As you know, the doors blew off the E for All expo this morning at 11am in the Los Angeles convention center for the press and early registrants.  We, the snotty elite, had the opportunity to run around the floor for 3 hours before the general public was welcomed in.  The meshing of the two groups was kicked-off at 2pm with a Cosplay contest judged by two Nintendo representatives, Tommy Tallarico from Video Games Live, and Fatal1ty, hosted by Becky Young aka Aktrez. Among the many striking costumes two really stood out from the pack: a giant Boo pillow carried by a masked ninja that won the grand prize (some sort of E4A swagfest). While it wasn't the most complex outfit it quickly won over the crowd. It beckons the arguement: was that technically really cosplay?

When the clock struck three we hammed it up hard back into the convention center as a High School Band marched in with the general public.  Check out the gallery and feel like you were there!  By the magic of Charlie Suh's trigger fingers we stole some photo ops with the pack featuring our own VirtualGirl in a killer Lara Croft outfit. Our favorite contender was a girl in a striking Alucard costume -- she even nailed the facial expression and was stoic through the entire presentation. 

Personally, I'm glad that a Final Fantasy cosplayer didn't win it for once.  There are a ton of great games out there to be inspired by -- I think the judges might agree that we've seen more than our share of Sephiroths and Clouds by now.