Bowser ain't coming back. Barring a miracle with Vincent, the Noble Nine has stayed intact for another year.
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"Thank you, Mario. But our princess is in another castle."
-Toad in Super Mario Bros.

If Sonic's ever going to reach the F4, this is his year. Every other year he's had horrible bracket position.

Actually, it's been pretty good every other year, he's never before been up against Link/Seph/Cloud/Samus, while every other NN member has had one of them in their way every year (except MM2k3/2k4 and Crono 2k2, duh).
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Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.

Bowser deserved to be doubted after his match with Kirby. And that's just how it was and is.

Pic factor wasn't a factor in this match. Bowser's pic isn't good either...
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Revenge is a dish best served cold. ~ Old Klingon Proverb

I don't think anyone said "Bowser has no chance." Snake was the favourite, but Bowser was given a chance.
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Ulti, you should really quit with that crap. I have Bowser > Snake here and I used the stats as much as or more than anyone else. Seriously, borderline trolling there.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Mac what are you talking about? Sonic's three losses are to Cloud and Samus.

Bowser put up one hell of a fight for someone who was supposedly too weak to challenge a member of the so-called Noble Nine, as well as too low in the X-STATS.

Oo

The Extapolated Standings have Bowser slightly ABOVE Solid Snake. How is that too low?
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''If I were the rain that binds together the earth and sky, who in all eternity will never mingle, would I be able to bind the hearts of people together?''

He seems to be trying to make some point, but he's going about it completely wrong.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Heh, it could have been only Snake having a bracket advantage that prevented him from losing... although I'm completely ignoring that pic he has. <_< But seriously, it's great to see Bowser pretty much as Snake's equal.

*pelvic thrusts towards those saying that they couldn't see Bowser > Zelda*
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MM are my INITIALS "There are only 10 kinds of people in this world, those that read binary and those that don't."

Yeah, nevermind Sonic had the same division as the bracket champion in 2k3 and had our most stacked division (outside of 128-Bit Division) in 2k2. Then, in 2k4, he had to face who he had already lost to in 2k2 AFTER she had become more mainstream again.

Not too easy.
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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.

From: ChichiriMuyo | Posted: 9/14/2005 10:09:30 PM | Message Detail | #205
Ulti, you should really quit with that crap. I have Bowser > Snake here and I used the stats as much as or more than anyone else. Seriously, borderline trolling there.
-

I agree
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Sonic's had it pretty rough. Specifically, he should have at least made it to Sephy in 2002.
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Only the Snake is the true hero. Solid Snake to the Final Four!

I'm just confused at Sora's complete ineptitude compared to the characters I thought were around his level before the contest. Bowser would beat him more than 60-40, and that seems wrong.

Still, I'm hesitant to place Bowser as "right below the noble nine" based on this. Look at all the characters who we've done that with in the past and then paid for it... and Bowser didn't impress against Kirby, or compared with Ganondorf, or against Cloud two years back. Let's wait til next year before we fix him at the ten spot.
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I can't think of anything to put here, but I can't just leave it blank, can I?

Bowser technically is the X-Stats pick, Ulti, and we've probably got a higher concentration of supporters of the pick here than anywhere else.

I know you love to say "lol X-Stats", but this isn't really one of those matches.
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Squall: "Hi, like Cloud from the last game, I am full of angst and am named after weather."
- Slow Beef

I think we've just crossed the line where the second night vote blurs with the first night vote territory. Snake is looking good now.
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Only the Snake is the true hero. Solid Snake to the Final Four!

TG and Chichiri telling anyone to stop trolling is beyond hilarious.

~*ST*~
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Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

I think this has been the best match of the year. prior to today, I would have gone with Vincent/Squall.
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"Look at all the characters who we've done that with in the past and then paid for it..."

They never went 50/50 with Snake, they just had other matches that looked favorable for them compared to what they should have done.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Vincent/Squall was the only real nail-biter, I think.

~*ST*~
---
Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

Oh yeah, there was also Kefka/Tommy.

~*ST*~
---
Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

But Kefka/Tommy is tainted. It was probably the most exciting one to watch while it was happening, though.
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Only the Snake is the true hero. Solid Snake to the Final Four!

*pelvic thrusts towards those saying that they couldn't see Bowser > Zelda*

*is sadly thrusted*

I refuse to count Zelda out in a match against Bowser though; the only two times we've ever seen anything from LoZ (by someone outside of LoZ, obviously) be POTENTIALLY SFF'd is when they faced SMB3 and Samus. From there, it's argued that Kirby got a lil' rSFF against Bowser, which I think could/would be credited to the SSB/M fanbase...if Kirby could rSFF some, Zelda can too and probably moreso. Last, while both of Solid's pics were bad, I think G.I. Snake is worse than Solid Valentine.

Granted, I'd take Bowser now against Zelda, but I would refuse to count her out.
---
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.

It's been a good match today, but I'd be hesitant to place it at #1. For one, there's the lack of any lead changes.

I don't think anything can compare with Kefka vs. Vercetti at this point. That was awesome.

And, er... can't we all just get along? It's still just a contest.
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I can't think of anything to put here, but I can't just leave it blank, can I?

my rankings:

Bowser/Snake
Vincent/Squall
TV/Kefka
MC/DK
Magus/Knuckles

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.

I love how this match is LOL X-STATS when almost everyone that picked Bowser, picked him because of how strong the Spring X-Stats made him look.

They never went 50/50 with Snake, they just had other matches that looked favorable for them compared to what they should have done.

Frog?

Yes, it was 52-48, but that's damned close.
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I can't think of anything to put here, but I can't just leave it blank, can I?

Just goes to show how annoying you are being about this. You're just plain wrong on this matter, the XSt had nothing to do with claiming Bowser couldn't beat Snake, and you're going around parading your near-correct pick as if it justifies the logic behind it. This isn't a victory over the stats like you'd paint it, it's a victory for the stats. Anyone who though that Bowser wouldn't keep it within at least 5% was crazy.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Well, Ulti said he was banking on a Nintendo boost, as Snake's not *that* much higher than Bowser in 2004--but if it hadn't been as big as it was, bigger than he had even expected, Bowser wouldn't have stood a chance.
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Only the Snake is the true hero. Solid Snake to the Final Four!

Anyone who though that Bowser wouldn't keep it within at least 5% was crazy.

Now that, I fully agree with. But pay attention a little; I'm gloating to the people who thought that Bowser would get killed.

~*ST*~
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Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

"Frog?"

No one seriously claimed that Frog could beat a N9 member. there was no reason to think about it. The characters in question are Magus, Ganon, and Zero for the most part.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Master Chief/Donkey Kong. Sure many expected it, but it was still awesome to see. That was my favorite, no doubt.

And yeah, seriously... Bowser is totally the X-Stats pick. I've been saying this since yesterday.
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Squall: "Hi, like Cloud from the last game, I am full of angst and am named after weather."
- Slow Beef

I was asleep for the middle of Kefka/TV, so I missed out on some good stuff. I woke up ten minutes after Ceej took the votes away. once I woke up, it was boring as hell though.
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.

I still think there is a widespread N boost, hence why I'm regretting my Crono > Mario pick. Snake just seems to have gone back to his 2003 levels thanks to MGS3.

On a related note, anyone see Snake's character design for MGS4? It's downright horrific. I hope to God that the guy in the picture is actually a reincarnated Big Boss and that Kojima is just screwing with us.

~*ST*~
---
Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

I remember people were seriously contemplating MC being a threat to Snake after Halo 2 based on Frog's performance...
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Only the Snake is the true hero. Solid Snake to the Final Four!

I'm gloating to the people who thought that Bowser would get killed.

You're still wrong. The X-Stats have Snake losing this match. Snake failing to kill Bowser is not an "LOL X-Stats" moment. In fact, Snake still winning this match is the thing you should be "LOL X-Stats"ing about.
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Squall: "Hi, like Cloud from the last game, I am full of angst and am named after weather."
- Slow Beef

Fulfillment-wise, Magus/Knuckles makes GameFAQs in general worthwhile. Contest-wise, it's hard to top Kefka/Vercetti; if only CJay woulda waited longer to remove votes.
---
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 disagree. I think no one from Nintendo boosted other than the Mario crew and Kirby. Zelda, Ganon, Ness, and Samus gave us zero reason to think they raised any at all. The only characters that really look stronger are Mario, Bowser, Luigi, Yoshi and Kirby.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

Eh, Master Chief had reasons to go up though, legitimate ones. And he had his good performance against Crono one which Vincent will not replicate

ok, so he will, but it would be nice if he didn't...
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Revenge is a dish best served cold. ~ Old Klingon Proverb

I hate to say it, but Lopen's right.

lol, xstats.

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I remember people were seriously contemplating MC being a threat to Snake after Halo 2 based on Frog's performance...

i Hola !

Yeah, yeah...sure sounded good at the time though.
---
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've got a theory on why Mario SFFed Samus:

If Mario and Samus had the exact same fanbase, Samus would've won without question. Thing is...Samus has a lot of appeal to non-Nintendo fans. Yes, out of all the Nintendo characters, Samus and Ness branch out of the Nintendo fanbase more than anybody else.

Now, if Samus had only the Nintendo fanbase, she would be way weaker than Mario, to the point where she would be SFFed horribly. Now, even if you add on her extra support that other Nintendo characters don't have, she still loses to Mario comfortably.

So, you could say that SFF probably occurs primarily among the fans of the two characters in an SFF match...

Of course, it wouldn't be quite that simple, as there obviously is no clear boundary between being a Nintendo fan and a non-Nintendo fan...yet voting patterns among 100,000 voters can tend to show trends (for lack of a better word) such as that. I hope you get what I mean...

Aeris vs. Sora could be comparable to Mario vs. Samus...Aeris SFFed Sora badly because Kingdom Hearts has a big non-Squaresoft fanbase. Ness/Mario and Ness/Bowser might also be comparable.

Heh...I wonder if Crono has extra support outside of Squaresoft fans that other Square characters don't have? Hm...nah, I highly doubt Vincent would rSFF Crono since Crono SFFed Magus and Kefka...

Maybe that's all sooo very wrong. Fun to think about, at least...

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"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."

eh, I'd say Zelda looks stronger. if Snake's really at 35-36%, Zelda's somewhere around 33%. that's an increase, though a small one.

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.

Oh, and that DK thing... but that's an irregularity, not a boost.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.

It all depends on the X-Stats that you use. If you were to measure through 2k4 Sora, then Snake would have been the clear favorite to take this match, even if Bowser were at Sp2k5 levels.
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ALL YOUR VOTES ARE BELONG TO...Pac-Man?

Question of opinion: how well would Snake have to perform against Mario to convince everyone that pictures do indeed make a difference?
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SC2K5 Guru Contest: Where _______ kicked my ass.

I know what you mean about it never really being claimed that "Frog is capable of being able to beat an N9 character", but that was really just because it seemed so wrong, even for GameFAQs. Still, I think that Snake's just a little strange when it comes to the stats, perhaps because of his huge variation in pics, perhaps because of something else. Bowser's close shave with Kirby and his ranking beneath Ganondorf in the spring leave me with a little less confidence in him than 50% on Snake would, I suppose, warrant.

Besides... we don't know how Snake will do against Mario. I have a hunch, somehow, that Mario will take him down easier than expected.

However, regarding Bowser, I'd only put Ganondorf over him out of the non Noble Nine ranks, and I'd only even consider a possible close loss for the turtle against Vinny or Squall out of the rest of em. And that thought may change by tomorrow.
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I can't think of anything to put here, but I can't just leave it blank, can I?

I myself am a Metroid fanatic and not a Nintendo fan at all. Metroid and F-Zero are really the only Nintendo games I like.
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.

A difference if 1-2%, maybe.

~*ST*~
---
Winner of the Spring 2004 "Best. Game. Ever." Contest
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem 8, WC3: Frozen Throne, Advance Wars

Yeah I'm just lucky that Master Chief wasn't in the Dream or Devil Division... actually, what does that matter, I got the winners wrong anyway!

I wish Master Chief was in Knuckles slot, actually... man that would have been good comedy.
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Squall: "Hi, like Cloud from the last game, I am full of angst and am named after weather."
- Slow Beef

Zelda looks stronger than 2k3, yes... but that didn't happen this year. Like Link and Ganon that is a boost form a previous time, she just happened to not be around to show it off when she first got it.
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I once made a sig bet with TRE that Ganon wasn't actually over 31 on BL. The jury's still out on the pigman, but props to TRE 'cause I'm a believer again.