Board 8 > Game of the Decade: 2010-2019 Contest Analysis Crew - Part 1

(+) Yeah! (+)

CAPS SFF is obviously the cause here
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INSIDE's performance here is so bad that it has to be even weaker than Fortnite. I'm not willing to give DOOM so much credit that it's actually stronger than Horizon. This is clearly more on INSIDE's weakness than DOOM being a juggernaut in waiting.
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I would easily take Doom over Horizon


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DOOM probably IS stronger than Horizon
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LusterSoldier posted...

Multiplayer gaming going up in smoke on this site affects more than just Call of Duty. It means that Overwatch was dead on arrival on this site. Overwatch had no chance to become popular here since so many people weren't willing to try it out because they quit multiplayer gaming or play multiplayer very sparingly these days.

I wonder if less people playing multiplayer makes Super Mario Odyssey more likely to upset Ultimate?
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DOOM would have to be top 10 in the X-Stats for INSIDE not to finish bottom 5 in the X-Stats with this performance.

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Smash seems to be the exception for multiplayer focused games that still maintain relevance on this site. It helps that Smash actually has plenty of single player content for those who aren't interested in multiplayer.
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DOOM is definitely stronger than Horizon. It even has a Switch port!

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Kotetsu534 posted...

Shame the guest today wasn't soom Doom fanatic who just went for it with 90%!

I went the highest with 77%, so unless something crazy happens, I'll be getting the point

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Previous Results: ME2 better hope RE7 has some strength, because it didn't look all that hot in its match. Fallout 4 managed to go big in its victory, which is showing that indie games having strength is the exception, not the rule. Borderlands did pretty much as expected, and Horizon beat down Fortnite in a result that could only happen on GameFAQs. This site skews too old to care about games the kids these days play.

Crew Predictions: 11/12

Next Round Thoughts: Mass Effect 2 has a tough road ahead of it, as Fallout 4 is looking like it'll put up a fight next round. Horizon should be the favorite over Borderlands, though judging strength from fodder beatdowns can be misleading (as we'll see today).

Crew Prediction Challenge:

Moltar: 11
Kleenex: 11
transience: 10
Leonhart: 10
Guest: 9

Crew Accuracy Challenge: Kleenex gets the point for ME2 and Fallout 4, Moltar gets the point for Borderlands 2, and Hbthebattle gets the point for Horizon.

Kleenex: 4
Moltar: 3
Guest: 2 (spooky96, Hbthebattle)
transience: 1
Leonhart: 1

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Round 1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate vs. Tekken 7

Moltars Analysis

Smash is a fighting game.

Moltars Bracket: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Moltars Prediction: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 83%

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transiences Analysis

I feel bad for Tekken 7 here. It's pretty good, or so I'm told. It probably deserves to be here more than SF5, and yet, it's being shoved into a first round match with the consensus #2.

Honestly, that's all I've got here. I don't believe in Smash Ultimate like others do, but that's not going to matter when you put the top fighter on this website up against Tekken. It's going to slay this match hard.

transience's prediction: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 84.44%

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Leonharts Analysis

Not too much to say about this match or probably any match Smash Ultimate has this contest because it feels like it got totally wasted. Theres really nothing in here to challenge it, and then it gets Breath of the Wild right after the division. Ive seen people talking up Odyssey as a potential upset, but I dont trust any Mario game that came out after Mario 64 here. As far as Tekken 7 goes, maybe it can rouse up the contingent of the fighting game fanbase that resents Smash Bros. because its not a real fighting game! Probably not though.

Leonharts Vote: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Leonharts Prediction: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 72.78%
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Kleenexs Analysis

If only this were a contest about which fighting game had the more weird-ass guest characters. By all accounts Tekken 7 is actually a pretty great game, but this is a complete and total mismatch (as most 1v16 matches are). Smash Bros. is the only game in the bracket that has even a minor shot of upending Breath of the Wild, barring a rally. Even that seems pretty far-fetched though. However, until the two of them meet in the semis - and they will - Smash should steamroll all its competition. Its tough to gauge just how high Ultimate can go here, but Tekken certainly feels like the kind of game that can get blown the fuck out.

Kleenexs Prediction: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 80.25%

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Guests Analysis - Sniperdog117

It is once again Sniperdog with a bunch of text.

Oh it is time for one of the favorites to go really far in the contest to have a match! Ultimate is (probably) the strongest Smash game on the site, unless Melee fans feel like rallying. So that should make it one of the strongest games in the contest, right? But for whatever reason, there is this part of me that thinks Ultimate is going to be worth less than I think it is. Like maybe it loses to Skyrim or the TW3. But it is never going to face those games, its facing SMO. And whatever gets out of division 4. Kind of a shame that its path seems predictable, but oh well.

Also Tekken 7 is in this match. Its a fighting game not named Smash on GameFAQs that it going up against Smash, so yet another quadrupling is going to occur in round 1.

Anyway, I decided to look up polls related to Tekken 7 and found this:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6729-which-scheduled-june-release-are-you-most-looking-forward-to

Very funny to see Valkyria Revolution get relatively close to Tekken 7 is this. Guess that shows weak it really is.

Smash Ultimate- 83.67%

Tekken 7-16.33%

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Crew Consensus: Everyone is here! Except Tekken 7, because its leaving now.


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Can't believe there isn't a Tekken character in Smash yet!

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Heihachi was a costume in SSB4 right?

Also, hell yeah, taking the accuracy point on Bloodborne / Call of Duty! I almost fully credit this to Call of Duty being awful, but I wasn't sure about Awakening > Bloodborne to begin with.

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Some stats (based on results at 12:05 UTC):

For RE2 to beat DOOM, DR2 needs to get at least 59.51% on INSIDE

For FE:A to beat Bloodborne, Deus Ex needs to get at least 74.27% on CoD

For Bloodborne beat RE2, CoD needs to get at least 54.66% on DR2

For FE:A to beat RE2, Deus Ex needs to get at least 76.67% on DR2

For Bloodborne beat DOOM, CoD needs to get at least 63.28% on INSIDE

For FE:A to beat DOOM, Deus Ex needs to get at least 81.11% on INSIDE

I have no idea where I should put this. But I don't like that I have to vote on all 4 battles. I have not played Deus Ex: Human Revolution nor Fire Emblem Awakening and would have prefered not to vote on that.

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Round 1 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds vs. Bayonetta

Moltars Analysis

Hate this match. Not only is Bayonetta wasted here, as it couldve gone to at least Round 3 in some other places in the bracket, but Zelda is also going to get fed to its opponent next round. Thats not something you would usually say about a Zelda game, but A Link Between Worlds isnt a world-beater like other Zelda games. Handheld Zelda games arent powerhouses like the console ones.

It did technically win the GotY polls in 2013, but that was due to vote splitting among other games in the poll. Still, a game around GTAV and Last of Us in strength could still get you pretty far in this contest.

...if you werent stuck in the same fourpack as smash i mean

Moltars Bracket: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Moltars Prediction: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 62%

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transiences Analysis

Yikes. Bayo was also kinda wasted here, though I'm not convinced in LBW's strength since it is a handheld game. Yeah it's got the Zelda name on it, but doesn't it feel like the game has faded in the years since 2013? It feels more like an Oracle game or Minish Cap or whatever. I know we segregated it away to avoid having to deal with another Zelda proxy, but I would have liked to see it face something like RE2 or God of War as a test of strength before getting fed to a big dog. Of course, it could go ahead and rock that match and then beat Skyrim no sweat and end up in the final, so maybe this is best. Not every good game needs to be tested.

As for Bayonetta - maybe this is foreshadowing tomorrow's matches, but I would have picked Bayonetta over DMC5 without a second thought. People played and liked Bayonetta, and Bayo2 was really well regarded. It sucks that both games got fed to strong competition when we have stuff like Rocket League vs. DBFZ out there.

Since I think highly of Bayonetta and am not 100% convinced of LBW, I'm looking for this one to be probably a little lower than others might think. Something like the FE match that's going on now. Then again, I intentionally don't look at other people's predictions because I like to give it to you raw here in the Crew. No groupthink allowed!

transience's prediction: Zelda: Link Between Worlds with 61.65%

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Leonharts Analysis

I said in the previous writeup that Smash Ultimate was wasted, but man, Link Between Worlds could have been interesting in so many other places in the bracket. Instead, it gets a match against another game that couldve done damage elsewhere before getting fed to Smash. Although honestly, weve already got Breath of the Wild set to dominate this whole thing, so Im not going to feel too much sympathy for the other Zelda game in this contest getting fed to the wolves for an early exit! I think Bayonetta can keep this respectable, but I dont expect it to actually contend for the win.

Leonharts Vote: Bayonetta

Leonharts Prediction: A Link Between Worlds with 59.11%

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Kleenexs Analysis

I hate that LBW just gets fed to Smash next round, but whatever. Im super interested to see how strong the game is. Im not sure how much info we can get off its result against Bayonetta - only its sequel has been in a contest before, and that was a pretty poor R1 loss against Red Dead Redemption. Im not entirely sure where Im putting LBW in the Zelda hierarchy here...maybe somewhere around Links Awakening? That probably feels about right. Probably only 7th or 8th in strength out of all the Zelda games, but still plenty to beat Bayonetta cleanly. I mean, it does have ZELDA in the name, after all.

Kleenexs Prediction: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds with 67.50%

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Guests Analysis - TsunamiXXVIII

Damn what a waste of a bracket placement! I know, I know, handheld games have barely any strength in these contests unless theyre Pokmon. A Link Between Worlds didnt even get into the 2015 contest despite winning the final of the 2013 GotY. And its basically A Link to the Past 2, which is always a good thing. And yet with so few other early SFF matches, the 2013 GotY gets fed to the 2018 GotY in Round 2. It just aint fair.

That said, ALBW didnt exactly destroy the 2013 GotY. It came in third place in the preliminary, just high enough to make the final, and it only barely even got out of its system poll, squeaking past Pokmon X/Y by a mere 37 votes. Conveniently, X/Ys 2015 opponent was also a Zelda game, and while Contests are a lot different than GotY polls, it should be noted that X/Y got crushed not by ALttP or Majoras Mask, but Wind Waker. (Which reminds me, I fell back in love with the Zelda series when the randomizer programs started coming out for the older games, but Ive never gone back and finished up OoT/MM/WW/TPor started TP in the first place for that matter. Perhaps thatll be something to do while in self-quarantine, along with streaming a blind playthrough of Skyrim.)

But this isnt Round 2. Its Round 1, and ALBW is up againstBayonetta. Another game that wasnt in the 2015 bracket, though its sequel was and only managed to get 36% on Red Dead Redemption. Also ended up as the Ultimate Loser. Bayonetta the character doesnt even have a Contest History page on the wiki despite having made it to R2 in every contest shes been in, but in 2013 she was up against fodder in R1 and by 2018 she had two Smash games on her side. Well, technically she was in the 2010 Contest in vote-ins, but the vote-ins were actually in December 2009 and, well, her debut game is still eligible for this contest. Cant expect Lightning to strike twice, right? Anyway, despite Bayonetta originally being an Xbox 360/PS3 game, only ported to the WiiU when Bayonetta 2 came out, the series is decidedly considered pseudo-Nintendo due to Bayonetta 2 being a WiiU exclusive and the title character getting into Smash 4. So Links got this easy.

A Link Between Worlds with 72.5%
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Crew Consensus: Bayonetta makes like a bat and flies out of the Contest.


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I think I'm cool being the low number here. The more I think about it, the more I feel like Bayonetta holds it down a bit.

But my instincts are way off here...!

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I feel like I've had reasonable picks (well, except Bloodstained - whoops), but I'm usually getting the second best pick. oh well.

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I've come close on a couple of other points, but I've been way off the mark on a bunch of these!

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I would love to see Bayonetta get like 47% here

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I also don't pay attention to what people post in the Oracle, so that might hurt me, too.

transcience posted...

I would love to see Bayonetta get like 47% here

Yeah, I'm kinda getting Charizard/Terra vibes the closer this match gets where everyone expects LBW to blow it away (the spread bet is set at 68%!) and Bayonetta keeps it way closer than anyone expects.

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Betting low on a Zelda game.

Bold move.

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Obey the LAW

DoomTheGyarados posted...

Betting low on a Zelda game.

Bold move.

Never forget Groose...!

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I mean, anyone can scroll through the Oracle topic and get a sense of the consensus. herding is one of the easiest things to do so trying to just be blissfully unaware is part of my crew philosophy.

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transience posted...

I mean, anyone can scroll through the Oracle topic and get a sense of the consensus. herding is one of the easiest things to do so trying to just be blissfully unaware is part of my crew philosophy.

Yeah, I never look at Oracle predictions before I do my writeups. I might glance through the topic after I post my own to get a sense of what other people are saying but I never change my percentage.

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Leonhart4 posted...

I think I'm cool being the low number here. The more I think about it, the more I feel like Bayonetta holds it down a bit.

But my instincts are way off here...!

after reading the other write-ups this is how I felt too

Bayo either holds up well or gets completely destroyed, and I'm feeling more confident in the former right now.

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Round 1 Marvel's Spider-Man vs. Dead Space 2

Moltars Analysis

Spider-Man in a GameFAQs Contest? Man how times have changed

Dead Space is basically a dead series at this point, whereas the Spider-Man game is recent and critically acclaimed. It did well in its GotY poll, hanging with RDR2 and DQXI. That alone gives me enough faith in Spidey to swing through to Round 2.

Based on really old contest results, GTA: San Andreas got 65% on the original Dead Space. Not sure quite how strong Spider-Man is but that seems to be a solid baseline for it.

Moltars Bracket: Marvel's Spider-Man

Moltars Prediction: Marvel's Spider-Man 65%

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transiences Analysis

See, here's a match I would have liked to see Bayonetta in. Spider-Man was super well liked, and maybe it was well played? It obviously sold great. It got a beautiful path to win two matches and then gets to get humiliated by Smash.

You know, let's take an aside for a second here since there isn't much to talk about here. It just hit me how horrible the lead-up to Smash/Odyssey is going to be. It kinda feels like what we got with the 32-bit division in 2004, where Ocarina got Goldeneye/Mario 64 and FF7 got Xenogears and Metal Gear. There just wasn't any measuring stick. We're going to get Ultimate facing a fighting game, a handheld Nintendo game and then probably Spider-Man while Odyssey gets like Shovel Knight or something. Buildup is important here in stat geek town!

Anyway. Dead Space 2 is super well liked amongst the people that play it, but it doesn't have Resident Evil in the name so it's not going to matter. I'm surprised to see it here. It might do okay, but if it does it'll be because Spider-Man isn't legit. But based on how the Arkham games have done in the past and with how unbelievably smooth Spider-Man is, I'd be surprised to see it falter.

transience's prediction: Spider-Man with 70.55%

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Leonharts Analysis

I actually think pretty highly of Spider-Man here. It sold amazingly well and was just all around well received. I think gamers want to like good superhero video games because theyre so few and far between. The Arkham games have done decently in their contest appearances, and I think Spider-Man can be on the same level as them. Even so, I dont really know what to expect from it here against a game like Dead Space 2 because Im stunned enough people remembered this series to get one of its games in! The original Dead Space got nearly doubled by San Andreas in the original Game of the Decade, and I think Spidey should be able to do about the same on the sequel now that its about as dead as its title implies.

Leonharts Vote: Marvels Spider-Man

Leonharts Vote: Marvels Spider-Man with 67.09%

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Kleenexs Analysis

Lest you forget, the original Dead Space got doubled by a Grand Theft Auto game on this site. Spider-Man very much strikes me as one of those well-liked but not well-loved games that does well enough until it hits real competition, and then completely folds. Luckily, Dead Space 2 is not real competition. Also please refrain from using this result to speculate on how characters who originated from other media would do in a character battle. I beg you.

Kleenexs Prediction: Marvels Spider-Man with 67%

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Guests Analysis - SuperNiceDog

I have not played either of these two games. When I first opened up the bracket, I picked Dead Space 2 because I had heard of the first Dead Space game. The question is... are people really going to vote just for the Spider-Man and Marvel name? Given the oversaturation of the superhero genre not only in games but in movies, TV, really everywhere? I could see there being a backlash. There was a backlash against the Walking Dead in favor of Bastion. Do people still really love Spider-Man considering he's mainstream now?

That's enough for me to pick Dead Space 2. The Spider-Man game felt very generic. Yea maybe it's a good game and it'll probably win like 58-42, but I'll go with the upset here.

Dead Space 2 with 50.1%

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Crew Consensus: The Crew believes in Spidey, but our Guest thinks otherwise.


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So can we just count on SND picking absurd upsets with every guest writeup?

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Master Moltar posted...

Given the oversaturation of the superhero genre not only in games but in movies, TV, really everywhere? I could see there being a backlash.

Those movies are printing money and you are in the minority, I'm afraid.

Leonhart4 posted...

So can we just count on SND picking absurd upsets with every guest writeup?

Next time he would have Witcher 3 lose to Assassin's Creed or something. Guests have no chance in the Crew Challenges

Is SND trolling with that write-up?

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didn't he pick ni no kuni too? sorry, future Guests who wanted to beat the Crew

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(it's Moltar's call, but if we have an insincere Guest who's just upset hunting without actually believing any of it, we can just ignore his signups. that said, usually you sign up for a spot when you feel like you have something to say, and I don't ever want to assume that an unpopular pick is just to be different. we encourage people being different. it's that writeup and the "whatever" attitude that gets me.)

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transience posted...

didn't he pick ni no kuni too? sorry, future Guests who wanted to beat the Crew

he did which is why I asked the question

and I don't mind the guest being out in left field

that used to be the case all the time!
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That writeup seemed genuine to me.

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LeonhartFour posted...

he did which is why I asked the question

and I don't mind the guest being out in left field

that used to be the case all the time!

Is there an archive of Crew topics anywhere?

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LinkMarioSamus posted...

That writeup seemed genuine to me.

SND always seems genuine, such as when he's asking if SFV has a shot at making the division finals.

WarThaNemesis2 posted...

Is there an archive of Crew topics anywhere?

It's in Moltar's sig!

http://thecrew.speedrunwiki.com/
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I mean it's possible for SND to just not have any idea how big of a deal Spider-Man was.

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when Dead Space 2 wins you'll all be saying "SND was right" hahahahaha

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3% think it's possible

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I'd also like to say, back in the 2015 games contest, had a guest written up for Undertale vs Fallout 3 R1 that Undertale was going to win... they would have also been thought of as "trolling". So any opinion should be valid I say

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hey moltar, my email's being jacked up right now for some reason, can I send you tomrrow's writeups via PM?

edit: nevermind, got it

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LinkMarioSamus posted...

I mean it's possible for SND to just not have any idea how big of a deal Spider-Man was.

Yea I had never heard of it before this contest.

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okay, I take back my insincerity comment. it's just, I rarely see a writeup that starts with "I have played neither of these games"! that's not at all a prerequisite but it's just a weird way to start off a writeup.

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I have no feel for this next match whatsoever.

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Round 1 Minecraft vs. Dota 2

Moltars Analysis

Minecraft is one of those games thats a mainstream hit. Its not going to be on the level of a Sonic or Mario though, because GameFAQs doesnt hold it in high regard. Unlike Pac-Man and Tetris, which are also mainstream and widely-known, its not an iconic and respected game either, so itll be weaker than those. I mean it lost to Halo 5 years ago so we know its not worth much.

Dota 2 though? That should be no problem for it. The site pretty much hates MOBAs if you look at any past poll that has run on this site. If anything is getting the apathy vote here, its Minecraft, and I wouldnt be surprised if it was very one-sided since youre forcing people to vote in all of the matches running.

Moltars Bracket: Minecraft

Moltars Prediction: Minecraft 72%

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transiences Analysis

Man, what? What is this match? How do you think it through?

Neither game has the favor of this website. Minecraft is perceived as this baby game that the kids play and DOTA 2 is this free to play PC only multiplayer griefing game with a questionable community. Neither game really appeals here, so how do you judge what they dislike less?

Minecraft is the more proven entrant as it got a similar kind of match back in 2015 vs. Halo. Minecraft lost easily, but it wasn't a killing and Halo 1 would probably do pretty darn well in this contest. DOTA has.. a 2013 PC poll where I guess it got some votes, but it lost clean to the Stanley Parable. DOTA 2 has a higher upside, but that's mostly because we haven't seen it in a contest.

I don't know. I'm going with Minecraft. I'd rather pick the disaster that I know. Also, I trust this site to side with what is at least sort of single player, vs. a dedicated multiplayer MOBA. No matter what happens here, it probably won't be close.

transience's prediction: Minecraft with 61.44%

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Leonharts Analysis

I really dont know what to make of this match. I guess Minecraft should win this, but I have no confidence in either game to be worth anything. We saw Minecraft in 2015, and while 43% on Halo seems decent, the series hasnt been worth anything in quite a while (as we saw the other day with Reach looking mediocre against Life is Strange). I dont think its as bad as Fortnite in this regard, but were generally too old for Minecraft. Half the site has never even played it based on the most recent poll.

That being said, Id wager even fewer of us have played Dota 2. Half the site hasnt tried playing any MOBA at all (which means the number for Dota 2 itself is probably a good deal lower) and 75% of the site doesnt watch streams of them either. I feel like this might be the contest match we as a whole care about the least. Ill take Minecraft, but I honestly have no clue if it wins by a little or a lot! I guess Ill go somewhere in the middle.

Leonharts Vote: Minecraft

Leonharts Prediction: Minecraft with 60.51%

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Kleenexs Analysis

Every contest we get a match where everyone gets to make the joke about how neither games will get any votes so itll be a tie. This year, this is that match. Make no mistake - Minecraft will win this match, and probably handily at that. But holy cow you might have a harder time picking two games that GameFAQs could care less about. And dont come at me with that match from 2015 where Halo got embarrassed by Minecraft (embarrassed in the sense that it wasnt a blowout). Half the site hasnt even played Minecraft. Even among the circles that did care about the game, it seems way less popular that it was a few years ago. Not being part of those circles, I cannot confirm or deny this, but thats my impression. Meanwhile, Dota 2 hasnt even been uttered in the text of a GameFAQs poll in almost 4 years. This site just does not give a shit about MOBAs. Possibly even less so because of Draven, although I dont know if thats just confined to League. So yeah, zero votes LOL!

Kleenexs Prediction: Minecraft with 70%

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Guests Analysis - spooky96

Neither of these genres are particularly liked by GameFAQs. Its strange though, because both of these games are popular beyond belief. Still, Dota 2 should be the clear winner here, because GameFAQs would prefer to die then play/vote for a game like Minecraft, it simply doesn't have that kind of appeal. On any other, normal gaming site this would probably be a debated match, but here, Minecraft simply doesn't have any chance whatsoever.

Also, I'm not a fan of Draven's run in 2013, but still, you guys should give MOBAs a chance, they're extremely fun and addictive. A simplified version of the League of Legend is the only game I've played in the last 2 years and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. So yeah, go ahead and try LoL or Dota 2, who knows, maybe you might enjoy them!

Dota 2 with 69%
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Crew Consensus: Minecraft is the Crew pick, but our Guest thinks otherwise again!


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Just like old times

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SND took Sekiro with 56% in Oracle and currently has Spider-Man with 62%

so yeah, I think it's completely fair to have concerns about sincerity
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I tried LoL.

The genre is not much of my liking but it's a fun game overall.

The community is by far the most toxic I've ever seen, though. The game is only playable with a muted chat.