Star-Studded Cast Includes Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Yvonne Strahovski, and More

Edmonton, Alberta (December 10, 2009) – BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed the voice actors performing in Mass Effect 2, the second act of the award-winning science fiction trilogy. The game features Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Martin Sheen (“The West Wing”, “Apocalypse Now”), 2009 Emmy Award-winner Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Saddam”), comedic actor Seth Green (“Austin Powers”), “Chuck” stars Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, Keith David (“Crash”) and sci-fi favorites Michael Dorn (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”), Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”).

“Emotionally engaging narrative is a key design pillar for BioWare, and the top-notch voice talent in Mass Effect 2 helps drive this goal,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “Credible, powerful personalities are vital to delivering a compelling story experience in BioWare’s games, and we have assembled an amazing ensemble cast that surpasses the very high bar set in the original Mass Effect!”

Esteemed actor Martin Sheen stars as the mysterious Illusive Man who commands Cerberus, a secretive paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting human interests in the galaxy. Yvonne Strahovski plays deadly Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson, who has been genetically engineered for superior mental and physical traits. Returning to the cast from the original Mass Effect is Seth Green as Joker and Keith David as Admiral David Anderson. And rounding out the vocal roster are Tricia Helfer as EDI, the voice of the new Normandy; Carrie-Anne Moss as Aria T’Loak, the crime lord who rules the planet Omega; Shohreh Aghdashloo as Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay; Michael Hogan as Captain Bailey; Adam Baldwin as Kal ‘Reegar; and Michael Dorn as Gatatog Uvenk.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an emotionally charged science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Mass Effect 2 will be available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/masseffect2. For more information on Mass Effect 2, go to http://masseffect.bioware.com/.

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About BioWare
BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur’s Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™ and Mass Effect™. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec) and Austin (Texas). BioWare’s announced projects include the dark heroic fantasy game Dragon Age: Origins, as well as Mass Effect 2™, the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com; to join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA™, EA SPORTS™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Hot Japanese Imports: Oekaki

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Japanese Imports, PCs, Mac, Windows, Web-Sites, Fan-Sites, Unofficial-Sites

The holidays are coming up, and its a good time to get creative. I mean, there’s a good chance that you may be making home-made gifts for your family and friends this year, if you’re short on cash. So to help you get into a creative frame of mind, this week Hot Japanese Imports is going to talk about oekaki. Yeah, I know, I’m stretching for some kind of connection between this festive time of year and the whole oekaki message board thing. Humor me.

Besides, oekaki could come in handy for preparing for the fast approaching holiday season. You could practice your drawing skills on an Oekaki board, then create a design you could use for your own Christmas cards! I’d say Hannukah cards too, but it’s kind of late for that, since Hannukah ends December 19, 2009 this year and today’s the 18th.

So, let’s learn about oekaki, and some oekaki boards where you can start scribbling.

What’s Oekaki?

As you can tell from the name, oekaki started in Japan. The word oekaki actually is equivalent to the English word “scribble.” Most of the largest oekaki boards online are Japanese, or in both Japanese in English. When someone is talking about oekaki, they’re normally talking about oekaki forums.

Oekaki forums are similar to standard message boards, only instead of having a number of different forum categories and discussions, people draw pictures with a browser-based drawing program and their mouse or tablet and share them with other members of the community. Other members can then comment and critique the piece, or contribute their own works of art.

For the most part, oekaki images are created in one sitting, in the browser. However, some forums do allow users to save work so they can work on a drawing multiple times before uploading it. Also, a small number of oekaki forums will allow users to upload drawings that weren’t created in the browser-based forum drawing program, as long as it follows the forum’s guidelines.

The majority of oekaki art is fan art, whether its for video games, anime, cartoons or other established works from different kinds of media. However, there are a large number of Oekaki forum members who devote themselves to creating original artwork.

Oekaki board recommendations

So, now that you know what exactly oekaki is, you probably want to give it a try. Here are five oekaki sites you can visit to start drawing. Remember to read the site rules and such before registering and posting. And don’t feel intimidated if you’re not immediately as good as the other users – learning to draw on oekaki boards can take time.

• GoNintendo Oekaki BBS: You don’t have to register to view the video game fan art other people have drawn, but you will have to sign up if you want to draw your own. Since it’s part of GoNintendo, you’ll find tons of great video game art here and its a great spot to draw your favorite Nintendo art.
• Bulbagarden Oekaki: An oekaki board for Pokemon fans. As you can probably guess, all the art here is Pokemon related. You can view art without registering, but must register to create art there.
• Oekaki Central: Probably the best collection of oekaki boards. There are 20 boards, and two paint chats. I’d recommend visiting The Training Grounds first, which is a beginning board. Also, some of the boards there are for adults and may not be work safe or appropriate for users under 18.
• Animekaki.com: Mainly an anime oekaki board, but original characters drawn in an anime or manga style are also welcome. Users of all skill levels are also welcome to join and draw.
• 2draw.net: Another general oekaki board and site. It features art galleries, the ability to collaborate with other artists online, forums and everything you need to get started drawing.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports reviews Princess Maker Collection for the Dreamcast.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Hot Japanese Imports offered import PSP game gift suggestions.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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After months upon months of requests, a myriad of rumors, and even full campaigns that speak to the unparalleled dedication of the fans, we can finally speak those words that all of you have been waiting anxiously to hear. So, here they are:

Yakuza 3 is coming West.

Featuring the original all-star Japanese voice cast and subtitled in English, Yakuza 3 chronicles the next steps in the life of the man once known as the Dragon of Dojima – Kiryu Kazuma.

As Kiryu works to begin a new life running an orphanage in Okinawa, the world he left behind in Tokyo also moves quickly. When the chairman of the Tojo clan is shot and the rivalry between the families plunges the city into chaos, even Okinawa is not far enough away to escape the grasp of the mysterious forces pulling the strings.

Then, when one of Kiryu’s close friends in Okinawa is found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, things take a new turn for the worse. Driven to protect his friends, the Dragon is alive again – Kiryu returns to the dark city of Kamurocho, and will stop at nothing to find those responsible and give them his own taste of justice.

Releasing March 2010, the epic Yakuza saga continues, exclusively on the PlayStation 3.

Last but not least, we’d like to give special thanks to you guys, the Yakuza fans! Your passion and dedication has helped make this a reality, and we’d like to extend that thanks by letting you submit questions to the Yakuza 3 development team in Japan! To do so, just put *Dev Question* before typing your question here in the comments.

Until next time – we’ll have lots more news and in-depth looks at what Yakuza 3 has to offer very soon. Spread the word – Yakuza 3 is coming!

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Square Enix announced Jump Festa 2010 playable games

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Consoles, PS3, Handhelds, DS, PSP, Cell-Phones, Smartphones, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 2D, 3D, Action, Role-Playing, Conventions

Jump Festa, a good chance to get a preview of what import games will be out in 2010, is fast approaching. It’s happening December 19-20, 2009 this year, and video game developers and publishers like Capcom, Koei, Konami, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Nintendo, Hudson, Namco Bandai, Banpresto and Marvelous Entertainment have already RSVP-ed. In the case of Square Enix, its done a bit better. Square Enix has announced what games will be playable at the event. So if you can make it to Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan, you could get first-hand experience with some up and coming titles.

Here are all the games that will be playable at the event:

• Cross Treasures (DS)
• Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road II (Arcade)
• Dragon Quest III (cell phones)
• Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie (DS)
• Dragon Quest IX: Sentinel of the Starry Skies (DS)
• Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods aka Lufia: The Lands Cursed by the Gods (DS)
• Final fantasy IV (cell phones)
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3)

Aside from the large number of games, Square Enix will also be showing off official character items and music from its Goods and Music CD Shops.

So now you’re probably wondering what Jump Festa is. Every year in Japan since 2001, Shueisha Publishing Co. has held an event that could be considered the E3 of anime and manga. The are panels held by manga authors (mangaka), special anime episodes made by major companies and so on. Video game companies often attend as well, and Square Enix is a regular participant.

Read [Siliconera] Also Read [Andriasang] Site [Jump Festa (Japanese)] Site [Square Enix]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

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Japan Import: Strapya World stocking its 2010 lucky bags

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Gear, Accessories, Gear-Other, Ads & Media, Web, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

We all know and love Strapya World for stocking those ellusive and exotic video game cell phone charms and keychains that those of us living outside of Japan would never normally be able to acquire. The shop’s little novelties often make the perfect stocking stuffers and gifts. So, it’s great to hear that the Strapya 2010 fukubukuro Lucky Bags are now in stock.

In Japan, stores celebrate New Years with fukubukuro, lucky bags filled with a wide variety of stock from the previous year at a subtantially discounted price. The bags are typically 50-70% off of the normal price of all the items inside. Along with old, popular stock, the stores will also put in expensive, incentive items to try and get people to purchase them. Strapya’s bags for this year are no different.

One Strapya lucky bag will cost you $29.40, which may seem a bit pricey, but you have to figure that you’re going to get 15-16 items in there that would normally cost over $130. The catch is, you don’t know what 14 of the items are going to be. Every bag is guaranteed to have a simple, one stone cubic zirconia necklace, but you could also get a diamond chip cell phone strap or champaign diamond necklace.

Strapya stocks plenty of other video game related novelties that could make great stocking stuffers, if you don’t feel like taking a chance on a lucky bag. There are Pacman key covers,  Final Fantasy cell charms, Kingdom Hearts character charms, Tales of character cell phone straps and lots of other cool accessories. They even still have the Street Fighter IV Fightpad Action Voice Command keychains in stock. Just check the <a href="http://www.strapya-world.com/categories/12_30.html" title="strapya" target="external"Anime, Manga and Video Game section of the site.

I splurged on a lucky bag myself. I figure since I ordered it so far in advance, it’ll be here by Christmas. I can keep the charms and items I like, and distribute the rest to family and friends.

Image Source: Strapya World.

Product Page [Strapya World]

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How To: 8 ways to earn ribbons every day in Poupeegirl

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, How-To, Japanese Imports, PCs, Mac, Windows, Genres, Casual, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

Your first day or two on the Poupeegirl website is easy. You get ribbons, the game’s currency, for doing pretty much everything the first time. Ribbons for making a profile, ribbons for adding a friend, extra ribbons for dressing up, you get the idea. But after that first day, earning those ever elusive ribbons that are the key to making your avatar fashionable becomes quite a struggle.

After all, if you want to purchase clothes, accessories and makeup for your avatar from the in-game shops, you’ll probably be spending at least 100 ribbons on each item. You could even spend over 300 ribbons on particularly rare and elusive items. Even some rare market items, where other Poupeegirl users sell items they no longer need or want, can get pretty pricey.

Gamertell’s here to help out a little, with seven things you can do every day in Poupeegirl that could help you earn some precious ribbons. Even better, some of these activities not only help you earn ribbons, they help other people earn ribbons too!

1. Log in: One of the easiest ways to earn ribbons is to just visit the site every day. You get 10 for visiting.
2. Dress up your avatar: You get 10 ribbons a day for dressing up. If you visit for days in a row, or a whole month, you’ll get bonus ribbons. A whole month of visits gets you 200 ribbons.
3. Upload pictures: If you upload pictures of your real life clothes to your virtual closet, you’ll get ribbons. Usually between 5-20 ribbons. You’ll also get items you can either keep or sell on the market. The first time you upload an picture, you’ll get 30 ribbons as a gift. If people Suteki your uploaded items and they end up in the Suteki Rankings, you’ll earn ribbons as well.
4. Commenting on other people’s uploaded pictures: You can comment 20 times a day, and get two ribbons for each comment. Even better, they get two ribbons for each comment you make as well. Make friends with other Poupeegirl users, so you can know people will be watching and more willing to comment.
5. Working the market: If you have items you don’t need, sell them for ribbons to other users. Look up your item on Oribon.info to see what a fair price for it is, to make sure you make the most for your money. Likewise, use the Oribon to research items on the market before you buy them, to make sure you aren’t wasting ribbons.
6. Invite friends: If you invite other friends to join Poupeegirl, and they accept, you get 30 ribbons for each successful invite. Plus, you get to send them an invite item to help get their closet started. It’s win-win.
7. Search using the Poupeegirl search bar: You get 10 ribbons a day for searching for three words using the search bar in the upper left corner of the screen on your main page.
8. Buy jewels and convert them to ribbons: If you don’t mind paying actual money, you can use a credit card or Paypal to purchase jewels, which you can then spend on jewel items or convert into ribbons.

Of course, the easiest way to earn ribbons for free is to buy Poupeegirl DS when it comes out in Japan on December 17, 2009. Sure, you’ll have to pay $50 plus dollars for the game, but it’ll be quicker and easier to earn ribbons in it. Plus, you’ll get a code for a free, exclusive dress-up item for your avatar on the Poupeegirl site.

If you’ve never played Poupeegirl before, it’s a dress-up game and social networking site revolving around fashion. You create an avatar you can dress up. But, the dress up items and accessories all cost ribbons or jewels. (Jewels are for cash shop items.) You can upload your fashionable items to earn points and dress up items, participate in dress-up contests and play games, though Go! Go! Piyo Balloon is the only one at the Poupee Amusement area at the moment.

Site [Poupeegirl] Site [Oribon.info]

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