The Great Pretenders

Although it’s not an “official” example of cosplay, there’s no denying that the Big Daddies in Bioshock 2 look strikingly similar to Bomberman. The bars in their diving suits look like Bomberman’s large eyes, and the glowing lights inside their helmets evoke the shape of Bomberman’s face. If you squint, the dive lights on top of the Big Daddies helmets could even be mistaken for Bomberman’s adorable antennae. Comparisons between the Big Daddies and Bomberman were being made before Bioshock 2 was even released, and re-colored versions of the game’s cover made it even harder to un-see the similarities. The homage was not intentional, but I’d sooner accept the Big Daddies from Bioshock 2 as a gritty re-imagining of Bomberman before I’d acknowledge the abomination that was Bomberman: Act Zero.

One of the many unlockable outfits in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood allows Ezio to pay tribute to Raiden from Metal Gear Solid. Although Ezio’s hair and facial features remain unchanged, his outfit does justice to everyone’s favorite cyborg mercenary. I question the viability of the costume, however. Dressing up as a futuristic cyborg doesn’t seem like a good way to remain inconspicuous in 16th-century Rome, but I’m certainly not going to question a legendary assassin like Ezio. There’s no denying that the outfit looks cool, and it even grants Ezio special powers. The outfit has no visible sheath for Ezio’s weapons, so his equipment will simply float in front of his body while he’s wearing the costume. Apparently, dressing up like Raiden gives Ezio the power of telekinesis!

Virtua Fighter 5 R and Final Showdown allowed players to customize fighters to resemble characters from classic Sega games. For instance, Akira could dress as Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue, El Blaze could pay homage to Amigo from Samba de Amigo, and Jeffry could do his best impression of Pepperouchau from Clockwork Knight. I’m giving recognition to Sarah Bryant’s take on Ulala from Space Channel 5 because I was surprised by how faithful Sarah was to the dancing reporter. She could have died her hair purple, thrown on a short skirt, and called it a day, but Sarah got the accessories right too and could be equipped with Ulala’s headset and jetpack. She also has access to an exact replica of Ulala’s “Ballistic Groove Gun” and will even fire it off in a celebratory manner after she wins a fight! Pew! Pew!

One of my favorite things about Street Fighter X Tekken is its “costume swapping” feature that allows everyone on the roster to dress like someone from the opposing franchise. Some of these alternate costumes are completely logical while others are played for laughs, but none are more appropriate than Zangief’s. The burly Soviet wrestler apparently made an outfit in Kuma’s likeness as a way of proving to everyone that he really did fight bears as part of his training. In contrast to Chun Li’s Panda outfit (which looks like a typical mascot costume), Zangief’s alternate costume makes it look like he killed Kuma and took his skin as a some sort of trophy. Whether the Kuma costume is the real deal or just an accurate facsimile, you really have to admire how committed Zangief is to the whole cosplay thing.

The Fatal Frame franchise is known as Zero in Japan, so it’s fitting that Samus Aran’s Zero Suit would make an appearance in the series. Fatal Frame IV was released exclusively in Japan, and Ruka Minazuki would probably be completely unknown in the west if she didn’t dress up like characters who are more famous that she is. Ruka is a timid girl who neither looks nor acts like Samus, but the Zero Suit looks fantastic on her nonetheless. (She also has the option of dressing like Luigi, but I’ll take form-fitting spandex over denim overalls any day.) The Zero Suit was an optional costume in Fatal Frame V too, but the butt jiggle physics were much more advanced in Fatal Frame IV. Ruka is grade A through and through, and even Samus herself would appreciate how well she fills out the suit.

A lot of people were surprised by Nintendo’s decision to publish Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U, but the gaming industry makes strange bedfellows. To celebrate the wonderful partnership, PlatinumGames included several alternate costumes in the game based on popular Nintendo characters. Bayonetta could wear Link’s green tunic, Samus Aran’s power suit, or Fox McCloud’s furry tail, but I was especially enamored by her homage to Princess Peach. Bayonetta and Peach are like night and day, so it was unexpected to see an M-rated sexpot in a dress fit for a Disney princess. Peach will be forever associated with the royal pink dress, but Bayonetta made it her own with her fabulous white thigh-high stockings. Bayonetta’s exploits also made her more susceptible to pervy upskirt shots, and I think we can all be thankful for that.

No series has embraced alternate costumes more than Dead or Alive. Dozens of new costume packs are available as DLC in Last Round, and you’d have to spend hundreds of dollars to obtain them all. Some of these alternate outfits are formulaic – it’s not much of a stretch for busty DOA girls to dress up like the busty girls from Senran Kagura, for example – but I’m more intrigued by the costumes that highlight lesser-known franchises. Honoka’s homage to Tamaki Kousaka from To Heart 2 deserves a mention for its sheer sexiness, but Tina’s take on Mail (of Popful Mail fame) looks like something that you’d see at an actual cosplay convention. Everything from the prop sword to the oversized money bag has an unmistakable homemade quality to it, and it’s hard not to admire her creativity. I also dig her red hair.

It’s only fitting that Lightning’s tribute to Cloud Strife would be recognized on this list. After all, she was conceived as a female version of him. Creator Motomu Toriyama has tried to downplay the similarities, but the characters both have cold personalities, military backgrounds, and weather-related names. The parallels between the two protagonists were further highlighted by the bonus pre-order DLC costume that was released for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Cloud’s SOLDIER 1st Class Uniform was a perfect fit for Lightning, and it seemed like she had been using his iconic Buster Sword for her entire life. Lightning even took the time to mimic Cloud’s victory poses, and the impression was further reinforced by the Final Fantasy VII fanfare that was included as part of the DLC.

The Monster Hunter games have DLC based on Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Ōkami, StarFox, and probably a few other franchises that I’m forgetting about. Most of the alternate costumes are lighthearted diversions that aren’t meant to be taken seriously, but the Strider Hiryu send up is the real deal. The outfit in Monster Hunter Generations is so accurate to the original that you could almost consider Hiryu to be an official guest character. Every detail of his costume – from his flowing scarf to his Cypher Sword – was meticulously recreated. The classic uniform is available for both male and female hunters, so I’m giving it extra credit for filling a niche and confirming Rule 63 of the Internet. The only downside to the outfit is that it makes me long for a proper Strider game.

The first Dead Rising featured a mondo cool Mega Man costume, but Dead Rising 3 took things to the next level with a costume based on Mega Man X. Players who complete the game will unlock X’s ultimate armor, but they’ll have to tackle the game on its hardest difficulty setting in order to unlock his trademark “X-Buster” arm cannon. It’s a difficult weapon to obtain, but it’s worth the journey and the costume isn’t complete without it. The X-Buster can make quick work of zombies with rapid fire shots, and it can even take out entire hordes with devastating charged attacks. The weapon is so overpowered that it makes otherwise imposing boss characters look like disposable mooks. Most of the costumes on this list are purely cosmetic, but using the X-Buster in Dead Rising 3 is the equivalent to a New Game+ mode.