Preliminary All Time Averages:
*These are going to change by the end of the match, but they were never meant to be terribly scientific anyway, and it won't be by much
*To get to BL, I assumed Link 2k4 = Link 2k5. Note that my Link 2k4 is stronger than cn's.
*Samus was given her 2k4 value, which is right under Mario's 2k5. Huzzah.
*Ganondorf was given his Sp2k5 value.
*Ness was given his Auron through Tails 2k4 value
*Yoshi was resolved by assuming a constant Laharl
*Pac-Man was resolved using 20XXDF Kefka, because it's the best thing I could think of.
*Other characters with potential anomalies (Vincent, Bowser, Kirby, and Sora) were not adjusted.

1 Link 52.23
2 Cloud Strife 49.80
3 Sephiroth 45.30
4 Samus Aran 39.92
5 Mario 39.15
6 Crono 38.70
7 Mega Man 38.57
8 Sonic the Hedgehog 36.73
9 Vincent Valentine 35.23
10 Ganondorf 35.13
11 Solid Snake 35.02
12 Magus 33.82
13 Auron 33.25
14 Tifa Lockhart 33.24
15 Bowser 33.12
16 Zero 32.88
17 Zelda 31.83
18 Aeris Gainsborough 31.28
19 Ryu 31.08
20 Shadow 30.52
21 Squall Leonhart 30.48
22 Tidus 30.31
23 Master Chief 29.61
24 Kirby 28.79
25 Frog 28.75
26 Dante 28.23
27 Sora 28.22
28 Knuckles 28.07
29 Vivi 28.05
30 Yoshi 27.94
31 Leon Kennedy 27.22
32 Luigi 27.16
33 Claire Redfield 27.14
34 Alucard 26.53
35 Donkey Kong 26.53
36 Liquid Snake 26.28
37 Rikku 26.28
38 Yuna 25.62
39 Jill Valentine 25.14
40 Morrigan Aensland 24.87
41 Aya Brea 24.80
42 Chun-Li 24.67
43 Tommy Vercetti 24.66
44 Felix 24.60
45 Rikku 24.52
46 Diablo 24.34
47 Strider Hiryu 24.23
48 Scorpion 24.12
49 Wario 24.07
50 Tails 23.85
51 Ken Masters 23.70
52 Ness 23.46
53 M. Bison 23.26
54 Ryu Hayabusa 23.10
55 KOS-MOS 22.96
56 Kefka 22.67
57 Revolver Ocelot 22.57
58 Ramza Beoulve 22.31
59 Kasumi 22.17
60 Fox McCloud 21.83
61 Bomberman 21.65
62 Viewtiful Joe 21.56
63 Dr. Wily 21.27
64 Nemesis 21.20
65 Jak 21.08
66 Carl Johnson 21.05
67 Ridley 20.91
68 Kratos Aurion 20.74
69 Raziel 20.45
70 Sam Fisher 20.43
71 HK-47 20.41
72 Pac Man 20.31
73 Kratos 20.20
74 Kain 20.18
75 Duke Nukem 19.84
76 Lara Croft 19.77
77 Servbot 19.40
78 Bub 19.28

---
"It shall be engraved upon your soul! Divine Assault: Nibelung Valesti!" ~ Lenneth Valkyrie

79 Isaac 18.72
80 Big Boss 18.60
81 Terra 18.47
82 Zidane 18.38
83 Jin Kazama 18.19
84 Conker 18.18
85 Ansem 18.17
86 Lavos 18.16
87 Vergil 18.00
88 Kite 17.79
89 Vyse 17.77
90 Max Payne 17.73
91 Pikachu 17.62
92 Geno 17.52
93 Protoman 17.30
94 Cecil 17.16
95 Lloyd Irving 17.00
96 Crash Bandicoot 16.90
97 Simon Belmont 16.88
98 Dr. Robotnik 16.59
99 Joanna Dark 16.34
100 Mithos 16.33
101 Sin 16.15
102 The King of All Cosmos 16.11
103 Mother Brain 16.06
104 Parappa the Rapper 16.06
105 Gordon Freeman 16.03
106 Terry Bogard 15.80
107 Spyro the Dragon 15.77
108 Little Mac 15.69
109 Laharl 15.65
110 Ultros 15.30
111 Iori Yagami 14.98
112 CATS 14.92
113 Agent 47 14.88
114 Sarah Kerrigan 14.80
115 Albedo Piasora 14.68
116 Q*Bert 14.58
117 Wesker 14.42
118 Sigma 14.21
119 Ryo Hazuki 14.20
120 Kyo Kusanagi 13.93
121 Kazuya Mishima 13.93
122 Ramirez 13.85
123 Tina Armstrong 13.72
124 Master Hand 13.44
125 Andross 13.22
126 Earthworm Jim 13.14
127 Pitfall Harry 13.00
128 Chop Chop Master Onion 12.86
129 Ghaleon 12.80
130 Abe 12.74
131 Sly Cooper 12.69
132 JC Denton 12.57
133 Kuja 12.43
134 Raiden 12.29
135 Luca Blight 12.03
136 Ratchet 11.95
137 Manny Cavalera 11.64
138 Goemon 11.29
139 Pyramid Head 11.08
140 Tom Nook 10.82
141 Yuri 10.74
142 Ulala 10.62
143 Giygas 10.53
144 Akira Yuki 10.45
145 Guybrush Threepwood 10.19
146 Kane 10.08
147 Gabe Logan 9.61
148 Captain Olimar 8.84
149 AiAi 8.65
150 Mr. Resetti 8.52
151 Officer Tenpenny 8.36
152 Dirk the Daring 7.93
153 Serious Sam 6.31
154 Ms. Pac-Man 5.96
155 Mr. Driller 5.21
156 Tanner 3.77

---
Congrats to Jman_gamerX8, who pwned all the Gurus in SC2k5!

Yuri is projected to get 82.45% on Tanner. Not too bad for the weakest character in the bracket.
---
''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?''

Yeah, looks like absolutely everyone's over 10% on BL this year.
---
What online fan couldn't get behind Trevor Murdoch? I mean, finally, a wrestler with our physique! -Sean Carless

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Heh, misread that at first; I was ready to get hectic with some Crono/Vincent arguing when I saw Magus still had his old value.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

Hey, I tried to warn you guys about Magus over and over again. Not my fault you thought it was just fanboyism.

I've been preaching since after 2k3 that Magus was overrated when he was ranked above Sonic with people saying that they would take him to BEAT Sonic in a match. To have my favorite character expose Magus is probably the greatest moment ever on GameFAQs to me.

About Sephiroth... I always thought that Cloud somewhat SFF'd Sephiroth in 2k4 due to bracket support and for Cloud being the only one that had a chance to take down Link. On the other hand, in the Spring I thought that Ganon and Bowser's performances against Sephiroth were legit.

It turns out to be right in the middle. Bowser's strength is where I thought it would be, but Sephiroth is STRONGER than I thought he was. So Ganon and Bowser's performances may be somewhat overrated now that you look at it, but only because of Sephiroth dropping, not them overperforming. I hope that made sense to anyone... <_<
---
MM are my INITIALS "There are only 10 kinds of people in this world, those that read binary and those that don't."

Oh yeah.

Apparently, Vincent > Tifa > Aeris in terms of contest strength, just like I argued it would be. And it wasn't Vincent fanboyism because I don't care for Vincent at all. =P
---
MM are my INITIALS "There are only 10 kinds of people in this world, those that read binary and those that don't."

62 Viewtiful Joe 21.56

Viewtiful Fodder Line, anyone?

As for everyone talking about the NN...Ganon and Zelda will easily break into it next year, with Twilight Princess and maybe Zelda DS coming out. Don't forget SSBO after that, either. Also, after MP3, MPH, and SSBO come out, Samus would likely have the advantage over Seph...same with Mario, after SM128, NSMB, and SSBO.
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

Apparently, Vincent > Tifa > Aeris in terms of contest strength, just like I argued it would be. And it wasn't Vincent fanboyism because I don't care for Vincent at all. =P

Now, I don't generally follow the X-Stats...

BUT SOMEBODY NEEDS TO DIG UP THAT POLL ME AND HM WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THE CONTEST
---
DEFENCE, DEFENCE
"Alas, history is nothing but a lie agreed upon" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

This one?:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845
---
''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?''

Apparently, Vincent > Tifa > Aeris in terms of contest strength, just like I argued it would be. And it wasn't Vincent fanboyism because I don't care for Vincent at all. =P

Aeris 2k2 is substantially weaker than Aeris 2k3, thanks to KHF, if you didn't recall. Vincent seems to have gained a lot from ACF, as proved by today's match.

Anyway, averages are entirely meaningless, and I really don't see the point of making them. I'd rather see a ranking of every character's yearly performance, so I could answer questions like "Could Alucard 2k2 beat Spring Diablo? What about Summer Diablo?"
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

Apparently, Vincent > Tifa > Aeris in terms of contest strength, just like I argued it would be. And it wasn't Vincent fanboyism because I don't care for Vincent at all.

Again, I think people would be switching Vincent and Tifa if they had swapped positions in the bracket. A match between the two would still be a complete toss-up until DoC is released.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

Again, I think people would be switching Vincent and Tifa if they had swapped positions in the bracket. A match between the two would still be a complete toss-up until DoC is released.

After which, Tifa would have a decisive advantage.

:p
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

Apparently, Vincent > Tifa > Aeris in terms of contest strength, just like I argued it would be. And it wasn't Vincent fanboyism because I don't care for Vincent at all.

Why, that sounds awfully familiar to what I was arguing as well. Who would have thought! =p

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

I love that poll.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=845

Mwahaha
---
DEFENCE, DEFENCE
"Alas, history is nothing but a lie agreed upon" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

Who is your favorite character from Final Fantasy VII?

Cloud 31.2%
Sephiroth 25.2%
Vincent 10.9%
Tifa 8.5%
Aeris 7.3%
Red XIII 5.9%
Cid 4.3%
Yuffie 3.4%
Barret 1.9%
Cait Sith 1.3%

Total Votes: 82577


I'm also a fan of that one. =p

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

I was waiting for the second one, heh. Regardless, I stand by my stance that Tifa could have done what Vincent did in his position, and that a match-up between the two would still be a toss-up.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

Indeed, nothing quite like the absolute domination Sephy put down on Vincent. Also nice to see Yuffie pwning Barret.

But it doesn't change the fact that in the contest, they don't apply. Vincent overperformed on Crono, Seph 2k5 > Seph Sp2k5, and Cloud 2k5 > Cloud 2k4. FACT!
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Vincent overperformed on Crono, Seph 2k5 > Seph Sp2k5, and Cloud 2k5 > Cloud 2k4. FACT!

And they'll all be stronger in the oncoming year too.

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

That they will, but Aeris is still > Tifa, and pre-DoC Vincent is still weaker than Aeris.
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

It's also nice to see Vincent being the 3rd best FFVII character. He's only going to get stronger.
---
DEFENCE, DEFENCE
"Alas, history is nothing but a lie agreed upon" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

Vincent over Snake? Hm, that's one that a bit tough to digest for me.
---
Why did I even bother? Jman_gamerX8 had me beat at the Guru Contest.
Today's subliminal thought is:

That they will, but Aeris is still > Tifa, and pre-DoC Vincent is still weaker than Aeris.

No, I cannot agree with any ridiculous statement like that. Vincent "overperforming" would say to me that he did something he cannot do again, which I clearly do not see being the case. His place this year is where he SHOULD be, it isn't going to be any lower. Regardless of whatever insane thought you might be liking right now.

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

No, I cannot agree with any ridiculous statement like that. Vincent "overperforming" would say to me that he did something he cannot do again, which I clearly do not see being the case. His place this year is where he SHOULD be, it isn't going to be any lower. Regardless of whatever insane thought you might be liking right now.


I definitely agree. But if Aeris were in his place, she would have done just as well in the match against Crono. Obviously, Aeris 2k5 > Aeris 2k3.

Vincent over Snake? Hm, that's one that a bit tough to digest for me.

la la la, averages are dumb, la la la, averages are useless.
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

Anyways, I'm going to go ahead and call this Contest the second weakest one and the weakest Summer one we've had. There were really no nail-biters, too many sure-fire close matches that were called by noon and a lot of obvious picks. The only thing that stood this one out is first-rounders that NOBODY saw coming (Pac-Man over Ocelot and Knuckles over Magus).

So, I summarize it as

Sp2K4 > SC2K2 >= SC2K3 > SC2K4 > SC2K5 > Sp2K5
---
Why did I even bother? Jman_gamerX8 had me beat at the Guru Contest.
Today's subliminal thought is:

Cloud 2k5 > Cloud 2k4. FACT!

A friendly reminder, Cloud 2k4 got 48.18% on Link, while Cloud 2k5 only got 47.56% on Link.

All the AC leak did was buffer Cloud's ever weakening KHF.

---
Jman_gamerX8 59.94% 205 * It's not even close folks.
sidharta 40.06% 137 * Fair warning to any who dare to challenge Jman_gamerX8.

I see no reason why Aeris would be stronger this year than two years ago.

---
Jman_gamerX8:Link::me:Jay Solano.

Sp2K4 > SC2K3 > SC2K5 > SC2K2 > SC2K4 >> Sp2K5
---
Jman_gamerX8: He is so much better at the Guru Contest than you.
ZSB [aX]

A friendly reminder, Cloud 2k4 got 48.18% on Link, while Cloud 2k5 only got 47.56% on Link.

Yeah, and that's a weaker Link too, since he couldn't even get 57% on Seph.

I see no reason why Aeris would be stronger this year than two years ago.

Advent Children. Her role in it was more important than her role in KH, and that got her a fairly substantial boost.
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, everyone > sidharta

No, I cannot agree with any ridiculous statement like that. Vincent "overperforming" would say to me that he did something he cannot do again, which I clearly do not see being the case.

Well of course Vincent can do it again; he can do what he did against Crono probably daily now...I just think he couldn't do it before FF:AC (which Tifa didn't have) nor do I think he could do better against Mega Man than Crono (closest to a non-Square Crono-equal I can get), also something that Tifa didn't get.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

SC2K5 > Sp2K4 > SC2K3 > SC2K2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SC2K4 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sp2K5
---
DEFENCE, DEFENCE
"Alas, history is nothing but a lie agreed upon" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

Yeah, and that's a weaker Link too, since he couldn't even get 57% on Seph.

I don't give a **** whether Link is stronger or weaker this year as opposed to last year.

Cloud should always be measured from the top.

Advent Children. Her role in it was more important than her role in KH, and that got her a fairly substantial boost.

Meh, for all it's hype, Cloud did worse on Link this year than last year...

---
Jman_gamerX8 59.94% 205 * It's not even close folks.
sidharta 40.06% 137 * Fair warning to any who dare to challenge Jman_gamerX8.

Advent Children. Her role in it was more important than her role in KH, and that got her a fairly substantial boost.

Her boost from KH resulted in about 2%, which is far from "substantial." But there's certainly nothing to say that it's an unquestionable guarantee that Aerith is stronger than she was in 2003 and if she did get the boost, it doesn't take away from the initial thought that Tifa and Vincent would be above Aerith's 2003 level, which many people found to just be ridiculous. Although I could see her getting a boost from the movie, I sincerely doubt it would do very much for her at this point.

Well of course Vincent can do it again; he can do what he did against Crono probably daily now...I just think he couldn't do it before FF:AC (which Tifa didn't have)

Didn't you constantly provide other reasons for Vincent doing that well that were mixed with AC? And I'm sure that nearly everyone who was in AC will eventually get some type of boost, but I wouldn't bank on it being really that big this year -- I'm thinking next year would be better for the lot of them. With that said, I still wouldn't see Tifa over Vincent, taking the boost into account.

And he'll be doing a ton more than just getting 44% against Crono next year. ;)

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

Oh, btw: Sp2K4 > SC2K3 >>>> SC2K5 > Sp2k5 >>>> SC2K2 >>>> SC2K4.

---
Jman_gamerX8 59.94% 205 * It's not even close folks.
sidharta 40.06% 137 * Fair warning to any who dare to challenge Jman_gamerX8.

Didn't you constantly provide other reasons for Vincent doing that well that were mixed with AC? And I'm sure that nearly everyone who was in AC will eventually get some type of boost, but I wouldn't bank on it being really that big this year -- I'm thinking next year would be better for the lot of them. With that said, I still wouldn't see Tifa over Vincent, taking the boost into account.

His main other reason was FFVII > CT SFF, which would still apply. He's just saying that the gap would've been a bit bigger without AC.

Her boost from KH resulted in about 2%, which is far from "substantial."

How isn't 2% substantial? Another 2% this year would be quite nice indeed.

And he'll be doing a ton more than just getting 44% against Crono next year. ;)

I should hope so, another Crono drop would make my day.
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

yeah, I don't see how a movie is going to boost Aeris that much when everyone else is either equal to their 2k4 value or dropping. plus, Aeris isn't exactly featured in the thing.

---
Jman_gamerX8:Link::me:Jay Solano.

Didn't you constantly provide other reasons for Vincent doing that well that were mixed with AC?

Yes, I had four reasons Vincent did as well against Crono as he did: FF:AC, FF7 > CT, newer generation, and more fan-awareness within the fanbases voting (due to Vincent being optional and all). Notice that three of those four would have gone in Tifa's favor against Crono had she and Vincent swapped spots, and I think Tifa would make up for the "fan-awareness" by being legitimately stronger. That's just a guess on my part, but there's still little question in my mind Tifa could do about what Vincent did.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

yeah, I don't see how a movie is going to boost Aeris that much when everyone else is either equal to their 2k4 value or dropping. plus, Aeris isn't exactly featured in the thing.

She wasn't exactly featured in KH either. Her scenes in AC are some of the most memorable, especially the last one and the first one.

I don't give a **** whether Link is stronger or weaker this year as opposed to last year.

Cloud should always be measured from the top.

...what you say makes no sense at all. Ooo! Crono did worse on Link in 2k4 than Mario did on Link in 2k2! Mario > Crono lololololol
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

His main other reason was FFVII > CT SFF, which would still apply. He's just saying that the gap would've been a bit bigger without AC.

Along with a generation gap or somesuch. His reasoning struck me as saying that AC's effect wasn't nearly as prominent as some were talking.

How isn't 2% substantial? Another 2% this year would be quite nice indeed.

I would love to see her get another 2% boost, but there's simply no way to tell for sure nor is there something that really says she did. But I'm certainly not going to say it DIDN'T happen, because if Aerith could rival Vincent in popularity, that would just be quite nice with me. Aerith is awesome. <3

I should hope so, another Crono drop would make my day.

It won't deal with Crono dropping -- Vincent will simply be increasing like no other next year.

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

It won't deal with Crono dropping -- Vincent will simply be increasing like no other next year.


Vince may increase next year...but not enought to beat Midna!

<3 Midna
---
Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.
Congrats to Jman, for knowing that on GameFAQs, men are always > women.

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

yeah, I don't see how a movie is going to boost Aeris that much when everyone else is either equal to their 2k4 value or dropping. plus, Aeris isn't exactly featured in the thing.

She does have a rather nice role in the movie, moreso than a good deal of the characters in it. But I'm not following you on the bit about being equal to 2004 or dropping part. Sephiroth is clearly showing that he is stronger than his 2004 value and Cloud's 'drop' -- if you believe Link is stable -- is basically not worth noting.

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

Vince may increase next year...but not enought to beat Midna!

Luckily, Vincent would kick Midna's ass. =)

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

Along with a generation gap or somesuch. His reasoning struck me as saying that AC's effect wasn't nearly as prominent as some were talking.

I had been saying that I'd consider the other things before/as I considered FF:AC as the big reason for such a boost, yeah. However, with the ToC out of the way and all, it looks like it certainly had some kind of affect. How big, we don't know, but I now feel certain about there being an effect from FF:AC on top of the other factors I mentioned.
---
Much like priest-sex, Jman_gamerX8 molested gurus by the hundreds.
Congrats, for your dominance has now been compared to priest-sex.

;_;

I wish a character I liked was strong in these contests.
---
I know what I'm getting into, I don't care if I die trying!-Peppita Rossetti

However, with the ToC out of the way and all, it looks like it certainly had some kind of affect.

Definitely. There's no way someone could just say it didn't do anything for these characters, even if it was rather small in comparison. But if Link isn't stronger then last year, the 'boost' probably wouldn't be very noticeable. . .

---
“Damn. Jman_gamerX8 is insane—he kicked my ass in the Guru Contest.”
“This guy are sick!”

I don't think AC did as much as some people think, but since the contest is over it doesn't really matter since by next year AC should be out in NA.
---
Congrats to Jman_gamerX8 for winning the Guru Contest.

;_;

I wish a character I liked was strong in these contests.

What about Yuna and Rikku?
---
I have been utterly owned by Jman_gamerX8 in the Guru Contest. Him > Me. Him > You.