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Preparing for BlizzCon: Costumes
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon is your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza. These helpful hints are particularly suited for convention rookies. But if you are a con veteran, we'd love to hear your advice and wisdom in the comments as well.Many people will be wearing costumes to BlizzCon. If you are one of them, there are a few things you should know: If you want to enter the contest, you should enter online by August 17, 2009. Blizzard will accept entries at the con, but only if enough people didn't pre-register. They have changed the costume rules a bit. You need to be wearing or holding any props you have. If you are bringing your costume for the competition, but not wearing it all day, see an Information Kiosk. There will be no general storage options available. More costume tips are after the break.
Comic-Con 2009: Gordon Freeman and Ezio cosplay
During Preview Night at Comic-Con, we spotted two of the best video game costumes so far: Half-Life's Gordon Freeman, complete with Gravity Gun, and Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2. For a minute we thought we'd miraculously spotted former Joystiq blogger (and amateur Gordon Freeman lookalike) Ross Miller, and were set to pounce on him, but thankfully we noticed at the last minute and averted disaster. Click Gordon for a larger version, which includes his employee ID, and head beyond the break for Ezio. There's more cosplay going on here than at a LARP convention, and we'll be bringing you a lot more. Click through for Ezio and his blades, and stay tuned. %Gallery-68588%
Bioshock cosplay melts our heart, drains our ADAM
Flickr user deficientatlife has some great shots of a cosplaying duo, featuring the Big Daddy and Little Sister from Bioshock you see above. The photostream even includes some step-by-step photos of how it all came together. Turns out, work is involved. We thought they just cut off your hand, put a big drill on it, and sent you on your way. Shows how much we know![Thanks, John!]
We want this Fallout 3 Brotherhood of Steel costume
OK, we're sure this has been floating around the tubes for a bit, but we're more than happy to devote some attention to the very cool Brotherhood of Steel costume you see above. Made out of awesome and love (probably some foam and paint in there too), the beautiful homage to Fallout 3 was apparently completed back in March.After seeing this, we don't feel so bad about losing that auction for the 7'10" Brotherhood of Steel statue. We'd go to work wearing this costume if we could.[Thanks, Gawk]
Those ears look totally fake: a collection of Zelda cosplay
Turkish website Nintendocu.com has a gallery of fantastic Legend of Zelda cosplay compiled from various photography websites and gaming events. The primary character in action is Princess Zelda herself, with cameo appearances from Link. In one of the images (above) Zelda and Link can be seen locking lips, which we're pretty sure jumps the shark from "dress playing" lore to "blue" fan fiction. It's especially "blue" if you've got a thing for plastic ears.[Via GoNintendo]
Silent Hill: Not your mother's cosplay
The word "disturbing" is not often far removed from the word "cosplay." You'll frequently find them situated together in very close proximity, as in: "Look at that grown man dressed as Captain Falcon; that's kind of disturbing." Fairly innocent, right? The connotation we would associate with the Silent Hill costumes pictured above is a little more direct, as in: "Those Silent Hill costumes are disturbing." Given the arc of the franchise though, we suppose that's the point.Seen at Anime Central 2009 (photos by Judith Stephens) the costumes are frighteningly accurate recreations of the both Pyramid Head and a nurse from the Silent Hill series (and are based on the film versions of those characters by the looks of things). Hit the source link for lots more pictures, and possibly a few nightmares.Those with weaker stomachs would probably be better served by the Pyramid Head snowman, which is almost cute.[Via GameSetWatch]
Make a costume, win a trip to BlizzCon from the EU
Blizzard EU has a pretty sweet offer to you European players out there: If you like cosplay (and you're good at it) you could win a chance to go to BlizzCon for free. The official contest page states, "All you have to do is create a costume inspired by one of our game universes, pose in it, snap a photo, and send it to us!"Of course, certain rules apply, contests are never that simple, as I'm sure you've noticed with some of the contests right here on WoW Insider. The contest will begin on May 20th, 2009. It will end on June 22nd, 2009. Submissions sent early (or late) will be discarded. Entries are also limited to individuals 18 or older residing in the following countries: France Belgium United Kingdom Luxembourg Germany Austria Sweden Finland Denmark Norway Ireland Spain Check out the official contest page for the rules in their entirety and the full range of prizes, including the free trip to BlizzCon as well as products from SteelSeries, UpperDeck and Panini.%Gallery-34205%
Watch your socks, this Samus cosplay will knock them off
Cosplay is a double-edged sword. There's the scary edge, of course, with some less than savvy design work and implementation (if you care to put it so kindly). Then there's the awesome side, the side where we see things like this. Add this blog post to the second category. Frankly, this Samus Aran costume is about as awesome as it gets. We mean that in the true sense of awesome too, as in "to inspire awe." Seriously, if you look at some of these pictures, you'd think they were screenshots from a new Metroid game.The costume was made by Thaís Jussim, a Brazillian cosplayer who goes by the alias Yuki. She's created plenty of costumes -- which can be viewed at her website -- but this one takes the cake. It weighs about 23 pounds and contains 73 LEDs. Add a Nerf blaster into the arm cannon and it would be perfect.[Via GoNintendo]Source - Metroid Database interview with Thais JussimSource - YukiCosplay.com
Most realistic cardboard Halo Battle Rifle you'll see today
In need of a replica weapon for an upcoming cosplay convention? If so, we recommend getting in touch with Cosplay.com member "featherweight," who meticulously crafted the Halo Battle Rifle seen above. From what we gather after looking through his gallery of BR construction photos, the entire replica was built from nothing but sheets of cardboard.Not only is this Battle Rifle a perfect tool to seduce most Cortana cosplayers, but it's probably an effective weapon to defend a cardboard Earth against an invasion of cardboard Covenant.[Via halo.bungie.org]
How to make a Portal gun replica (hint: it's not easy)
Harrison Krix describes himself as a "dork," but we consider him very, very cool. He's the graphic designer who created the astonishingly accurate ASHPD (Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device) we first showed you a couple weeks back. Krix built the mock Portal gun for his cosplayer girlfriend -- if that's not devotion, we don't know what is -- and has now revealed the entire process to GameDaily. The build is detailed in more than 100 steps, should you, ya know, want to try it yourself. There's even a gallery of a very happy Emily (above) showing off the finished gun. Speaking of which, our pals at Engadget recently posted a hands-on video of this most drool-worthy creation. You can check it out here. %Gallery-43765%
Video: Portal gun replica hands-on
You didn't think we'd let this one go without a followup, did you? Portal gun replica creator Harrison Krix was gracious enough to invite us to his workshop and get some hands-on time with it. Let's get the two most common inquiries out of the way first: no, it's not photoshopped and no, it doesn't actually "work" (as in, it doesn't create portals). The armament weighs between five or ten pounds, and all color shifting is done via a switch inside the back end. The middle tube, interestingly enough, is an acrylic plunger handle with a clear matte. The 26-year old graphic designer and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design estimates he spent 150 hours and $350 in parts, although later models should take much less time. He's had offers to create more iterations from employees at Bungie and Infinity Ward, and he's thinking of making one to give to the Penny Arcade crew for their Child's Play charity. For a look at it both in action and disassembled, check out the video after the break. Next up? A BioShock Big Daddy costume, with arm extensions and a working drill, just in time for next August's Dragon Con in Atlanta. Galleries Hands-on with the Portal gun replica Portal gun replica (work in progress) Portal gun replica build images and wiring
Replica Portal gun is an absolute triumph
We've seen some Portal-inspired gadgets before, but this one takes the cake, as it were. The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is made from florist foam, and wonderflex, among other parts, and uses a 9V battery to power blue and orange LEDs around the nozzle. On the back of the gun is a bit of splattered blood -- y'know, since we're not all quick enough to avoid the turrets. Hit up the read link for more pictures. Can somebody please throw in some Wiimote circuitry so we can use this thing to play the actual game? [Thanks, everyone!] Read - Notes from the creator Read - Hi-res Flickr gallery
The amazing fan-made Portal gun
This replica Portal gun was created for Flickr user -- and soon-to-be Portal cosplayer -- emilyskeith by her boyfriend, and is clearly a triumph of prop making. In fact, we consider it a huge success. We're sure it was hard for Emily to overstate her satisfaction with the finished replica, which features working orange and blue LEDs and was weathered to convey the idea that she wasn't the first Aperture Science subject to use it. To her boyfriend: you've ensured that her love for you will be still alive for years to come. Also, we want one.[Via X3F]
Koji Igarashi and Simon Belmont team up to sell Castlevania Judgment
Rest assured: when we reviewed Konami's Castlevania Judgment, we did so completely free of influence from external factors like whip-wielding producers in cowboy hats or vampire hunter cosplayers. Had there been somebody in our office whipping at us and cosplaying at us, we'd like to think the score would have remained firm, but we have yet to be tested in such a way to find out. Mostly we'd have been happy to suddenly have an office!That's right, the time-altering ability of Aeon brought Simon Belmont into the modern age, specifically the day of Castlevania Judgment's Japanese release. The legendary vampire hunter joined forces with Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi to bother Dengeki staffers, with a truly amusing set of photos as a result. Will it sell Castlevania? No idea.We thought there was no way to make the outfits Takeshi Obata designed for the characters look any more ridiculous, but Konami found a way: putting them on real people.%Gallery-27187%
Show and Tell: Off the beaten costume path
Okay, listen -- not everyone appreciates cosplay, and that's cool. Hopefully, even if you don't, you can at least give the creators their due. We sure like to, because some really dedicated fans can put together wonderful costumes ... costumes so wonderful we have no choice but to appreciate their cosplay!But we see lots of Mario and Link and the usual suspects, so during these special community spotlights, we like to shy away from the typical. In our last look at cosplay, we saw characters from some of the best DS games represented, but this time, we just looked for more unusual selections. Take the guided tour of our findings here, or just jump right into the gallery below.Four Swords cosplay image found here.%Gallery-42014% Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
Link and Midna in furry cosplay
If someone suggested the notion of Link and Midna cosplay to you -- wolf Link, that is -- you'd probably think Midna would be the more lifelike one of the pair, yes? Not this time, buddy. No, while this little Midna is great, down to the details and the little legs, it's the wolf who really shines ... especially when you get to the video after the break.But we'll give you a hint: there's a person in there. Wolf Link is made of people.deviantARTist LilleahWest calls this pair of costumes a work in progress, but if it gets much more accurate, we're not sure we can handle it. Also? This wolfsuit was made in only twelve days. That's dedication. Other great cosplay
A Merry Christmas with the Lich King
You might have thought Christmas was over, but not so fast -- there's one more terrible almost undead overlord who wants to wish you a merry one. Yes it's Arthas himself -- reader Adam Beamish sent us these pictures of himself (at least we think it's him -- he made the costume anyway) dressed up as a jolly... well, somewhat jolly old Death Knight, and they are hilarious.Brilliant. The costume is great (even if the idea of Arthas as St. Nick is a little silly), and the pictures, by Brooks Reynolds, are very well done. One question, though: where's the candy cane Frostmourne?
Show and Tell: The Chrono crew
With the highly-anticipated release of Chrono Trigger, it seemed a good time to take a moment to celebrate all the love the game has seen over time. Well, perhaps not all the love, but some of the crafts, cosplay, and art the game's fans have put together.Take the guided tour right here, or jump into the gallery below if you prefer to be a little more free with the space-time continuum ... or, uh, our Show and Tell presentation.%Gallery-37879% Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
Joystiq at the Wrath of the Lich King launch: San Francisco
Late last night (and well into this morning), Activision, Blizzard, and GameStop turned a slice of San Francisco's Powell Street into a "Lunar Festival" for the launch of World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King. There were cosplayers; there were dancers; there were face painters; there were ... lots of people eager to get their mitts on the expansion.Several hundred fans turned out, including yours truly. We went, we saw, we ... Liched some King? Okay, so we didn't do that – and no, it doesn't even make any sense – but we did take a whole bunch of photos ensuring that, if you weren't there, it would be sort of like you were. Only without the crazy lady from upstairs threatening to have everyone charged with misdemeanors if the event didn't get quieter. Seriously.Have a look at our photo gallery and tell us that WoW isn't absolutely, preposterously huge.%Gallery-36767%
The creative ingenuity of Guild Wars fans
We would surely hate to be the judges at ArenaNet during a recent Halloween contest. Why? Because the entries are all so amazing! In this fourth annual Halloween contest that we first mentioned last month, Guild Wars players and fans submitted their most creative concepts and designs that somehow related the Guild Wars universe with Halloween.Ten winners were ultimately chosen, with one grand prize (shown above). There were also ten honorable mentions and twenty finalists in total. It's contests like this that truly bring out the amazing creativity in gamers, not just for Guild Wars, but across all games and genres. It's good to see when game studios promote and reward such creativity.
