Like the first "Mafia Wars," players compete to build a powerful crime empire, but they can now engage in one-on-one combat using bats, knives, rocket launchers and even a chainsaw.

"It's a very dangerous world," said Bethke, who played a promo reel for the game that showed people being shot and someone about to have their face burned with a cigar. That's a far cry from "Words with Friends."

The new games are also more social. Clan rivalry in "Mafia Wars 2" is "much more front and center," Pincus said, and players can gang together to rob casinos and burn them down.

"CastleVille" is much calmer, but it too emphasizes the social. Friends can help each other to build armor or mix potions, and work together to keep "beasties" outside the castle walls.

It's more personal than "FarmVille" or "CityVille," Bethke said. Players create their own path through the game, discovering "mysterious locations" and hidden characters, he said.