The Godfather II game announced

ELECTRONIC ARTS has today announced the development of The Godfather II, in conjunction with Paramount Pictures.

This presumably means Paramount has concluded the $1 million lawsuit issued by Godfather author Mario Puzo, who claimed he was owed the money after the first game in the series.

For those of you who live under a rock, the Godfather Trilogy is often described as one of the best cinematic treats of all time - the first two parts are in the IMDB top 5, recently being pushed down the rankings by the recent release of Batman: Dark Knight.

Apparently the game starts where the previous one left off.

According to EA, "After being promoted by Michael Corleone to don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal-crime rings, and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America."

The game is said to contain more strategy than the previous release byHunter Smith, Executive Producer of The Godfather II.

"We found the hierarchical culture of organized crime intriguing. Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre. That is what the Don's View is all about -- laying out a strategy to pick off the competition one by one. The Don's View is so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new."

EA state that players will be able to experience mob life in Florida, New York and Cuba - something that US citizens can't usually enjoy, unlike us Britsters.

The Godfather II will premiere on G ametrailers TV August 15th - it'll include behind-the-scenes with the development team, the debut of the game trailer and a first look at the game itself.

The trailer itself will be available on Sunday August 18th at EA's new Godfather II site, here.

EA has yet to issue a release date for the game. µ