GameFAQs Contests

I also think you mean Deus Ex (and JC Denton)

Despite a positive reception, Max Payne 2 sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive to cite the "continued disappointing sales of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne" as one of the causes for the company's reforecasted sales for 2004.

Max Payne 2 came out way back in 2003, only 2 years after the first game, and by it looks like people by then had already stopped caring.

Bomberman
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Super Bomberman R (2017)

Bomberman got destroyed by Tails in his last contest appearance. Do I need to type more? I guess I will type more. Is WhatPulse still a thing?

Bomberman has 83 game appearances apparently, he's pretty well known even on a casual level, although that's a double-edged sword. While Bomberman has games where he is a "character," he's really more of a low-level gaming icon, and as we've seen with Scorpion, Lara Croft and Pac-Man, that doesn't equate to strength.

He did manage to eek out a minor victory of Crash in 2007, but in that same match they both got beaten by Phoenix-f***in'-Wright. Crash was probably at his lowest in 2007 and the recent revisiting on his golden years would easily put him over Bomberman today. Phoenix Wright might still be able to beat both just because he has actual loyal fans that would come out for him.

Kane
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight (2010)

Here's a guy, err, TV, who we only remember for being a guy in a TV who got almost quadrupled by Bomberman.

Are there any FMV characters that would do well on this site? Maybe someone from Wing Commander? Wasn't Mark Hamill in that game? I think there's like... A Lion Man in there somewhere. Did anyone ever use Live Action Zelda from the CD-i game in a match pic?

I want a contest that's just a bunch of losers from 2002 and Tanner and Chester and Jay Solano and Spring Breeze Dancin'. Kane might actually be at the bottom of that barrel. How many C&C fans are left on this site? How many C&C fans are left period?

Let's get Nuclear Gandhi into this b****.

Jill Valentine
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Resident Evil Revelations 2/Collection (2015/17), Project X Zone 2 (2015)

I don't wanna cross over this topic with my waifu rating one, but Jill is a 10/10 bae. Gimme that blue tube top in an unusually hot September.

Jill is ALWAYS entertaining in these contests, she's part icon, part actual character, but not to the extent that she's a powerhouse, but to the point where she probably will never drop too far from where she is.

You never know what to expect from Jill. One year she's getting wrecked by Kratos, and just a few years later she manages to just barely secure a victory over him. Does that mean Jill gained or Kratos fell?

Well, Jill hadn't had much in the way of games in 2013, Revelations 2 was far off, so her last major appearances were in UMvC3 and RE5, which was released in 2009. She was a way different character in both of those games, too, so I believe her victory over Kratos is more of a testament to her strong and unwavering fanbase that will stay loyal to Jill, Leon and RE until the bitter end.

Jill also flip-flopped results with Ocelot in the span of a year.

Jill has had a memorable contest history.

Loses to Ryu Hayabusa and Peach by 27 votes.

Loses to Ocelot in 2007, but defeats him in 2008 despite Metal Gear Solid 4 being released.

Liquid Snake and Revolver Ocelot (or should I say Restallver Lossalot) are two of the most confusing contest entrants we've ever had

Kirby
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Kirby: Star Allies (2018)

Kirby, the King of the Sore Thumb Factor, has been a contest fixture in 2002 when he lost to Jill and was seen as filler fodder. In fact, let's look at a list of all the characters Kirby has lost to:

2002: Jill
2003: Alucard
2004: Squall
2005: Bowser
2006: Luigi
2007: L-Block, Kratos
2008: Solid Snake, Cloud
2010: Sonic
2013: Sephiroth

Now a list of Kirby's victims:

2003: Ramza
2004: Kain
2005: Cecil, Tidus
2006: Prince of Persia
2007: Laharl, Nathan Hale, Donkey Kong
2008: Jinjo, Master Chief, Raiden, Dante, Leon Kennedy, Sonic, Sephiroth
2010: Rikku, GLaDOS, Vivi
2013: Terra, Peach, Elizabeth, Crash, Big Boss

I'm spelling all this out to illustrate how Kirby has had the most consistent growth from 2002 to 2013. He's this big pink snowball and in the past five years he's probably become even more powerful based just on the love this industry and its fans give him. Is Kirby an elite? Probably not, but at this point he's probably as strong as he could ever be. We are at the theoretical Pink Ceiling.

There was a Kirby pop-up cafe in Japan last year and it was so busy that you had to make reservations months in advance. People flew into Japan to eat there. b****es love Kirby.

Although in 2008 this really sad video surfaced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLL-EKXcNpA

so there's that

Strider
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (2017)

Strider is NOT from a comic! It was a promotional manga that was like 5 pages! It was all a misconception!

Unfortunately CJayC didn't see it that way and barred Strider from future contests. I asked Bacon during the 2013 nomination period if Strider was eligible again and he was kind of enough to confirm to me that yes, Strider is a very real video game character.

But it was too late, and nobody seemed to care anymore. In a field with like a billion characters, Strider STILL couldn't get enough noms to make the field. 2013 was his chance and he blew it.

Strider is more a representative of Marvel vs. Capcom at this point, I can't even remember what his actual game is called. MvC, SF and MK are the only fighting games people seem to universally care about on this site, so Strider could potentially carry some strength. He did get a whole 24% on Link once!

But you know who else would be a good MvC rep? Mega Man! Dante! Morrigan! All those characters who get strength from MvC AND their own franchises!

you know what though

strider looks

cool as hell

and he probably wouldn't be a terrible addition to a bracket just to see what he could do (which is probably not much)

Raziel
Last Contest: 2003
Last Game: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010), Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003)

Raziel lost to Strider but got back into the field in 2003 for some reason.

He got destroyed by Sephiroth and hasn't had a game since then (other than a skin in a small Tomb Raider game)

you know what though

raziel looks

cool as hell

and he probably would be a bad addition to a bracket because his time is up now.

also if you didnt hear about it someone unearthed some code and cutscenes for a cancelled Legacy of Kain game, ch-ch-ch-check it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSWA1JpCpBo

Raziel is responsible for the creation of the Oracle Challenge, so that is his legacy, if nothing else.

Link
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

if you told me in 2013 that Link was going to somehow get exponentially stronger and potentially untouchable in 2017 i would not believe you

but then

breath of the wild

s***

people who were sick of Zelda are now SO ON BOARD. people who weren't into zelda are now SO ON BOARD. bring in the new kids, nintendo. give them that survival s*** they want but make it approachable to the old school.

then make a cool system to put it on and just

destroy these contests with your pretty elf boy and his spiffy new blue shirt

can a rally take down Link at this point? well, probably, but it might be a bit harder. we'll see this year I guess

Little Mac
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014), Super Mario Maker (2015)

Little Mac got punked by Link in his first appearance, dunked on by Dante, and, uh, gunked on by Midna.

But since then he's been in a Smash game! And we know that being in a Smash game gets you like two whole additional votes per contest!

Yeah I don't think Little Mac is going to ever make waves in a contest setting, he's got his fans but they don't seem to be numerous. He'll definitely do better and post-Smash 5 he'll be even stronger but the upcoming contest won't really line up with that.

ZenOfThunder posted...

Strider is more a representative of Marvel vs. Capcom at this point, I can't even remember what his actual game is called.

The name is contained in the sentence quoted above.

The 2014 game was pretty good, actually.

ZenOfThunder posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLL-EKXcNpA

This is so awesome and cute and funny... You hear the man in the interview talking and seeing small Kirbys (Kirbies...?) being produced one by one and flying in the distance.

It brings a smile to my face.

Kirby is low-key one of the wackier contest vets we have. One of those characters that can easily go from beating someone to losing to them depending on the year or how silly voters are feeling at the time.

Look at this great graph KP posted in another topic:

https://i.imgur.com/FLajxQy.png

wow

Link Chmofsky, the High King of Gamefaqs

swirIdude posted...

ZenOfThunder posted...

Strider is more a representative of Marvel vs. Capcom at this point, I can't even remember what his actual game is called.

The name is contained in the sentence quoted above.

The 2014 game was pretty good, actually.

i completely forgot this existed, i remember it was super cheap and/or free at one point but honestly 3 years is a long time for a game as minor as this and it probably wouldn't help him much

Sonic
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Sonic Mania, Sonic Forces (2017)

I don't know how to give a write up of Sonic, he is, to me, the ultimate Wildcard in the Noble Nine.

All the others seem to have consistent strength, and in the case of Crono, consistently falling strength. Sonic goes from respectable to potentially being the one who could (would) break the Noble Nine consistently.

Why is that? Well, Sonic is part Mario and part Pac-Man. He represents an entire franchise, and to a larger extent an entire brand. If you were on the wrong side of the OG Console Wars, you probably will vote Sonic because it's a blood oath. He's known by EVERYBODY, I think I remember reading at one point in the 90s he was more recognizable worldwide than Mickey Mouse?? How do you even gauge something like that?

But Sonic also gets his fair share of hate, and that also comes and goes in waves. Sonic 06 is a long distant memory, but the Sonic Twitter account and SEGA of America in general seems to have embraced the general meme-itude of the franchise now, and with the general culture of "irony" that has ensnared the innocent youths of modern gaming culture, it is now COOL to like Sonic, but ironically. Or something?

I have no idea what the state of Sonic is in 2018, and I read the comics and play all the games and even defend Forces to some extent. I think he'll be one to watch in the upcoming contest, because he's either going to be stronger than ever or he's going to bomb hard. It all depends on placement.

Who knows what the combination of Mania, his now highest selling game in 15 years, plus Sonic Mania Plus coming out around contest season, plus Forces bombing, plus getting a freaking live action Sonic movie in the Year of Our Lord 2018, plus most likely re-surfacing in Smash 5, plus being the face of a franchise that is basically second to Spongebob in the Meme Pantheon, will add up to? In the end you have a character who 'til this day is STILL unpredictable and probably always will be.

Pitfall Harry
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Pitfall! for iOS (2012), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)

i guess pitfall harry had a big push for relevance in 2012

that doesn't help much

does anyone remember Pitfall? Harry wouldn't be able to break 10% on Link now, I'm sure of it

Advokaiser posted...

Why is Lara Croft more of an icon than Max Payne? Wasn't Max Payne that revolutionary game with Matrix-like physics?

I presume there are two very big reasons for that.

bwburke94 posted...

Advokaiser posted...

Why is Lara Croft more of an icon than Max Payne? Wasn't Max Payne that revolutionary game with Matrix-like physics?

I presume there are two very big reasons for that.

Ah! Oh... I get what you're saying...

Grossing movies and ports!

Yeah, it all makes sense now.

Speedrunners love Strider.

Kirby is one of those rare characters who never looks bad in defeat, and he's had massively good draws in multi-way contests, except for the very first one where he got shackled with L-Block and DK.

Kirby beating Sonic that one year was one of the most bizarre upsets ever. Not as bizarre as Vivi > Mario, but it's close.

in the case of Crono, consistently falling strength

This is wrong. I'm sure Crono can beat N9ers like Sonic, Megaman and challenege Sephy.

Crono hasn't beaten a Noble Niner since 2008 (and that's only because Link was there to LFF Mario and Samus). Before that, you have to go back to 2005.

Given Chrono Trigger's performance in 2015 I wouldn't completely rule out Crono against a noble nine character.

I likely wouldn't take him over anyone, but I'd be a bit nervous until we see him in action in round 1 or 2.

Yeah, it's hard to say based on Chrono Trigger's performance in 2015, but Crono did get beaten fairly easily by Mario in the 2013 bonus match, and that was even with Mega Man X there potentially dragging Mario down a little bit.

Crono is undoubtedly the weakest N9er by far. It would take a perfect storm for Crono > Sonic (or similar) to happen.

I wouldn't go that far

It's not like Sonic has looked at all good since that long ago victory over Crono in 2006.

And considering:
-In 2013 Frog got 36% on Cloud (in a threeway at that; there was another option if you just wanted to antivote FFVII!)
-In 2010 Sephiroth was worth 45% on Cloud through Snake
-In 2015 CT T looked outright stronger than FFVII

Crono might not necessarily beat Sephiroth but I think he'd at least get fairly close.

Crono was the first Noble Niner to lose to a non-Noble Niner in:

1) a one-on-one twelve-hour match (lost to Missingno)
2) a three-way match (lost to Pikachu with Magus)
3) a four-way match (lost to Vincent with Link and Zero)
4) a rivalry match (lost to Liquid Snake in Crono/Lavos VS Solid/Liquid)

It doesn't mean he can't beat another Noble Niner -- especially after how powerful CT looked in the last game contest -- but he's been the first one to break in every format besides one-on-one twenty-four hour matches (which the Noble Nine remains undefeated in).

I might take Crono > Sonic, but more likely I see him at the weakest link of the Noble Nine in the next contest.

Crono and Sonic are most likely the weakest links in the Noble Nine. Sonic's always been near the bottom, and Crono has been since 2006. Cloud and particularly Sephiroth's standing in the Noble Nine these days is pretty interesting. I don't view Cloud as vulnerable to Sonic or Crono, but Sephiroth might be.

I think Cloud might actually be the underdog in a match against Mario, Snake, or even Samus these days though. Not sure where Mega Man stands in all this.

Cloud gets Smash SFF'd now

The thing about Chrono Trigger is that I think it's been a benefactor of the site's userbase decreasing, leaving behind a core audience that considers it one of the all-time greats. I believe that is why it crushed the 2015 Games contest all the way until the second hour of that match with Melee.

Whether or not this would extend to Crono is a bit debatable. I look at that Crono/Pikachu/Magus match from 2013, and I think it actually looks really good for Crono considering the absolute tear Pokemon went on to have in that contest. I wouldn't put Crono in the upper tier of the Noble Nine, but I would easily take him above Crono or Mega Man.

Now, if there's a name that I would put in the lower tier that might be a shock, I'd say Snake has probably fallen off. When MGS has a main game release in the horizon or in recent memory, he can do well. But I think with the series falling off in the last couple years, it could hurt him pretty badly. I certainly don't see him upsetting Cloud any time soon.

Yeah I won't be surprised if Snake is considerably weaker this year, he has absolute no reason to be more powerful or even retain his strength. I agree with SecretSquirrel that CT/Crono is getting a boost out of "benefactor of the site's userbase decreasing, leaving behind a core audience that considers it one of the all-time greats".

Crono definitely beats Sonic, Crono's 40% on Pikachu is rather impressive considering any given Pokemon (except for Charizard lol) was really strong that year. Mega Man too has been weak as hell for many years but that victory over Charizard was one of the most impressive win we've ever seen, really not sure how well he'd hold up now. Even Sephy is quite vulnerable at this point, seeing just how okay-ish performances he put up. He lost to Mewtwo by a sizable amount, although you could say that was because of anti-rally fellows and Pokemon having a huge online presence.

If I had to rank, I'd go

Link > Mario > Cloud > Snake = Samus > Sephiroth > Crono = Mega Man > Sonic

Sephiroth got boned by Pokemon and Draven rallies going at it. I wouldn't hold that match against him at all. Honestly, I thought he held up fairly well, all things considered.

Characters Left For Zen To Write Up From 2002

Tidus
Claire Redfield
Samus Aran
Ken Masters
Ryu
CATS
Mega Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Serious Sam
Mr. Driller
Sephiroth
Gabe Logan
Crash Bandicoot
Ulala

2003 Newcomers

AiAi
Ganondorf
Sam Fisher
Magus
Luigi
Ratchet
KOS-MOS
Isaac (Golden Sun)
Auron
Bowser
Ness
Yoshi
Conker
Sora
Master Chief
Felix
Zero
Captain Olimar
Wario
Shadow The Hedgehog
Kefka
Tom Nook
Ramza
Raiden
Yuna
Vyse
Tommy Vercetti
Kite
Zelda
Mr. Resetti

2004 Newcomers

Luca Blight
JC Denton
Earthworm Jim
Protoman
Frog
Liquid Snake
Tanner
Laharl
Kain (Legacy Of Kain)
Jak
Vivi
Sly Cooper
Viewtiful Joe
HK-47
Ryu Hayabusa

2005 Newcomers

Joanna Dark
Carl Johnson
Lloyd Irving
Albert Wesker
Yuri Hyuga
Riku
Big Boss
Manny Calavera
Kratos (God Of War)
Agent 47
Cecil
King Of All Cosmos
Chun-Li
Rikku
Zidane Tribal
Terra Branford
Sarah Kerrigan
Vincent Valentine
Geno
Jin Kazama
Kratos Aurion
Diablo
Tifa Lockhart
Leon Kennedy
Revolver Ocelot

whoa thank you preston, you are a hero

i had a busy few days at work and also took some time to see infinity war, i was going to write a bit today

thank you all for humoring me as a fumble through long-forgotten parts of my memory

hi it's me ZenOfThunder, and after 15 minutes of trying to get my computer to stop freezing i'm back

back to make people argue about Crono's relevance in 2018 (hint: there is none. 0 relevance.)

haha i kid, Crono has at least 1 relevance, maybe even 1.5!

shoutouts to Preston for making me a big list of characters I still need to go through! Can't wait until a year from now when I get to Reyn!

Tidus
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (2018)

I don't know if anybody remembers but when I first stopped lurking on this board and started posting I was like the A#1 Tidus hater, I thought he was a big dumb baby, but as it turns out, I was the big dumb baby

Tidus isn't the best character ever but he certainly has more going for him than Lightning. I believe people stopped calling him Meg Ryan around 2010, which ironically is the time he lost to Sub-Zero in R1. 2013 was also not kind to Tidus, he had the chance to stop Missingno in the first round and fell just a few votes short... Just as he did to Weighted Companion Cube in 2008. It says a lot that people vote glitches and boxes over Tidus.

So where does that place Tidus now? It's hard to say, the guy is the main character of one of the most beloved Final Fantasy games, but he's still... Tidus. There are people who like him, people who used to hate him and now just tolerate him, and a small but vocal minority that will take every opportunity to link you to some fresh hot new remix of the laugh scene.

speaking of which have you seen this HILARIOUS mashup of Big Bang Theory and Tidus' laugh?!?!?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cyx6nWdFas

I think Tidus has fallen about as far as he can fall, he's always going to be a FF main character and even if he's not well liked he'll always carry a good amount of strength, but he'll never be able to do damage like Auron or to some extent Yuna and even Jecht. Being the main character can only get you so far. If Tidus ever drops to the fodder level I'd be surprised.

Claire Redfield
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Resident Evil Revelations 2/Collection (2015/17)

Revelations 2 got quite a good amount of buzz when it came out, and it's seen as part of the resurgence of interest and return to form of the Resident Evil franchise.

But what does that mean for Claire? She's always been on the border of what I'd consider "contest viable Resident Evil characters." She got into 2002 because someone on CE or CJayC liked her, in 2006 she only got in because "girl," and in 2013 she got in because she had a fanbase large enough to net her a 24 seed (which isn't much of an accomplishment)

That talk surrounding Revelations 2 shifted very quickly to RE7, to the point that if I had to bet whether Jack Baker or Claire would get into the next Character Battle, I might actually pick Jack. People were rallying to see Jack in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, not Claire unfortunately. Her fanbase isn't as massive or undying as Leon's or even Chris (bleh). Other than Revelations 2 she really hasn't had any major appearances, from Code Veronica to Rev2 she was only in games like Mercenaries and... Operation Raccoon City. Hard to stay relevant with nothing but bit parts.

Resident Evil has some great and iconic characters, it's a shame Nemesis barely gets a fair shot in these things. Claire is great in the games but just not viable in these contests. She might be a little stronger due to Revelations 2, but it's been a while since that came out. I doubt she'll be back any time soon.

Samus
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Metroid: Samus Returns (2017), Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016)

It's been 8 years since the disaster we call "Other M." Samus has had some Smash games and some bad spinoffs since then, but what really shows how much people love her is that Nintendo slapped a "Samus Returns" in the title of her new game. Either that or they want people to stop calling her "Metroid."

Are there any other examples of that? Media where the character's name becomes the title. You've got First Blood becoming Rambo: First Blood Part II and you've got the Tomb Raider movies being called Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Am I missing anything else obvious?

Back on subject: Samus is Samus, even in 2010 when she was hot off the heels of Other M, people still loved her unconditionally. It wasn't Sonic 06 or anything, Samus was still cool, and she was sure to have a proper game and a return to form eventually, right?

Right?

Well it didn't matter much as in 2013 she managed to comfortably beat out Mega Man and Red in a match that I'm sure was caked in a dozen levels of SFF and LFF that we can't begin to break down, and she made a showing out of absolutely demolishing Tifa and L-Block. She didn't do great against Snake or Draven but that's probably because so much weight was being thrown behind Snake just to give him a shot at stopping the LoL machine.

So where does Samus go from here? It doesn't seem like absence did any damage to her, if anything, her fanbase has become so outspoken and vocal about her absence that they've basically deified her.

Whenever something like Federation Force was released, Nintendo would be the villains and Samus would be the innocent victim. Which... is true, because Samus is not a real person and doesn't make her own games (although the same logic does not seem to apply to Sonic. Do people think Sonic is on SEGA's board and decides to make his own games s***ty? Is Alex Kidd on the same board and tells people that nobody wants an Alex Kidd game? What reality do we live in?).

We've finally got Metroid Prime 4 and we got a 3DS remake that people wouldn't shut up about for like two weeks straight so "absence" is no longer an issue. We also have another Smash to look forward to, and if more footage gets shown at E3 it'll probably give her an additional boost.

It's safe to say Samus will be a huge threat in this upcoming contest. Let's hope Bacon puts her on a path where she gets to meet either Snake or Cloud again.

Ken Masters
Last Contest: 2010
Last Game: Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (2018), Street Fighter IV Championship Edition (2017), Street Fighter V (2016)

Ken has one major problem: He's not Ryu. Maybe in canon he's arguably stronger than Ryu but he's still the 2nd player character. He's "Red Ryu" to a lot of people. Ryu is just cooler and he gets to be in the center of the covers.

Street Fighter V was not well received by the FGC and Ken got a really polarizing makeover in it, so he's probably at the same strength or worse than he was in 2010 when he barely beat Wesker and got punked by the Dorf. I don't know if nostalgia would give him a boost because he's not Ryu.

Ken has potential to be good bracket filler but he didn't even make it into 2013, which says a lot about his fanbase. There's just so many better options in the SF roster. Ken is no Luigi.

I think Sonic might be alright now, thanks to Sonic Mania. To be honest, my gut says Mega Man is the weak link of the NN now. He's got a new game coming out, but the hype is pretty meh. I'd go:

Ryu
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (2018), Street Fighter IV Championship Edition (2017), Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (2017), Street Fighter V (2016)

Can you believe Ryu was just a 15 seed in 2013? Since then he's become an honorary Nintendo character with his own amiibo! That's enough for me to confidently say "yes, Ryu will be stronger this year."

Ryu performed respectably against X in 2013 while they both got s*** on by Draven. It's arguable if Mega Man SFF's Ryu; they're both in MvC games and are both Capcom icons and X even throws Hadokens from time-to-time, but they're both more in the pantheon of "video game icons" than just "Capcom icons."

That's good and bad for Ryu. People actually do love him past just being a figurehead. If you didn't know, GameFAQs is host to a huge lore guide for Street Fighter that gets referenced all the time by the FGC in terms of who is stronger in canon and the history of the universe. The guide is absolutely massive and highlights how much the SF fanbase love the universe and not just the gameplay.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps3/722788-ultra-street-fighter-iv/faqs/69921

Don't forget that Ryu managed to beat Dante back in the day! And Leon Kennedy! It's been 8 years since then but keep in mind that 2010 was not near any major releases for Ryu; it was a year before MvC3 and two years after Street Fighter IV and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.

I mentioned before that Ryu had Smash 4 under his belt, but recently he had two huge stinkers in the forms of MvCI and SFV. Nobody touched MvCI but people still bring it up all the time to remind you that it sucked and nobody bought it, but Ryu usually doesn't get mentioned as the focus is more on the lack of the X-Men. SFV is still widely played because it's Street Fighter, and apparently the latest release fixed a lot of problems and added better characters, but people were really sour on it in the beginning.

Still, I think that all those appearances more help than hurt Ryu by keeping him relevant. He's one of those infallible icons with such a simple but appealing designs that I think he could have maybe been a Noble Niner if GameFAQs cared more about fighting games. There's a reason that every fighting game has a Shoto-clone.

People seem to just discredit Ryu because he's from a fighting game and has inconsistent levels of strength (he lost to Bowser then beat him the year after), but he'll definitely be one to watch depending on his bracket placement this year.

...

alright my girlfriend is making me fold laundry i'll brb

do not date 3D

CATS
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Zero Wing (Arcade)(1989), Zero Wing (TurboGrafx 16)(1992)

I can't believe part of my research for this project now includes having to stop at KnowYourMeme to look up "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" in 2018

"With the 2017 release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, pedestals that give Link magic runes or map information in his Sheikah Slate showed letters of the Sheikah Alphabet, a mythical language in The Legend of Zelda series. Some of the text reads: 'All Your Base Are.'"

a meme that will never die

Or in the context of these contests, never live. CATS is still the biggest loser, he's been in almost every contest (2010 he made the vote-ins but was last place) but he's never come close to winning. In 2013 he failed to break 10k votes. Is it over for CATS?

As long as Board 8 is around it's not! But... Is Board 8 around? It's still a surprisingly active community, and you have people who come and go even during a contest drought just to check in to see who is still here and if there's any news on a new contest. I myself haven't been around for almost three years. I'd taken to lurking. It's almost like we go into a state of hibernation with reduced activity.

The fact that this board is still together and active with a good community and little-to-no drama is astounding to me. Once the noms go up for the new contest, I expect some of the Board 8ers that time forgot will be back, and they'll be willing to nominate CATS because "why not?"

Although on the other hand, it's been five years since the last character battle, and so many new characters have been introduced and so many old characters have been reinvented or revitalized that there may not be enough room on everyone's ballot for a CATS nom.

Is it time to let CATS rest? That's like saying we finally should shut down the board. CATS the meme will never get a chance in these contests despite being a classic, but in the same light, Board 8 will never been seen as one of the internet's greatest gaming communities, despite how knowledgeable and amicable (mostly) everybody is. Even during my absence I still thought about Board 8 and the many years of happiness it brought me, and here I am, back and still writing about these contests.

I think we'll be seeing CATS again in CBX, and he's going to get blown out in round 1 just like old times. I wouldn't want it any other way.

ZenOfThunder posted...

Are there any other examples of that? Media where the character's name becomes the title.

Indiana Jones was slapped on after Raiders I believe. Also Adventure of Link

Mega Man
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (2017), Super Mario Maker (2015), Mega Man Legacy Collection (2015)

It's been 8 years since the last proper Mega Man game (Mega Man 10), and since then he's really just had some glorified cameos, bit roles, crossovers and fan games to keep him relevant.

And that's just sad. Remember this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXF_HM2PFA

"Any gamer that knows games knows Mega Man."

Do kids still like Mega Man? I know that's not the main traffic on this site but it's a pertinent question for the future. Mario and Link still have mass appeal to all ages, and the other day I saw some kid playing a Sonic game on his iPad and having a good time.

But does Mega Man get marketed enough for kids to care? Those Battle Network games are a distant memory now. Kids seem to like Five Nights at Freddy's more than they do Mega Man nowadays.

That's not really the focus here, though. How is Mega Man in these contests? Well, Mega Man 11 got announced recently, and a lot of people seem happy with how it looks, although I saw a few folks foaming at the mouth and convulsing because Capcom dared to take away their coveted retro 8-bit art style, because Mega Man can't possibly be good if it's not 8-bit, even if the gameplay, enemy and level design are all solid.

If Mighty No. 9 shows us anything, it's that people want Mega Man. They need Mega Man. He's probably fallen quite a bit since 2013 where he ended up losing to Samus and beating Red in a match that, as I mentioned before, was an absolute mess of SFF and LFF, and was really hard to properly predict or even properly analyze.

It's not like people on this site forgot about Mega Man, it's just that their passion for the Blue Bomber might not be burning as brightly. It definitely was when he debuted in Smash 4, but that came and went almost four years ago now. Smash 5 might help if the timing is right, but unless Bacon delays the contest 'til the Fall or Winter it will be too late. Regardless, he'll probably do fine. We're in the middle of some kind of retro fever and Mega Man gets to be a part of it.

Never forget:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIIlIM9HlpQ

(I still get chills)

https://i.imgur.com/YxrMM4p.gif

ZenOfThunder posted...

If you didn't know, GameFAQs is host to a huge lore guide for Street Fighter that gets referenced all the time by the FGC in terms of who is stronger in canon and the history of the universe.

I discovered this thing at least a decade ago and it is a treasure. As a SF fanboy, I love it.

Big Bob posted...

I think Sonic might be alright now, thanks to Sonic Mania. To be honest, my gut says Mega Man is the weak link of the NN now. He's got a new game coming out, but the hype is pretty meh. I'd go:

I've been sitting around for an hour now waiting for the rest of this post

Ms. Pac-Man
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Pac-Man Museum (2014), Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007)

oh man I didn't realize how irrelevant Ms. Pac-Man had become in the past decade and a half. Her last solo appearance was the timeless 2001 classic "Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze" which is a game I know we are all intimately familiar with and are definitely not finding out exists just now no sir

people like to make out Ms. Pac-Man as some kind of weird sex symbol or feminist icon but she is literally Pac-Man with a bow and some lipstick. What is so empowering about that? Is it that she has a "Ms." in her name and not a "Mrs."? I'm pretty sure the marketing team did that just to create buzz, not be progressive.

yeah nobody ever gave a s*** about Ms. Pac-Man, she couldn't break 8% on Mega Man in her one and only contest appearance and I think it's safe to say she'd be even weaker today if that's possible

also just as a fun fact I enjoy reminding people that there was in fact a Pac-Man knock-off of Mario Party and Heihachi and Astaroth from SoulCalibur II was playable in it for some reason, thus making Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man himself the least memorable parts of their own game:

https://i.imgur.com/ZiJ3Nda.jpg

Serious Sam
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Serious Sam's Bogus Detour (2017), Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011)

Did you know that just 9 days ago a teaser trailer for Serious Sam 4 dropped?

No?

OK, well, I don't blame you. I saw it the day it came out and it made so little impact on me that I actually forgot I had watched it until just now when I Googled Serious Sam, saw the trailer, clicked on it, watched it a second time, and didn't remember that I had already watched it until I had typed out a paragraph about how bland it looked.

Can anyone explain to me the point of Serious Sam? One of the appealing bits of Duke Nukem is that he finds other FPS characters dead and makes fun of them. Serious Sam does the same exact thing with the only difference is that it's a different buff white dude instead.

Apparently the Sam fanbase is pretty excited for this new game, though. All 12 of them.

It's being released by Devolver Digital, who actually is a pretty good publisher, so maybe if the game is good, cheap, on all consoles, properly hyped, well received, written in a way that Sam comes off as an actual character, and released during the nomination period, Sam might be able to get a 16 seed and get stomped again like he did in 2002.

Mr. Driller
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Famista Dream Match (2014), Namco High (2013), Pac-Man Kart Rally (2011)

i just s*** all over Serious Sam, but imagine being the character that lost to serious sam

imagine that character being unlikable in every way possible

imagine that character being in a forgotten franchise

imagine that character not being the star of his own game or relevant in any way since 2009

do you have a picture in your head?

i bet it looks like "Susumu Hori"

which I am just finding out is Mr. Driller's real name

what the f***

yeah Mr. Driller ain't getting into another one of these. 2002 was a weird year. the 16 seeds this contest should be made up exclusively of garbage 2002 entrants just to see how they've aged.

(answer: not gracefully)

Sephiroth
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (2018)

When I was in high school I took a cooking class my senior year because I was super mentally checked out. I used to hang out with my good friend Josh, and we would read comics and talk about video games. In our cooking group we had this junior named Vinny. Dude was jacked and already had tribal tattoos. Spiky hair, orange skin, typical New Jersey guido.

He always thought Josh and I were huge nerds, but one day, near the end of the semester, he interrupted a conversation I was having with Josh about the best villains, to proudly proclaim:

"The best villains of all time... Are Venom, Carnage, and Sephiroth."

To this day I remember that feeling of shock. This is the power that Sephiroth commands. Even Guidos cannot be spared from the might of Sephiroth's long sword.

Remember when CJayC made a contest just for Sephiroth to win so that he could make an excuse to remove him from the real contest later that year?

Are we still at that level of Sephiroth dominance? Well, if you look at my Cloud write-up, you can probably guess that no, Sephiroth is not as ubiquitous and powerful as he once was. He's still got his appearances in Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia to keep him going but that's not exactly "new" content, and as we know, fanbases die if they aren't being consistently fed.

In 2013 Sephiroth got pretty roughed up by Mewtwo, but if you remove Draven from the equation, how does Sephiroth do then? The LoL rallies were bringing in tons of randos, and some of them could potentially have voted Mewtwo based on Pokemon brand loyalty.

It's hard to say where Sephiroth has gone since then. Clinkeroth was once seen as an unstoppable force. I would say Sephiroth could still have an easy path to the Semis no matter what his placement is, but assuming he isn't up against Link or Cloud, could he potentially get past Mario? Samus? Any other member of the Noble Nine? Could he beat Mewtwo in 2018?

I hate saying this, but I think Sephiroth's time in the sun is over. He'll always be an elite but no longer is he a god.

...

I'm going out for a bit, it's my housemate's birthday and I forgot to get him something. I would rather spend the day writing about video game character popularity contests. I am a bad person and I should be punished. Please tell nanis23 to say bad things about me while I'm gone.

ZenOfThunder posted...

He always thought Josh and I were huge nerds, but one day, near the end of the semester, he interrupted a conversation I was having with Josh about the best villains, to proudly proclaim:

"The best villains of all time... Are Venom, Carnage, and Sephiroth."

he was doing so well after those first two too

ok i went through all the trouble of putting on pants and just as I was walking out the door my girlfriend reminded me that I did get my housemate a present and that I put it in my closet

definitely date 3D, they remember things you don't remember

unfortunately I dedicate almost all of my memory banks to video game character popularity contests.

Gabe Logan
Last Contest: 2002
Last Game: Syphon Filter, Combat Ops (2007), Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (2007)

Here I was just a few write-ups ago talking about characters that were so popular that their names ended up in the titles of their franchises. Obvious when Bend Games was coming up with the name for Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow they knew they had to include the name of the iconic Syphon Filter protagonist, Gabe Logan in the title somewhere. How else would people know that Gabe Logan was in the game?! He had grown beyond Syphon Filter and was way more than just a Solid Snake knockoff.

Popularly known as the 10th member of the Noble Nine,Gabe Logan would go on to appear in every single contest and win two of them. From the beginning he was putting up great numbers on opponents that should have far outclassed him, going toe-to-toe with Sephiroth in his first ever appearance, landing a massive...

Twelve... Percent...

Alright, I can't keep bulls***ting. Who the hell is Gabe Logan? Nobody, and he's going to stay that way.

Crash Bandicoot
Last Contest: 2013
Last Game: Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (2017), Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016)

Before his recent remaster, Crash's last game was 2008's Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant. Did you know that? Did you remember that game? Did you know anyone who played it? Talked about it?

Crash was so dead until recently. This write-up would have been way easier if it weren't for the remaster and the wank-fest that is Uncharted 4.

All of a sudden people are seeing Crash as less of a cringey part of their childhood and the 90s as a whole and more of a treasured memory, just like Sonic. There was once a time where Crash games would have people stop what they were doing at E3 to watch the 90 second trailer on loop for almost an entire hour.

Crash is actually a great game with gameplay and graphics created to work within the PS1's limitations and show (trick?) people that the PS1 was lightyears ahead of the N64. It was Naughty Dog's first big release and they do not want you to forget about it, even though they sold the franchise off at one point.

Crash is back! How would he do in a contest today? Well he'd certainly be able to beat Elizabeth, who he just barely lost to in 2013. Beyond that? No idea! Crash is kind of popular on this site:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6269
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6729

Crash lost to Golden Sun in one of those polls, but I would take Crash over Isaac, especially now that he's getting some love again. It might still be close, though.

Side note: Isaac is one of few characters removed as an Assist Trophy between Brawl and Smash 4. Ouch. I guess we'll get to Isaac soon...