By: Giancarlo Varanini and Andrew Park, GameSpot - Posted on October 23, 2009
It's that time of year to throw caution (and common sense) to the wind and expose your inner nerd to the world, and what better way to do it than to dress up as a videogame character? We've chosen a few notable individuals from this year's lineup of games as suggested costume choices. Of course, you could just go down to the store and pick out a pre-made costume (especially if it's for a character with comic book origins), but we have some extra tips for taking a shot at it yourself. Use these super-serious and not-at-all-a-joke tips to nail the look of some of the most memorable characters from 2009. We here at GameSpot wish you a safe and happy Halloween.
Some people don't even need a costume to be Eddie Riggs.
What You Need: Go watch a movie (any movie) with Jack Black in it, and you'll have Eddie's personality quirks down. The rest of the costume is pretty easy to do, provided you have some jeans, a t-shirt, and maybe a spiked collar or two. You get bonus points if you can find a magic belt buckle that transports you to a completely different world if you happen to spill a little blood on it.
Is there any better way to show off your cool belt buckle than this?
What You Need: Bed-head crewcut hair and some serious five-o'clock shadow. Either don't shave for several days, or consider rubbing a little charcoal or ash on your face for that scraggly adventuring look. A holstered pistol strapped to a casual shirt and jeans will complete the ensemble, provided you remember to add the most important aspect of all--the always-classy half-tuck.
The only thing missing from this ensemble: green plastic Hulk hands.
What You Need: As long as you have a hoodie of some sort and don't really remember anything about your past, you're good. If you can leap from building to building, that's even better. [Editor's Note: Please do not try to leap from building to building.] As for re-creating Alex's Swiss Army knife of an arm and his penchant for devouring other people…our lawyers advise us to suggest that you skip that part of the costume, too. The hoodie is really what makes the look, anyway.
Pick any hero or villain you'd like to immortalize via costume. But if anyone asks, we've never met.
What You Need: Lots of imagination and maybe not quite as much self-respect. We're not even going to try to list the huge number of classic comic-book heroes and villains in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 that you could consider for costume ideas. If you're going to go through with it, you could choose from many fine pre-made, store-bought superhero getups, or try to create your own. Either way, just don't say "hi" to us if you're wearing your costume at the Halloween party. We won't know you and we won't have ever met you.
Cole's ability to hurl lightning bolts may be a little hard to replicate.
What You Need: Cole's look is pretty easy to replicate if you're willing to shave your head, don a leather jacket, and sling a messenger bag on your back. As for his electrifying super powers, you might try carrying a small piece of shag carpet with you on Halloween, tossing it on the floor, and furiously rubbing your feet on it to generate some static electricity. You'll look like a complete fool, but unlike Cole, you'll have a reason for wearing that messenger bag.
Batman beefed up a little before heading into Arkham.
What You Need: The hardest part about turning into Batman isn't that you'd need to become a martial arts master or be able to grapple up to conveniently placed gargoyles. You see, Batman costumes are abundant, but the most difficult thing is replicating his massive physique, particularly the impossibly ripped look he has in Arkham Asylum. If you're a meat lover, you might consider strapping a ham (honey-baked or otherwise) or two to each bicep and securing the hood of an SUV to your ribcage to replicate his massive barrel chest. If that's too much trouble, you could consider injecting yourself with muscle-building steroids to pump yourself up fast. [Editor's Note: PLEASE DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, INJECT YOURSELF WITH STEROIDS. THANK YOU.] If you can your hands on some night-vision goggles, you might be able to simulate Batman's trademark detective mode. Then again, maybe you could just get a regular pair of goggles, and, you know…pretend.
What costume ideas do you have to share? Let us know with a comment!