Board 8 > Contest Stats and Discussion - Part 1366

(+) Yeah! (+)

So what wins Game of the Year if no other big titles come out. I don't see BotW sequel or God of War 2 happening (I'll be ecstatic if it does).

Are we gonna get Resident Evil 8 vs Persona 5 Strikers for GotY 2021?

So far this year is far weaker than even 2014 and 2016.

Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury probably beats P5S, possibly New Pokemon Snap does too.

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WarThaNemesis2 posted...

Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury probably beats P5S

Eh, wouldn't bet on that. Ports don't tend to do that well.

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LeonhartFour posted...

So yeah, while Link is stronger relative to the Noble Nine, he's weaker relative to the rest of the field. He definitely gets anti-voted because he "always wins" like Cloud and Seph used to now.

Wouldn't that just mean Noble Niners being brought back down to Earth + the rest of the field being more balanced overall?

Also, if anything, Link showing off that beastly in 2018 with the hypothetical anti-vote factor just makes his performances look way more impressive, tbqh.

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I guess. It's part of his intrinsic strength now, but it'll never actually cause him to lose, just like it never made Cloud or Seph lose until recent years.

Everyone's strength is gauged relative to Link, so if everyone's doing better on Link (except Noble Niners), it just means the Noble Niners have reached their ceiling and probably don't really benefit from anti-voting when facing Link, while everyone else does.

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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

So what wins Game of the Year if no other big titles come out. I don't see BotW sequel or God of War 2 happening (I'll be ecstatic if it does).

Are we gonna get Resident Evil 8 vs Persona 5 Strikers for GotY 2021?

So far this year is far weaker than even 2014 and 2016.

Well, there's still a slim chance GameFreak does a decent remake of Pokmon Diamond/Pearl.

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LeonhartFour posted...

In 2018, 82 characters were worth 20%+ on Link, and that's without even adjusting for SFF at all. 21 were worth 30% or more.

In 2004, 37 characters were worth 20%+ on Link. Only 12 were worth 30% or more.

Eh, is that really proof of anything much? Those proportions aren't far out of line with their fields' respective sizes, which probably stays true even on a level playing field (in fact, the raw stats listed on the wiki actually give 2004 the relative advantage). Plus, both fields had their fair share of snubbed non-fodder. Of course, those raw gaps are pretty large, but there were also many notable characters who weren't introduced in or eligible for 2004, or even who became relevant after 2004.

Also, Monster Hunter Rise looks like the clear second-place GotY right now.

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Advokaiser posted...

Well, there's still a slim chance GameFreak does a decent remake of Pokmon Diamond/Pearl.

GameFreak isn't the ones working on the DP remakes.
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MetalmindStats posted...

Eh, is that really proof of anything much? Those proportions aren't far out of line with their fields' respective sizes, which probably stays true even on a level playing field (in fact, the raw stats listed on the wiki actually give 2004 the relative advantage). Plus, both fields had their fair share of snubbed non-fodder. Of course, those raw gaps are pretty large, but there were also many notable characters who weren't introduced in or eligible for 2004, or even who became relevant after 2004.

Well yeah, there are more "good" characters now than back when the contest started, so we don't have as much fodder as we used to in terms of overall percentage of the field (except for 2013 anyway, which was WAY too big).

But Link doesn't routinely score as big of blowouts as he used to. That's really where you see the difference. 2002-2010 Link wrecked everyone except Cloud and Seph. Look at his numbers post-2010, and they're not as impressive at the top end. I guess the best example is Ganondorf since we've got two isolated matches in those eras. 2004 Link made Ganondorf look worse than CATS. 2018 Link can't even hit 80% (which is still impressive as heck, just not AS impressive as he used to be).

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Side note: I was considering making a topic about which contest entrants (games and characters) have fallen the most in their tenure, but didn't bother because the answer is Sephiroth.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1363-south-division-final-mario-vs-sephiroth

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/7365-finals-bracket-round-1-mario-vs-sephiroth

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Now with SMASH POWER Sephiroth will be back to his 2003 self are you feeling this BELIEVE?!?

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Out of the Noble Niners, it's definitely Seph. Sonic sucks now, too, but he was never as strong as Seph to begin with (except for 2002, I guess).

I wonder which non-Noble Niner has taken the biggest tumble. Might be Shepard, who went from beating Aerith to barely surviving K. Rool. Hopefully the Mass Effect ports will make the series relevant here again!

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KamikazePotato posted...

Side note: I was considering making a topic about which contest entrants (games and characters) have fallen the most in their tenure, but didn't bother because the answer is Sephiroth.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1363-south-division-final-mario-vs-sephiroth

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/7365-finals-bracket-round-1-mario-vs-sephiroth

The real answer is Tommy Vercetti. He was a legit midcarder in the mid 2000s, and was last seen in that Crash vs. Wheatley three way match in 2013 where he was a DISTANT third place in a match he would have easily won in his 2003 strength.

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GTA has definitely taken the biggest tumble of any series that used to be strong here.

I'm still kinda baffled that Crash Bandicoot suddenly became respectable.

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LeonhartFour posted...

I'm still kinda baffled that Crash Bandicoot suddenly became respectable.

I mean his games got very well received remasters.

And now that he actually has a new game he aint going nowhere.

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sure but Crash's games weren't that old when the contests started and he sucked!

it's just kinda weird we came around on him like how we did with Pokemon, just several years later

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LeonhartFour posted...

But Link doesn't routinely score as big of blowouts as he used to. That's really where you see the difference. 2002-2010 Link wrecked everyone except Cloud and Seph. Look at his numbers post-2010, and they're not as impressive at the top end. I guess the best example is Ganondorf since we've got two isolated matches in those eras. 2004 Link made Ganondorf look worse than CATS. 2018 Link can't even hit 80% (which is still impressive as heck, just not AS impressive as he used to be)

Are we sure this has nothing to do with SFF in general having diminished over the years as GameFAQs became more and more insular? That's just a theory on my part, given that 2018's elites didn't get any SFF matches against midcarders or fodder, but it would seem to make sense on the heels of 2010 and 2013. It's too bad Link never got to face someone neutral but weakish like Scorpion or Jill Valentine in 2018.

I'd also argue that 2010 Link is pretty clearly sub-peak, with two, maybe three SFF matches obscuring the antivotes that dragged him down elsewhere.

KamikazePotato posted...

Side note: I was considering making a topic about which contest entrants (games and characters) have fallen the most in their tenure, but didn't bother because the answer is Sephiroth.

That's not really a fair comparison considering Mario also seems to have improved overall in that time, besides a very fluky 2002 match. Going from 56% to 41% on a relatively comparable Mario is still ugly, and clearly the worst among elites, but not quite as bad.

Anyways, independent of rallies, I'll second greatone's pick of Tommy Vercetti for that title:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1360-south-division-semifinal-tommy-vercetti-vs-mega-man

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/5169-character-battle-ix-division-3-round-1-wheatley-vs-crash-vs

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LeonhartFour posted...

GTA has definitely taken the biggest tumble of any series that used to be strong here.

GTA games themselves still seem to be pretty respectable though. It's the characters that have taken major tumbles over the years, if they even manage to clear the nomination barrier. We never even got to see if any of GTA V's protagonists have anything to contribute other than being casual bait (they wouldn't), but GTA V still looked respectable against Mario RPG.

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Vincent and Squall have both seen better days. There's also Magus depending on what one thinks of 2k3 Magus.
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I think 2005 Mario was his peak and he's consistently been overrated ever since then, but he keeps getting excuses to cover up when he has bad showings.

I'd agree with you that 2010 Link is where he noticeably started slipping relative to the rest of the field. 2010 Cloud wasn't that great, and Link still couldn't beat him that much worse than he has since 2004. He was just SFFing the crap out of every Nintendo character he faced (including Mario).

I'm still kinda mad that Draven robbed us of seeing Snake potentially beating Link in 2013.

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Team Rocket Elite posted...

Vincent and Squall have both seen better days. There's also Magus depending on what one thinks of 2k3 Magus.

I don't know that 2018 Squall was really that much worse than his peak (definitely worse, but I don't think the difference is too great). We just had no idea how strong Zelda was when she beat the crap out of him.

Vincent nearly losing to Magus in 2018 was embarrassing though.

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LeonhartFour posted...

Vincent nearly losing to Magus in 2018 was embarrassing though.

I mean, if you ignore the context, then they've barely moved at all since 2003.

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perhaps Link/Magus was the reality and everything else was the illusion

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Advokaiser posted...

Link doesn't count anymore. He's ascended SS-Tier status.

I was just making a joke because Dimitrescu is 9'6"...
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LeonhartFour posted...

I think 2005 Mario was his peak and he's consistently been overrated ever since then, but he keeps getting excuses to cover up when he has bad showings.

He's currently one of the frontrunners for #2 on the site, tied with Samus and Cloud. I don't think he's as strong as his peak but he's also going to beat basically everyone so hey.

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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

So what wins Game of the Year if no other big titles come out. I don't see BotW sequel or God of War 2 happening (I'll be ecstatic if it does).

Are we gonna get Resident Evil 8 vs Persona 5 Strikers for GotY 2021?

So far this year is far weaker than even 2014 and 2016.

Horizon 2 is likely the strongest we're expecting out in 2021 (assuming it lives up to the first game) I'd think. Zero Dawn did quite well in the 2017 GotY polls and the GotD contest.
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You have to wonder what effect, if any, FF7R is going to have. I had a lot of fun with part 1, but i feel like the episodic nature means it won't have a noticable impact on Cloud/Seph, although side characters like Tifa/Aeris/Barret might get a boost.

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LeonhartFour posted...

sure but Crash's games weren't that old when the contests started and he sucked!

it's just kinda weird we came around on him like how we did with Pokemon, just several years later

The power of nostalgia.

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Everyone, I think we finally the Ocarina-killer coming out soon that will dominate all the games contests now.

https://twitter.com/Toadsanime/status/1392079533361311744

And it's even listed on GameFAQs too!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/320309-calculator

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Why is that not free???

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Team Rocket Elite posted...

GameFreak isn't the ones working on the DP remakes.

Oh wow, that explains Chibi Dawn! And the overall lack of... impressiveness.

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KamikazePotato posted...

He's currently one of the frontrunners for #2 on the site, tied with Samus and Cloud. I don't think he's as strong as his peak but he's also going to beat basically everyone so hey.

I thought it was kinda bad he lost to that version of Cloud. He also lost to Zelda and should have lost the rematch to Samus!

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LeonhartFour posted...

GTA has definitely taken the biggest tumble of any series that used to be strong here.

GTA used to be strong here?!

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Advokaiser posted...

GTA used to be strong here?!

Vice City has a pretty good contest history. Vercetti did for a few years, but then it all went downhill.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

I was just making a joke because Dimitrescu is 9'6"...

Oh...

lol

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Advokaiser posted...

GTA used to be strong here?!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1648-division-128-round-2-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-vs-super

GTA was respectable in the early days.

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GTA's (relative) collapse on the site (at the time that it did) is still utterly confusing to me. I've heard people blame it on The Boost, but Vercetti (and even CJ to an extent) still looked fine in '05. The drop off actually started afterwards, which makes even less sense, since it happened in the late '00s which is when casual bait games in general were at their height of popularity here, and casual voters in contests peaked.

In the Series Contest, people were predicting Warcraft to beat GTA because "GameFAQS has never liked GTA" which was categorically untrue, then their incorrect logic was proven right, and it's been all downhill ever since.

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Maybe GTA was seen as old news in the late '00s? What with GTAIV not having the same impact as the PS2 trilogy.

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Yeah, Vercetti went from 33% against Mega Man in 2003 to 30% against Crono in 2005, for the most part he was constant. His drop began in 2007, which is weird since Master Chief and Captain John Prince in 2010 were still fine. Perhaps by that time he just simply became irrelevant, the GTA story had expanded with Liberty City and Vice City Stories plus people were looking forward towards GTAIV.

The games are fine, people just have high expectations on them because outside of GameFAQs GTA is a top strength series. Sure losing to Chrono Cross, Super Mario RPG or Persona 4 Golden looks bad to an outsider, but those games do have strength here.

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UltimaterializerX posted...

The only thing this site has ever liked about GTA is Franklin getting roasted.

I swear, that meme is gold.

Edit: Too bad memed-up characters don't perform as well as their memes... (*cough*Guile*cough*)

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Yeah the GTA games aren't quite fodder.

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GTA is still reasonably strong outside of characters. Id say in addition to other series just getting stronger, the main issue is that they stopped making GTA games! Same thing that happened to Half Life, which is probably a once-strong series that fell even further.

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Gordon is another contender for biggest drops:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3825-jenova-division-round-2-tifa-lockheart-vs-gordon-freeman
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/7265-division-4-round-1-bowser-vs-gordon

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Draven didn't drop in this site's estimation.

Well, he probably did, but he didn't fall far from his natural level.

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I'd argue 2018 Draven > pre-rally 2013 Draven

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charmander6000 posted...

I'd argue 2018 Draven > pre-rally 2013 Draven

I wouldn't. He wasn't on pace for 6% on Link, even while getting doubled by Jak. He was dead last by a comfortable margin in 2018, and there were some stinkers in that field.

for the record 6% on Link would've gotten him 231st place in CBIX

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At that level the stats fall apart. At least in 2018 Draven is recognized as that guy that won the contest in 2013. There's a reason why Draven (and Sans) did better among GameFAQs account voters vs. GameFAQs visitors against their respective opponents.

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AxemRedRanger posted...

Gordon is another contender for biggest drops:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3825-jenova-division-round-2-tifa-lockheart-vs-gordon-freeman
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/7265-division-4-round-1-bowser-vs-gordon

Gordon is a great example of a character that has both a dramatic rise and a dramatic fall.

Went from getting 45% on Tina Armstrong to 45% on Leon Kennedy right after RE4 thanks to Half-Life 2.

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