Confessions of a Cosplay Girl: Game X Expo

The 2009 Game X Expo came to the Philadelphia area for a three day event October 23rd through the 25th. Taking place in Oaks, Pa the convention featured demos, arcades, tournaments, an artist alley, vendors, celebrities and a large variety of activities such as robot wars and light saber training.

The big buzz was the demo for EA’s highly anticipated game “Dante’s Inferno”.  The impressive booth had a steady flow of traffic and it was difficult to find a free controller. The game play and atmosphere is reminiscent of God of War but without the helpful hints to guide you through the game. I witnessed several people who were stuck on one area involving a platform and a pillar. The demo also featured a great deal of nudity (featuring both real women and CG characters) which I found surprising at a public show. It wasn’t the naked women that startled me but how crudely they were portrayed. When the game is released it will clearly be for a mature audience and most likely you will have to present ID to purchase it due to the gore and sex and yet, any eight year old could walk into the EA booth and pick up a controller. After completing the demo, the impression it left on me was a cross between God of War and Devil May Cry but with less promise.

Actors were in attendance such as Brian O’Halloran (best known as Dante from ‘Clerks’), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica from ‘Clerks’) and Jsu Garcia (Rod from “Nightmare on Elm Street”). Sega, Ubisoft and Alienware set up booths but my favorite area was the Plug and Play. I loved sitting in front of a television set and playing old school games such as “Streets of Rage” and “Super Mario Brothers”. I personally feel it’s a relaxing experience to be able to sit down and play a video game you grew up with.

I went to the show on Sunday as Lara Croft and met a few Star Wars cosplayers who had incredibly detailed costumes. My favorite picture from the convention is one I took with Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Sunday is always a slow day at a convention; the crowds aren’t as big and they’re aren’t as many vendors. Despite this, there was still an excellent crowd at the center and plenty for people to do. The day closed with a live band performing on stage. If the Game X Expo show comes to your area, I would highly recommend you go!