The Godfather on his way to stores

After a development nearly as epic as the film on which it's based, Electronic Arts' The Godfather has shipped to stores for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC, the publisher announced today. It joins TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Black, and Def Jam: Fight for New York as atypical M-rated offerings in the publisher's console catalog.

A little over two years ago, Electronic Arts announced that it was working on the game, but then it went mum until February 2005, when it made public the participation of original The Godfather cast members in the project, including James Caan, Robert Duvall, and the then recently deceased Marlon Brando.

The momentum of that announcement was not to last long, however, as the months that followed saw the original film's director, Francis Ford Coppola, publicly slam the project, saw rumors that Brando's voice work for the game was unusable, and saw a delay that kneecapped EA stock.

Investors are apparently quite relieved to see EA's game hit the streets, as the company's stock was trading up $2.19 at press time, making up much of the $2.87 one-day drop it experienced after the delay was made public.

The Godfather is rated M for Mature and retails for $39.99 for the Xbox, PS2, and PC. PSP and Xbox 360 versions are scheduled to follow later this year. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's full review.