Ya know, maybe the Top Ten for characters would be more strength-related than we could give it credit for...?


I mean, consider the Game Contest. You were allowed to pick one game for each system and most people are going to pick their favorite game from each system...we've seen the comparisons to the seeding and the list, and only LoZ:LttP was a real oddball (which many people expected). We also saw the Top Five games be the same in both games and order as far as the x-stats and list go. From there, the other two members of the Super Seven made the list at #6 and #10, Halo (which is pretty high in the stats) made #9, and the two big surprises of the list (GE/MGS at #7/#8) both had good reason to be under-rated in the x-stats. To add to it, we've only seen one Game Contest, and it was from a year and a half ago...it's hard to say what still stands and/or how well much of it stands.

Now, in the Character Battles, we've seen four of them (the latest being late summer), so we're still fresh on that. Ever since we could nominate characters (we couldn't in 2k2, as many of us remember), we could always nominate ten. Each nomination was worth one point, no matter how much more you liked one nomination than the other...an even battle-ground, so to speak. Also notice that every one/two-seed in 2k3 and 2k4 was a Noble Niner (with Crono being a four-three-seed in 2k3/2k4). Let's not forget that, except for Crono being a two-seed, every Noble Niner was either a one-seed or in the ToC. From there, we've seen who are the strongest and weakest of characters, and I think it's essentially undoubted that at least eight of the Noble Nine would made a Top Ten List...

...given how the seeding has oftentimes told the story with equal-value nominations, despite everybody getting ten, I would think it would favor those at the very top the most if each nomination was worth a different value like the Top Ten List was. So, my stance would be that every Noble Niner makes the list (with only Crono being a potential scare), and the elusive #10 would probably be MC; he's shown good strength twice before (though I'm skeptical about both performances) and has always gotten a high seed (including a one-seed this summer). Add to it Halo made it on the list almost-certainly due to some hardcore loyalty and I would think MC could benefit enough to steal #10. Kirby would be a sexy choice too though, as well as afew others.....
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Top Ten Characters might not go the same way the Top Ten Games did. First of all, there are way more characters than games, so it would almost have to be all write-in votes, because it wouldn't be fair at all to have a drop down list. If there WAS a drop down list, it would be loooooong. Hell, all the Squaresoft characters by themselves would make a long list.

Also, hardcoreness would play a MUCH bigger role in a Top Ten Character contest. Sure the noble nine may be there, but I don't think it would be in the exact same order. I'd expect Sonic to move up on the list, and probably would put him above Samus, Crono, AND Mega Man. Master Chief would probably definitely make the list. After that, it gets fuzzy... With the sheer amount of characters that will be on various lists, it would be hard to call.
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*Is therealmnm*
Proud Supporter of Zero in SC2k5

Oh yeah, I wouldn't count on the order being exact either.

FACT or FICTION: Cloud and Sephiroth would NOT take up both #2 and #3.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Fiction. They definitely would.
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Yuna: "Stay with me until the end. Please."
Tidus: "Not until the end. Always."

Oh, and I wouldn't think that there being more characters than games would stop CJay from doing the drop-box. If he'd include every character our contests have ever seen and then some extras from the bigger series/games (Barret, Princess Peach, Arbiter, and characters like that), that would likely cover it.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

I don't want a drop-down list. I think it unfairly skews results.
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Yuna: "Stay with me until the end. Please."
Tidus: "Not until the end. Always."

I wouldin't be surprised if Magus somehow got in the top 10. You know every Magus fan is going to put him at #1.

a drop down list definitely skews results - I would guarantee a MM title making the list if it was on there. if there was only one on there, it'd do even better.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

I was assuming he did it the same way he did this past list...I don't like the drop-box either (we see the difference it made when you compare Halo with Halo 2 on it); I was just stating what would be the best mix of easy and fair if he did do one.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

well, since there's no character list in place, it'd just be a write-in system similar to nominations for a Summer Contest. I doubt he'd make a whole new character list for the sole purpose of a top 10 characters list.

I doubt this would ever happen in the first place, though.

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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

I'd just go the safe route and put Noble Nine + Bowser. Following the game contest X-Sts from #1 to #7 gave me a perfect top 5, and I'm a lot better off than if I went all the way with Starcraft, Wind Waker and Halo as 8, 9, and 10. And since the character X-Sts are much more set in stone... still, I wouldn't expect a Noble Nine + Bowser entry to be perfect. It's just that with all the gamble possibilities, I'd rather get the smallest amount of points I can instead of taking risks while going for a zero and ending up with 150 points (why, hello you guys with Halo 2/Tetris/both).
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Showing me cleavage is like dangling a juicy steak in front of a large dog that hasn't eaten in a month while you tell it to stay put. -BlAcK TuRtLe

I'd likely go with the entire Noble Nine minus Crono, who I'd replace with Master Chief. Then I'd give that 10th spot to either Bowser or Kirby.

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Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends.
A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Young love will become deep affection.

Hmm, I think Crono at #6 is a risk worth taking. It paid off for LttP, which was in an eerily similar situation...
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Showing me cleavage is like dangling a juicy steak in front of a large dog that hasn't eaten in a month while you tell it to stay put. -BlAcK TuRtLe

LoZ:WW was a bad choice for anybody to begin with though.....
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

maybe it's just me, but Crono doesn't seem to get a fair shake here. a lot of people seem to dislike him and would take Bowser or Kirby over him in a top 10 list setting. the only evidence I see against him is his low seeding and I don't take that very seriously; I mean, SM64 was a 7 and LTTP a 6.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

oh, and before someone points out the flawed nomination system, I'm well aware. personally, I think Crono was given that 2 to mess up bracketmakers with faith in MC.

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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

Thing is, we've only had one game contest--for all we know, a lot of those seedings were fixed and/or flukes. We've had multiple character contests, however, and Crono has never shown the capability of nabbing the 1 seed that every other Noble Niner has, along with a couple of outsiders. The fact that in a contest without Clinkeroth, with eight divisions, Crono *still* wasn't able to nab a one seed, scares me to death.

That being said, I would take Crono, on second appraisal. Assuming the contest would be like this one, it wouldn't be the exact same format as the standard nomination process. Ten slots, yes, but now one is asked to RANK the ten slots rather than just give ten nominations in no particular order. Given the rabid fanbase of Chrono Trigger, I can see Crono nabbing a very large percentage of the top spots, catapulting him easily into the top ten. He'd probably do quite well, in retrospect.

here's my thinking:

- if you're telling me that Crono's strength exists outside of the boards, then you're telling me he's getting the "casual vote". doesn't make logical sense to me, since most people have called CT "niche".

- CT already got #3 in the top 100 games as determined by the boards, and while I know that games != characters, there's no reason to believe the #5 or #6 character strength-wise would suddenly fall out of the top 10.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

What KH said; Crono's who I feel as the most at risk of the Noble Nine being dropped, but I'm almost certain he wouldn't be beat out by two non-NN's due to the CT-rabidness...

...which makes me ask: would Magus/Frog have a chance of making the Top Twenty?
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Magus would have a shot at the top 20, but I wouldn't bet on it. I just get the feeling that secondary characters from popular games will get the boot; after all, who wants a top ten like this?

1. Mario
2. Luigi
4. Yoshi
7. Bowser

or:

1.) Cloud
2.) Sephiroth
4.) Red XIII
6.) Barret
8.) Aeris

..etc etc. people like to have variety.

I will admit that Crono has the highest chance of falling out of the top 10, but I believe that chance is low to start with.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

CT was the number 3 game, there's no doubt its popularity (and therefore Crono's) comes from somewhere other than the boards, what you might call casuals. Crono isn't at risk of missing.
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Jman_gamerX8 teamed up with Mario to kick my ass!

Well, let's see. Assuming the Noble Nine makes it (and they WILL make the top twenty no matter what, heh), you've got 11 slots left to play around with. Of those, the characters that I would expect to make it in ahead of Magus/Frog are:

Kirby
Squall
Master Chief
Auron
Bowser
Ryu
Alucard
Dante

...some of those are iffy, but they're the only ones I really consider 'solid'. Magus would probably squeak in, but I don't think Frog would.

Question...does Kefka make the top twenty? <_<

It's still kind of weird though; we almost didn't have just the Super Seven to make a Top Ten list...the whole Noble Nine making the list, in that sense, just sounds unlikely, though ultimately what would probably happen.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

I don't think Crono would be in danger of dropping out of the Top 10 at all. I mean come on, he's one of the strongest characters on the site. SOMEBODY has to really like him, contrary to what some people think.

And my biggest question about Crono is that if he doesn't make it in the Top 10, who makes it over him? I don't see any people outside the Noble Nine that I would feel safe calling more popular than Crono on a Top 10 list...
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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."

I was about to ask about Kefka, too...and I say yes; I'm going out on a limb and saying Kefka gets such bracket-support partially because of many of his fans simply refusing to pick against him.

Not that I believe that completely, but I do think he'd make the Top Twenty.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

I agree with that sentiment, but consider where the Noble Nine comes from:

Super Mario Brothers
The Legend of Zelda
Final Fantasy VII
Sonic the Hedgehog
Metal Gear
Chrono Trigger
Mega Man
Metroid

after that, what's the biggest series? Halo I'll give ya, but FF8? Kirby? DMC? it isn't that I have incredible faith in Crono as much as I have little faith in anyone outside the Noble Nine.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

I cannot see Kefka managing to make it into the Top 20.



And I'm beyond thankful.

---
You engaged the Spiteful Crow. Angst -- the materialization.

Kefka has a chance to make it. it'd be 19 or 20, granted, but the boards/bracketmakers love him.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

I think Kefka would barely miss the top 20... I said he'd be at #23.
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Jman_gamerX8 has owned us with his sexy plumber bracket.

I think it's highly possible that Halo is stronger than Master Chief. He's got character, but, especially with Halo 2, people like it for the multiplayer.
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Revenge is a dish best served cold. ~ Old Klingon Proverb
Crushed by Jman_gamerX8 as badly as Link beat Cloud.

I think it's probably a much more rare event than we realize if a character's as popular or moreso than their game. This only goes to those who are only in one though, but still...I would find it hard to believe that more people liked Crono than Chrono Trigger or Kerrigan than Starcraft (just to get two polar-opposites of examples out of the way).
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

'Highly possible'? If you ask me, Halo is undoubtedly stronger than Master Chief. Put Master Chief in a match without pictures, and see how he does. A great majority of the voters simply vote for 'the Halo guy'.

Ya know, thinkin' on what I just said, I think Crono was in Chrono Cross too...hmmm. Nonetheless, I think my stance was made.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Crono is not in Chrono Cross.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

Heh, that's why I wish we had a round where there are no pictures used. Seriously...Zelda would have damn-near doubled Vivi and Revolver would have never had a shot against Pac-Man, for examples of what could change.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

He's not? Aight then; I thought I heard he was a character you meet at one point (though never major to the gameplay).
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

I think the only time we really see characters stronger than their game is if they have multiple games to draw popularity from. Hell, Cloud and Sephiroth aren't stronger than Final Fantasy VII right now, and they have KHF as well.

I guarantee Ness is stronger than Earthbound, too.
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

nah, there's no mention of Crono in Chrono Cross, though the main character (Serge) is literally the same thing as Crono, a mute hero. I nominate Serge every year.

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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

Ah, gotcha' then. I think it's time for me to go to bed now though...

...Serge or Zidane, who wins?
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Chrono, Lucca, and Marle appear in one horrible cutscene during Chrono Cross. Not that the scene itself is horrible. It's just that the game as a whole is horrible, thus everything associated with it is horrible.
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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."

Zidane. Serge would still be cool to see; same with Fei and Xenogears.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

meh, there's too much Cross hate for my liking. I'm not a fan of its battle/levelling system, but the game itself doesn't deserve the venom it seems to attract.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

by the way, for those who miss contests, GFA's tag-team tournament started today. pairs are kind of stupid in my opinion, but it's still fun to watch.
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xyzzy
"transience for ertyu contest 2 champion!" -ExThaNemesis

How's it going Slow? Long time caller, first time listener.

Say, how does this PSX to FF7 percentage compare to that Xbox to Halo number you tracked the other week?

I'll hang up and listen.

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the-elite.net congratulates Jman, Guru Contest Champ!
Ngamer's Contest Archives: http://thengamer.com/gamefaqs/

Yeah, I meant to mention GFA yesterday; it's fun to watch so far, though it's only two matches into it. I'm shocked Jay Solano didn't make it in though.....
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Serious Reminder: Nominate Jay Solano for 2k6.
Why? Good question...just do it and nobody gets hurt.

Crono, Lucca, and Marle show up in a couple of different scenes in Chrono Cross.

However, it might be hard to accept him as Crono because...HE TALKS!
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Yuna: "Stay with me until the end. Please."
Tidus: "Not until the end. Always."

a talking crono.well he does talk in chrono trigger but in flippin sign language.how else would there be no text for him
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Nominate CATS,Jay Solano,Weedle and Ifnkovhgroghprm for sc2k6

97% of X-Box owners have Halo for it
94% of Gamecube owners have SSBM for it
103% of current/former PS1 owners have played FF7

Yeah.
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Showing me cleavage is like dangling a juicy steak in front of a large dog that hasn't eaten in a month while you tell it to stay put. -BlAcK TuRtLe

Well, technically I never owned a PSX of my own (I lived wiht a girl who did, but it wasn't mine) but I've played FF7 multiple times and even beat it a couple.
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Jman_gamerX8 teamed up with Mario to kick my ass!