Contest Stats and Discussion - Part 1375 - Thank you, Allen!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1656-division-128-semifinals-final-fantasy-x-vs-super-smash-bros



Now THIS is the match pic everyone should've been upset about! Giant Tidus vs. the entire cast of Melee is so bad, especially since this match pic had potential to be great. And FFX still almost won! I did have Melee winning this match though, so at least there was that.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3499-division-6-final-ffx-k-hearts-ssbm-diablo-iilod

A double dose of FFX losing to Melee! At least this time we can blame it on LFF instead of a dumb match pic!

I mean, what else could be considered the main character of Super Smash Bros? It simply can't be just Mario, seeing as though the whole point of the series is that it's the big Nintendo crossover.

use something other than a giant Tidus face for FFX's pic

If it's one thing about GameFAQs contests, whether it's CJayC or Allen, you can count on them to commit to a theme for an entire round of match pictures no matter what, even if it results in some really lopsided art.

Whether it's bad official art for characters best recognized by sprites (Lettuce Kefka and other 2D RPG characters), awful sprites for characters that are best recognized by official art or polygon models (the Snakes, Leon Kennedy, Bacondorf), or forcing a main character only theme when a hotly debated match features a polarizing main character vs. a game that has over a dozen icons as the main characters; you can count on theme rounds to always throw a monkey wrench in somewhere.

Should've used hot pants Yuna for the match pic just to make it more interesting.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1657-division-final-super-mario-bros-3-vs-the-legend-of-zelda

This was our first match with user pics! This was also the worst 1-on-1 loss by a Zelda game until Mario 64 vs. Twilight Princess in 2015.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3500-division-7-final-mgs3-oblivion-zelda-tp-re4

Augh, so close, MGS3. RE4 kept having tight results each round but still managed to keep surviving.

Leonhart4 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1657-division-final-super-mario-bros-3-vs-the-legend-of-zelda

This was our first match with user pics! This was also the worst 1-on-1 loss by a Zelda game until Mario 64 vs. Twilight Princess in 2015.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3500-division-7-final-mgs3-oblivion-zelda-tp-re4

Augh, so close, MGS3. RE4 kept having tight results each round but still managed to keep surviving.

I cannot bring myself to care about 4ways. It was a neat idea one time and sucked every other time it was done.

I’m still mad 2009 had that format.

Does twilight princess even beat mgs3 anymore (I hope not)

pjbasis posted...

Does twilight princess even beat mgs3 anymore (I hope not)

When in doubt, expect Zelda to win

Chrono Trigger, FFVII, and FFVI can beat Twilight Princess/Wind Waker, and FFVI actually did so in 2015. FFX can probably do so on a good day.

That's probably about it for non-Nintendo games unless you're a huge believer in Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate 3.

FFVI beat Wind Waker!

But it'd probably beat TP too if it beat WW.

Oh wait, I misread what you said there.

I feel pretty comfortable about both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess over MGS3 (mostly because either losing puts Mario RPG way too close to FFVI or Mario 64 for my comfort), but hey maybe Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom caused a big Twilight Princess drop.

I would argue SMRPG had a bandwagon effect going by the time it hit MGS3, so that may not necessarily have been a reflection of its true strength.

Still think TP and WW beat MGS3 though, unfortunately.

Yeah, I'd feel pretty confident in either GC Zelda over MGS3. I always felt like Metal Gear was the kind of game that needed something to be happening in the series for its reps to be on the right side of close matches. With it pretty much being dormant these days, I feel like GameFAQs would default to the Zelda reps pretty easily.

Well, the MGS3 remake is on the horizon, so it does have that going for it!

Did the recent Mario RPG remaster help or hurt its theoretical contest chances? Feels like it barely made any impact broadly speaking; it came and went.

I can't see it hurting, probably would get more people to vote for it since it's new exposure

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1658-division-final-chrono-trigger-vs-the-legend-of-zelda-a-link

I believe this still holds the record for closest wire-to-wire match in a 24-hour one-on-one match (although maybe it was beat in 2018 or 2020 when our vote totals were so bad). The biggest lead I see on the updater was 524 for Chrono Trigger and 191 for Link to the Past. This was also back in the day of instant updates, and the lead was less than 100 in favor of Chrono Trigger for multiple hours during the day. I remember constantly F5ing the results page during this timeframe. What a great match.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3501-division-8-final-ssbb-cod-4-mgs4-fallout-3

Brawl probably benefited from the standout factor here, especially in the match picture, which was three "over the shoulder shooting dudes" against Mario vs. Link.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1659-division-final-final-fantasy-vii-vs-the-legend-of-zelda

At the end of round 2, there began to be discussion of an all-Zelda Final Four. By the end of round 4, we had no Zelda games in the Final Four. The only other contest where we wouldn't have anything Zelda in the Final Four was SC2K5, and that was only because Link was removed from the main bracket.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3502-contest-quarterfinal-smb-1-zelda-i-smb-3-smw

We saw the patented "Mario Clutch" come through at the end of this match. Zelda had fought back from a 1400 vote lead to overtake Mario 3 with 30 minutes left. With 15 minutes left, Mario 3 landed a 40% update out of nowhere to retake the lead by 50 and held on to advance. It was its highest single update percentage of the match and the most votes it had gotten in a 5 minute period in 5 hours. Perfectly legitimate result.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1660-division-final-starcraft-vs-super-smash-bros-melee

Featuring the most blatant attempt at cheating we've ever seen. If you weren't here at the time, it has to be seen to be believed. I dug through the Stats Topic archives so I could find it.

17:30 | Starcraft | 35757 | +0452 | 47.55% | SSBM | 39448 | +0553 | 52.45% | Lead of 3691 | (Up 101)

17:45 | Starcraft | 36719 | +0962 | 47.89% | SSBM | 39958 | +0510 | 52.11% | Lead of 3239 | (Down 452)

18:00 | Starcraft | 38156 | +1437 | 48.51% | SSBM | 40500 | +0542 | 51.49% | Lead of 2344 | (Down 895)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3503-contest-quarterfinal-zelda-lttp-ff3-ff7-s-mario-64

Once again, FFVII breaks 40%, and Mario 64 keeps it close with LttP. Wonder how Mario 64 vs. LttP would go one-on-one.

Starcraft is one of my proofs that mega-rallies and bandwagons can (and usually do!!) fail.

UltimaterializerX posted...

Starcraft is one of my proofs that mega-rallies and bandwagons can (and usually do!!) fail.

It doesn't make it any less awful when they don't. Rallies that overwhelm a contest are and have always been bad.

The risk reward is is too great. A weakish rally can make a match or two exciting. One that's too strong ruins the whole bracket

Both SMW and SMB3 advancing there is the best standalone result all bracket perhaps but it kinda sucks it ruined their chances of a place in the final.

I've done the calculations and if Zelda 1 made it through in second place this round, and then leeches LttP enough next round to send SMW to the finals, I would have won the Guru* :(

*Even though I had SMB3 in the finals instead. Lol, 4 ways.

And on the other side of the bracket FFX rides the waves of good bracket placement to make great results isolated but also ruin the chances of FFVII winning.

pjbasis posted...

The risk reward is is too great. A weakish rally can make a match or two exciting. One that's too strong ruins the whole bracket

Where does Zelda from whatever the last character battle fall in this? I loved that run, and ultimately she did not win.

That's not a rally, so Zelda doesn't fall anywhere on this.

Yeah that was just a character popping off and at best having a bandwagon effect due to somewhat surprising results.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1661-tournament-semifinal-super-mario-bros-3-vs-chrono-trigger

I really thought Mario 3 was going to win this match. Put up a good fight, at least!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3504-contest-quarterfinal-zelda-oot-pokemon-ssbm-ffx

Once again, it takes three Nintendo games for R/B/Y to lose, but at least we get a good result out of it!

Just how many times has SSBM and FF10 faced each other?

TeamRocketElite posted...

Just how many times has SSBM and FF10 faced each other?

Three

Once in 2004 and twice in 2009 (with both results being tainted by LFF so we never got a true victor).

Leonhart4 posted...

Once again, it takes three Nintendo games for R/B/Y to lose, but at least we get a good result out of it!

I think you could replace Ocarina of Time with any other game in the bracket and RBY would have advanced there.

Leonhart4 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3504-contest-quarterfinal-zelda-oot-pokemon-ssbm-ffx

Once again, it takes three Nintendo games for R/B/Y to lose, but at least we get a good result out of it!

I wonder how this exact match would go today.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1662-tournament-semifinal-final-fantasy-vii-vs-super-smash-bros

Division 128 might be one of the most hotly contested divisions we've ever had, and FFVII dispatched its champion without a struggle.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3505-contest-quarterfinal-zelda-tp-re4-ssbb-mgs4

A close fight between 1st and 2nd, and between 3rd and 4th! Brawl won their first showdown, but MGS4 wins the second.

Over 22% for last place is pretty impressive.

Brawl was definitely hurt more by opponents there.

You run that again today and RE4 and TP probably get through.

I really wonder how that FFVII/Starcraft match would have gone.

red_sox_777 posted...

I really wonder how that FFVII/Starcraft match would have gone.

I think FFVII stomps it pretty hard

yeah the thing about the 128 division (and modern games in general) is that new games tend to be close to one another head-to-head unless something is very weak or very strong (see also: Witcher 3 vs. Breath of the Wild and then what Majora's Mask vs. Breath of the Wild was).

That gave Starcraft enough juice to rally past Wind Waker and Halo, but it would've been wiped out by FF7.

ctesjbuvf posted...

think you could replace Ocarina of Time with any other game in the bracket and RBY would have advanced there.

I was gonna say the same thing, but even if Ocarina of Time was replaced with another Nintendo game.

red_sox_777 posted...

I really wonder how that FFVII/Starcraft match would have gone.

It might have done a percentage or two better, but I don't think it would have been that much of a difference, especially considering that SSBM was likely already overperforming on FFVII to begin with.

pjbasis posted...

I was gonna say the same thing, but even if Ocarina of Time was replaced with another Nintendo game.

I mean we already saw R/B/Y lose to MGS1 with G/S/C in the poll so I don't think you could've replaced it with anything.

Unless you're only talking about advancing at all, even in second place, in which case I'd probably agree with you.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1663-tournament-final-chrono-trigger-vs-final-fantasy-vii

Chrono Trigger actually led this match briefly early on. It just speaks to how bad FFVII's early vote was. It really was a constant rise to heaven after the Power Hour back then.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3506-contest-semifinal-smw-smb-3-ff7-zelda-lttp

The battle for first and second was relatively uneventful because Mario 3 and Mario World just knocked themselves out of it. Too bad Mario 3 couldn't win the rubber match against World.

It’s weird to think that Chrono Trigger got screwed out of being able to finally get that elusive win over FFVII in 2015. Damn Melee.

It could have scared the s*** out of Ocarina

RBY could stop CT that year too.

pjbasis posted...

It could have scared the s*** out of Ocarina

I think it could win. But, surely at least this.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1664-is-final-fantasy-vii-really-the-best-game-ever

It's wild to see that 2/3 of the site once believed that FFVII was a top ten game ever at absolute worst. By the way, I used this poll for my tiebreaker for the Top Ten mini-contest a year later (which was "what percentage will pick the #1 game on the list as their #1 game" or something similar), and it was the right answer!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3507-contest-semifinal-zelda-oot-ffx-mgs4-ssbb

Game of the Decade suggested FFX and Brawl were relatively close to each other, so I wonder how this match goes if OoT isn't here. You'd think OoT would affect Brawl enough to prevent it from taking second, but maybe not.

ctesjbuvf posted...

RBY could stop CT that year too.

I think RBY had a better chance of beating CT than Ocarina did in 2015. OoT was not winning that contest no matter what happened.