Crime city didn't always suck
But since gree took over from funzio its been more psychological warfare than games. Syndicates were the first step. They made you connect with real people so you can all collectively improve your stats. And although its a game it made players perceive each other as family. Almost like in a real gang, but that was all part of the trick. It made people want to spend more and more real money, because now it was for the family. I was in a top 50 syndicate and at times I felt compelled to drop a little cash, because I would see what the rest of my family was spending. Things are different now though. I will never spend another dollar on this crap game. And honestly at this point I just play crime city to watch its slow demise.