This match has no credibility whatsoever. We have no stats, an ad that blocks the text of the homepage, and an ad still in place of where the poll should be.

I`m sorry, but Ceej has proven that he doesn`t care about us. At all.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

Whoa there. Let's see the vote turnout before jumping ot conclusions. Looks OK to me so far.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

Besides, why would the ad only prevent MGS fans from voting, and all the FFT people would mysteriously find the poll? I say if this wasn't there, the score wouldn't change much.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

The vote totals are okay, but I`m still quite upset with how this contest was handled. First the shared polls, then another set of shared polls, then the FFXI ad, then the layout change, followed by the fact that it doesn`t look like the poll will ever go back where it belongs, on the top-right. We`re getting a consistent voting output of 70000-75000 per day, which I feel is unacceptable given the tradition and popularity of this contest.

Oh, and the lack of any stats or a leaderboard is making people not care. Check other parts of the site besides out little board. The complaints are there.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

I`m not saying that it would prevent anyone from doing anything. My issue comes with CJayC`s keen ability to sell out at the worst possible times.

What was the best match of this contest? Halo vs Starcraft, right? And what went down that night? One straight-up poll on the top-right of the screen during the old layout with no BS alongside of it. No one can convince me that the layout change and the ads have had a horrendous affect on this contest.

I`ll use GameSpy`s contest as an example. Whenever people asked me to vote, it was a complete pain in the ass to actually find the poll. The same thing applies here. We know where the poll is, but outsiders might not feel like going through the hassle set forth by our wonderful leader.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

Vote totals generally didn't pick up until the third round. We were getting worried last year in the second round, too.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

btw, i agree with tarrot - this is the biggest pic discrepancy yet. of course, i also agree with ulti - the casual voters who might get swayed by the cool snake vs the stupid looking sprite probably never even find the poll to do so...

Wow this is great for my prediction now all we need is for the match to not go up or down in percent and I'll be fine
---
LUE is a cancer, and if it can't be destroyed, it must be contained. - CjayC
My Score 47/50 MGS vs. FFT

If FFT beats MGS..there's no hope for OoT...I'll say it a million times today if I have too...MGS MUST beat FFT.


---
Welcome to SpC2k4, where you suck if you presume someone else's opinions.- Tai.

Did Ceej change the background of the homepage? Now I can't even read the poll.

They may not have picked up until the third round, but we were still getting 100,000 votes per match with ease. God, Freeman vs Payne managed 94000.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

Likely a combination of the new layout and the spring effect. Remember, we weren't getting 100000 votes while the old layout was still there, except for FF7's match and Halo/Starcraft.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

Yes, but no poll did this badly unless there was something in the way of the poll.
---
ChichiriMuyo is officially the Discussion Guru Encyclopedia - UltimaterializerX
And I'm 23/24 myself. My loss was all part of Alucard's plan. - BigCow

23000 after 8 hours... looks normal to me, especially on a weekend poll.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

Tactics: wow keeping it close...ill have to check on this later...I still believe it can come back. After Starcraft...anything is possible here.

Where are the fanboys? I need you now! Grr!
---
SCK24: 46/50 Trivia XIII: Diehards Forever
Steve Illumina: Standing tall against fanboys for over 20 years

You win, Chichiri. DDR really is that popular. FFT might catch up... I hope the afternoon voters won't favor MGS more, though that will probably happen. I'm still wondering if it's more of a weakness of MGS, or a strength of FFT. Well, now I know that FFVIII would definitely beat MGS, heh...

---
"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So...what is a party?"
"Well, you drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Normal because the whole round we've been looking at poor polls. If we had the old layout it'd be normal to see 10k or 15k more votes by the end of the day. If ceej wouldn't have ****ed around with evertyhing the results would be a lot higher. This is not normal, this is us getting screwed.
---
ChichiriMuyo is officially the Discussion Guru Encyclopedia - UltimaterializerX
And I'm 23/24 myself. My loss was all part of Alucard's plan. - BigCow

FFT should not be underestimated. I knew it wouldn't roll over and die in this match, though I also knew it wouldn't win. It'd take a stunning change to make it win now. FFT also shouldn't have been OVERestimated. Beating DDR 80/20 when DDR fans are all over at DDRfreak.com isn't especially great. Really, it's not like you need an FAQ to play DDR.
---
ChichiriMuyo is officially the Discussion Guru Encyclopedia - UltimaterializerX
And I'm 23/24 myself. My loss was all part of Alucard's plan. - BigCow

That, unfortunately is not "fact...not...computing" good ma'am. That is "reality...hard to...face".

That’s actually what I meant. The minds of the Sonic supporters can’t accept that Sonic games aren’t popular here so they sink into denial :)

Yawn. Not too impressed with this match but I wasn’t here in the early hours so maybe it was exciting then. Tomorrow should be fun…plenty of flames on both sides, I’m sure. I’m still feeling pretty confident that Goldeneye can make up the difference in votes between Perfect Dark and Castlevania last round. After that, I am prepared to see SM64 get destroyed by OoT and face all the “OMFG OOT IS TEH WINNER OF TEH CONTEST!” comments that will undoubtedly arise.
---
Engaged to MWIS 04/07/04
Current Sp2K4 Score: 47/48, Next Winner: Final Fantasy VII

Are ya all ready? Fanboys? Gamers? Elites? Newbies? :) It's time for...the enhanced...

Steve Illumina Speaks

Indeed it is so, the infamous and ever humorous commentary continues, to offer some educated levity, here on this the true beacon of intelligence on this overly fanboy dominated board.

And so it proceeds, with a case of the better game losing yet again here in the "Golden Age" Division

ROUND 2: Match XXXXIII

(11)Castlevania Symphony vs (3)GoldenEye

Steve's Prediction: GoldenEye by 55%
Steve's Bracket: GoldenEye
Newbie's Pick: The Big N
Upset Chances: Very possible

Comments: Here we have a match of non RPG's and non Nintendo series heavyweights...finally a breath of fresh air...as two solid gems in the form of Castlevania and Goldeneye go eye to eye.

One of my fav games of all time is Alucard's masterpiece. Castlevania Symphony is gorgeous, perfectly executed and even has voice acting. I can imitate the voice of Death extremely well even...but that dont much matter right now does it?

The vampire slayer took out overseeded Perfect Dark, and now its fangs are locked on Goldeneye, the far more loved of the N64 FPS genre. Is there such a genre? Who knows...I mean this is the Big N we are talkin about...and there were like 5 or 6 Turok games on N64...lol

Goldeneye is one of those games that everyone plays it likes, well maybe not everyone...but surely very close, my estimates come in at 99.76%. Course Alucard himself has a plan too, and his game love comes in at 200.5% Oh...thats my castle completion rate...nevermind.

We will see a great match here, close all day, but its all about Rare on Monday.

Why Goldeneye Will Win: Voting blocks: Nintendites and kiddies who like the game a lot and may even still play it with their buddies.

Why CV Wont Win: Though it should win IMHO (and Chich's!), and while the hardcore gamers will back it along with goths and CV series freaks, it wont have enough votes from the casuals. Will not be humiliated though...close is the word.

Probable Results: Wont be a stake to the heart...but rather a bullet in the back, as Goldeneye eekes out a close one in the low 50% range.

Best Bosses: CV: Death: He talks, he taunts, he dies at the hands of the Alucard Sword. Goldeneye: My pal Joe in multiplayer...lol
---
SCK24: 46/50 Trivia XIII: Diehards Forever
Steve Illumina: Standing tall against fanboys for over 20 years

Some comments.

Yep, Sonic and Metroid just dont have what it takes here...they can beat fluff stuff but they roll over and die against the big boys.

DDR is two steps away from a joke nomination in my book. It would prolly lose to Shenmue. So lets not talk about that no more.

I estimate about 10-15 topics on Tuesday proclaiming Ocarina the winner of the contest when Zelda wins by 70 or more % against a good opponent, Mario 64. Damn noobs.
---
SCK24: 46/50 Trivia XIII: Diehards Forever
Steve Illumina: Standing tall against fanboys for over 20 years

Its at 50.95% right now and falling. =\
---
Nintendo® - We Make Games Worth Playing
But as the light fades will the Hero rise again? Or will darkness reign?

Oh Tactics..if you win for me...my status as an Elite will never be questioned, for I called you publicly and supported you passionately in what will be the biggest upset of the 2nd round!

Go FFT! For Ulti, for Chichi, and for me :) Only .6% away!
---
SCK24: 46/50 Trivia XIII: Diehards Forever
Steve Illumina: Standing tall against fanboys for over 20 years

*** COMPARISONS GAME - Match #43 - (11) CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT vs. (3) GOLDENEYE ***

Sales

Goldeneye is another game that ranks in the top 20 best-sellers. SotN is nowhere near that. Period.

- Advantage GOLDENEYE.

Franchises

Castlevania is often described as extremely underrated, as in not enough people played it to know how great is is. And it's a huge hindrance in a popularity contest. And who hasn't heard of James Bond?

- Advantage GOLDENEYE.

GameFAQs Status

Number of FAQs: Goldeneye
Number of reviews: Goldeneye
Average review score: Goldeneye
Board activity: SotN

SotN has a good number of FAQs and reviews, but Goldeneye sligtly outdoes it in both. Add overwhelming reviews (two 8s, a few 9s, and 10s almost everywhere) and it's well enough to counter the more populated SotN board.

- Advantage GOLDENEYE.

Board Odds Project

PICKS (out of 102)
Goldeneye - 73
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 26
Also picked: Perfect Dark (2), Panzer Dragoon Saga (1)

Well, for a rather tough 4-pack, Goldeneye is the overwhelming favorite... but then again, today's match was even more one-sided, and look where we're at now.

- Advantage GOLDENEYE.

Previous Rounds

Goldeneye dismantled PDS with ease, while SotN beat PD by 5000 votes. What would I give the nod to? Goldeneye... even though PDS sold in the four-digits, emulation, rentals and such can really make a rare game a bit more widespread.

- Advantage GOLDENEYE.

Summer Contests / Polls of the Day

Alucard did good in both Summer Contests... however that's all we know.

- UNAVAILABLE.

Intangibles

Goldeneye is, as we all know, an FPS... and they are rarely acclaimed on this site. SotN, on the other hand, combines adventure and RPG, the two dominant genres here.

Then there's the whole PD vs. GE debate... I always perceived PD as being more popular with the casual gamer... however we don't have a lot of them here. And the more hardcore people only see Goldeneye on steroids in PD.

I'll give this round to SotN, just because of the genre advantage.

- Advantage SOTN.

Conclusion: The game made off of the seventeenth installment of the Bond saga is very much expected to make it to the slaughterhouse. But once again... so did MGS, and that one is well up in the air as of this writing.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

Wow...go Tactics!!! This is great.

I have somewhat mixed feelings, because while Tactics deserves every vote it gets, it is no doubt benefiting a lot from the Final Fantasy name. It should be able to stand on its own. Oh well.

I always perceived PD as being more popular with the casual gamer... however we don't have a lot of them here. And the more hardcore people only see Goldeneye on steroids in PD.

Um...wouldn't it be the other way around? Goldeneye is one of the most popular games ever among "casual" gamers. It's the real gamers that tend to prefer Perfect Dark. Not like Perfect Dark was hardcore gamers only though, it was a very successful game.

In any case, I'd be very surprised if SotN even kept this close. I don't see Goldeneye having any difficulty here.
---
Remember to nominate Frog from Chrono Trigger for Summer Contest 2K4!
http://SC2K4.com/frog

Note that I am actually a lot less certain about this match now, simply because there have been so many surprises, and yet another surprise wouldn't be that big a deal.

The pre-contest hype for this "four pack" made absolutely no sense to me though, because until this round started being so unpredictable, this seemed like one of the more obvious "four packs" in terms of choosing a winner.
---
Remember to nominate Frog from Chrono Trigger for Summer Contest 2K4!
http://SC2K4.com/frog

In other news, I'd like the FF-panickers to calm the heck down. This can mean many things:

1. (least likely) FF as a whole has been underestimated and will eat this contest alive.

2. (most likely) FFT, and FFT alone, has been underestimated and is much closer to the main series than we could have guessed.

3. (likely enough) Metal Gear has been blatantly overestimated, and SSBM is in huge trouble against VC.

Honestly, I didn't see anything convincing by FF1, FF6 and FF10 yet. Unless they beat SMB3, LttP and WW, it will definitely stay that way.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

3. (likely enough) Metal Gear has been blatantly overestimated, and SSBM is in huge trouble against VC

I'd consider this a lot less likely than 1, actually.

The performances of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy X haven't been too impressive, but remember that Tactics' performance against DDR wasn't considered that impressive either. Certainly not as impressive as Metal Gear's destruction of Resident Evil.

It could very well be that the performances of the Final Fantasy's have been more impressive than they seemed, while the performances of the Zeldas' aren't quite as impressive. I don't think the latter is true--A Link to the Past for one looks plain monstrous, and anybody that says otherwise is probably off their rocker. That doesn't rule out underestimation of their rivals though.
---
Remember to nominate Frog from Chrono Trigger for Summer Contest 2K4!
http://SC2K4.com/frog

I wouldn't put it past people (seeing how FFT is listed first) just reading as far as "Final... Fantasy" and their mind is made up.

Thought I'd share a quick retort I made a bit ago when someone asked where the stats were:

"They're in an appendix in the manual for Duke Nukem Forever"
---
Jon Thomson - 33/41, 40/50 - today: Metal Gear Solid, tomorrow: Goldeneye

Go FFT! For Ulti, for Chichi, and for me :) Only .6% away!

Psst, I have MGS in my bracket.

And for the last time, Metal Gear Solid 2 is being vastly underestimated here. And MGS wasn`t being overestimated, either. I`m sorry, but BOP predictions aren`t 100% accurate in terms of the strength of the games. We have 75000 voters per match, and around 100 of us put our brackets into that topic.

So in the end, it comes down to FFT being horrendously underrated here.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

Well, I really hope it's due to FFT's strength rather than MGS's weakness. Does anyone else think that Solid Snake looks worse than Ramza? Yeah, Ramza's pixilated (probably more than he should be), but it's a sprite taken straight from the game.

Reasons I'd want FFT to win:
-I like FFT the game better
-I'd like a huge upset, and Soul Calbur couldn't do it to Kingdom Hearts. *sigh*

Reasons I'd want MGS to win (or be doing better):
-MGS vs. FF7 would have no suspicion of SFF for confidence in the calculated strengths of the games in that 8-pack.
-SSBM wouldn't look so bad with it's match against MGS2

---
"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So...what is a party?"
"Well, you drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Oh Tactics..if you win for me...my status as an Elite will never be questioned, for I called you publicly and supported you passionately in what will be the biggest upset of the 2nd round!

Go FFT! For Ulti, for Chichi, and for me :) Only .6% away!

You were wrong

It's time to sing the "No Chance" song,
To remind you that, you had no chance all along,
Wanna prove to you that you were wrongggggggg....(that you were wronggggg...)

And I can see it in your eyes,
You can't admit it and then slowly you begin to cry,
You can't admit that you were wrongggggg...(that you were wronggggg....)

Do not make me tell you again,
If you need more understanding, go to school and ask a friend.
And he will tell you that, "You were wronggggg....(that you were wrongggg...")

Has today's events come to an end,
And has your faith and ego falls and begins to descend,
I will tell you that, you were wronggggggg...(That you were wronggggggg....)

*Ahem* Thank you. :-)



---
Welcome to SpC2k4, where you suck if you presume someone else's opinions.- Tai.

*agreed..
---
If you're worried people are talking about you... you're probably right.

it has been interesting to spend a couple of hours watching the real time updates, then comparing them to the reality as was reported by the 15 minute interval updates. one "-15" was made up of an 85 vote surge by one game, followed by a 70 vote counterpunch from the other.

as to the match itself, i always thought it would be closer than most thought. but in the end, mgs is a slightly more popular game on the site than fft, and i am glad i have mgs in my bracket.

Looks like we're gonna finish this topic today...man, this one went by in a flash.
---
"Thank you, Mario. But our princess is in another castle."
-Toad in Super Mario Bros.

Ulti raised a good point in the update topic - would MGS win if it wasn't for Twin Snakes? I think not, seeing today's results.

This is frightening, since I'd have thought this would've been an easy win for MGS without Twin Snakes.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

I thought MGS had this in the bag as well...damn! well KEEP ON TRUCKIN MGS!!
---
If SSBM beats Vice City...I will account suicide...everybody say yay! - KingTT
http://knightreva.proboards28.com/index.cgi

it's hard to say. once a game becomes a franchise, as both of today's competitors long since have, the other games will always have an impact.

if so, to a degree, mgs has earned it. if you said "metal gear" i would likely say "solid"; if you said "final fantasy" i would be far less likely to say "tactics". so to that extent, twin snakes is just evening the score a little, franchisewise...

I think it`s FFT`s strength more than anything. And even then, it`s losing.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

Lol, I`ve been saying that for weeks. Again, there is no way in hell I`m picking MGS over FFT before the Twin Snakes. No ****ing way. Final Fantasy Tactics is beloved on this site.

But on the flipside, MGS2 is not weak, and SSBM is still a strong game in this contest.
---
I would like to take this moment to politely and sincerely orgasm over Ulti's Halo/Starcraft analysis. -smitelf

anyway, i think that mgs is a deserving winner over an underrated opponent tonight.

I agree with that, Torey.

Ulti: I know, but somewhere, FFT's lead losing to a ball of fluff who once lost to the star of the game that got slaughtered my MGS does have that kind of effect of confidence.
---
SpC2K4 Status --- Points: 045/050 --- Matches: 36/41 --- Rank: ?????/????? --- Today's pick: MGS

500?
---
"I think it was the rooster."
If you know where this quote is from...then I'll be impressed.

last week, what i noticed is that this topic is somewhat immune to the inertial forces that force other topics to 500 out within moments of hitting 490.

what happens instead, is there is some psuedo -analysis for 490-495, then all hell breaks loose from 495-500.

let the games begin...

so your telling me that all hell will break lose starting................. now?
---
LUE is a cancer, and if it can't be destroyed, it must be contained. - CjayC
My Score 47/50 MGS vs. FFT

almost 500
---
current pick: smb3 20-10
ddrpa.com

ready....aim...

eh.
---
"I'm gald I'm educated." - ZeroXcuses

the respect this topic has from the spc2k4 people is enormous. every other topic would have been toast by now.

500!
---
current pick: smb3 20-10
ddrpa.com