Lurker > KCF0107

I will also go with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver from what I've played

Alan Wake
*abstain
Ori

edit was for missing the tiebreaker

I'm pretty sure that has always been the case for this project

1. Beavis and Butt-Head (SNES)
2. Biker Mice from Mars
3. Donkey Kong Country
4. Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top
5. Wario's Woods
6. Doom II
7. Dynamite Headdy
8. Donkey Kong (94)
9. The Jungle Book
10. Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

To Do:
- Send out stat PMs
- Award ballots
- Archive more stuff

The Orcas struggled mightily with injuries specifically to their secondary and HBs this season. It was reflected in the defense drop to 16th and 27th ranked rushing offense. They get some players back for their first game against the Lions, but none of the injury signings have turned their fortunes around running the ball, so I fear that will cap their ceiling even if they have more star players and talent than most of their potential opponents.

The Jags were 9-3 and leading the AFC. They lost the final four games and finished with the 6th seed. That means that they need to win three straight road games before getting an NFC opponent. The good news is that they have a ton of cap space and are required to add to their roster due to injuries. If they can add some OL, their offense might pick back up, and maybe things can trend in a positive direction with some defensive strategy tweaks. I don't think their 9-3 start was exactly a mirage, so while I don't see them winning the Super Bowl, I wouldn't be too shocked if they got an upset or two.

The Lions picked #1 overall in back-to-back seasons, but they finally got out of their rut and are back in the playoffs. Their three divisional foes finishing in the rear of the conference certainly helped, but so did their free agency activity. They took what was a bottom three unit, grabbed multiple starting OL and a new QB, and they went all the way to 12th overall and 6th in scoring. The defense finished 25th, the worst among all playoff teams, so I can't imagine them making a deep run, let alone win the whole thing, but they do get a good opponent for them in the Orcas to start things off.

The Eagles can't play offense (22nd in scoring, 28th overall, 31st in passing, and Leonard Fournette of the 3.7 career YPC has a 3.6 mark this season). They are in the playoffs because the NFC East struggled this season, their defense finished 6th overall, and they had a +8 turnover margin. Those last two are great and all, and there is recent precedence of a team going to the Super Bowl with a major, glaring liability (Browns' D last season and Raiders' O the season before), but those two teams also had the #1 O and D respectively, and this Eagles squad just isn't good enough to carry itself to the Super Bowl.

KCF's Playoff Power Rankings

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Columbus Pioneers
4. St. Louis Rams
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Denver Broncos
7. Davenport Browns
8. Miami Dolphins
9. San Juan Orcas
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Detroit Lions
12. Philadelphia Eagles

The Falcons were great all season and were sitting behind the trio of Seahawks/Rams/Pumpkins before chipping away and getting past all three in the end. This is the first #1 NFC seed for the Falcons, and they earned it. After years of regression in QB play, Patrick Mahomes's 92.6 passer rating was the best we've seen in years, and he was one of three qualified QBs (Jalen Hurts and DeShaun Gaines the others) who had at least twice as many TDs as INTs. The Falcons lost superstar HB David Johnson early, but they signed the reigning HB of the Year Kenyan Drake, and he picked up where he left off with highly productive play with 1443 yards and 9 TDs and just 2 fumbles in 12 starts. They are great at protecting the ball and getting their opponents to cough it up (3rd best at both). They score at will (1st) and are one of the best at preventing scoring (T-7th). This team has overcome a plethora of injuries and just haven't slowed down. They get home field advantage where they went 7-1 (only loss in Week 2). With the Seahawks and Rams combined for a 3-5 record in the final quarter of the season, the Falcons have to love their odds.

The Raiders did not get a bye, but it can be argued that they are the league's best team. They enter the playoffs with the #4 offense, #3 defense, 4th in scoring, 8th in turnover differential (+7), and 4th in points allowed. They had a very balanced offense and were one of three teams to finish in the Top 10 in rushing and passing TDs. What makes their defensive and turnover rankings more impressive is that they didn't rely on sacks or takeaways to get those marks. For a team that entered the season with no realistic playoff aspirations coming in with a retooled roster given cap constraints and have been a poor offensive team for many seasons, their performance this season, including going 11-2 after and 0-3 start, is nothing short of amazing. They don't have the benefit of guaranteed home games beyond the wild card round, but this might be the best Raiders' team in our league's history, and I'm just getting good vibes from them.

The Pioneers' nearly made their third Super Bowl last season, but they get another crack at it with the #1 seed. Their season mirrored the Broncos in the first half. Both had the league's best or second best offense and defense with a weirdly bad turnover differential that was more due to lack of takeaways than coughing it up to the opponent. The Pioneers ultimately settled with the #1 D, #3 O, and placed 10th in points for and against. They barely improved their turnover differential though (-9), and they alarmingly gave up tied for the second-most sacks at 57, though that can be somewhat blamed on backup RT Alex Moe's 10 allowed in his 10 starts in relief of Reggie Harris. The AFC is more open-ended field than the AFC, but the Pioneers have the advantage of getting home field until the SB, so that might be the edge they need.

Because the Rams will realistically have to play three road games, I can't put them any higher than this, but rest assured that they are the best team in the NFC. They finished 1st on offense, including their first top-half rushing attack since they had Romance Taylor, 4th on defense, 2nd in points for, 3rd in points allowed, and absolutely blasted their opponents more often than not even when they kept piling up on offensive injuries. They do have a spotty record against teams in the playoffs, scoring 17 points or fewer against the Seahawks (twice), Orcas, and Browns, with their Week 17 game against the Eagles their only convincing win against a potential playoff foe. I guess it is a good thing that they play the Eagles yet again to start. Because Madden can be wonky with playoff seeding matchups in later rounds, I can't accurately predict their path, but with the Seahawks injuries, they could get some favorable matchups in the opening two rounds.

Oh Seahawks. You started 10-0, but then the injuries kept piling up, and you just gave way offensively. The defense was still styming people (finished 2nd in points allowed) until you met the Pumpkins twice. Now you will be without CB Bene Benwikere and QB Gardner Minshew for the playoffs. The good news is that WR Amari Cooper and HB Kareem Hunt will be returning for their first game, which thankfully for them is in the divisional round after they secured a bye. Even with their poorly-timed woes, I think that they still have good Super Bowl odds. The NFC is top-heavy so if they somehow get one or two of Eagles/Lions/Orcas in their first two games, boy will that be a relief for them. They led the NFC with 19 giveaways in 16 games, and only the Falcons finished in the Top 10 in takeaways among NFC Playoff Teams, so their style of play should really give them an advantage.

The Broncos were the last AFC team to fall, but they went 4-6 the rest of the way, and they did finish with the league's easiest schedule, raising some fraud concerns. They aren't in the upper tier of the SB contenders, but I don't think their contender status should be in question though. No matter who you play, having the #2 defense and #1 scoring defense is pretty fraud-proof. Also of note is that while they struggled in the second half in terms of wins and losses, they were much better with turnovers. They were one of the worst teams in their differential (I remember they were 28th-30th at one point at -8 to -10). They finished in the middle of the pack at -2. Their issues lie squarely on offense and specifically their running game since Ward did pretty well, and the WR combo of Demaryius Thomas and D.J. Moore was one of the best in the league. Melvin Gordon missed most of the team's 6-0 start, and in his place DeAndre Washington was an excellent dual threat HB with Darnay Lopez providing phenomenal efficiency (5.7 YPC). Gordon has been the worst HB on the team this season with just 3 TDs and a 3.7 YPC (albeit with no fumbles). If he even does a little better and the rest of the team basically holds steady, they can make a deep run.
The Browns' #1 offense last season was realistically going to regress, and it did all the way to 13th. Their defense did improve quite well to 17th though. Their points for and against rankings are considerably better than their off/def rankings (5th points for, T-7th points against), but I think in the context of this game, with how prolific the return game and the amount of turnovers there are, the off/def rankings are better indicators of your team. With that said, the Browns are 9-2 after a 2-3 start while several of their AFC does are scuffling.

The Dolphins could be a big wild card here and the end of teams with at least decent Super Bowl odds to me. The defense is great in all aspects, finishing 7th overall, but for the second straight season, they suffered an onslaught of injuries targeting all levels of their offense. While not completely healthy with multiple offensive starters either done for the season or still on the mend, they just got back their #1 QB and HB. Their -1 turnover differential is not reflective of their team as the vast majority of those giveaways were by backups. They had the 6th most takeaways at 36, so combined with the return of Daniel Jones and Samaje Perine, they could be primed for a run.

Regular Season Stat Leaders

Passer Rating - Patrick Mahomes (Falcons) - 92.6
Passing Yards - Jimmy Garoppolo (Vikings) - 3264
Passing TDs - Mahomes - 26
Passing INTs - Kyle Allen (Rams) and Jacoby Brissett (Express) - 7 and 28 respectively
Completion % - DeShaun Gaines (Raiders) - 66%

Rushing Attempts - Raheem Mostert (Pumpkins) - 411
Rushing Yards - Thomas Rawls (49ers) - 1893
Rushing TDs - Rawls - 17
Rushing YPC - Lamar Miller (Express) - 4.8

Receptions - Sammy Watkins - 108
Receiving Yards - Watkins - 1315
Receiving TDs - Rishard Matthews (Rams) - 14
Receiving YPC - J.J. Nelson (Giants) - 14.0

Pancake Blocks - Anthony Collins (Jets) - 85
Sacks Allowed - Danny Watkins (Panthers) and Bernie Buckley (Seahawks) - 17

Tackles - Telvin Smith (Bengals) - 162
Sacks - Jonathan Allen (Broncos) - 16
Interceptions - Taylor Rapp (Chiefs) - 8
Forced Fumbles - Star Lotulelei (Commanders) - 5
Fumble Recoveries - Alec Ogletree (Buccaneers), Jordan Tripp (Dolphins), J.J. Krause (Falcons), and Smith - 5
Defensive TDs - Henry Anderson (Ravens) and Tyrann Mathieu (Jets) - 2

Field Goals - Greg Zuerlein (Buccaneers), Jason Sanders (Chiefs), and Ryan Santoso (Jets) - 37
Field Goal % - Justin Tucker (Bills) - 93%

Punts - Pat O'Donnell (Dolphins) - 112
Punting Avg. - Jonathan Cottrell (Raiders) - 45.8

Kick Return Avg. - Brian Poole (Orcas) - 28.9
Kick Return TDs - T.J. Yeldon (Seahawks), Cordarrelle Patterson (Packers), Dede Westbrook (Dolphins), and Trindon Holliday (Bengals) - 2
Punt Return Avg. - Chester Rogers (Browns) - 14.1
Punt Return TDs - Justin Blackmon (Eagles) - 3

Players of the Week
Offense - Lions QB Cam Newton (31-44, 320 yards, 4 TDs, 53 rushing yards)
Defense - Bills OLB Chris Phillips (4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR for TD)

Wild Card Round
Jaguars at Raiders
Orcas at Lions
Broncos at Dolphins
Rams at Eagles

Try

I may be a homer, but F-Zero X has an excellent case. I also want to give a shout-out to Rocket: Robot on Wheels, which probably had the best physics out of any game on that system.

Ori
*abstain

So

To Do:
- Regular Season Stat Leaders
- Playoff Power Rankings
- Update Spreadsheet
- Send out stat/injury PMs
- Award ballots
- Archive more stuff

Right now, I'm leaning toward the award ceremony and playoff sim to take place somewhere on the weekend of the 26th-28th of this month.

I post this every season the playoffs roll around, but I'm here to tell you who the SB contenders are this postseason based on historical data. I don't tell people ad nauseum that the best path to success is defense and the running game for nothing. I think we can also add turnover differential now that offenses are on the decline and defenses on the rise, but I never collected seasonal data for that.

Of the previous 36 teams to make the SB, 33/36 have finished in the top half of the league in running offense while 31/36 have finished in the Top 10 on defense. The exceptions were the inaugural season Dolphins (19th on D), S13's Pioneers (11th on D), S14's Pioneers (18th in rushing), S15's Vikings (11th on D), S16's Rams (24th in rushing), S18's Browns (25th on D) and S18's Vikings (25th in rushing, 13th on D).

Your SB contenders this season are...
Columbus Pioneers (7th in rushing, 1st on defense)
Denver Broncos (10th in rushing, 2nd on defense)
Oakland Raiders (T-15th in rushing, 3rd on defense)
Philadelphia Eagles (5th in rushing, 6th on defense)
St. Louis Rams (T-15th in rushing, 4th on defense)

The remaining are problematic (some very much so) in one or both areas
Atlanta Falcons (4th in rushing, 19th on defense)
Davenport Browns (17th in rushing, 17th on defense)
Detroit Lions (18th in rushing, 25th on defense)
Jacksonville Jaguars (14th in rushing, 24th on defense)
Miami Dolphins (31st in rushing, 7th on defense)
San Juan Orcas (27th in rushing, 16th on defense)
Seattle Seahawks (28th in rushing, 10th on defense)

It should be noted that the Dolphins, Orcas, and Seahawks have each suffered numerous injuries in the backfield and each have 3+ players record a start at HB. The Dolphins and Seahawks will each have their starting HB return for their first playoff game.

Your B8NFLL Season 19 NFC Playoff Teams

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Detroit Lions
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. St. Louis Rams
6. San Juan Orcas

This is the second consecutive NFC South crown for the Falcons and first playoff bye since S7

This is the second playoff appearance in the past three seasons for the Seahawks and first playoff bye since S11

This is the first playoff appearance for the Lions since S16 and first division title since S8

This is the second NFC East crown in the past three seasons for the Eagles

This is the 11th straight playoff appearance for the Rams

This is the fourth playoff appearance in the past five seasons for the Orcas

Your B8NFLL Season 19 AFC Playoff Teams

1. Columbus Pioneers
2. Davenport Browns
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Denver Broncos
6. Jacksonville Jaguars

This is the second consecutive #1 seed for the Pioneers

This is the third consecutive AFC North crown for the Browns

This is the second playoff appearance in the past three seasons for the Raiders

This is the 17th playoff appearance for the Dolphins

This is the first playoff appearance for the Broncos since S15

This is the first playoff appearance for the Jaguars since S12

ESPN Men's: 20th out of 21
Yahoo Men's: 12th out of 12
ESPN Coinflip: 18th out of 23 (though potentially better if things didn't go awry with some people joining the league with their main bracket)

This is definitely my worst collective performance

If the field is reduced to 128 with the amount of users involved, then people like me don't really have much incentive to nominate anything unless we live for pain. It would still be lame, but the only recourse in that event would be ensure that every nominator got a nomination in.

As I say every year when nomination rule changes are suggested, I am fully in the camp of making sure the rules do not further disenfranchise the outliers like me. If it was brought to a vote, I would have voted no for increasing the lock limit as people like me need a lower threshold to get nominations in. I was fortunate last year in getting roughly the mean (3-4) of songs/nominators through both locking and not. I would have liked to see those rules repeat to see if that could have held true again.

West of here

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is what came to mind.

Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Donkey Kong Country
Star Fox

DKC has technical achievement and acclaim while Star Fox is more the former than the latter. I could swap that one out for an Earthbound or Super Metroid or something

Our

KamikazePotato posted...

Honestly, you're probably right, but we at B8 just don't care about racing games.

It is lonely being on the island of racing-is-my-favorite-VG-genre

NFC Playoff Picture

Playoff Teams
1. Atlanta Falcons 12-3 (won NFC South)
2. Seattle Seahawks 12-3 (won NFC West)
3. Detroit Lions 8-7 (won NFC North)
4. Philadelphia Eagles 8-7 (NFC East leaders)
5. St. Louis Rams 10-5 (clinched Wild Card)
6. San Juan Orcas 9-6 (Wild Card)

Playoff Contenders
7. Las Vegas Pumpkins 9-6
8. Dallas Cowboys 7-7-1
9. Washington Commanders 7-7-1

Eliminated from Playoff Contention
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-8
11. New York Giants 6-9
12. Carolina Panthers 5-10
13. San Francisco 49ers 5-10
14. Green Bay Packers 5-10
15. Minnesota Vikings 5-10
16. Chicago Bears 3-12

Falcons evidently have the tiebreaker over the Seahawks, so they get the #1 seed with a win or Seahawks loss, Seahawks get it with a win and Falcons loss/tie

NFC East is a little wacky with the tie and their H2H records (Eagles > Cowboys, Cowboys > Commander, Commanders > Eagles). Eagles win the NFC East with a win or losses/ties by both the Cowboys and Commanders. An Eagles loss + Commanders and/or Cowboys win would leave one of the others to win the East. Eagles loss, Cowboys win, and Commanders loss gives it to the Dallas. Eagles loss, Cowboys loss/tie, and Commanders win would give it to Washington. For pure chaos, you want Eagles tie, Cowboys win, and Commanders win.

Orcas own tiebreakers over Pumpkins, so Orcas get in with a win or Pumpkins loss. Pumpkins need a win and Orcas loss/tie.

Bears have secured the #1 overall pick, which is owned by the Raiders

AFC Playoff Picture

Playoff Teams
1. Columbus Pioneers 11-4 (won AFC South)
2. Denver Broncos 10-5 (AFC West leaders, clinched playoff spot)
3. Davenport Browns 10-5 (won AFC North)
4. Miami Dolphins 7-8 (AFC East leaders)
5. Oakland Raiders 10-5 (Wild Card, clinched playoff spot)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars 9-6 (won Wild Card)

Eliminated from Playoff Contention
7. Cincinnati Bengals 8-7
8. Baltimore Ravens 8-7

Playoff Contenders
9. New England Patriots 7-8
10. Buffalo Bills 7-8

Eliminated from Playoff Contention Pt. 2
11. Kansas City Chiefs 7-8
12. Indianapolis Colts 6-9
13. Tennessee Titans 6-9
14. New York Jets 5-10
15. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-10
16. Portland Express 5-10

Only the Pioneers and (theoretically) Broncos can get the #1 seed, but it is also possible that the Pioneers have it locked up.

The Jaguars have the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Bengals and Ravens, so that is why even though the game doesn't list it, they have clinched a playoff spot.

Broncos win AFC West with a win or Raiders loss, Raiders win AFC West with a win and Broncos loss/tie.

The AFC East tiebreakers are set in stone with it being Dolphins > Patriots > Bills, so you can work out the various scenarios that give each one the division.

Players of the Week
Offense - Falcons HB Kenyan Drake (45 carries for 193 yards, 2 TDs)
Defense - Ravens SS Kamontae Kazee (3 tackles, 1 INT for TD)

Game of the Week
Seahawks at Pumpkins

Week 17 will be simmed on Tuesday, April 9th

I never owned a PS1, so I'm just going out on a limb here with what I think it's Rushmore would look like

Metal Gear Solid
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Tomb Raider
Final Fantasy VII

Yes

Royale

John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
Mordin Solus (Mass Effect 2)
Ori (Ori and the Blind Forest)
Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto V)
Wheatley (Portal 2)

Super Mario 64
Goldeneye 007
Super Smash Bros.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Am I correct in thinking that this means that as of right now, the person reading this has lived half the life that they will live?

Seeing as I would be in my 60s, I would probably not be cool with it as of right now

Well that ringing endorsement and comparison to a franchise that exudes quality makes my purchase decision easy.

The Bulge

God of War
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto III
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Quad Gs

Players of the Week
Offense - Giants HB Isaiah Pead (217 total yards, 2 TDs)
Defense - Pumpkins OLB Avery Williamson (17 tackles, 2 INTs)

Game of the Week
Rams at Orcas

Week 16 will be simmed on Sunday, April 7th

Band

KCF0107 posted...

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tetris
Contra

Maybe chalk it up to being born during the SNES era, but I always had it in my mind that it was this version of Tetris that was immensely popular (perhaps it was Game Boy then?). Since nobody else put it on their list (yet), I must be wrong and will swap Tetris out for Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tetris
Contra

bump

Game

KCF0107 posted...

Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wii Sports
Mario Kart Wii

If possible I would like to replace Super Mario Galaxy 2 with Just Dance

Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wii Sports
Mario Kart Wii

Only the top two would appear on my personal Mt. Rushmore

WarioWare Smooth Moves and Kirby's Epic Yarn replacing Wii Sports and Mario Kart