Board 8 > So I made a mock Game of the 90s bracket.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

(16) Virtua Fighter

(8) Secret of Mana

(9) Diablo

(5) Earthbound

(12) Sim City 2000

(4) Banjo-Kazooie

(13) Battletoads

(3) StarCraft

(14) Harvest Moon

(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles

(11) Duke Nukem 3D

(7) Mega Man 3

(10) Star Ocean 2: The Second Story

(2) Final Fantasy VIII

(15) NiGHTS Into Dreams

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2

(16) NBA Jam

(8) Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

(9) Metroid II: Return of Samus

(5) Street Fighter II

(12) Quake III: Arena

(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(13) Gunstar Heroes

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

(14) Grim Fandango

(6) Goldeneye 007

(11) Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

(7) Resident Evil

(10) Night Trap

(2) Super Metroid

(15) Metal Slug

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

(16) Superman 64

(8) Parasite Eve

(9) Dragon Quest V

(5) Tomb Raider

(12) Earthworm Jim

(4) Spyro the Dragon

(13) Donkey Kong '94

(3) Final Fantasy Tactics

(14) Sid Meier's Civilization

(6) Fallout 2

(11) System Shock 2

(7) Warcraft II: Reign of Chaos

(10) Suikoden

(2) Mega Man X

(15) Planescape: Torment

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI

(16) Worms: Armaggedon

(8) Streets of Rage 2

(9) Killer Instict

(5) Mortal Kombat

(12) The Simpsons Arcade Game

(4) Mega Man 7

(13) Unreal Tournament

(3) Mario Kart 64

(14) King of Fighters '98

(6) Diddy Kong Racing

(11) Crash Team Racing

(7) Power Stone

(10) Breath of Fire II

(2) Super Smash Bros.

(15) WCW vs. nWo Revenge
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Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger

(16) Full Throttle

(8) Mario Party

(9) Marvel vs. Capcom

(5) Soul Calibur

(12) Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals

(4) Half-Life

(13) Gunstar Heroes

(3) Final Fantasy IV

(14) Wolfenstein 3D

(6) Mega Man Legends

(11) Parappa the Rapper

(7) Xenogears

(10) Silent Hill

(2) Super Mario Kart

(15) Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII

(16) Lemmings

(8) Doom

(9) Star Fox

(5) Resident Evil 3

(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

(4) Crash Bandicoot

(13) Donkey Kong 64

(3) Super Castlevania IV

(14) Panzer Dragoon Saga

(6) Kirby Super Star

(11) Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete

(7) Suikoden II

10) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

(15) Seiken Densetsu 3

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3

(16) Ski Free

(8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1

(9) Mega Man X4

(5) Resident Evil 2

(12) Donkey Kong Country

(4) Final Fantasy V

(13) Myst

(3) Star Fox 64

(14) Gran Turismo

(6) Grand Theft Auto

(11) Shining Force 2

(7) F-Zero

(10) Twisted Metal 2

(2) Metal Gear Solid

(15) RollerCoaster Tycoon

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow

(16) Pokemon Pinball

(8) Mortal Kombat 2

(9) Tekken 3

(5) Donkey Kong Country 2

(12) Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island

(13) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

(3) Super Mario 64

(14) Baldur's Gate

(6) Sonic Adventure

(11) Rayman

(7) Final Fantasy I

(10) Fallout 1

(2) Super Mario World

(15) The Secret of Monkey Island

Seeding doesn't really have much of a basis on anything, other than Games that did well in 2015 are in the higher seeds, and then notable games from 2009 were generally next. Games choice was heavily based on anything that made past contests, and even the stuff that was in Years 2017 match pics. More emphasis was put on setting up later round matches.
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My predictions, with bold for close matches (winner likely under 55%), and some of my interspersed comments:

Round 1:

Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(8) Secret of Mana
(5) Earthbound
(4) Banjo-Kazooie
(3) StarCraft
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
(7) Mega Man 3
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(9) Metroid II: Return of Samus
(5) Street Fighter II
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(6) Goldeneye 007
(7) Resident Evil (surprise blowout of the contest right here)
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (I bet Superman 64 comfortably breaks 10% here on joke votes alone)
(9) Dragon Quest V (My favoritism's speaking here; Parasite Eve deserves to be the favorite)
(5) Tomb Raider (I would like to see Earthworm Jim win here, but the brand name probably carries just enough weight)
(4) Spyro the Dragon
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(6) Fallout 2
(10) Suikoden
(2) Mega Man X (Underseeded Planescape could have actually won a match elsewhere, alas)

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(8) Streets of Rage 2
(5) Mortal Kombat (I guess? This would be a good test of how much brand names mean)
(4) Mega Man 7
(3) Mario Kart 64
(6) Diddy Kong Racing
(10) Breath of Fire II
(2) Super Smash Bros.

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(9) Marvel vs. Capcom
(5) Soul Calibur (This could be close, but Lufia II is probably too niche even on GameFAQs to make it so.)
(4) Half-Life (See above.)
(3) Final Fantasy IV
(6) Mega Man Legends
(7) Xenogears
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(8) Doom (Again my favoritism's speaking here; Star Fox probably wins due to its series)
(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (I guess? Isn't RE3 the distinct black sheep out of the first three?)
(4) Crash Bandicoot
(3) Super Castlevania IV
(6) Kirby Super Star
(7) Suikoden II
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3 (Its opponent is the one game in your bracket I hadn't heard of before, so blowout city?)
(8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1
(12) Donkey Kong Country
(4) Final Fantasy V
(3) Star Fox 64
(11) Shining Force 2 (No one cares about the original GTA)
(7) F-Zero (When in doubt, Nintendo > not-Nintendo, and probably by a commanding margin)
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow (Or maybe this would be the blowout of the contest instead?)
(8) Mortal Kombat 2 (Tekken 3 strikes me as the more respected game, but the more relevant series should take it here)
(5) Donkey Kong Country 2
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island
(3) Super Mario 64
(6) Sonic Adventure
(7) Final Fantasy I
(2) Super Mario World

Round 2 and on will be in another post.
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Round 2:

Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(5) Earthbound
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Poor GoldenEye. First it misses a 7-seed, then it gets shafted in Round 2. For all that, this would probably at least be close.)
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(4) Spyro the Dragon
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(4) Mega Man 7
(3) Mario Kart 64
(2) Super Smash Bros.

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(5) Soul Calibur
(3) Final Fantasy IV
(2) Super Mario Kart (This could be surprisingly close, or SMK could prove itself a real, 2009-style contender.)

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (This fourpack is a whole load of confusion.)
(3) Super Castlevania IV
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(12) Donkey Kong Country
(3) Star Fox 64
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island (Another bias pick, though I do think Yoshi's Island is the slight favorite here regardless.)
(3) Super Mario 64
(2) Super Mario World

Round 3:

Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(2) Super Metroid (This could be close, but Super Metroid definitely isn't dropping the ball here.)

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(2) Super Smash Bros. (SSB isn't losing this in the year of Smash Ultimate.)

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(3) Super Mario 64

Rounds 4 and on:

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(2) Super Metroid (See my comment on Super Metroid's previous match, only Mario + Square + JRPG makes me more confident that SMRPG can look good here.)
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(1) Final Fantasy VI
(1) Chrono Trigger
(1) Final Fantasy VII
(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(3) Super Mario 64

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(1) Chrono Trigger
(3) Super Mario 64

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(1) Chrono Trigger

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Overall, I like the look of your bracket. It's got some cool choices like Earthworm Jim and a good amount of contentious matches/match set-ups.
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Gunstar Heroes is in your bracket twice

Paratroopa1 posted...

Gunstar Heroes is in your bracket twice

Damn, I thought I weeded out all the duplicates, but at least it's among the fodder. If I decide to archive it on the Wiki or something, I can replace on of them with Tecmo Super Bowl.
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MetalmindStats posted...

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Poor GoldenEye. First it misses a 7-seed, then it gets shafted in Round 2. For all that, this would probably at least be close.)

Goldeneye vs. SOTN is actually a rematch from the original games contest in one of the more contested fourpacks of that contest. Goldeneye took that one easily back then, but it looked like this result would probably flip today, and I thought both games were set up nicely for the one division with no real favorite. SMRPG vs. Street Fighter II was also set up in this division as a nod to the past.
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Looks cool, I'll pred this if it stays alive long enough (going to do Metamind's first though as I promised!)
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_SecretSquirrel posted...

MetalmindStats posted...

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Poor GoldenEye. First it misses a 7-seed, then it gets shafted in Round 2. For all that, this would probably at least be close.)

Goldeneye vs. SOTN is actually a rematch from the original games contest in one of the more contested fourpacks of that contest. Goldeneye took that one easily back then, but it looked like this result would probably flip today, and I thought both games were set up nicely for the one division with no real favorite. SMRPG vs. Street Fighter II was also set up in this division as a nod to the past.

Yeah, I noticed the SMRPG vs. SF2 bit, but I forgot that GoldenEye vs. SotN was also a 2004 match! Personally, I think Super Metroid's the pretty clear favorite in that division after its 2015 results and Samus's CBX results, but it's not guaranteed by any means.
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I'd be interesting in hearing about any snubs for this contest. I really tried to dig deep to get interesting, diverse fodder instead of just milking the SNES, Genesis, N64, and PSX dry. A lot of interesting stuff from the Arcades, the Game Boy, the PC, the Saturn, the first months of the Dreamcast's lfie, and even the NES's final days.
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Here's some potential snubs I can think of, in a few different categories (and trying to avoid repetitive entries in certain series):

Games that would (probably) both make the bracket and fare well in it (arguably the only true snubs):
- Crash Bandicoot: Warped (I think it's generally considered the best Crash game, so I would expect to see it, likely over Crash 2)
- Castlevania III
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Probably the biggest of these snubs, it could easily win two matches with favorable bracket placement.)

Games that would (probably) make the bracket, but not necessarily fare well:
- Dragon Warrior / Quest III
- Phantasy Star IV
- Crystalis
- Heroes of Might and Magic III
- Mischief Makers
- Bomberman 64
- Pokmon Snap
- Dance Dance Revolution (The biggest snub by impact alone.)

And all the other potential snubs, games that wouldn't necessarily either make the bracket or fare well in it, but are worth noting anyways:
- Civilization II (The more polished and refined version of the original Civ, and arguably the one that's stood the test of time.)
- Dr. Mario
- River City Ransom
- Star Wars: TIE Fighter
- Pilotwings 64
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Dune II
- Command & Conquer
- Kirby's Adventure
- Disney's Aladdin (Choose one of the SNES or Genesis versions - either works as a snub, and both could easily win a match.)
- Day of the Tentacle
- Darkstalkers
- Quake
- Unreal Tournament
- Counter-Strike (Assuming mods count for determining release dates.)
- EverQuest
- Tekken 2
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Kirby's Adventure, Counter-Strike, and THPS all stand out to me as games that have match-winning potential from your snub list

Oops, I missed Unreal Tournament already being in your bracket. Replace that one with Tetris Attack, then.
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Chrono Trigger would totally beat Ocarina of Time
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I thought I checked Castlevania III, but it's a case where searching GameFAQs database and the overview says 89, but you click for the US release and it says September 1990.

TMNT: Turtles in Time is definitely in the category of "how the hell did I miss that?" Same with Pokemon Snap, especially since I used Pokemon Pinball for the sake of going for a blowout record (granted, it's there to represent the Game Boy Color).

DDR and Phantasy Star IV are more surprising in that they have made contests before, so I must have missed them when I looked at the 2004 bracket.
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bumpo
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Crystalis, DQ3, and River City Ransom are also notable as games from BGE2.
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MetalmindStats posted...

Crystalis, DQ3, and River City Ransom are also notable as games from BGE2.

I actually had Crystalis and RCR as I was compiling my list, but I ended up dropping them as I was starting to make tough decisions about which games to keep, and the fact that they barely qualify for the time period and the fact that they have had their day in past contests made them relatively disposable.

Speaking of which, aside from the obvious Superman 64, Ski Free, and Pokemon Pinball, does anything seem like it could go?
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Night Trap is the only other game that looks totally out of place to me, though I was also surprised to see Power Stone with such a high seed.
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MetalmindStats posted...

Night Trap is the only other game that looks totally out of place to me, though I was also surprised to see Power Stone with such a high seed.

I choose Night Trap because it has huge historical value, added the Sega CD to the list of consoles represented, and it had a recent re-release on all platforms this year, which would probably be enough to get it into the field if this contest had been done this year.

You are probably right about Power Stone given that Soul Calibur and Sonic Adventure are probably enough Dreamcast representation, and it sure wouldn't get a 7 seed.
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Why is Final Fantasy 1 in the bracket?
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azuarc posted...

Why is Final Fantasy 1 in the bracket?

Because GameFAQs will use NA release dates whenever possible, and FF1 was released in 1990. It's consistent with BGE 2009's division by eras and the Years contest.
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azuarc posted...

Why is Final Fantasy 1 in the bracket?

Just like with GotD, I assume a game of the 90s bracket would be based on North American release dates, and so that makes FF1 eligible.

Oh, ninja'd.
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bumpo
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Did it really come out that late? The JP version was '87.
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azuarc posted...

Did it really come out that late? The JP version was '87.

Yep. It doesn't make any sense until you consider Dragon Quest, which was released in '86 in Japan but '89 in NA (as Dragon Warrior, of course). It took time for DQ to really take off and turn into something that they saw as worth localizing overseas, and it wasn't until DW had modest success that they decided to bring over FF a year later.

http://www.gamefaqscontests.com/gallery/albums/bestyear/r1_1990.jpg

This is actually what made me realize it was eligible for this hypothetical contest.
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Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(8) Secret of Mana

(5) Earthbound
(4) Banjo-Kazooie

(3) StarCraft
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles

(7) Mega Man 3
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(8) Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

(5) Street Fighter II
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(6) Goldeneye 007

(7) Resident Evil
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(9) Dragon Quest V

(5) Tomb Raider
(4) Spyro the Dragon

(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(6) Fallout 2

(7) Warcraft II: Reign of Chaos
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(8) Streets of Rage 2

(5) Mortal Kombat
(4) Mega Man 7

(3) Mario Kart 64
(6) Diddy Kong Racing

(7) Power Stone
(2) Super Smash Bros.

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(9) Marvel vs. Capcom

(5) Soul Calibur
(4) Half-Life

(3) Final Fantasy IV
(6) Mega Man Legends

(7) Xenogears
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(9) Star Fox

(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
(4) Crash Bandicoot

(3) Super Castlevania IV
(6) Kirby Superstar

10) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1

(5) Resident Evil 2
(4) Final Fantasy V

(3) Star Fox 64
(6) Grand Theft Auto

(7) F-Zero
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(8) Mortal Kombat 2

(5) Donkey Kong Country 2
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island

(3) Super Mario 64
(6) Sonic Adventure

(7) Final Fantasy I
(2) Super Mario World

Went pretty cookie cutter for the most part in round 1.

Division 1

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(5) Earthbound

(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(4) Spyro the Dragon

(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(5) Mortal Kombat

(3) Mario Kart 64
(2) Super Smash Bros.

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(4) Half-Life

(3) Final Fantasy IV
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

(6) Kirby Superstar
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(5) Resident Evil 2

(3) Star Fox 64
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(5) Donkey Kong Country 2

(3) Super Mario 64
(2) Super Mario World

Round 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(2) Super Metroid

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(2) Super Smash Bros.

(1) Chrono Trigger
(3) Final Fantasy IV

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(2) Metal Gear Solid

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(2) Super Mario World

Sweet Sixteen
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(2) Super Metroid

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(1) Final Fantasy VI

(1) Chrono Trigger
(1) Final Fantasy VII

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(2) Super Mario World

Elite Eight
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

(1) Chrono Trigger
(2) Super Mario World

Final Four
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(1) Chrono Trigger

Finals
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

bumpo
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(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(9) Diablo

(5) Earthbound
(4) Banjo-Kazooie

(3) StarCraft
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles

(7) Mega Man 3
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(9) Metroid II: Return of Samus

(5) Street Fighter II
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(6) Goldeneye 007

(7) Resident Evil
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(9) Dragon Quest V

(5) Tomb Raider
(13) Donkey Kong '94

(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(6) Fallout 2

(7) Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(9) Killer Instinct

(5) Mortal Kombat
(4) Mega Man 7

(3) Mario Kart 64
(11) Crash Team Racing

(10) Breath of Fire II
(2) Super Smash Bros

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(8) Mario Party

(5) Soul Calibur
(4) Half-Life

(3) Final Fantasy IV
(6) Mega Man Legends

(7) Xenogears
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(9) Star Fox

(12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
(4) Crash Bandicoot

(3) Super Castlevania IV
(6) Kirby Super Star

10) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1

(5) Resident Evil 2
(4) Final Fantasy V

(3) Star Fox 64
(6) Grand Theft Auto

(7) F-Zero
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(8) Mortal Kombat 2

(5) Donkey Kong Country 2
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island

(3) Super Mario 64
(6) Sonic Adventure

(7) Final Fantasy I
(2) Super Mario World
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Round 2 and onward

(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(4) Banjo-Kazooie

(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(13) Donkey Kong '94

(3) Final Fantasy Tactics
(2) Mega Man X

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(4) Mega Man 7

(3) Mario Kart 64
(2) Super Smash Bros

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(5) Soul Calibur

(3) Final Fantasy IV
(2) Super Mario Kart

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(4) Crash Bandicoot

(6) Kirby Super Star
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(4) Final Fantasy V

(3) Star Fox 64
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island

(3) Super Mario 64
(2) Super Mario World
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(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(2) Final Fantasy VIII

Division 2

(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
(2) Super Metroid

Division 3

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics

Division 4

(1) Final Fantasy VI
(2) Super Smash Bros

Division 5

(1) Chrono Trigger
(3) Final Fantasy IV

Division 6

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing

Division 7

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(2) Metal Gear Solid

Division 8

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
(3) Super Mario 64
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(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(2) Super Smash Bros

(1) Chrono Trigger
(1) Final Fantasy VII

(1) Super Mario Bros 3
(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
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(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

(1) Final Fantasy VII
(1) Super Mario Bros 3

OoT > LttP
FF7 > SMB3

OoT > FF7
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bumpo
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and again
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Alright I'll pred this bad boy IF it's still alive on Christmas Day!
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I guess it shall be a Christmas miracle.
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"Almost Christmas" means it wasn't Christmas!
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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
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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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Alright let's DO THIS. As I discussed on The Show I'm in favor of turning former Champs into post-Contest Boss Battles for everything except the Everyone Is Here! super-contests going forward (All Fictional and BGE Ultimate), but I'm sure this will be a fine bracket even with FF7 and OoT included.

Division 1
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (16) Virtua Fighter
(8) Secret of Mana > (9) Diablo - very down on the chances for older PC games in the near future, especially Blizzard
(5) Earthbound > (12) Sim City 2000
(4) Banjo-Kazooie > (13) Battletoads - could make for some entertaining memes though, to be sure!
(14) Harvest Moon > (3) StarCraft - again, hard to trust Blizzard against Nintendo nostalgia these days
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles > (11) Duke Nukem 3D
(7) Mega Man 3 > (10) Star Ocean 2: The Second Story
(2) Final Fantasy VIII - (15) NiGHTS Into Dreams

Division 2
(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 > (16) NBA Jam
(9) Metroid II: Return of Samus > (8) Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - I'm thinking the Crash resurgence this year was more Icon Factor than Remastered Collection Fever
(5) Street Fighter II > (12) Quake III: Arena
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars > (13) Gunstar Heroes
(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night > (14) Grim Fandango
(6) Goldeneye 007 > (11) Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - yikes, brutal draw for poor Turok (not that it would win pretty much anywhere)
(7) Resident Evil > (10) Night Trap
(2) Super Metroid > (15) Metal Slug

Division 3
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past > (16) Superman 64 - I'm bullish on the N64 in a 90s Contest, but this upset might be sliiiiiightly out of reach
(8) Parasite Eve > (9) Dragon Quest V - uhhhh no idea on this one
(5) Tomb Raider > (12) Earthworm Jim - Jim would have done well in 2018's environment but I think the reboot and movie series keeps Lara more relevant
(4) Spyro the Dragon > (13) Donkey Kong '94 - I'll pick this if the R1 pic is box art, if it's just a generic picture of DK though I'd swap and bank on enough voters to confuse it for the OTHER DK game from 1994
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics > (14) Sid Meier's Civilization
(6) Fallout 2 > (11) System Shock 2 - respect/importance voting will be a factor in this format but I still trust the bigger series name overall
(10) Suikoden > (7) Warcraft II: Reign of Chaos - basically never trusting Warcraft or GTA again
(2) Mega Man X > (15) Planescape: Torment

Division 4
(1) Final Fantasy VI > (16) Worms: Armaggedon
(9) Killer Instinct > (8) Streets of Rage 2
(5) Mortal Kombat > (12) The Simpsons Arcade Game - love Simpsons nostalgia as an x-factor but it drew such a tough opponent
(4) Mega Man 7 > (13) Unreal Tournament
(3) Mario Kart 64 > (14) King of Fighters '98
(6) Diddy Kong Racing > (11) Crash Team Racing - I do like this funny go-cart setup, for the record, but I think they'll all be blowouts
(10) Breath of Fire II > (7) Power Stone
(2) Super Smash Bros. > (15) WCW vs. nWo Revenge - only a Hulk Hogan tweet could save the day!

Division 5
(1) Chrono Trigger > (16) Full Throttle
(9) Marvel vs. Capcom > (8) Mario Party - rarely betting against Nintendo for future Contests but this reminds me too much of MvC > New Mario. plus people are still bitter over their destroyed controllers
(5) Soul Calibur > (12) Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals
(4) Half-Life > (13) Gunstar Heroes - Valve's fallen, but not THIS far
(3) Final Fantasy IV > (14) Wolfenstein 3D
(6) Mega Man Legends > (11) Parappa the Rapper - nostalgia might keep this close though?
(7) Xenogears > (10) Silent Hill - ouch poor SH, could have done well elsewhere
(2) Super Mario Kart > (15) Command & Conquer: Red Alert


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Division 6
(1) Final Fantasy VII > (16) Lemmings
(8) Doom > (9) Star Fox - close, I'd go the other way for SF64
(5) Resident Evil 3 > (12) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
(4) Crash Bandicoot > (13) Donkey Kong 64 - probably my favorite R1 match, think 64 has too much of a Black Sheep of the family vibe (see also: Mario Sunshine) to win a match but maybe I'm wrong
(3) Super Castlevania IV > (14) Panzer Dragoon Saga
(6) Kirby Super Star > (11) Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
(7) Suikoden II > (10) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing > (15) Seiken Densetsu 3

Division 7
(1) Super Mario Bros 3 > (16) Ski Free
(8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1 > (9) Mega Man X4 - generally I lean MM > Sonic (as I picked in Series) but I bet the series falls off in strength after X
(12) Donkey Kong Country > (5) Resident Evil 2 - jeepers poor RE2, strongest low seed in the bracket here!
(4) Final Fantasy V > (13) Myst
(3) Star Fox 64 > (14) Gran Turismo
(6) Grand Theft Auto > (11) Shining Force 2 - promised I wouldn't trust WarCraft or GTA but this matchup makes it difficult...
(7) F-Zero > (10) Twisted Metal 2
(2) Metal Gear Solid > (15) RollerCoaster Tycoon

Division 8
(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow > (16) Pokemon Pinball
(8) Mortal Kombat 2 > (9) Tekken 3 - doubt Tekken wins much of anywhere but this one's brutal
(5) Donkey Kong Country 2 > (12) Star Wars: Rogue Squadron - thinking RS could make noise against weaker non-Nintendo games
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island > (13) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
(3) Super Mario 64 > (14) Baldur's Gate
(6) Sonic Adventure > (11) Rayman
(7) Final Fantasy I > (10) Fallout 1
(2) Super Mario World > (15) The Secret of Monkey Island


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Round Two
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (8) Secret of Mana
(4) Banjo-Kazooie > (5) Earthbound - tough choice; 2B/Bowser redeemed Ness this year but I'm sticking to my guns and backing the N64 in tight ones this bracket
(6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles > (14) Harvest Moon
(2) Final Fantasy VIII - (7) Mega Man 3

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 > (9) Metroid II: Return of Samus
(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars > (5) Street Fighter II - cute rematch, but it would only be more dominating a blowout
(3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night > (6) Goldeneye 007 - 4p multi memories keep GE strong in this format but this is a devastating draw. licensing pitfalls keep it from ever getting a lovingly crafted re-release as SotN has had, putting it in a bad position against a game that has aged like fine wine
(2) Super Metroid > (7) Resident Evil

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past > (8) Parasite Eve
(4) Spyro the Dragon > (5) Tomb Raider - Lara looked good this year but all that character design appeal goes out the window when she has to be made out of lego blocks in the match pic
(3) Final Fantasy Tactics > (6) Fallout 2
(2) Mega Man X > (10) Suikoden

(1) Final Fantasy VI > (9) Killer Instinct
(5) Mortal Kombat > (4) Mega Man 7 - hard choice, I'll side with MK nostalgic with zero confidence
(3) Mario Kart 64 > (6) Diddy Kong Racing - some people still prefer DKR to this day. here's hoping this 90/10 beatdown opens their eyes to the truth
(2) Super Smash Bros. > (10) Breath of Fire II

(1) Chrono Trigger > (9) Marvel vs. Capcom
(5) Soul Calibur > (4) Half-Life - HL SHOULD have this easily, but it'll keep getting antivoted until HL3 wins GotY
(3) Final Fantasy IV > (6) Mega Man Legends
(2) Super Mario Kart > (7) Xenogears - don't bet against memories of battle mode

(1) Final Fantasy VII > (8) Doom
(5) Resident Evil 3 > (4) Crash Bandicoot
(6) Kirby Super Star > (3) Super Castlevania IV - never thought I'd see a Kirby game in R3 but this path seems possible?
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakeneing > (7) Suikoden II

(1) Super Mario Bros 3 > (8) Sonic the Hedgehog 1 - Sega does what Nintendon't: go out in Round Two
(12) Donkey Kong Country > (4) Final Fantasy V - the miracle run continues! (don't have anything else below a 6 seed still alive)
(3) Star Fox 64 > (6) Grand Theft Auto
(2) Metal Gear Solid > (7) F-Zero

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow > (8) Mortal Kombat 2
(4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island > (5) Donkey Kong Country 2 - probably these two are close in strength, but hierarchy rules the day head to head
(3) Super Mario 64 > (6) Sonic Adventure
(2) Super Mario World > (7) Final Fantasy I - FF1 could probably threaten some other R2 opponents but that's okay, the series will still be very well represented in R3


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Awesome bracket! You have given a lot of non-Nintendo/Square games a chance at getting to at least round 3, which is GREAT!

But I think it would be REALLY awesome if you could have an entire fourth of a bracket that has no Nintendo or Square games whatsoever... or, at least, no Nintendo/Square games that have any shot at winning, as we wouldn't want another situation similar to SMRPG in the last game contest!

For example, maybe we could combine most of those various four-packs into one-fourth of the bracket....

Division 7 Example
StarCraft
Harvest Moon

Sonic 3 & Knuckles
(Duke Nukem 3D

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
NBA Jam

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Metroid II: Return of Samus

F-Zero
Twisted Metal 2

Metal Gear Solid
RollerCoaster Tycoon

Tomb Raider
Earthworm Jim

Spyro the Dragon
Donkey Kong '94

Division 8 Example
Warcraft II: Reign of Chaos
Suikoden

Mega Man X
Planescape: Torment

Mortal Kombat
The Simpsons Arcade Game

Mega Man 7
Unreal Tournament

Soul Calibur
Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals

Half-Life
Gunstar Heroes

Resident Evil 3
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Crash Bandicoot
Donkey Kong 64

Except that seeds would probably be adusted, of course.

Edit: Actually, I'll remove the Goldeneye four-pack, as that game is quasi-Nintendo.
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Round Three
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (4) Banjo-Kazooie
(2) Final Fantasy VIII > (6) Sonic 3 & Knuckles - this is my pick for strongest possible Sonic entrant, but mainline 90s FF still strikes me as untouchable unless you're Nintendo

(4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars > (1) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 90s Square + Nintendo + fond childhood memories = proving its Final Four run was no fluke
(2) Super Metroid > (3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - speaking of aging like fine wine...

(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past > (4) Spyro the Dragon
(2) Mega Man X > (3) Final Fantasy Tactics - I still have respect for Tactics but I like the strongest MM entrant here considering voters will have seen FF on the front page every day for a month by this point and might be a little sick of the series

(1) Final Fantasy VI > (5) Mortal Kombat
(3) Mario Kart 64 > (2) Super Smash Bros. - not having Melee in the bracket is a big deal for Smash 64 IMO, but I like Kart as a biased upset pick (plus voters will compare in their heads and realize it's held up much better)

(1) Chrono Trigger > (5) Soul Calibur
(3) Final Fantasy IV > (2) Super Mario Kart - feel like 64's the more relevant Kart game recently, so I'll avoid the second upset in a row for the series

(1) Final Fantasy VII > (5) Resident Evil 3
(2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening > (6) Kirby Super Star

(1) Super Mario Bros 3 > (12) Donkey Kong Country
(2) Metal Gear Solid > (3) Star Fox 64 - people are down on the MGS series + everyone loved SF64 and the RUMBLE PACK + I promised to take the 64 in close matches... but sorry, this is a bridge too far!

(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow > (4) Super Mario World II: Yoshi's Island - YI won't threaten but should hold up pretty well here, so the x-stats will love it for not advancing into the buzzsaw it would face next round
(3) Super Mario 64 > (2) Super Mario World - they've always been close (ignoring Ocarina beat down matches) and I said I'd favor the 64 in tight ones; sticking with that
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Round Four
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (2) Final Fantasy VIII
(2) Super Metroid > (4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - still love Mario RPG in this format but SM's just too much to handle unless you're named Zelda or FF7
(1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past > (2) Mega Man X
(1) Final Fantasy VI > (3) Mario Kart 64

(1) Chrono Trigger > (3) Final Fantasy IV - this will be a stunning percentage
(1) Final Fantasy VII > (2) Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - great opponent for LA, will look way better than it deserves by drawing this lucky placement
(1) Super Mario Bros 3 > (2) Metal Gear Solid
(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow > (3) Super Mario 64 - feels like a 51/49 kind of match that's decided by how many Pokefans are on the site that day
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Round Five
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (2) Super Metroid
(1) Final Fantasy VI > (1) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past - I've got immense respect for LttP but 6 had a clean win last time, should still be able to sneak by
(1) Chrono Trigger > (1) Final Fantasy VII - I'll go with the upset and pick REVENGE for 2015
(1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow (1) Super Mario Bros 3 - guessing it gets by here slightly easier than against M64 or SMW


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Final Four
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (1) Final Fantasy VI
(1) Chrono Trigger > (1) Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - should be a good one, but without rallies (or unless Pokemon Switch comes out that week) I like CT to continue its run

Grand Finals
(1) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time > (1) Chrono Trigger - CT looked like it had the advantage in 2015, sure, but even if you outperform it in earlier rounds its really difficult to defeat Zelda in a Grand Finals scenario. should be a good one either way though

Overall trends: I think a 90s Contest would put voters in a rose-colored, 14-years-old kind of mental headspace, giving extra oomph to the games they would have pulled down from the shelves when their friends were on the couch at a sleepover. They'll probably be less likely to factor in current trends (like anti-voting Fallout or MGS or Half-Life because gamers are down on the series recently) than they would in a characters or series or GotD environment.

The exception is, maybe SmartVoterFAQs could kick in when faced with two very similar entrants and result in them thinking "which of these held up better?" and casting their vote in that direction. Such as I'm counting on in the Smash 64/Mario Kart 64 matchup.

Overall thoughts: there are great setups all across this bracket, but I can't help feeling we have enough previous data on these games to sort them into fairly clear tiers. Something like

Tier One
Ocarina

Tier Two
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy 7
Pokemon R/B/Y
Super Mario 64
Super Mario World

Tier Three
Mario 3
Final Fantasy 6
Link to the Past
Super Metroid

Tier Four
the rest of Nintendo/Square's heavy hitters
Symphony of the Night
Metal Gear Solid

Tier Five
everything else

Now don't get me wrong- even tier five is still very strong compared to the entrants we'd see in any other kind of restricted Contest. And any matchups within those tiers should be really exciting. But I do think a 90s bracket suffers a bit from so many spots being occupied with those established T2/3 games absolutely trashing weaker competition. With four matches a day it's not such a huge minus, I'm guessing 2 out of the 4 would usually be competitive...

Even so, it's got me leaning toward my initial thought of holding back the former champs to allow more inter-tier matchups in a bracket like this. If it completed the run, that potential CT/FF7 showdown would lose a little of its luster by being a bonus matchup but I still think I'd favor that layout in the interests of making the main bracket more unpredictable.


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Ngamer, I think you MIGHT be confused about which Zelda game FFVI beat in 2015. >_>
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Oh shoot, I looked up the bracket on The Show just a few weeks back so it should have been fresh in my memory, don't know why my brain inserted LttP in the place of Wind Waker today.

Okay in that case I don't count FF6 out entirely but I'd reverse that pick and move LttP into Tier Two. Not TOOOO big a deal since the winner is fed to Ocarina regardless.


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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!
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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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