Getting Up tags celeb cast, tagged by antigraffiti activist

When one of fashion's hippest moguls teams up with one of the most well-known names in gaming for a project, the game is bound to attract some top-notch talent. Atari today announced the list of celebrities that will be doing voice work for Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.

Leading the cast is Sean "P. Diddy" Combs as Dip, a member of the main character's rival crew. Combs, who previously went by the handle "Puff Daddy," also dabbles in fashion with his Sean John clothing line, aside from his musical accomplishments. As Dip, Combs will go head-to-head with game protagonist Trane, who is voiced by Talib Kweli, one half of the seminal rap group Black Star and a solo artist in his own right.

Joining P. Diddy are two Sin City starlets, Rosario Dawson (25th Hour) and Brittany Murphy (Clueless). Giovanni Ribisi (My Two Dads) makes his second appearance in a game after a stint in Activision's Call of Duty. Two Hollywood vets are also contributing their vocal chords to the game in George Hamilton (Love at First Bite) and Adam West (TV's Batman). Rounding out the cast are comedians Andy Dick and Charlie Murphy, as well as hip-hoppers The RZA (The Wu-Tang Clan) and Michael "MC Serch" Berrin (3rd Bass).

While Getting Up is attracting celebrity voices, the graffiti-themed game is also attracting some unwanted voices, the loudest of which belongs to New York City Council Member Peter F. Vallone. Vallone is calling for Atari to pull its plans to release the game this September.

"From what Atari's putting out, it appears they want to make crime exciting and to teach children how to get away with breaking the law," declared Vallone in a statement issued from his offices. "I'm just glad they aren't giving out cans of spray paint with this game. I think irresponsible corporations like Atari must get the message loud and clear, we don't want them supporting criminals and punks and if they do we won't support them."

Vallone, who failed in his bid to become New York City mayor in 2001, is crusading against the popular graffiti phenomenon that straddles the line between urban art form and property defacing. He previously chastised Time Magazine for paying graffiti artist Fernando "Cope2" Carlo (who was dubbed a "vandal" and "criminal" by Vallone's office) to help work on a billboard that featured graffiti pieces from local artists. Carlo appears in Atari's game as a mentor to the protagonist.

"This punk is going to have an awful lot of money to buy spray paint and destroy our city because of two irresponsible corporate neighbors. I think Atari will soon learn that they are going to be a 'Company Under Pressure,'" Vallone quipped in a statement.

In the game, players use spray paint to build their character's reputation as an underground graffiti artist. They'll have to climb to hard-to-reach places, fend off law enforcement and sanitation workers, and keep their tags fresh in the cityscape. The game is currently in development by The Collective, the Newport Beach, California-based company that worked on Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure will be released this fall on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC, and mobile phones. For more information on the game, check out a game demonstration from Marc Ecko at this year's E3.