Minnesota’s cosplayers are taking a much-deserved breather after last weekend’s comic con, but we can still appreciate their wicked skills. Check out Wizard World’s best video game-related costumes.
Wizard World Comic Con blew threw Minneapolis last weekend, and Minnesota’s cosplay community showed up in droves. Like most comic book conventions, Wizard World’s costumes ran the gamut from basic to bombastic, and all of the nerdiest franchises were on display. Earlier this week, we got to see the convention’s best heroes and villains. So, today’s collection will focus on gaming.
Now, I should warn you: I’m definitely stretching the definition of “video game cosplay” here. Some of these costumes were just too good to overlook. So, when you run across the Lord of the Rings and Ghostbusters pages, just ignore the little voice that’s telling you to write a snarky comment.
Instead, you should consider writing “This is a great gallery, Josh. I appreciate your hard work.”
You’re welcome, everyone. I appreciate your continued readership, and I’m glad we had this talk.
Enjoy.
Ken and Helen Tran as Wario and Luigi
This is Ken and Helen Tran, a pair of cosplaying siblings who have a particular love for Mario. In fact, they love Nintendo’s mascot so much that they convinced a handful of friends to join their Mario Party by dressing up in their own Mario-themed getup.
Get it? Mario Party?
I’m the worst.
Tim Osborn as Batman
Tim Osborn is a huge fan of the Arkham games, so he decided to give his Batman costume an Arkham Knight feel.
Good decision, Tim.
Kaitlin Burgener as Pyramid Head
Listen, I know cosplaying is supposed to be fun, but whenever I see a Pyramid Head costume, I practically burst into tears. Silent Hill 2 was released fourteen years ago, and those bastards still haunt my nightmares.
Lucky for me, Kaitlin Burgener wasn’t scary. She created this Pyramid Head cosplay because it’s not the kind of costume that you’d expect from a girl.
“I’m a girl,” she said, “and I just like to scare people.”
Her mom giggled, and I nervously wiped a tear from my eye.
Pat Shanks as Link and Ani Letouneau as Zelda
Every costuming couple has considered teaming up for a Zelda-themed cosplay. Well, Pat and Ani didn’t just consider it. They did it. And they pulled it off quite nicely.
Ani told me that she slowly constructed her Zelda costume over a few days but spent about ten hours on the crown.
Don’t forget to check out Ani’s Instagram and Pat’s Facebook page.
Leroy Nelson as Red Hood, Nadeau Nelson as Protoman, and Caylin Nelson as Rainbow Dash
Leroy Carson takes his role as a cosplayer seriously, and fatherhood isn’t slowing him down. In fact, it’s only made costuming more fun.
He spent about 80 hours constructing these three costumes, and the results are impressive. And judging by the kids’ ages, he’s got a lot of costuming in his future. So, his work is only going to improve.
Bravo, Leroy. If you feel like adopting a full-grown man, let me know.
Josh Van Raden as a Team Fortress 2 Engineer
No nerdy convention would be complete without a few Team Fortress characters running around the show floor. Obviously, Josh Van Raden agrees.
According to Josh, this costume is modeled after the exact in-game engineer that he’s been playing for the last eight years.
Lord of the Rings/Star Wars Mashup
Here’s the cast of characters: Darth Mal: Matthew Bastyr, Karisa Knightsister: JoEllen Drazen, Darth Karma: Leonard Patraw, Disithia: Diana Patraw, Darth Radius: Rose Miller, Gandalf The Grey: Michael Knudson, Jason Halcyon: Michael Barnes, Aalyla Secura: Meaghan Vaghan
I’m glad we live in a universe where Sith, Jedi, and wizards get a long.
Funny story: While I was setting up this picture, a nearby vendor asked me to tell this group to leave. Apparently Gandalf was driving customers away by yelling “You shall not pass.”
Check out this gif of Gandalf using his wizarding powers.
Lor Pha as Dart Feld
Legend of Dragoon is nearly 16 years old, but Lor Pha doesn’t care. In fact, the game’s age was part of his inspiration.
“I wanted to bring some of the old-school characters back,” Lor told me. “And Dart Feld was always one of my favorites.”
Lor spent about 60 hours building the costume, and I, for one, applaud his skills. Plus, it was his birthday over the weekend, so don’t be rude. Wish him a happy birthday in the comments.
Ryan Ptacek as Raiden
I’ll admit, Ryan was a little too good-natured to convince me that he’s Mortal Kombat’s eternal God of Thunder. But his costume was spot on.
We had a long discussion about which Raiden was the best, but Ryan finally convinced me that the original version, from Mortal Kombat 1, was the quintessential Raiden.
Matt Boomgaarden as Kirk and Brent Spiner as Data
Matt got the chance to meet Brent Spiner during Wizard World, and this autographed picture is their love child. He told me that none of his roomates will be allowed to touch it, and he’s probably going to talk to it when no one’s around.
He’s joking, right?
Jacki Paananen as Two Face and Amanda Alford as The Joker
Like many cosplayers, Jacki and Amanda aren’t bound by silly gender classifications, and as you can see, it’s for the best.
When I asked why they chose this particular pair of villains, Jacki said they wanted to put a “sexy spin” on two of the most iconic characters in comic book history.
If you’d like to see more from Jacki and Amanda, click on their names and you’ll be magically transported to their Facebook profiles.
Connor Schultz as Scorpion
Check out Connor’s Scorpion costume. The design is based on Mortal Kombat 1’s version of the character, but he took a few liberties.
He also mentioned that Mortal Kombat 9’s version of Scorpion was his favorite until he played MK10.
Catherine McAvoy as Carmen Sandiego
Catherine was a huge Carmen Sandiego fan when she was a kid, so this costume seemed like a no brainer. Though, she did mention that the “I found you” comments were wearing a little thin.
I asked if she’d like me to sing the theme song from that Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego game show, but she declined.
Team Mario
Wario: Max Carideo, Dude-Mario: Chris Tommerdahl, Luigi: Chris Defrancisco, Waluigi: Jon Toso, Lady-Mario: Tina Smith, Bowser: Rhiannon Monssen
This Mario posse is actually a combination of two posses. Tina and Rhiannon just happened to be wandering by when I was getting ready to snap a few pictures of Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, and Wario. So, they jumped into the shot.
Afterward, I asked Jon Toso why he and his friends chose these characters, and he said “We’re the right sizes.”
Tou Lor as a Samurai
Tou Lor’s costume isn’t technically based on a video game (just like several costumes in this “video game” gallery), but Samurais and video games have a long history.
When I asked Lor why he chose a Samurai costume, he simply said “Uh. Being a Samurai is cool.”
That’s true, Lor. That’s true.
Chris Howard as Master Chief
Meet Chris. This Halo getup is the first costume he’s ever created. He told me that he spent about two months putting it together.
The hardest part?
“Learning to work with foam,” he told me.
Dan Delano as Finn and Joy Haslach as Fiona
If you haven’t seen the news, a brand new Adventure Time game was recently announced and these two are celebrating.
Last year, the couple created matching Star Trek uniforms, but, according to Dan, this year they’ve “upgraded to Adventure Time.”
Fuchia Xiong as Enzo and Ellie Metzger as Enzo
This picture was another happy accident. Neither of these people knew one other before I introduced them. They both just happened to be wandering around the show floor.
I can only assume that they’ve become best friends. And if that’s not true, I don’t want to know about it.
Amanda Erickson as Jade and Brennan Cherney as a Saiya-jin
Brennan made his cosplay debut at Wizard World in this Dragon Ball Z getup, but Amanda is an old pro. She selected Jade because the character isn’t in Mortal Kombat X.
“I just wanted to bring her back,” Amanda said. “It’s sad that she’s not in the latest game.”
Twin Cities Ghostbusters
For the Twin Cities Ghostbusters, dressing up is just an excuse to make a film. Over the last few years, they’ve been working on a YouTube series called Ghostbustin’ 911, a Reno 911-inspired show that revolves around paranormal activity. Ernie Hudson even guest starred on an episode back in 2010.
If you’d like to check out Ghostbustin’ 911, click here.
