I'm hopin' for two of them to be close and one of them to be an upset to the board...though an upset to the board would mean I will have to miss a match, heh.
---
Hillary Clinton: We need to treat violent video games the way we treat tobacco or alcohol.
Lewis Black: Namely as valued contributors to our re-election fund.

That bastard...Ganon might've won that. >.>

Which would've made him look weaker than CATS.
---
The King of all Cosmos' route to summer victory:
Round 1: (0) Voters

And what's with all the overestimation of Terra?

She'll be weaker than Kefka. Book it. There is no main character in FFVI. It's called an ensemble cast.

When I think FFVI, here's what comes to mind first:

A) Kefka battle.
B) Kefka quotes.
C) Kefka's laugh.

Terra does not have nearly the same assosciation with her game that, say, Crono has to Chrono Trigger.
---
"Thank you, Mario. But our princess is in another castle."
-Toad in Super Mario Bros.

One argument people might use is that Terra doesn't need to be anywhere near Crono to beat Dante, which is true.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Dante may not be elite but he can certainly hold his own. Not just anyone can beat him. You need legitimately high contest ability.
---
"No, you see. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do." - Tom Cruise

The arguments about Kerrigan not being recognizable are completely ridiculous. If you have Brood War installed, her picture is right there as the main screen is loading. Even if the name of the game isn't "Kerrigan", she is the face of Starcraft.

You better hope she gets that pic because that might be the only one that can give her the win.
---
I've been Pwned by KoaC. He really is the king of all cosmos.

I'm not saying I think Terra is going to win, because I don't think she will nor do I want her to -- I like Dante better, you see. But it's very right to say that Terra doesn't need to be comparable to Crono and his game in order for her to win. Dante is not that high.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Terra does not have nearly the same assosciation with her game that, say, Crono has to Chrono Trigger.

This is entirely true. However, Crono doubled Dante. Terra doesn't need the same association with her game as Crono does to be able to beat him.
---
"It shall be engraved upon your soul! Divine Assault: Nibelung Valesti!" ~ Lenneth Valkyrie

What?!?

You don't think Kerrigan could win with this pic?

http://www.greyjedi.com/images/01part2/kerrigan-lg.jpg

---
Explicit Content.
Cheer Up Emo Kids.

You better hope she gets that pic because that might be the only one that can give her the win.

That's the only picture she can get. There isn't very many pictures for Kerrigan. She has the one with her face that is on Brood War and she has that sprite that Ulti sent me before the contest began. That will be the picture she gets, but I'm not expecting it to get her the win.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

I certainly recognize that face, but, to this day, I still have a hard time associating it with Kerrigan. I've hardly given single-player time time of day though, so take that for what it's worth.
---
Hillary Clinton: We need to treat violent video games the way we treat tobacco or alcohol.
Lewis Black: Namely as valued contributors to our re-election fund.

I don't remember Kerri being a fat guy with a light sabre, EC.
---
DEFENCE, DEFENCE
"Alas, history is nothing but a lie agreed upon" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

I am bemused by anybody who says that Diablo's game being named after him has no effect.

It should be easy to see that if Starcraft really were named "Sarah Kerrigan Assault" or somesuch, she'd be much more of a monster than she will end up actually being.
---
www.SC2K5.com
www.sc2k5.com/gallery

I don't remember Kerri being a fat guy with a light sabre, EC.

Don't you ever tell me that my name isn't Kerrigan again.

---
Explicit Content.
Cheer Up Emo Kids.

I am bemused by anybody who says that Diablo's game being named after him has no effect.

Of course it helped him, but to claim that Kerrigan won't even be near him because of it is being stupid.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Of course it helped him, but to claim that Kerrigan won't even be near him because of it is being stupid.

True, but I would take Diablo over Kerrigan without much thought.
---
I've been Pwned by KoaC. He really is the king of all cosmos.

True, but I would take Diablo over Kerrigan without much thought.

Ditto.

---
Explicit Content.
Cheer Up Emo Kids.

Well Kerrigan could get something like this (only the head part)

http://www.blizzard.com/images/broodwar/heroes/kerr/k5!.jpg
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I've been Pwned by KoaC. He really is the king of all cosmos.

I really quickly threw together a picture of Vincent and Kerrigan. Be forewarned, I didn't keep it with the theme of Round 1 nor did I bother to make crop anything. I just tried to make it look "decent" enough to get an idea of what the two might look like in a picture. This is pretty horrible as far as Photoshop skills go. But I literally spend three minutes on it. =p

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3845/vincentvkerrigan7du.jpg

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Well Kerrigan could get something like this (only the head part)

That's not even official art, not to mention it looks like crap. I don't see why anyone would be expecting anything other than the basic Brood War introduction screen art.

http://darkantoine.free.fr/darkantoine/images/S/Starcraft-Sarah-Kerrigan.jpg

That's the most obvious choice and the only piece of art that is widely known.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3845/vincentvkerrigan7du.jpg


it's the battle of the noses!!!

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Official Co-Host for PUB TRIVIA XV
Yoblazer is officially THE MAN for beating us all in SpC2K5!!

Devil Division Round 1 - Match 21 – (1)Dante vs. (8)Terra

Dante
Game/Series Known From: Devil May Cry
Extrapolated Rank in 2002: 18th (25.02%)
Extrapolated Rank in 2003: 21th (28.23%)
Extrapolated Rank in 2004: 17th (25.49%)
Seed in 2002: 4
Seed in 2003: 4
Seed in 2004: 4
Lost in 2002 to Crono in Round 2
Lost in 2003 to Ryu in Round 2
Lost in 2004 to Sonic in the Sweet 16

Dante got a one seed? That’s a surprise. I mean, even after three straight 4 seeds?

Terra
Game/Series Known From: Final Fantasy VI
Extrapolated Rank in 2002: N/A
Extrapolated Rank in 2003: N/A
Extrapolated Rank in 2004: N/A
Seed in 2002: N/A
Seed in 2003: N/A
Seed in 2004: N/A

Another new FF star steps up to the plate. She however, has a chance to succeed.

Oh, I could just blow off this match. 1 vs 8? No chance for the upset here. But, I didn’t say that when Starcraft was around. I gave Starcraft a chance and dammit, I’m going to give Terra one as well.

Dante is a nice definition of mid-carder in this Contest. Not weak enough to fall in Round 1, but will most likely collapse in Round 2. We however, have no clue about Terra’s strength. She’s a Contest newbie, a 8-seed, and a female to boot. (C’mon, how many elite females have we got around here? Samus.) So if that’s the case, then why are so many people giving her a chance? I’ll show you why.

22.99%. If you don’t remember that percentage from a couple analyses back, I’ll refresh your memory. That is Kefka’s Spring 2005 extrapolated percentage on Link. Convert Spring Kefka into the 2004 Adjusted Stats, and look where he falls.

Dante 25.49%
Tidus 25.35%
Vivi 25.22%
Yoshi 25.22%
Shadow the Hedgehog 24.94%
Knuckles 24.94%
Tommy Vercetti 24.17%
Kefka 22.99%

“But Moltar!” You scream, “What does that have to do with anything?” Well, look at other hero:villain ratios. Mario to Bowser, Crono to Magus, Solid to Liquid, Link to Ganon. What do they all have in common? The hero is much stronger than the villain. The only case thus far that go against this is Cloud to Sephiroth, and that’s because FF7 is so big, both characters can have separate fanbases here at GameFAQs. If this pattern continues, Terra could likely beat Dante. She would only have to be 2.5% higher in the stats then Kefka for it to work, and hero/villain gaps are usually much larger than that.

However, here’s where I believe the flawed logic comes in. If Terra were to be that strong, she’d be near top-tier. If she ends up 5% higher than Kefka, she ranks around Alucard and Bowser. If she ends up 7% higher, she ends up right under Snake and above the Frog/Chief/Liquid trio. 10%? Why hello there Magus and Sonic. Do I see Terra-Kefka working out like a Cloud-Sephiroth or, to a slightly bigger extent, Crono-Magus (no-SFF)? No, I honestly don’t. When I think of top-tier FF heroes, I think of Cloud, Squall and Tidus. I don’t think of others like Cecil, Zidane or Terra, they’re more lower class to me. Hell, the only FF6 characters I knew before I came to GameFAQs were Kefka and Ultros. We all know Ultros is weak while Kefka is a bit above him. We’ve also seen Cecil bomb against Kirby, and Kefka lose to Vercetti. I see Terra ranking below Kefka, and Dante beating her with ease. Kefka (Spring 2005) would be projected to get 45% on Dante, just in case you’re wondering.

Moltar’s Bracket Says: Dante will win.

Moltar’s Prediction is: Dante: 61% - Terra: 39%

---
Moltar's Comics - http://www.stripcreator.com/comics/Moltar
Crono vs. Zidane - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (17/19)

Ulti’s Analysis

Ah, the Devil Division. Possibly the hardest division in the contest. It kicks off with a match that seems obvious, but isn't. Standard 1-8 blowout, right?

Eh, maybe not. To greatly shorten an extended argument, a lot of people think that Terra can win due to the general hero:villain relationship. Kefka is projected to score 41.62% on Dante in the 2004 stats, and most hero:villain relationships are much farther away than 58.5-41.5. It's a good argument, but the issue with it is that I believe Terra functions a bit differently.

Even among the most hardcore FF6 fans, no one can decide on who the most popular character is. FF6 also functions differently from most RPGs in that even though Terra is the main character, not all of the attention is focused on her. It's split very evenly among almost 20 characters, and there are several long times in the game where Terra is not even in the party. Terra also suffers from not being a popular archetype; she is a girl who doesn't act like a slut nor does she act strong until very late in the game. She's just... kinda there, and most of the game is spent watching her tell of her past until she overcomes it. This may work for FF6 fans, but in the eyes of a casual voter, I doubt they'll appreciate Terra's character enough for her hero:villain gap with Kefka to be very large. Terra also has to worry about Dante just having gotten DMC3 under his belt, which lessens her already dim upset chances.



.....or you could just take one look at Kirby/Cecil, realize that Terra will not be getting a sprite in her match pic and use some common sense. If she does anything other than get her ass whipped, I'll honestly be stunned. Cecil, Ultros, and Kefka all bombed like hell in their first contest appearances. Terra will likely be no different.

Prediction: Dante with 58.01%



Soul’s Analysis


The hardest division kicks off with one of the weakest 1 seeds ever. Dante, although badass and one of my personal favorites, does not deserve a 1 seed in this contest. I guess he was mass-nominated so we can get a Kirby Vs. Dante match. Maybe next year folks. Maybe next year...

As said before, this is the hardest division to predict, as only two matches are for certain who the winner will be. Those two being Magus > Knuckles (sadly) and Squall > Geno (sadly). This would probably be the easiest hard match to predict in this division.

Terra is the main character from Final Fantasy 6, and will most likely be no push over. Dante is a midcarder, who will most likely receive a boost from Devil May Cry 3. Dante has the experience going for him and he has had a new game come out since the last contest. So on paper, he should be able to beat Terra quite handily.

That could be the case, although, Terra is one of those new characters who potentially can be pretty strong. And if she does manage to be pretty strong, she could be able to beat Dante. I mean, she is the only protagonist from Final Fantasy 6 in the contest, so she would be able to get most of the fanbase votes...

Well, the only other character from FFVI who was in this contest was none other then Kefka. Kefka has basically defined underperformance in these contests. With almost losing to Pac-man and getting humiliated by Crono, he has become an absolute joke. In fact, I bet most of the vets from Board 8 would think of Kefka anytime they see some lettuce.

So, the only indication of what Terra would get in this contest is from Kefka. That is not comforting, to say the least.

My prediction: Dante wins with 63.72% of the vote. DMC3 = PS2 Game of the Year. Remember that.

---
Moltar's Comics - http://www.stripcreator.com/comics/Moltar
Crono vs. Zidane - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (17/19)

Outback’s Analysis

A couple of brave souls around here have actually picked Terra to win this match. However, FFVI is just not that strong, characterwise. First, Kefka is extremely weak compared to the power of his game. Second, Terra is only ARGUABLY the main character, and might not get the same support that other FF leads get. Thirdly, people who know neither Dante or Terra will most likely vote for Dante, and Fourthly, Dante has DMC 3, which should give him at least a little increase.

Dante with 58.32



Inviso’s Analysis

Dante is a one seed…which balances out ertyu’s hatred for Kirby’s one seed. And yet, even with that one seed, Dante is the one seed most likely to lose in the first round. This isn’t to say that he WILL lose. It’s just a combination of his weakness and Terra’s strength. Anyway, Terra’s from FFVI, which as a game, has proven to be strong, but its characters thus far have lost to Knuckles, Diablo, Crono, and have struggled with Pac Man and Mithos. Terra will definitely get a boost not only from being Final Fantasy, but from being from Final Fantasy VI, but this definitely won’t be an upset of any kind. Devil May Cry 3 came out recently and gets a lot of praise, plus Dante is just more mainstream. So, sorry Terra. Try again next year maybe.

My Bracket: Dante Sparda
My Vote: Dante Sparda
My Prediction: Dante Sparda with 58.96%







Tnote’s Analysis

Kirby – 75%
Cecil – 25%

Whoa… what was that sound? Ooh yeah, it was the Terra bandwagon careening into a tree, bursting into flames and then erupting into a mushroom cloud. Not saying they are attached at the hip, but after seeing how poorly Kefka, Ultros and now Cecil have performed, I think we need to just accept that fact that 32-bit FF characters just are not cut out for popularity. The large cast will not help Terra, as it is difficult to fall in love with any one character in FFVI because there are just too many to keep track of.

I finally picked up DMC, and while I may be adding ‘worst DMC player in the Midwest’ to my already illustrious ‘worst MGS player in the Midwest,’ it is no fault of Mr. Sparda. The opening scene in DMC is freakin’ amazing, and has kept my interest despite my many attempts to die with reckless abandon. Dante has to keep alive his streak of ‘worst character to win at least one match in every contest’ and will have no trouble here. Dante is a bit weaker than Kirby, and Terra should be a bit stronger than Cecil (and has to have a significantly better picture). Probably will not reach a doubling, but it will be close.

Dante with 65.83%



Vlado’s Analysis


It's rather hilarious that some people think Terra has a shot here... I mean, get serious. A year ago, I thought Terra was a better FFVI representative in the contest than Kefka, but I don't think she's even as strong as he is now. The villain contest certainly helped him, and I'm sure that the stats will prove that Kefka is stronger than Terra, though they'll probably be fairly close.

No matter how we look at this, Dante has it. He was a good deal stronger than Kefka last summer, and Devil May Cry 3 came out since then. He will only have gotten stronger, I think he can even be above Sora in this year's stats and could come close to Auron. Anyway, the real test for him will be the battle against Vincent in Round 2, which will be a reality check for the FFVII character, after his easy first round match against Kerrigan.

Terra... Well, not much to say about her. She's my favourite out of the playable characters in FFVI and I think her appearance here is well deserved. But, her chances are non-existent. We saw how Cecil did against Kirby, and we all know that Dante > Kirby, as ertyu's teachings say. Sure, Terra will be stronger than Cecil, but, the most she can do here is avoid getting doubled. I expect her to be near Ness' level.

Dante with 64.36%

Well Kerrigan could get something like this (only the head part)

Yeah, but that's just completely unlikely.
---
"All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty trap, and men expect them to be."
MasterMage119

Damn, I didn't realize how bad that picture really looked. I made it a little better, just so that it doesn't look completely like ass.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3299/vincentvkerrigan1fs.jpg

But yeah, I think everyone should be expecting that particular art. I would be surprised if she got anything else. It is, after all, her most recognizable picture. It's even on the box to Brood War.
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4302/b00001ivr901lzzzzzzz0qj.jpg

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

DMC3 = PS2 Game of the Year. Remember that.

Wrong. God of War is.

God of War is Devil May Cry 3... except easier... and with different characters... and a different name.

---
Explicit Content.
Cheer Up Emo Kids.

You forgot the threesome mini-game. Sex ftw.
---
"When I was young people in my village would ring a bell every time I was angry to tell everyone to go into their homes until I calmed down." - Igor

God of War is receiving higher ratings from nearly everybody. I haven't had a chance to play DMC3 although I really want to, but right now I would have to say that GoW had DMC3 beat.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Heh, I'm surprised there's so little talk about Crono's performance today, especially considering he's a contender to win the whole thing. I guess it's because it's a SFF match, and nobody knows what to make of it.

Just for the record, a comparison of Crono to his two biggest threats:

Mario/Joanna Dark - 82020 (66720 for Mario)
Samus/Yuri - 70070 (61336 for Samus)
Crono/Zidane - 79003 (60409 for Crono)
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

It's not really a mini game... you just swivel the Control stick in the direction it tells you, and you get red orbs.

---
Explicit Content.
Cheer Up Emo Kids.

Mario/Joanna Dark - 82020 (66720 for Mario)

Go, Mario! <3

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Mario/Joanna Dark - 82020 (66720 for Mario)
Samus/Yuri - 70070 (61336 for Samus)
Crono/Zidane - 79003 (60409 for Crono)

Oh, the finals are gonna be a doozy. That's for sure.
---
"Opinions are like butts, little girl. Everyone's got one and nobody thinks their's stink." -Lunar 2:EB
*Claims KG's Eclair & Millia Rage*

I was just checking some ratings over at GameRankings and came across Resident Evil 4 -- I was actually looking for this, but it sounds better to just happen stroll across it =p -- and the lowest rating it has is 80%. That friggin' insane. <3

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Well, Have you played it yet? I, for one, am not surprised.
---
Vote Kerrigan & Diablo in SC2k5.
PWN'D by yoblazer in the guru contest. Congrats.

Played it? Yes, I just finished it last night. I just never looked at GameRankings until today. It appears RE4 is ranked #4 of all-time and lowest rating is an 80%. I am very pleased with that one, myself.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

Since the percentage is not likely to fluctuate much more, let's guestimate Zidane...

Based on 2004 Crono (sans SFF), Zidane is currently at 19.21% on Link, right below Max Payne.

Just for the heck of it, assuming Zidane got SFF'd the same amount as Kefka, he's currently at 27.19% on Link, exactly even with 2004 Tidus.
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

I believe the former long before I believe the latter.

---
Takes nothing to realize your Ken.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/480/kensa34mr.gif

For safety, I'd probably place Zidane somewhere in between those two. Not enough SFF as with Kefka, but probably some...
---
"Opinions are like butts, little girl. Everyone's got one and nobody thinks their's stink." -Lunar 2:EB
*Claims KG's Eclair & Millia Rage*

I know. I'm not expecting much in the way of SFF (if any at all), but I was just giving Zidane's range.
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

Plus, this doesn't take into account the possible annual Crono increase, which would probably bring Zidane above the VFL.
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

Zidane vs. Kefka. Who would you take?
---
Summer 2005 Contest - 17/19 points
Current Match Prediction: Crono vs. Zidane

Zidane, easily.
---
"Opinions are like butts, little girl. Everyone's got one and nobody thinks their's stink." -Lunar 2:EB
*Claims KG's Eclair & Millia Rage*

Technically, Sarah could get her Terran Ghost head art. It's highly doubtful, but is technically possible, though it's obviously much more likely she'll get the Queen of Blades picture (I actually prefer her as a Ghost >.>).

And I think Terra could be stronger than Kefka on one small basis: she can have more than one decent picture. Whereas Angel Kefka is pretty much his only chance to win a match (with his Jester picture - everyone says "OMG clowns suck" and let's not take about lettuce Kefka) Terra can possibly get good art. Most likely she'll get Amano art though, which will pretty much screw her >.>. I'd rather have Edgar, he's much more neutral in the pic department.
~~~~~
"I'm putting them out of there misery! See? I'm the good guy now! Perspectives are so easy to change." - Raedryn

I'd expect to see FMV Terra after seeing Kefka got his, too.
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

I guess because Zidane's getting tripled by Crono and he's from the same era as Cloud, Cloud stands no chance against Crono.
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"It shall be engraved upon your soul! Divine Assault: Nibelung Valesti!" ~ Lenneth Valkyrie

I wonder how much SFF Cloud would get on Zidane, considering he'd be expected to quadruple him before the SFF even kicks in...
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Squall Leonhart's Road to the Summer Contest 2005 Championship
Round 1: (7) Geno

Considering what Cloud did to Squall, I'd figure Zidane would be hurtin' pretty bad.
---
Hillary Clinton: We need to treat violent video games the way we treat tobacco or alcohol.
Lewis Black: Namely as valued contributors to our re-election fund.

I wonder how much SFF Cloud would get on Zidane, considering he'd be expected to quadruple him before the SFF even kicks in...

I think it would be similar to Link/Ganon...

---
Warden: Talk! What is SeeD all about!?
Squall: ...Flower.