Electronic Arts has released a new trailer from its Redwood Shores studio's work on The Godfather II, the open-world action sequel taking place after the timeline of the Godfather movies. The new trailer previews the game's 1960s Miami and Havana locales alongside plenty of violence set to the tune of the Rat Pack classic "Ain't that a Kick in the Head."

The Godfather II, with plenty of head-kicking and an RTS-like "Don's View" meta-game, lands on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in February 2009.

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Publisher Electronic Arts has passed in a new trailer from EA Redwood Shores' upcoming sequel The Godfather 2 (360, PS3, PC), slated to arrive in February, 2009.

In addition to the open-world action of its predecessor, The Godfather 2 includes three distinct locations for missions—New York, Miami, and Havana—as well as "The Don's View," an RTS-like aspect which allows players to manage and expand a crime empire.

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Electronic Arts' The Godfather II (360, PS3, PC) is not a "movie game." While there are moments where the player's path will cross with events adapted from Francis Ford Coppola's sequel, the gameplay unfolds in a non-linear fashion, all within a 1960s, post-Godfather timeline.

Though the standard GTA elements are firmly in place, The Godfather II's real hook is its mob warfare strategy component, dubbed the "Don's View." An EA rep mentioned that the team spent time building a basic strategy game from the ground up. The result is a Risk-like meta-game that may help keep The Godfather II from being labeled as "just another GTA clone."

Rather than starting from the bottom and rising to the top, players will begin the game as a Don--not Michael, but another character created for the game--in full control of the Corleone family. Expanding on San Andreas' territorial gang wars, Godfather II features a significant strategic component, with AI-controlled opponent families fighting eachother and the player for control of territories across three cities.

The "Don's View" amounts to a 3D strategic map (pictured above, right) of those territories, allowing for a full view of every piece of the pie. Rival mobs... Read more

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello recently confirmed to investors that a sequel to the company's The Godfather could be coming out some time early 2009. The company today announced that we'll see the game in February.

Featuring the same open-world action as the first game did, The Godfather 2 will include three distinct locations for missions: New York, Miami and Havana. In addition to "more visceral hand-to-hand brutality", the game will also feature "The Don's View", an RTS-type aspect of the game that Riccitiello revealed a few months ago. Using this view, you can build, defend and expand crime rings while keeping tabs on what rival families are up to.

"In the 1960's, a mafia Don was only as strong as his family," said executive producer Hunter Smith, adding, "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 ... Read more

EA Redwood Shores' upcoming sequel The Godfather 2 is expected for a late 2008 to early 2009 release, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed at an annual investor's conference today.

Speaking on the company's upcoming roster of mature-themed titles, the CEO stated that The Godfather 2 would be arriving at retailers "a few months" after the November release of Valve Software's Left 4 Dead (PC, 360).

Inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's celebrated film trilogy, the game will allow players to control their mafia empire via RTS-like top-down controls. No platforms for the upcoming mob sim have yet been announced, though Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions seem likely, with a Wii version also possible.

Anthony Puzo, son of deceased The Godfather author Mario Puzo, has filed a lawsuit against Godfather license holder Paramount Pictures claiming breach of contract over a licensed 2006 video game.

Demanding at least $1 million in compensation, Puzo, who inherited his father's estate in 1999, says he never received any royalty payments from the licensed, EA Redwood Shores-produced video game.

Containing elements of Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather film trilogy--itself based on Mario Puzo's acclaimed novel--the game arrived on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox, and PSP. PlayStation 3 and Wii editions of the title followed in 2007.

Anthony Puzo believes he is entitled to said payments due to an alleged 1992 agreement between his father and Paramount. According to Reuters, the supposed deal entitled the author's estate to "a significant share of the revenue of any audio-visual products sold or rented with elements of the 'Godfather' movies."

A second Godfather game has since been revealed. Though platforms and a release date are unknown, the upcoming sequel is said to allow control of a mafia empire from the streets or from an RTS-like top-down view.

EA Redwood Shores' upcoming Godfather game sequel will allow gamers to control their mafia empire from the streets or from an RTS-like top-down view, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello revealed at a recent investor meeting

"You can play [Godfather 2] both at the street level, much like a GTA-style game, but you can also play it top-down, almost like you're in an RTS, controlling the strategy of the boroughs so you can see what's going on," the CEO told investors, reports Next-Gen.

Riccitello's comments mark the first concrete details of the project, which was first unveiled last July. No platforms or release date have been announced, though the game is expected to hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and possibly Wii.

Released in 2006, the first Godfather game, inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy of the same name, arrived on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox, and PSP. PlayStation 3 and Wii editions of the title followed in 2007.