Mari Yakuza!

Fast becoming the ex-Momusu of choice for Japan-o-phile gamers (i.e. me) Mari Yaguchi expands further on her gaming credentials by appearing in the forthcoming PS3 title Ryu Ga Gotoku 4, or Yakuza 4 as it's known over in the West.

Everybody's (i.e. me) favourite pint sized j-starlet already provides a column for Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, and has a long running obsession with Dragon Quest on her DSi. She's also no stranger to videogames, having appeared in digitized form in the Morning Musume Space Venus game for PlayStation 2, and in chibi form in the Mini Moni Shakatoo De Tambourine and Mini Moni Step da Pyon games on PSone. For my sins, I own them all. Good grief...

This is the first time she'll play a character other than herself though, appearing as a therapist in a massage parlour in the Yakuza game. Although she's still called Mari, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her midgesty.

Here she is in the game, and in real life. Not a bad likeness, although maybe that head is a wee bit too big...

Fortunately, it's not likely to arrive on these shores (the third instalment never did), and I don't have a PS3 anyway, so I'm safe from the wife's wrath for now...