It's the fourth and final day of Dragon Con 2011, but I'm not there. The final day of a convention like this is a sad affair. Instead, let's revel in the glory of yesterday's cunning cosplayers.
Dragon Con isn't a video game convention, though it's trying to be. There's a MMORPG programming track that consists of people complaining about World of Warcraft and meeting some of the local talent from CCP and Hi-Rez Studios, as well as some panels on getting (or not getting) into that gaming industry. Mike Capps, president of Epic Games, came by to show off the first ten minutes of Gears of War 3 to attendees this year, a Dragon Con exclusive. And while the dealers' room didn't have anyone selling games, there were plenty of gaming-related products, from Aperture Science t-shirts to Sonic the Hedgehog hats.
But the core gaming draw to Dragon Con is the cosplayers. There might not be any Street Fighter-related programming going on, but that doesn't stop Zangief and Crimson Viper from making appearances. Duke Nukem Forever was a huge disappointment, but that didn't stop Duke himself from dropping by.
These folks love their video games, and while Dragon Con slowly catches up to their passion, they're here year in and year out, representing. You've got to appreciate that.
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This man has Mother issues.
How lazy am I? I ordered the boyfriend of an old friend's daughter to run across the exhibition hall to fetch Jack here to me so I could take a picture.
A little skinny for a C. Viper, but she'll do in a pinch.
This wouldn't have happened had they been wearing nursing pads.
If you're going to cosplay characters from a game not many folks enjoyed, try to do it as enthusiastically as these guys. They've even pimped out their guns!
Sorry Magicka, Final Fantasy was doing mages with no faces before it was cool.
"Sorry about your last game," I offered as I snapped a quick shot of Duke Nukem. "It's okay," he answered. "Some things just have to suck."
Kerrigan, Queen of the Passage Between the Marriott and the Mall Food Court.
His head says MineCraft but his body says no.
This Snake pic is a little blurry because I took it using stealth, pretending to clean my camera.
Only one boyish robot was powerful enough to interrupt my delicious gyro wrap. It's like that shaved the meat off an entire lamb. So spicy, with plenty of sauce. The Greek salad that came with it was laughable, but the gyro was so good, who cares? Oh, I'm sorry, did I pull a Capcom there?
Here's a Midna that could ride me in wolf form any time, if that's not too awkward.
Kinda makes me wish I'd gotten deeper into Monster Hunter.
Yes, I hit her. No, there were no coins. She actually said "No coins" when I did it, as if to deter other people from hitting her. Upon entering the Marriott, she was slowly beaten to death over the course of an hour. I'm probably lying.
The expression totally sells this one.
In the spirit of the adventurous television show, Ash and Misty walked up to a friendly local (me) to ask if Atlanta sold beer on Sunday. They do not. Note that their Pikachu has no nose, likely burned away by one of Misty's Camels.
This is my wife's friend Akiko. She doesn't have very much to do with video games, yet here she is, much like Dragon Con itself.