along quite nicely keeping the user engaged and entertained. Overall, this is a great new addition to the already very impressive line of Playdom games.
4) Millionaire City
Start channeling your inner Donald Trump because this game is all about acquiring real estate and creating successful establishments on your land.
Start out by owning just a handful of condos and move on to bigger three story houses, pizza joints, and much more. The game starts out as a lot of fun and is pretty engaging but starts to become a bit high maintenance. You need to return often to collect rent from pizza parlors and such. The achievements system is a good touch and constantly gives you something to strive for and keep you entertained.
All in all, a good tycoon based game which rivals Social City, although it is still some ways away from the quality and balance provided by Social City.
5) Bar Society
Bar Society builds on the tried and tested formula of Cafe World. Not much new going on here in the way of innovative cutting edge stuff to be honest. It just provides a new theme to the classic restaurant business game.
One feature that I did appreciate though was the Bar of the Week feature during the loading screen which I thought was excellent. While the game is loading, a bar that is featured will be shown to entice users and give them something to strive for.
Overall, if you enjoyed Cafe World, give this one a shot (pun intended). Although be warned, you might find yourself getting bored with it after a little while. Still, a fun game to play while it lasts.
