Saskatchewhat?: Wii Cosplay

In late 2006, a cute little game from Japan stole my heart and had my thumbs red and throbbing from too many PS2 analog stick workouts. That game was Katamari Damacy, and it blew my mind. Less than a year later, that game's sequel, We Heart Katamari, arrived in North America to massive acclaim and became an overnight sensation. And with good reason: We Heart Katamari was every bit as fun and addictive as its predecessor, only with widely expanded environments, new challenges, rewards, and an even more ridiculous premise. With the exceptions of Killer 7 , Okami, and Shadow of the Colossus, We Heart Katamari was my favorite game of 2007. And for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't help but want to find out if any enterprising otaku had gone out of their way to dress up for some Katamari Cosplay fun.

Now would probably be the best time to mention that I'm not a cosplayer. I didn't even dress up for Halloween this year. Sure, I admire well done recreations of my favorite video game and anime characters as much as the next fanboy. At the same time, I also find that the whole cosplay phenomenon ranges from utterly ridiculous at best, and vomit inducing at its worst. Mostly, I think my problem with cosplay lies with the legions of aesthetically challenged nerds and the disgusting amount of awful mainstream fan-favorite franchise cosplay. How much Final Fantasy 7 or Street Fighter cosplay do we really need to see? This is the kind of cosplay that makes my stomach retch and bursts my eyes in their molten sockets.

Yesterday the thought had occurred to me whether or not any Nintendo fans had started cosplaying as characters from Wii titles. What about dressing up as Wiis themselves? Wii remotes? Well, I did some looking around with Google and this is what I managed to find.

The Wii-Motes

Apparently, dressing up like the Wii remote is becoming a huge phenomenon at the cosplay conventions. Sadly, the Nunchuck attachment is sorely underrepresented. You'd think more couples would make the Nunchuck to Wii-mote connection. Ugh, bad controller pun.

"Dude, where is the A Button on that Wii remote costume?"

"Duuuuude, MY FACE IS THE A BUTTON!"

This girl gains points for actually having a Nunchuck attached to her giant pill-shaped Wii-mote, but is disqualified because her Nunchuck looks like a vibrator.

The Super Nintendo gets all the love by being front and center in this photo, but then, the SNES IS LOVE, so it's only appropriate to be in the foreground. Also, I love that cosplaying as an SNES controller is a two-person job; brings a whole new-meaning to co-op gameplay.

This Wii remote would be so much more badass if it weren't wearing tennis shoes.

Miis

Sure, the whole point of Nintendo's cute avatar creator is to allow you and all your friends to see cartoon versions of yourselves on the Wii. What can't be denied however, is that the Miis have an instantly recongizable aesthetic that is uniquely all their own, and we can thank the good people at Nintendo for that.

Blue Mii: "Ahhhh. I took too much man! I took too much! I'm FREAKING OUT here bro and my head feels like a giant balloon!"

Green Mii: "Relax Blue, it's just the acid."

No More Heroes

Suda 51's latest oddball opus is a an instant cult classic. The game seamlessly blends the punk cinematic sensibilities of Takashi Miike, endless streams of blood, too-cool dialogue, ridiculous mini-games, and a lovable sicko named Travis Touchdown for a hero. Proving that the Wii is not just a console for kids or the casual gamer, No More Heroes takes most of what made Killer 7 (Suda 51's previous game) an unforgettable experience, and then gears it towards a more mainstream, though no less adult, audience. Here are some examples I found of great No More Heroes cosplay.