14 DAY TRIAL // Recently it seems that Electronic Arts has started to specialize in Hollywood deals, as we can see plenty of evidence that links the big gaming corporation to the movie industry. From the Steven Spielberg co-developed Boom Blox to the contracts the company is signing left and right with movie-rights owners, like the recent Bourne deal, the company is eager to profit from the popularity of movies.
A few years ago the company released a video game based on the cult movie franchise The Godfather. Now, despite the fact that the first title didn't achieve great sales or very positive reviews, the company will launch a sequel. Entitled – what else – Godfather II, the game promises to bring the great atmosphere from the movies and novels signed by Mario Puzo.
Although it was slated to be released at the beginning of March, the game was postponed to a later date because there were a lot of other titles, including Street Fighter IV, Killzone 2, Halo Wars or even Resident Evil 5, that appeared at the same time. Although it wasn't clear when the game would even be released, the executive producer, Hunter Smith, has announced that it will be available on April 7 in North America and April 10 in Europe.
“The Godfather II is taking the open-world genre in an entirely new direction by combining the furious combat of acting like a mobster, with the strategic gameplay of thinking like a Don,” says Smith. “As game makers, when we looked at what lies at the heart of the Godfather universe, we discovered a game focused around organized crime. The Corleones and all the other families schemed and fought to gain access and control of different territories, so that they could control the flow of money in those areas. This underlying battle cloaked secrecy is what The Godfather II and Mafia life is all about, and we wanted players to be in control as a Don and make those strategic decisions to lead their families to success.”
In conclusion, it seems that Smith is very confident that the title will deliver a great experience. All that's left for us to do is practice our mafia accent and wait until April for the game.