[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

Why would it end the character battles?
If anything, it makes them more exciting.
---
I know what I'm getting into, I don't care if I die trying!-Peppita Rossetti

I think it makes it more exciting as well, it puts more characters in the top tier that can compete with each other, and make more intresting match-ups in the later rounds.

But too bad Vincent will job to Dante.

---
~This sig was pimped by Icon's sig~
Cheer up Emo kids.

Damn Bowser, he's looking set to upset Snake now.

But with Ryu's performance against Rikku, this really shouldn't be such a surprise.

Btw, Explicit, what does Tifa vs. Sonic have anything to do with the current match?

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

This beating of Ryu is... absurd! I could see Bowser winning... but by this much? *smacks X-Stats upside the head*

Okay, random topic time! If Richter Belmont were to get into the contest, would he be absolute fodder, or would he be close enough to Alucard in popularity to preform respectably?

But too bad Vincent will job to Dante.

Sure, anything can happen in your dreams...

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

GWAHAHAHA!

Bowser is kicking ass. I'm tempted to say he has a good shot at beating Snake.
---
The King of all Cosmos' route to summer victory:
Round 1: (0) Voters

He wouldn't be any stronger then Simon.


---
Kenshin-when i say im going to kill you their is nothing you can do but die

Btw, Explicit, what does Tifa vs. Sonic have anything to do with the current match?

Well after Luigi/KOS-MOS it was evident KOS-MOS took a MASSIVE drop, and I expect that Bowser has gotten stronger, to SOME extent, but is not the reason for all of this. After the string of Ryu > KOS-MOS, Sonic > Ryu, they all experienced virtually the same boost from their previous place in the x-stats. But KOS-MOS dropped insane amounts, that may rival Lara Croft, after getting a new game. That leads me to believe she was overrated in the x-stats. Now, Ryu is horribly underperforming as well, about 9% or so. That would lead me to believe that Sonic is also weaker than thought, leaving Tifa to take him out.

---
~This sig was pimped by Icon's sig~
Cheer up Emo kids.

If Vincent and Tifa live up to their hype, there could be a situation where 4 out of the top 5 characters are from FF7 (only Link isn't).

And then we have a situation where Nintendo are pretty much dominating. If a joke puffball with games that aren't even popular and a mute badass who doesn't even have his own series can take down icons such as Capcoms finest and the face of modern Rpgs... Well then, this contest is toast IMO.

I think before these contests actually end, we would just see company based divisions.

---
I need to put something here.

So, Ryu couldn't have over-performed on Sonic?
---
SC2K5: Samus is going all the way!
Bowser vs. Ryu - Bracket: Bowser - Vote: Bowser (40/46)

these contest will end when gamefaqs fails IMO. there's always new characters coming and old one dying and others remaing constant.
---
Kilroy:There fate will be in each other's hands as they decide whether to share or to shaft

Well after Luigi/KOS-MOS it was evident KOS-MOS took a MASSIVE drop, and I expect that Bowser has gotten stronger, to SOME extent, but is not the reason for all of this. After the string of Ryu > KOS-MOS, Sonic > Ryu, they all experienced virtually the same boost from their previous place in the x-stats. But KOS-MOS dropped insane amounts, that may rival Lara Croft, after getting a new game. That leads me to believe she was overrated in the x-stats. Now, Ryu is horribly underperforming as well, about 9% or so. That would lead me to believe that Sonic is also weaker than thought, leaving Tifa to take him out.

You do realize where that leads, don't you?

Samus overperforming on Cloud!

All jokes aside, it's hard to tell which char overperformed on which match to start the chain of over-ratedness.

But Sonic did look a lot weaker if you set Jin = Kazuya, which isn't such a bad assumption.

So Sonic overperforming against Samus is certainly a possibility.

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

But are we gonna say that Ryu did too well against Snake and Samus too? It just baffles me that this is the worst beating he's ever received, based on who he's fought.

Well yeah, the reason that I think it ends at Sonic is that they all obtained virutally the same boost from their previous place in the x-stats.

---
~This sig was pimped by Icon's sig~
Cheer up Emo kids.

Perhaps the best part about this match is it makes Chun-Li look fairly close to Ryu in strength. (or at least closer than we thought before)

Chun-Li may even be able to beat Rikku.
---
I can move mountains

Who would win in a Bowser/Ganondorf match right now, anyway?
---
"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*

Who would win in a Bowser/Ganondorf match right now, anyway?

I'd still take Ganon, he did better against Seph very recently.

Granted it's Seph, a very inconsistent giant, but the LoZ franchise in general is stronger than the Mario franchise.

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

But are we gonna say that Ryu did too well against Snake and Samus too? It just baffles me that this is the worst beating he's ever received, based on who he's fought.

Samus wasn't much back in 2002, and in 2003, both Snake and Ryu were stronger back then.

His fall either occured last year (with his match against Sonic, or Sonic's match against Samus), or he somehow fell this year alone. Signs point to 2004 though, because both he and KOS-MOS have fallen.

Or, you can look at it as Ryu got 42% on Snake, and with Snake looking like he was in 2003 so far (because saying Zelda hasn't boosted since 2003 is crazy), you could say Snake = Bowser, with a small Ryu drop, and KOS-MOS just bombing against Luigi.
---
SC2K5: Samus is going all the way!
Bowser vs. Ryu - Bracket: Bowser - Vote: Bowser (40/46)

From: NeoElfboy | Posted: 9/1/2002 6:51:48 PM | Message Detail
And so, the headline for the final match:

Another round, another easy win for Link.

Mario has been embarrassed. Link has opened up a 25% vote gap on him. The #2 Nintendo mascot is destroying #1. Given the outcomes of recent polls, today's result is hardly surprising, though if you'd told me a few months ago that Link would easily dispose of Mario in a popularity contest with a 100,000-voter base, I would have been very skeptical. But Link has proven himself head and shoulders above Mario, just as he did Sephiroth, and by proxy, everybody else in the tournament.

Mario. Cloud Strife. Solid Snake. Crono. Sephiroth. MegaMan. Six big names. Along with Link, it would not be unfair to label these the "elite seven" of the tournament, adding the impressive Blue Bomber and dark-horse Eastern champ to the five names who so clearly stood out on the odds list published two months ago. None of these seven was ever defeated by anybody from outside the group, and whenever two of these seven clashed, the result was a close battle. And it's far to say that any match within the Elite would have been similarly close.

Close... unless that match involved Link. Mario - the man who proved himself against tough opposition - was utterly destroyed. Sephiroth fared much better, and fans of the FF7 villain can take solace in the fact that, by being the only character to drop Link below the 60% mark, he has a good claim to the title of #2 character in the contest. But in the end, even he could not threaten Link; his semi-final loss was obvious from the first few minutes of voting.

Poor Mario. Excluding the laughable Link/Scorpion affair, which can be blamed on the rather sorry half-division that was the upper South, his eventual loss represents the biggest blowout of the final nine matches, and by a good margin. I don't begrudge Link the victory at all, but I would have liked to see the character who better than anyone else can claim the status of video game "legend" at least put up a good fight.

Congratulations to Link. He just didn't win, he made it look easy. Never once did he have a victory that was suspect. In a contest which a some accused of being marred by cheaters, or skewed by campaigning, Link rose above all the mess. People may question the victories of Samus or Mario, but nobody will ever question Link. And given the bitter nature of a certain minority of the Contest followers, that is truly impressive.

I'll post some more thoughts later today.

~NeoElfboy
---
"Sometimes I think your massive intelligence penalties are so immense that they fold in upon themselves and transform into stat bonuses!" -RM
<VetSCCer>
---

It seems the Noble Nine was not established before the 2002 contest as has been clamed.

---
Summer Contest 2005 --- Score: 39/46 --- Rank: T-3045

Don't look now, but Ryu is starting to chop away at Bowser's percentage.
---
SC2K5: Samus is going all the way!
Bowser vs. Ryu - Bracket: Bowser - Vote: Bowser (40/46)

OMG I LOOKED.

---
~This sig was pimped by Icon's sig~
Cheer up Emo kids.

well bowser is a definite beast now. whoi would have though it two years ago he could become this strong
---
Kilroy:There fate will be in each other's hands as they decide whether to share or to shaft

Bowser's taking Solid Snake out. <3

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

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

morning, y'all. nice percentage by Bowser.

first off, I agree with tnote that this is the year of SSBM. I've been saying it all week - that game only increases in popularity. I'm amazed no one is using the term "SSBMF" - maybe because it didn't come out this year. but it's pretty obvious that's what's happening here, either that or a complete voter shift.

secondly, before the contest started, I ranked this division as Bowser, Tidus, Kirby, Ryu, with Tidus and Kirby being right next to each other. so, while I doubt anyone would take Tidus over Ryu at this point, would anyone take Kirby?

that said, I still think Snake will beat Bowser. I just don't believe in Ryu like everyone else does.
---
http://picturesofwalls.com

Kirby could likely beat everyone in this division.

Everyone, that is, except Bowser. >_>
---
Chun-Li > Bowser book it - lol_internet
Vote for Kirby in SC2K5!

I can't wait until Snake takes out Bowser. Anyone who then argues for transitivity will look even sillier.
---
Board 8: Where people treat each other right.

I can't wait until Snake takes out Bowser. Anyone who then argues for linearity will look even sillier.

Fixed.

Nice job, MM, but you apparently forgot to fix YOUR FACE in the process.
---
Board 8: Where people treat each other right.

Nice job, MM, but you apparently forgot to fix YOUR FACE in the process.

Touché.

I can't wait until Snake takes out Bowser.

You'll have to wait a long time, considering it won't be happening.

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

O_O

That is all I have to say. If Bowser beats Snake it'll be through no fault of Snake's, though... and if Mario's tagging along for the ride he looks good for the finals as well. Unless Samus does the same, anyway...

Something I don't get is why the generalized Nintendo boost is put on SSBM. Obviously it's a common denominator of all the Nintendo characters rather than just, you know, being Nintendo?
---
"You can't have gone over a kilometer up. 1500 meters, tops." -Samus Aran
"I'll express my love to you slowly, later." -Setzer Gabbiani

Woops, I just slaughtered that last sentence. Hopefully you get the point anyway.
---
"You can't have gone over a kilometer up. 1500 meters, tops." -Samus Aran
"I'll express my love to you slowly, later." -Setzer Gabbiani

or a complete voter shift.

We have a winner!

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

I can't possibly imagine why anyone is saying this boost is apart of SSBM. That's rather ridiculous. All of the Nintendo characters are in SSBM, but that doesn't mean the game is being the factor for their increase. I would at least hope that no one believes SSBM is the reason for this increase.

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

That's what I was tryin' to say. I mean, the best character in the game is the only one to lose, and in a relatively humiliating fashion considering the post-first round expectations.
---
"You can't have gone over a kilometer up. 1500 meters, tops." -Samus Aran
"I'll express my love to you slowly, later." -Setzer Gabbiani

Well, it is being sold with the gamecube now isn't it? At least pinning it on ssbm is something, albeit with a bad reason, but it's a reason at least. Nintento characters suddenly having an increase is strange.
---
Revenge is a dish best served cold. ~Old Klingon Proverb

It seems the Noble Nine was not established before the 2002 contest as has been clamed.

Before the contest the big 5 were Mario, Cloud, Solid Snake, Link and Sephiroth. They had the best odds of winning 2k2 and 2k3 (though the order chnaged).
---
I've been Pwned by KoaC. He really is the king of all cosmos.

I can't wait until Tifa/Luigi, just to see if the general Nintendo/SSBM domination is real or not.

Or if Cloud has an inkling of a chance against Link.

With AC delayed yet again (damn Squenix), Link has the whole thing in the bag already.

I'm really curious wth is Squenix thinking, delaying the US release of AC even further.

If they can release it on time in Jp, why not here?

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

it's fully possible for every Nintendo character to get a boost. it's just that when Mario (3 of them), Zelda (2 of them, with one yet to be seen), Kirby, and maybe Metroid characters get a boost all at once, it's easier to attribute it to SSBM. throw in that an absolutely useless character in MH beat an FF villain and that Ridley (not in SSBM) pretty much bombed and you've got a case to be made. it's a shame we don't have anything on Ness, cause that would be a good test.
---
http://picturesofwalls.com

I think a general voting population shift is a better reason than SSBMF.

Noone cares for Metroid bosses anyway, Samus is the only thing that matters in Metroid.

---
Reserved for the winner of the SC2K5 Guru Challenge.

people do care about Metroid bosses, at least the Metroid dorks that I know. you mean to tell me he wouldn't be stronger at all if he was in SSBM?
---
http://picturesofwalls.com

Master Hand was a worthless chump, don't you remember? He's hardly a good argument.
---
"You can't have gone over a kilometer up. 1500 meters, tops." -Samus Aran
"I'll express my love to you slowly, later." -Setzer Gabbiani

in my mind, MH should be weaker than he already is - I mean, he's a non-playable hand that does nothing but shoot lasers at you. I am probably just more shocked at Kuja sucking than everyone else.
---
http://picturesofwalls.com

Nintento characters suddenly having an increase is strange.

The whole "voter shift" thing makes a lot more sense than randomly putting it toward SSBM.

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

I'm really curious wth is Squenix thinking, delaying the US release of AC even further.

Apparently, Square Enix mentioned that they never released an actual date on the US release of Advent Children. However, they also, supposedly, mentioned recently that the US release would be very near to the Japanese release date.

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

Kingdom Hearts at least was plausible, since the characters had their first appearance in years. SSBM? After all these years, and not even a progressive shift either?
---
"You can't have gone over a kilometer up. 1500 meters, tops." -Samus Aran
"I'll express my love to you slowly, later." -Setzer Gabbiani

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't make any sense for SSBM to just now be making this random leap in popularity for Nintendo characters.



Just because Nintendo, as a whole, seems to be increasing, doesn't mean we should jump out and claim that it's because of SSBM. I don't even see how that could make sense to somebody.

---
To the man whose spirit was so free it was bothersome... Kurosaki Ichigo, my sword has been broken by your freedom of spirit.

I know you're all impressed with what is happening here, and also with Luigi and Kirby, but you're forgetting that Ganon wasn't impressive and that Samus and Mario haven't done anything all that impressive either. And DK, he was in the range of the stats as well. With Zelda's loss she doens't look that great anymore (poor Vivi) and Yoshi didn't do anything that surprising. Ness, well, he probably went up against king-size fodder and hasn't changed since last year.

Really, there are three Nintendo characters to be impressed with, and they still have room for some failure or momumental proportions later.
---
First you make a circle, then you dot the eyes, add a great big smile and presto, it's Kirby!