LogFAQs > #939525766

Division 6 Quarterfinal: (5)Sonic Mania vs (4)Super Meat Boy

(5)Sonic Mania - 16972 [64.84%]
(4)Super Meat Boy - 9202 [35.16%]
Total Votes - 26174
Prediction Percentage - 48.8%

Random bit of trivia -- this was the 8000th poll in GameFAQs history. Not really contest trivia, but hey.

This was one of the most surprising blowouts of the entire contest, and if anyone disagrees with that, just look at the oracle consensus -- Sonic Mania with 52%. Given how good Super Meat Boy looked in round one in beating the absolute tar out of Slay the Spire, how indies were overhyped in this contest, and that Sonic looked like dog shit against Ys 8: Sanctimonious Subtitle, it made sense to hype up Super Meat Boy and think this match would be close. It's also fun rooting for the guru nomination to do well, as we tend to do each contest.

When the poll started and it was clear Sonic Mania was going to beat the holy hell out of Meat Boy in this contest, a lot of people went searching for answers. It was even a big topic on The Show, with Nick giving my favorite explanation on the panel. I'm paraphrasing here, but he said Super Meat Boy is the type of game with enough respect to beat up anything without name recognition, but anything ''with'' name recognition will destroy it.

Okay, makes sense. I think that applies to most of the well-respected indie titles, but Nick is on point. I'm going to go one step further however and call this an SFF match. To understand why, you have to understand all the garbage the Sonic fanbase dealt with between Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast and Sonic Mania: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog#Sales

Wikipedia doesn't even list it all, either. No mention of the terrible spinoffs, like Sonic and the Black Knight. I didn't like Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, but I can't hate on anyone who did. Even if you liked that game, you went '''17 years''' between good games in the Sonic series. For me, it was 20 years. I can't really understate how trashy that series got, guys. You saw it all happen. Just.... Sonic as a werewolf. Sonic 2006. Sonic Heroes. Shadow's entire character. It went on and on and on.

On top of that, the Sonic fanbase isn't known as the ''worst'' fanbase in gaming, but it's very close. It's infested with perverts, incels, furries, weirdos, and just outright losers. A few of these people are even on Board 8, though I won't name any of them as they don't deserve recognition. They're few and far between, but they're here. Trust me. If you want a hint, pay attention to anyone who likes both the Sonic series and the Pokemon series. Odds are you've stumbled across one of these freak shows.

So imagine being me, or one of the millions of people like me that grew up in the 90s. Most people on this site grew up in the 90s, so this won't be hard to imagine for most of you. You're just a regular dude who loved sports, hanging out with friends, playing video games, and the other usual stuff. You see Sonic, one of your favorite characters as a kid, reduced to being a shell of himself. I mean come on, a '''werewolf'''. I mean come on, people. Finally you just bail, because it's clear this series is gone.

But you still like platformers, right? How does one scratch that itch when the Sonic series is dead and gaming is mostly 3D? With indie games and handhelds, of course. Games like Super Meat Boy, Braid, VVVVVV, a litany of Castlevanias on the DS, and so on. This love continues to the present day, too. Don't think Board 8 or this contest hyped up Celeste or Hollow Knight for no reason, or even games that didn't make it like Salt and Sanctuary or Dust: An Elysian Tail.

Then, from almost out of nowhere in 2018, manna from heaven descended upon the earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdSVcgmeOSY

"Hold up, is that Green Hill Zone? Holy crap is that the old school sprites? '''Is that the final boss from Sonic 2??? What in the world??'''"

Of course Sonic Mania SFFd Super Meat Boy into the ground. I'd be shocked if the two games had less than 80% overlap. This was such a huge proud papa moment for me personally, regardless of what happened next round.

By the way, the other main reason I consider this an SFF match is because there are several games that finished above Meat Boy in the stats that I don't think would beat it in a contest match. That's pretty much the SFF hallmark.

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