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Electronic Arts' continued comfort with Steam opening up its sales op-pore-tunities is clear, as the mega-publisher adds six more titles to the service. Valve's digital distribution network now provides access to:

• Need for Speed: Shift ($50)
  
• The Godfather ($10)
  
• The Godfather 2 ($40)
  
• Battlefield 2: Complete Collection ($30)
  
• Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising ($20)
  
• Medal of Honor: Airborne ($10)
  

Curiously, Steam still doesn't have EA's mega-hit The Sims 3, which is available on Stardock's competing Impulse system. We've asked EA about this discrepancy before, but still don't have a clear answer.

EA is suing for the right to use the "Dillinger" name in association with weapons found in its Godfather series of games. GamePolitics reports the publisher filed suit in San Francisco federal court for the right to use the name after Dillinger LLC's legal team, which works for -- wait for it -- the grandson of the famous bank-robber's half-sister, contacted EA. Dillinger LLC apparently wants, according to EA, "millions of dollars for the game elements."

The "Dillinger Tommy Gun" is in the first Godfather game and the "Modern Dillinger" -- a $4 piece of DLC -- was featured in the sequel. We expect the great-great-great-grandchild of a famous historical figure's ex-roommate's second-cousin's babysitter to sue Civilization developer Firaxis any day now.

Electronic Arts told the LA Times during an interview this week that the Godfather franchise is done at the publisher. EA Games label president Frank Gibeau told the paper, "We're not going to do another one." He then noted that there was no Godfather game in the schedule going out three years.

EA's PR followed up with the Times to say no decision had been made about the fate of the mafia franchise and that "Paramount is a great partner." The speculation is that EA is toning down its focus on licensed properties and working on making a stable of original franchises to exploit.

EA hasn't been just kicking back, watching The Godfather II hype build ( ... it's building, right?). The Redwood Shores studio has been tinkering with the final game during the strategic delay, and EA has announced today that a new multiplayer mode will be added -- free -- in addition to the four preexisting modes. "Don Control" will be patched into the game on release day, April 7, and features a 16-player scenario where money from the single-player game is wagered for, well, ultimate Don-ination! (Geddit?)

Confirmation of the Godfather freebie comes just days after Capcom was forced to defend its $5 multiplayer patch for Resident Evil 5 after it became clear that the modes were being prepped before the game's release. Was EA's decision to offer Don Control for free (and not save it for post-release premium DLC) influenced by Capcom's faux pas -- perhaps even a subtle swipe at its industry competitor? We like to think EA is tossing in the new mode out of the kindness of its heart (its very strategic, consumer value-bearing heart). Then again, this is the same company charging $10 for XBLA Connect Four and Yahtzee -- a piece.

As promised, living room mobsters will have to wait a while longer before pounding the streets as the Don. Electronic Arts announced that Godfather II will now ship in North America on April 7, with Europe getting the game later that week on April 10. First revealed in 2007, the sequel was expected to ship for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on February 24, however it was pushed back earlier this month in order to generate more buzz around the game's release.

Thanks for the heads up EA, though we've circled the new release date on our calendars in pencil. You know, just in case you want to feed the hype machine some more, or if the economy takes out another hit on your bottom line.

	1 Platinum 4 Gold 9 Silver 28 Bronze	Difficulty: Easy Online Trophies? No Time to Completion: 20 hours DLC Trophies? No
	View Trophy List	Read More About the Game

After our last look at Godfather II gave us a broader view of what to expect in the game, a new video has zoomed in on what was our favorite feature of the first in the series: Extortion. As much as we love the splashy production values of a mob war or car bomb, there's something to be said for the simple joy of putting an elderly tailor's head through a plate-glass window, just to get half of his earnings for the day.

... Did we say "putting an elderly tailor's head through a plate-glass window"? We meant "having a chat with him." ... Dammit. See, this is why we could never do this professionally.

EA's The Godfather II will be hitting PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 24th in North America, and February 27th in Europe. The open-world game promises to be a more strategic affair than before with the new "Don's View" feature, allowing you to see a 3D representation of your criminal activity across all three of the game's cities.

Those who pre-order the game will have a distinct advantage. The pre-order bonus is an exclusive in-game character, Tommy Cipolla. Other characters in the game start off with just one skill and a level-one weapon, while Tommy is truly a talented guy. He has two skills (arsonist and medic) and can carry a level-two shotgun. How badass. Surely, this is an offer you can't refuse.

The Godfather: Blackhand Edition was a critical success for EA and a decent seller (warning: VGChartz), and yet EA isn't announcing any plans for a Wii release of the upcoming sequel. At their press event last week, they told MTV Multiplayer that they're focusing on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, and not making any announcements about a Wii version.

This doesn't necessarily mean no Wii version is forthcoming. It's more likely that EA plans to get this version out, then release a Wii version in six months with new content, like they did with Blackhand. This way, they have a better chance of selling two versions to people.

Posted after the break is the debut trailer for a little game sequel known as The Godfather II ... have you heard? And after giving it a watch, we have a hankering that you'll want to partake in the activities of extortion, possibly some racketeering and maybe even a bit of blackmail. Because, you know, that's how mobsters roll in Godfather II. So, head towards the break for debut trailer love and, if you're interested in more Godfather II goodness, jump on over to the game's recently launched official webspace.

EA has opened the briefcase on Godfather 2, revealing that the sequel you can't refuse will ship for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in February 2009.

EA also shed a bit more detail on the previously revealed "Don's View," which promises to kiss the gameplay with a touch of strategy. Here you'll build up, expand, and defend crime rings against rival families by hand picking "Made Men," and sending them out onto the streets to do your bidding. Godfather 2 will also include the previous game's BlackHand control scheme, promising "more visceral hand-to-hand brutality" this time around. As the old saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

EA's John Riccitiello doesn't like to keep things bottled up. Whether it's displeasure at how his gardener trimmed the bushes in his back yard or the change to the tried-and-true meatloaf recipe his wife enacted last night, if John's got something on his mind, odds are it's coming out of his mouth. And, for that, we love him.

Take, for example, a recent investor call he took part in. The EA CEO spilled the beans that The Godfather 2 would be releasing shortly after another big EA title, Left 4 Dead. This would mean the game is slated for late this year to early next year for release. We're wondering if that's even possible, to tell the truth.

We haven't really seen or heard much on the game, so we kind of have a hard time believing that it could release so soon. Also, with the Wii version of the game releasing later than other versions of the first title, we're wondering if EA will plan on doing that again with the sequel.

[Via X3F]

Anthony Puzo (son of Godfather author Mario Puzo) is going to the mattresses with Paramount for neglecting to pay the Puzo estate the slice of profits from Godfather: The Game that they say they're owed. According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles yesterday, the family is claiming at least $1 million in damages.

Apparently, a deal was put in place in 1992 that Puzo would get a cut of Godfather audio-visual products due to the skimpy check a then-unknown Puzo got for signing over the rights to his book.

We actually weren't that disgusted in The Godfather, to be honest. Sure, the game takes some liberties and it isn't anywhere near the quality of the movies it's based on, but there's a certain bit of evil fun that can be found in beating up a shop owner because they refuse to pay protection money. Now, EA is talking about a sequel.

EA boss John Riccitiello talked up the sequel at a William Blair & Company's investor meeting Tuesday, stating that EA's Redwood Shores studio has been working on it. "It's a game that I think we'll be talking a lot about this fall," said Riccitiello. "You can play this game 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..." EA's Hunter Smith (he worked on their previous two James Bond games) will serve as the game's producer.