The cosplayers are bringing their A game to PAX Prime 2014
PAX Prime has once again descended upon Seattle, which means that thousands of gamers have packed themselves, shoulder to shoulder, into the Washington State Convention Center. Most of the attendees aren’t exactly clever with their wardrobe choices (video game-branded T-shirts are the unofficial uniform), but an elite few have sculpted their outfits from molded plastic, latex, and foam. And those people deserve a little recognition.
This only represents a fraction of the cosplay that we’ll see at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo, but we’re already seeing some impressive getups.
But, don’t take my word for it. Check it out.
Tayten as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper and Brandon as a Spartan
“I’ve been playing Halo since I was in 3rd grade, and I wanted to put myself into the universe as much as I could,” Brandon told me. “So, I incorporated my own design, as if I existed in the story.”
Don’t forget to follow Tayten on Twitter.
Daveena and Kaze as Dead or Alive’s Kasumi and Ayane
These girls take their Dead or Alive cosplay very seriously. Both love the DoA franchise so much that they spent over a month creating these costumes.
Check out Kaze on Facebook
Sofia as Fiona from Adventure Time
No one is more excited about PAX than Sofia. During our short conversation, she listed everything that she intends to do during the expo, but the words came out so quickly that I could barely keep up. Essentially, she plans to do everything.
Kyle Pointer buys too many hats in TF2
Even in real life, the headwear from Team Fortress 2 makes quite a fashion statement.
If you’d like to compliment Kyle on his hat balancing skills, check him out on Twitter.
Oscar Jilsen as a melancholy goat
Goat Simulator needs a sequel where you control a dude in a goat suit who attends a lot of gaming conventions.
Compliment Oscar’s beard on Twitter.
Ace as Tobi from Naruto
When I asked Ace what inspired his costume choice, he said “It seemed like a good idea.”
Check out his YouTube channel.
Chelsea Culp as Disney’s Alice and Becca Ott as Caitlyn from League of Legends
Chealsea’s costume was inspired by Disneyland’s Mad T Party, while Becca’s was inspired by an addiction to League of Legends.
Check Becca out on Twitter.
Logan Miller as Kirito Kirigaya from Sword Art Online
Logan is a man of few words, but his costume is top notch. “I chose Kirito, because I just really like [Sword Art Online],” he said with a shrug. Sometimes the simple answer is the best, people.
Check out Logan’s Deviant Art profile here.
Omar Samman as an NCR Veteran Ranger from Fallout: New Vegas
As soon as Samman’s feet hit the show floor, a crowd gathered around him and continued to grow until he realized that his popularity was causing a major traffic jam. The getup took roughly a year to complete, but I think we can all agree that it was worth the wait.
Grant Davis and Thomas Hasenoehrl as Commander Shepard and Commander Shepard
“Mass Effect is my all-time favorite gaming series,” Davis said. And when I asked him how he felt about Mass Effect 3, a big, guilty smile came over his face. “I loved it.”
If you want to chat about Mass Effect, check Davis on Twitter.
Colton, Steel and Teresa as Destiny characters
“Destiny is releasing in two weeks, and we’re epically excited about it,” Colton told me.
During the open beta, he managed to hit the level cap with all three characters, and was understandably discouraged when the Activision closed the doors. So, to combat depression, he and the rest of the crew spent about two weeks putting these costumes together.
James Dunlop as a TF2 Engineer and Joseph Tyler as Lupin III
When I asked Tyler about his Lupin III costume, he told me that it barely qualified as a costume because he basically just combined pieces from his normal wardrobe. Mr. Dunlop, on the other hand, originally put his Engineer costume together for a Valve-themed event and he’s been wearing it ever since.
Check out Joseph Tyler on Twitter, and Dunlop over at Geekenders.
Matthew and Ashley Wood as Team Rocket
Matthew and Ashley are a cosplaying duo from Maple Valley, Wa. And they’ve chosen Team Rocket for nostalgic reasons. “We’re brother and sister,” Matt said. “So, this really brings us back.”
Check out Matt Wood on Twitter.
Isaac No as an original character in the Assassin’s Creed universe
When Isaac was walking me through the construction of his costume, I joked that he was wearing an impressive number of layers. His response was perfect: “Assassin’s Creed is basically, like, Layers and Belts: The Game,” he said. “So, the more layers you put on, the more authentic it is.”
Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter and check out his Sky and Michelle Corbelli as characters from Portal Sky and Michelle had two of the most well-manicured costumes on the show floor. Sky’s Portal gun even projected a disturbingly realistic portal onto any flat surface. The whole setup smacked of voodoo. Check out Sky’s blog here. He’s even written an article that will help you make your very own portal gun. And don’t forget to follow Michelle on Twitter.
Joseph Lopes as a member of BioShock Infinite’s Vox Populi
Usually, when a cosplayer decides to tackle BioShock, Booker or Elizabeth make an appearance, but Joseph Lopes marches to his own beat. Well, he actually marches to Daisy Fitzroy’s beat.
Dahlia Thomas and John Gray Shermyen as Elizabeth and Booker from BioShock Infinite
It wouldn’t be a gaming convention without some top-notch BioShock cosplayers, and these two hit all the high notes. Elizabeth even tossed me a gold coin after our photoshoot, which turned out to be filled with delicious chocolate.
Make sure that you check out Dahlia’s Facebook Page.
Victor Carino as Professor Layton
A six-inch collar would be an unruly component to any wardrobe, but Victor Carino pulls it off nicely.
Justice Valdez and Emily Fairbanks as Hawke(Dragon Age II) and Huntress (DC Comics)
Huntress and Hawke don’t spend a lot of time together in the fictional world, but here in the real world, they get along swimmingly.
Meagan Orel as Sly Cooper
The Sly Cooper series has always been a mainstay in Meagan Orel’s PlayStation, but she’s a little concerned about the upcoming movie, which is completely understandable.
Don’t forget to check out Meagan’s Facebook Page and
