Lurker > _SecretSquirrel

And this is oddly relevant to the current discussion.

https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/1079654048708452352
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1. Gordon Freeman
2. Guile
3. John Marston
4. Metal Man
5. Aya Brea
6. Aqua
7. Neku
8. Cuphead
9. Godot
10. Shantae
11. Monika
12. Isabelle
13. Noctis
14. Ryo Hazuki
15. Yu Narukami
16. D'Va
17. Kazuma
18. Joel
19. Primrose
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HaRRicH posted...

If somebody wants to rally one of these Links over Link though, good luck...!

Honestly, I think you might have stumbled onto something with this statement. Imagine if Adult Link was forced to sit out in lieu of Young Link, Toon Link, or CDi Link.

Would that be a big enough blight to bring down the god of the contests?
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1. Commander Shephard
2. Richter Belmont
3. Shovel Knight
4. Geno (one of these days, you'll get to draw a non-Nintendo/Square character, sigh)
5. King K. Rool
6. Ezio
7. Claire
8. Dragonborn
9. Garrus
10. Ramza
11. Lloyd Irving
12. Joker (should be stronger than this now, but not before Smash reveal)
13. CCHHHHRRRIIIIIISSSSSS
14. Riku
15. Shulk
16. Metal Sonic
17. Miles Edgewroth
18. Ellie
19. Velvet
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Also who is Steve?

The player character of Minecraft.
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HaRRicH posted...

_SecretSquirrel posted...

This is going to be quite a bizarre scenario if such a nomination rally ends up mirroring Zelda/Sheik in Smash, where the two characters (personas is a better word, identities perhaps?) were the same for a while, but then in one installment, they end up being split into two slots for good.

How bizarre was it with Siegfried and Nightmare in Soul Calibur? We saw them in the same contest in 2008, and in 2011 they were even in the same matches together as rivals.

Well, this is a question that I don't have an answer to, because I am not familar with the storyline of the Soul Calibur series.

However, I have played Ocarina of Time and my memory of that game is that Sheik isn't really a separate character, but merely Zelda in disguise. Keeping with the Smash theme and remembering what happened in the Subspace Emissary, would you consider The Ancient Minister and R.O.B. to be separate characters?
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This is going to be quite a bizarre scenario if such a nomination rally ends up mirroring Zelda/Sheik in Smash, where the two characters (personas is a better word, identities perhaps?) were the same for a while, but then in one installment, they end up being split into two slots for good.
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I'm nominating Tetra.
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Weapon durability is a decent mechanic for an open world sandbox, but BOTW's ludicriously fragile swords with no method of repairing or extending their shelf life was brutal. All it did was have me actively avoiding combat in fear of all my gear not last through the fights and getting stuck fighting with Korok leafs and torches.
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AxemRedRanger posted...

Some voters like chaos, rallies, upsets, and/or just making people mad, that's why!

Draven and Undertale's contest wins also likely inspired a few contest followers to check their games out that probably wouldn't have done so otherwise.

Even if these characters had a 100% rate of disapproval on Board 8 (and they don't, sans is actually really awesome), it's important to note that there are more registered users that remember Draven and Undertale but don't necessarily come here.
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Man, Pittoo is actually a really cool character, even if Kid Icarus: Uprising is a bit over represented in Smash.
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charmander6000 posted...

Nanis23 posted...

Sans and Draven so high
Fuck the registered voters, what did they try to accomplish with this?

To be fair, winning a GameFAQs contest is worth a lot more on this site than their games ever would.

Yeah, this is literally the people who remembered Draven and Undertale's runs in previous contests and voted for them based on them. The casual traffic skewed closer to the normal percentage these characters would have scored without those events happening.
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Ulti_PCA posted...

_SecretSquirrel posted...

Something that was missed in the Ike vs. Pheonix match is that it was the first time the GameFAQs double vote flipped a result, and that leads me to the true conclusion of the match. Phoenix Wright is the pride and joy of Board 8, here's our mascot, he's the icon of the Board 8 wiki. The GameFAQs Contest forum is one of the biggest hubs of Ace Attorney fans on the internet, certainly the biggest one not to be an actual Ace Attorney fansite or subreddit.

As such, I would never take Phoenix Wright to lose to anyone not solidly above his level, because the place dedicated to GameFAQs Contests themselves will always his back in a close one brackets be damned.

I'm intentionally avoiding talking about that double vote garbage. 8pm and forcing people to vote in every poll is really enough of an anti-rally measure. Double voting for registered users is really, really stupid.

I get the feeling the real purpose of the double registered voters was to actually make vote totals look better than they actually are, moreso than as an anti-rally measure.

But this is one of the few times I think it's actually worth discussing as any sort of factor, simply because Board 8 itself decided the match thanks to our votal inflation. Even the other two or three matches where the registered voter bonus made the difference weren't quite this derivative of a specific Board 8 preference. But Phoenix fucking Wright? That was entirely just this portion of the GameFAQs community. Hell, this was one of the few times any Nintendo 1st party character lost this advantage to a third party character at all. Ike would have normally pulled away even further against any other opponent, but instead it caused him to choke.
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MetalmindStats posted...

As for Mario RPG vs. Super Metroid, I still don't think that would be all that close. You say that the two games looked similar in 2015, but comparing bandwagon-less Mario RPG to Super Metroid, you get 55% on Oblivion vs. 49% on Majora's Mask. That makes me quite skeptical, but I suppose it would be difficult to devise a more interesting matchup for Super Metroid - maybe Mario 3, but even then, I'm not confident Super Metroid would be able to stand up to it.

Super Metroid is an a bit of an akward place in the 2015 xstats. It's a bit below FF6 (which is where I'm drawing the line between elite and upper-midcard), but it's still decently above Mario RPG and everything else, making it a statistical island on its own. If it's really that strong, it's actually more likely it gives FF6 a match, which is one of the reasons I'd probably switch Divisions 2 and 3 to give the upset a chance.

However, there's still a lot of merit in testing its floor as well, because its path in 2015 went through the sequence of LttP > Majora > Super Metroid. If it's being overvalued at all due to any SFF weirdness (LTTP vs. Majora also followed Undertale vs. RBY which is believed to have favored Majora), it could now be in range of being upset by Mario RPG or Castlevania SotN.
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Something that was missed in the Ike vs. Pheonix match is that it was the first time the GameFAQs double vote flipped a result, and that leads me to the true conclusion of the match. Phoenix Wright is the pride and joy of Board 8, here's our mascot, he's the icon of the Board 8 wiki. The GameFAQs Contest forum is one of the biggest hubs of Ace Attorney fans on the internet, certainly the biggest one not to be an actual Ace Attorney fansite or subreddit.

As such, I would never take Phoenix Wright to lose to anyone not solidly above his level, because the place dedicated to GameFAQs Contests themselves will always his back in a close one brackets be damned.
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AxemRedRanger posted...

So I thought of some snubs not previously mentioned:
-Harvest Moon 64 probably trumps original Harvest Moon? Did anyone actually play the latter back in the day? That release date in the U.S. and Europe was brutally late for a SNES game. Never played anything in this franchise myself but I'd figure 64 is actually the nostalgic game here and the original is the one people tried later after enjoying other games in the series, and, based on gamefaqs average rating, probably didn't like quite as much. (Also, neither one is beating Starcraft)
-Not sure it'd be much stronger but Breath of Fire III is way more likely to make a bracket than II. Just considerably more people out there who swear by III to this day as one of their favorite PS1 games than would do the same for either SNES BoF.
-Super Punch-Out is a pretty good, sorta-well known game in a Nintendo franchise. It doesn't quite have the notoriety of its older brother and I don't think it's outright loved by many so it making the bracket might be dubious but it might make not-terrible filler. And hey, it's on the SNES Classic
-Terranigma never got a U.S. release despite an official English translation and it's kind of notorious for it but the game is very well-regarded and is the kind of niche SNES RPG thing I could see making the bracket, especially with Dragon Quest V and Seiken Densetsu 3 in there. It'd of course be really weak if it actually got in!

Now when it came for the more foddery games, I tried to go with as much diversity as possible, and tried not to rely on a weaker series for more than one entrant. This is where nomination data would really come in handy in deciding which particular entries of a series would make the contest (such as Crash 2 vs. 3 or BoF 2 vs. 3), and which ones didn't, and of course I am going to have some blind spots in these series I just haven't played. Terranigma is one of them, and I probably sub it in for SD3 since Secret of Mana is representing that series, in a winnable match no less. Super Punch Out might be a decent entry, but I've already got a few games on the snub list that deserve the representation more.
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Now that I have ngamer's thoughts on the bracket, I can do some final thoughts before letting it purge.

The tiers are pretty similar to the first thing I laid out in the planning stage. I actually have a Noble 9 of sorts that I think won't lose to anything else.

Ocarina of Time
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Pokemon
Mario World
Mario 3
Mario 64
Link to the Past
Final Fantasy VI

In fact, these are the top 9 in the adjusted x-stats for 2015, with Majora's Mask being the first ineligible game as #10. Super Metroid is the next 90s game in the stats, and it's fairly ahead of Mario RPG, and then you have MGS, MMX, Castlevania, FF8, and Goldeneye all fairly close to each other.

I went with Division 2 being the battle of the upper-midcard, with Mario RPG and Super Metroid being the clear favorites of the division (Metroid looked a little stronger in 2015, but you can't count out Mario RPG's dual Square/Nintendo heritage at all), and there's a few other games that can play spoiler here. SotN vs. Super Metroid in the battle of Metroidvanias would be interesting if it happened (Goldeneye still landed really close to SOTN last time around, and it has done it before), and there's a few contest nostalgia moments in there as well. Street Fighter II is a bit of a wildcard simply because it missed 2015, and if it can still keep it close to Mario RPG in the rematch... Even Sonic 2 (because you know a Sonic game will be a one seed in a 90s bracket) might be due an overperformance here when you consider "Smart Voter FAQs" likely considering Sonic a product of the 90s, especially if it gets the match with Mario RPG, and if nothing else, it's casual bait there as a one seed for casuals to overestimate.

There are two aspects of BGE3 that I decided were worth doing again, and the obvious one is the Mario/Pokemon showdowns, but I rearranged it slightly so that Pokemon would hit the two games it didn't get the chance to face first, and then put Mario 3 at the end of the gauntlet, avoiding the rematch unless Pokemon actually makes it, and then you've at least got Pokemon RBY vs. Mario 3 part 2 much later in the bracket (bracket will likely be two matches per day, for one) and with the context of Pokemon beating the other entries earlier in the bracket, which might cause the rematch to go in a bit different direction.

The other was keeping Ocarina away from the likes of FF7, Chrono Trigger, and Pokemon until the finals. Those are the only three games I can see pulling the big upset, but I really think they have a better shot in the context of the contest finals with everything at stake, as opposed to bonus. I'm not really fond of taking games out of the bracket, especially CT which hasn't won a contest, and we always see those late rounds looking a little weird, so I'd rather use the second half of the bracket to crown a decisive number 2 game, and hope it can give Ocarina a close match in the finals.

Meanwhile, I set up Ocarina against LTTP in the semis so I wouldn't risk a Zelda vs. Zelda finals, and then let the winner of the Super Metroid/Castlevania/Mario RPG/Goldeneye/SF2/Sonic 2 division run into Ocarina hoping it might turn a few voters against the Zelda always wins train in the quarter finals. I might actually switch those two divisions around in a Version 2 bracket so that LttP draws Ocarina in the quarter finals while the stacked Super Metroid/Castlevania/Mario RPG/Goldeneye/SF2/Sonic 2 winner draws Ocarina in the semis, so that match is a bit fresher in people's minds heading into the finals.
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I wonder if Allen would accept Tetra as an entrant.
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1. GLaDOS
2. The Boss
3. L-Block
4. Master Chief
5. Revolver Ocelot
6. Albert Wesker
7. Lightning
8. Master Hand
9. Nathan Drake
10. Isaac
11. Lucina
12. King Dedede
13. Captain Toad
14. Bomberman
15. KOS-MOS

Surprisingly, I feel like I undervalued the Nintendo section of fodder here, but I also wouldn't feel comfortable putting them above any of the characters above them save the Hand.
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Hope this is just a speedbump in the road, dude.
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GuessMyUserName posted...

Alright I finally uploaded the 2 replays of me and my brother destroying poor souls with assist trophies

I'm amazed anyone actually managed to upload footage of Smash considering how clunky the interface for that is. Can't even seem to rewind/FF going through the replays.
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Rallyfear in general was mentioned as a turd of the contest, was it not?

Draven doesn't really deserve the decency of even standing in this contest as a lone turd, though it does put him into exclusive territory as the only character to place both first and last in a Character Battle.
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The only current console I own is the Switch, so it's Smash.

Did receive $20 in eShop money for Christmas, so I might have to give Celeste a shot since people are crazy talking about it.
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Dels posted...

I definitely pronounce it "Bee-eight-ers"

I would just say Board 8 ers even if I was typing B8ers.
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ZeroSignal620 posted...

Couple of things worth noting here though...

- Gunstar Heroes is in there twice. Assuming you meant to put Guardian Heroes in one of those 2 spots
- Warcraft II is Tides of Darkness

Yeah, Im already aware of double Gunstar Heroes. You could replace it with any fodder game of your choice, though I used Tecmo Super Bowl in my master spreadsheet.

Also, I added full game names as one of the last things I did and it was late at night, so I must have goofed Warcraft II.
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"Almost Christmas" means it wasn't Christmas!
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Tag for later
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Frog vs. Master Chief 2004
Solid Snake vs. Frog 2004
Mario vs. Samus 2005
Mario vs. Samus 2018 Losers
Chrono Trigger vs. Final Fantasy X 2015
Metal Gear Solid 3 vs. Super Mario RPG 2015
Starcraft vs. Wind Waker 2004
Starcraft vs. Super Smash Bros. Melee 2004
Jill Valentine vs. Ryu Hayabusa 2004
Undertale vs. Pokemon RBY 2015
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I've really enjoyed taking up Palutena in the last two Smashes. She's not the easiest character to pick up, but there's very few things as rewarding as watching people air dodge into her Up Smash after baiting them in with her projectiles.
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No Mercy is probably second or third on my list of favorite games from GotD.

Why anyone thought it was beating Fire Emblem: PoR is beyond me though.
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I guess it shall be a Christmas miracle.
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handsomeboy2012 posted...

When TheStupidRaptor first showed up on this board I thought he was just a troll, but with all these walls of text it is actually a serious rant. Either that or he has way too much time on his hands.

If he's just trolling, then it's a pretty damn elaborate scheme across numerous Internet communities, including Board 8, the Xenoblade subreddit, the Xenoblade GameFAQs forum, and he also tried rallying Last of Us and Kingdom Hearts subreddits during KOS-MOS's fourpack.

I'd sooner believe it's a real person with a raging hateboner.
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1. Captain Falcon
2. Simon
3. Phoenix (I don't know if he should rank this high, but Phoenix won't drop close matches as long as he's Board 8's guy)
4. Pac-Man
5. Ridley
6. Ryu Hayabusa
7. Rosalina
8. Ness
9. Jill
10. Shadow
11. Ike
12. Scorpion
13. Tails
14. Waluigi
15. Zidane
16. Spyro
17. Wario
18. Lara
19. Cecil
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I actually bit on FF7 > RE4 in the BGE 2009 finals, because who the fuck knew four way logic, especially when LttP, OoT, and FF7 were pretty much guaranteed to be three of the four games there, so betting on something from the newer side of the bracket to also sneak its way past the two Zelda games SFFing each other to death wasn't the worst idea in the world, especially when you consider that's how FFX made it there to begin with, riding OoT's coattails past Melee and Pokemon RBY.
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I love how, for once, Board 8 and several sub-Reddits all came together in one moment (actually two moments, because he showed up for KOS-MOS's second round victory) to continuously dunk on TheStupidRaptor.
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and again
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At least stop quoting him so I am wondering why people are talking to themselves, as opposed to actual exposure of his words.
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

Many people called the contest over in Undertale's favor after its Round 1 match but that definitely wasn't the common opinion of Board 8 at the time. Even well into Pokemon vs Undertale, a lot of people were holding out hope that Pokemon could get the job done.

As someone who pulled the trigger on Pokemon > OoT in the finals, if only.
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I remember CJayC having to specify later in the year that "Mass Carriers" isn't a character and wouldn't be eligible for the 2004 Summer Contest.
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My personal highlight was on Smash 3DS where a Villager was attempting to use a bowling ball to edgeguard below, but I threw up Dark Pit's reflector instead of his recovery and it went back at him for the KO.
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CelesMyUserName posted...

Johnbobb posted...

Cybat posted...

Villager's bowling ball

this

so satisfying to land

even more satisfying to pocket

And even more so to reflect.
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Palutena's Up Smash
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I wonder how a contest would have gone prior to the release of Melee. Samus being that strong off of Metroid NES and Super Metroid is insane, so I wonder if she would have been a high midcarder before Melee took its hold on the site.
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Seedings are generally done via nominations, although Allen might alter them slightly for the sake of bracket placement.

I know with Games contests, the on site data from My Games is also used to refine the seeding.
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bumpo
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In a lot of those early games, you actually had to plug in a second controller and select 2-player to even so much as see Luigi. I went through so much of my gaming life barely even seeing the green Mario.
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To be fair, I'm pretty sure Fix It Felix is playable as well. Probably can find an official download on the App Store.
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http://www.gamefaqscontests.com/gallery/albums/sc2k3/sum03b35.jpg

I remember there being a bit of an uproar over Luigi just being "uigi" in the match picture, because CJayC used the L on Luigi's hat as part of Luigi's name.
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A late 2020 start would be fine if we could get another mini-contest in the mix in the meantime. An early 2020 start would be better if it's the next contest to happen.

I would just like to see more contests more often, simply because I think part of the reason votals died is because there were such big gaps between contests (and the space between two of the big gaps was the shitty Rivalry Rumble), so I think having more consistent events going on the front page would help everything in general.
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