Megaman up with 51.05. Right now Tnote has it, but if this continues I might actually get the point (in spirit of course)
---
Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Michael Flatley and Hellboy. -trancer1

Yoshi, who simply sucked this year

But still, even with SFF, Yoshi got owned

SHENANIGANS!

I'm declaring shenanigans on Vlado and Inviso!
---
It's official: Princess Peach has bouncing breasts in Super Mario Strikers!
http://www.livejournal.com/users/the_gel/14416.html

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

Let's see how many votes MM can rally for the next few hours. I think Tnote might get this.


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 88 points Megamanvs Snoic

Crono...............................55.38% 52814
Vincent Valentine...............44.62% 42546
TOTAL VOTES...............................95360

31.17% of the brackets called this match correctly.

Wow, Vincent impressing, and Crono disappointing. Crono wins with barely over 55%, and with Mega Man and Sonic in his sights next, he isn't looking too good.

Today, Sonic and Mega Man have been going at it all day. Sonic is playing catch-up now, but the big question is if he will be able to catch Mega by time this ends.

CLOSEST PREDICTIONS

Soul - 12
Tnote - 11
Outback - 9
Vlado - 8
Inviso - 6
Ulti - 6
Moltar - 4
MasterMage - 1

Soul gets today's point with a nice Crono pick.
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Sonic vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Mega Man - Vote: Sonic (100/120)

Everyone ignore every one of my posts. I thought for sure MM would dominate the night. At least he's holding Sonic in place >.<


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 88 points Megamanvs Snoic

Final Four Match 61 – (1)Mario vs. (1)Solid Snake
It’s-a-me! Mario? Mario?!? MARIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!?!?!?!?

Mario
Round 1 – vs. Joanna Dark (Mario: 80.90% - Joanna: 19.10%)
Round 2 – vs. Ness (Mario: 82.80% - Ness: 17.20%)
Round 3 – vs. Zero (Mario: 62.86% - Zero: 37.14%)
Round 4 – vs. Samus (Mario: 59.79% - Samus: 40.21%)

Mario owns Samus badly, as much at that hurts to admit.

Snake
Round 1 – vs. Manny (Snake: 84.09% - Manny: 15.91%)
Round 2 – vs. Zelda (Snake: 54.41% - Zelda: 45.59%)
Round 3 – vs. Sora (Snake: 65.26% - Sora: 34.74%)
Round 4 – vs. Bowser (Snake: 50.59% - Bowser: 49.41%)

Bowser came close, but Snake manages to win the match.

Mario’s probably already faced his toughest opponent in the Contest. Many thought Samus would win, but he took those people and slapped them. 60-40 win over Samus. Sounds like some SFF to me.

Snake, on the other hand, needed the second night vote in order to beat Bowser. Now, don’t get me wrong, Bowser is strong. But Mario is much stronger, so Snake needs to say his prayers.

La-le-lu-li-lo! Who are the Patriots?! Amen! Amen!

Er…nothing else to say here. Mario gets a free pass to the finals.

Moltar’s Bracket Says: Mario will win.

Moltar’s Prediction is: Mario: 57% - Snake: 43%



Soul’s Analysis

Round 4 Results

Mario defeated Samus: 59.79% - 40.21%

Snake defeated Bowser: 50.59% - 49.41%

Well, not much to say here. Snake struggled with Bowser. Mario is a lot stronger then Bowser. That's all she wrote folks. (I think I deserve a short one after yesterday's analysis)

My prediction: Mario wins with 60.01% of the vote. Mario in the finals. Let's hope he continues to kick ass!



Outback’s Analysis

Snake had to fight off a comeback from Bowser to win. Mario should have no problem, and the decimation here that we'll see from Mario will just be a primer of his Championship performance.

Mario with 61.00%



Inviso’s Analysis

I really don't feel like writing up a long thing for a match that is so easy to call. Snake barely beat BOWSER, who is the VILLAIN of the Mario series. Bowser was thoroughly owned by Mario last year. Mario has had the Nintendo boost, and got around 63% on Zero. Anyway, it'll be a simple match, and I'm not wasting my time on it.

My Bracket: Samus Aran
My Vote: Solid Snake
My Prediction: Mario Mario with 61.77%
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Sonic vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Mega Man - Vote: Sonic (100/120)

Tnote’s Analysis

Well, the good news is Bowser's comeback fell short, keeping my bracket alive and giving us a final four match that will not be SFF-haven. The bad news is that Snake has no chance at winning. Though, there is nothing wrong with a Mario vs. Crono/Sonic final. There is a lot wrong with a Mario/Mega Man final, because it will be Samus/Mario part II. And much like Xenosaga, Part II will suck... a lot. I am very interested in seeing the match pics created by us users. Snake was able to survive the old-school sprite round, so he earned this spot in the final four. Sure, Samus and the loser of today's match are more deserving, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Snake barely held off Bowser, and Bowser is significantly weaker than Mario. Mario doubled Bowser, so that would be the absolute floor for Snake, but since there was a large degree of SFF, this match should come nowhere near that mark. Samus got SFFed, so measuring her in relaiton to Snake will not be helpful either. I have a gut feeling that Snake is stronger than Zero, so he should be able to keep Mario under 60%. How much under 60% is anyone's guess. I say the SSB:M boost offsets with the stupid MGS3 boost (it isn't even him for Pete's sake!), and Mario beats Snake with a favorite percentage of mine, completing half of my bracket's final match.

Pick: Mario with 58.27%



Vlado’s Analysis

The semifinals stage of the regular tournament won't be nearly as exciting as much a stage should be... And this is mostly thanks to this match. Last round, Snake just barely managed to beat Bowser, the villain of the Mario series, and also a considerably less popular character than Mario. All that while Mario owned Samus, another strong Nintendo character. While that win of his may mean almost nothing, due to SFF, I still remember his match against Zero, which proved his immense strength this contest. Not to mention the obvious Nintendo increase, also one of the reasons for Snake having such a hard time with Bowser, alongside the picture favouring the spiked turtle.

No matter how we look at it, Mario's the huge favourite to win the whole tournament and if anyone managed to somehow beat him, it would be a huge upset and many people would be shocked. Well, we know that that someone won't be Snake, that's for sure. No matter the picture factor, he still did horribly against Bowser. I think that the recently released MGS4 trailer can help him some... Even if it wasn't really him in it (something Konami still haven't revealed at this point). However... How many of the voters will have seen it AND change their minds on who to vote for based on it? Some, surely, but not many.

Mario is just too strong this year... If you barely beat the villain of his series, you can't hope for much against him, can you? At least Snake's performance was pretty good so far. Sure, he never faced a really strong opponent on his way here, but a Final Four appearance is something impressive no matter how we look at it. Especially when you've been labeled "weakest of the Noble Nine" for years and have had many people doubt you and think you'd be the first of that group to lose. The amazing pic Snake got for his match against Sora won't be forgotten, and that match was certainly one of the best moments in this year's contest. It will be sad to see Snake lose like this.

Predicted percentage: Mario with 58.43%.

---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Sonic vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Mega Man - Vote: Sonic (100/120)

Ulti gave up?
---
"Let's mosey"
Summer Contest Score: 112/120, Predicted Winner: Crono

You guys went a little high don't you think?


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 88 points Megamanvs Snoic

Ulti's Analysis

I forgot to make a Mario/Snake writeup before going to work, and thanks to Moltar posting everyone's writeups before I got home, I now have to do a writeup here in AIM before reading everyone's pics. As such, I'm not even going to give reasons behind my pick due to AIM being a crap program that doesn't allow massive IMs. Pwned.

Prediction: Mario with 56.57%; I do hope Snake breaks 45%, but I think he'll fall just short.
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Sonic vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Mega Man - Vote: Sonic (100/120)

I think Ulti will get a point for the next match. It's very close to what I have it at (56.97%).
---
Return of SF1: YOU DON'T HAVE A CASE!
makeyourchance: Yes I do! It's Samsonite.

I also think Ulti has it. 60% is way to high IMO. But we'll see. I am also the person who thought Megaman would get 53%. Then again, thats 1 Up on all the Sonic people.


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 88 points Megamanvs Snoic

Black Turtle, would you please stop being so opinionated and elitist in almost every post you make?
---
GameOver4Joo (11:11:08 PM): You don't grasp the concept of Survivor
GameOver4Joo (11:11:16 PM): And whine when someone outsmarts you

Invisa, would you, like, learn how to spell your own name right? Sheesh... <_<

---
RIP: Tnote827 - 4/4/2005
SC2k5 - 109/120 (Kefka, Magus (x3), Ocelot, Tidus)

From: Invisa | Posted: 9/17/2005 1:04:14 AM | Message Detail | #314
Black Turtle, would you please stop being so opinionated and elitist in almost every post you make?

Does anyone else find it funny that Inviso is telling anyone else to not be opinionated or elitist?

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

From: Invisa | Posted: 9/17/2005 1:04:14 AM | Message Detail | #314
Black Turtle, would you please stop being so opinionated and elitist in almost every post you make?

How am I being elitist? I called myself a newbie o.O


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 88 points Megamanvs Snoic

Sonic the Hedgehog................49.63% 49099
Mega Man..............................50.37% 49841
TOTAL VOTES...................................98940

31.25% of the brackets called this match correctly.

Mega Man was able to hold off Sonic with the night vote, and win the match. It was a great one though. Vote totals are kinda low for such a big match. Mega's Final 4 bracket percentage is just a hair above Crono's too.

Today, Snake is doing decent, but he can't just stand up to the force that is Mario.

CLOSEST PREDICTIONS

Soul - 12
Tnote - 11
Outback - 10
Vlado - 8
Inviso - 6
Ulti - 6
Moltar - 4
MasterMage - 1

Outback gets the closest Mega Man pick. It's going to be a three-way race for the win...
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Mario vs. Snake - Bracket: Mario - Vote: Snake (108/128)

I was bored today and I decided to compare my analyses with the analysis crew. I won 9 matches they are...

Mario/Joanna Dark
Lloyd/Wesker
Snake/Manny
Sora/Agent 47
Crono/Zidane
Sonic/Jin
Leon/Gordon Freeman
Snake/Zelda
Squall/Knuckles

I did very good in round 1, but by next round I made both bad predictions and was barley beaten out.

The closest predictions would look like this...

Soul - 11
Tnote - 9
Outback - 9
Charmander - 9
Vlado - 7
Ulti - 6
Inviso - 5
Moltar - 2
MasterMage - 0

---
17 have challenged Nintendo in the handheld market, 17 have failed. (see quote for list)

Looks like this one is gonna come down to me and Moltar. Push Mario! Do not go gently into the night!

And thanks Moltar for letting me do this. I definitely would be open to do this again next time, but there are a lot of people who are probably interested in joining in, so if you wanna offer up my 'spot' to Harrich or Leon or charmander, that'd be just fine.

---
RIP: Tnote827 - 4/4/2005
SC2k5 - 133/144 (Kefka, Magus (x3), Ocelot, Tidus)

bump
---
SC2K5 Score: 109/128
Today's Pick: Mario

*eagerly awaits Crono-Mageman analyses that confirm my belief that MM has a shot*


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 96 points Mario vs Snake

Final Four Match 62 – (2)Crono vs. (1)Mega Man
Red vs. Blue, it’s not a coincidence.

Crono
Round 1 – vs. Zidane (Crono: 76.72% - Zidane: 23.28%)
Round 2 – vs. Tommy (Crono: 70.85% - Vercetti: 29.15%)
Round 3 – vs. Master Chief (Crono: 61.29% - Chief: 38.71%)
Round 4 – vs. Vincent (Crono: 55.38% - Vincent: 44.62%)

Vincent does well, but Crono still comes out on top.

Mega Man
Round 1 – vs. Conker (Mega Man: 76.02% - Conker: 23.98%)
Round 2 – vs. Leon (Mega Man: 64.56% - Leon: 35.44%)
Round 3 – vs. Yoshi (Mega Man: 68.08% - Yoshi: 31.92%)
Round 4 – vs. Sonic (Mega Man: 50.37% - Sonic: 49.63%)

Mega Man had to fight off Sonic all day, and in the end, he barely managed to.

You thought Mega Man vs. Sonic was a toss-up, and now we go here. We have Crono, who’s looking about as hot as an ice cube, going against Mega Man, who’s performances have jumped around more than a kangaroo on crack. Let’s get to business.

In 2002 and 2003, Mega Man was ranked higher than Crono. In 2004, we saw Mega Man do 5% worse on Link than Crono did. Some of us thought it was SFF at the time, but most didn’t believe. Then Mega Man SFFed Yoshi, and the non-believers…in the words of Naruto, Believed it. So the voters look at Mega Man as Nintendo here, when he’s really Capcom’s *****. Interesting. Anyway, getting slightly off track. Back to the match at hand here.

In Round 1, both put up similar numbers on their opponents. Crono did a little better on Zidane than Mega Man did on Conker. Crono also faced Conker in 2004, and got 78% on the squirrel. It’s possible that Conker boosted though, because of Live and Reloaded. Still, I don’t know if I would put Zidane over Conker, so I’ll say Crono looked better here.

In Round 2, Crono had to face Vercetti, and most expected Crono around 70%. He delivered. Mega Man was expected to also get around 70% on Leon, who had just come off a 58% win over Gordon Freeman. Mega Man failed to bring it, and only beat Leon with 35%. Crono looked better by miles here, but it will be interesting to see after this match how badly Leon and Gordon were underestimated.

In Round 3, it was Crono’s turn to flop. It looked like he was easily going to double Master Chief in the beginning, but that quickly changed with the day vote. Master Chief fought all the way into the night and brought Crono down to 61%. Mega Man impressed by obtaining 68% on Yoshi. Not many believed Leon > Yoshi, so screams of SFF filled the boards. Nonetheless, Mega Man wins here.

In Round 4, Crono stepped up to the plate against Vincent. Vincent had some off close matches with Dante and Squall, and not many expected too much from him. Most were saying Crono under 55% meant instant death in his match against Sonic/Mega Man. Well…55% was delivered. Many were now looking at this round, and last round, and called a Crono drop. Mega Man went in an all day affair with Sonic, and barely won in the end. It’s hard to call a favorite this round, but I’d give it to Mega Man.

In short, Crono was looking better earlier in the Contest, but Mega Man has impressed more in the latter rounds. I’m expecting Master Chief (along with DK, Fisher and CATS to an extent) to turn up stronger than expected. Of course, this puts Vincent, Dante and Squall a little higher than I pegged them, but oh well. Either way, the Stats are going to look strange after this match. It’s another chance match folks, and I’m going with my bracket and Crono on this one. I won’t be surprised though if Mega Man does pull out a decent win though.

Either Mario/Crono or Mario/Mega Man…whoopie!

Moltar’s Bracket Says: Crono will win.

Moltar’s Prediction is: Crono: 51% - Mega Man: 49%
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Crono vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (108/144)

Soul’s Analysis

Round 4 Results

Crono defeated Vincent Valentine: 55.38% - 44.62%

Mega Man defeated Sonic: 50.37% - 49.63%

This match has potential to be absolutely amazing.

Too bad I have a bad migraine, or else I would write all about it. Since I don't have much time, I'll just say this: Crono better barely win.

My prediction: Crono with 50.01%. FINALS COMING UP!



Outback’s Analysis

This Analysis Brought To You By www.gizoogle.com

Up until his match wit Vincent, Crono looked like he was as strong if not shot calla tizzy last year. Playa wit only 55% on Vincent, it makes me playa how strong he really is. Afta all, Sonic gots mizzle thiznan 55% on Tifa, who is possibly gangsta thizzan Vincent, n Mega Man beat Sonic. While we really have no real beats on these poser it seems like, from tha types of brotha T-H-to-tha-izzat have seen increazes (Knuckles, Mario, Luigi, Kirby, basically old platforma ***** in general) that both Mega Man n Sonic would be mizzle likely ta receive n increaze this year thiznan Crono, n fo` tizzle reason I thiznink Mizzle Man will win.

Mega Man wit 52.30%



Inviso’s Analysis

Well, this match pretty much guarantees the finals will be total crap. We already have Mario as a lock ever since he beat Samus, and now we’re either going to have Capcom’s product whore, or the silent hero that is the worst PC in Chrono Trigger. I hope to God whoever wins the final gets pwned by Sephiroth. Here’s a rundown. Crono has not been able to get Square SFF this year, performing averagely against Zidane and Vincent, when he should have, as the stronger character, been able to SFF them. He performed well on Tommy, but come on; Tommy is just above fodder in these contests. And then he couldn’t double a character that not only couldn’t break 70% on CATS, but also barely beat Donkey Kong.

Mega Man in his first round, performed around the same level on Crono against a Conker, who in theory, should’ve gotten a boost this year from Live and Reloaded. He then severely underperformed on Leon Kennedy, a character that wasn’t even able to break 60% on Gordon Freeman, who still never wins. But then, in round 3, unlike Crono, Mega Man actually performed well. He did better on Yoshi, who has proven to be strong, than he did on Leon. He physically owned Yoshi, which will probably end up making Ocelot look to be one of the weakest characters in this contest. And in the elite 8, he took on Sonic in a highly anticipated match, and won in a close vote. It’s so sad that an icon on the level of Mario loses to someone like Mega Man, but whatever. Mega Man has proven in 3 out of 4 matches to be strong. Crono has not really shown any real strength yet, other than facing weak opponents.

My Bracket: Crono
My Vote: Crono
My Prediction: Mega Man with 51.92%
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Crono vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (108/144)

Tnote’s Analysis

Well, here we are. A final four match-up that is in doubt. Mega Man got here by beating Conker, making Gordon Freeman look like a midcarder, making Yoshi look like fodder, and needing 22+ hours to finally put away Sonic. Crono got here by cake walking over Zidane, Ray Liotta, Master Chief and Vincent. As for the match at hand, all of my support goes to Crono. My bracket is not dead yet, and needs Crono to win it all. The stats junkie in me is cheering for Crono, because Mario would SFF Mega Man as bad as he did Samus, and since Samus was higher than Mega Man to begin with, we may see a doubling. But I do not think we will have to worry about that. Crono and Mario have seem destined to clash since before the bracket was released, and I am not going to back down from there. Crono/Mario IV is everything we could have hoped for, with Mario getting the SSB:M boost, much needed after Crono whipped him (comparatively speaking) last summer. Mega Man will definitely perform better than Vincent, so we should be in for a treat, but to me, the writing is on the wall for another Mega Man final four defeat.

Pick: Crono with 51.83%



Vlado’s Analysis

I sure didn't expect this match... I was fairly sure that Sonic would be able to beat Rockman, regardless of the Blue Bomber's huge win over Yoshi. It turned out that I was wrong. Have both Sonic and Mega Man increased? It seems very likely, and in that case, Crono may be in big trouble here... He may even lose... Something that seemed so unlikely before the contest. Not Rock, but Crono's the one who hasn't been impressive so far. After two standard victories over Zidane and Tommy Vercetti, he only got 61% on Master Chief, who practically tied with Donkey Kong... And, even with the Nintendo increase, Donkey Kong remains a character whose popularity is very limited. He then beat Vincent with just over 55%, another unimpressive win, but I think that it could really be fooling us, as, at the time of the match, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was already out and downloadable on the Internet, and Final Fantasy VII had started climbing the ranks in the Top 10 FAQs again. So that could mean that Vincent received a significant boost for the match, which would mean that Crono did not really do all that bad against him.

2005 was supposed to be Crono's year... Everything looked so perfect before the contest, with the three he'd certainly lose to out of the main bracket. Mario was to eliminate Samus, the only other character who could pose a threat to Crono, and then he was to repeat what he did to Mario in 2004... However, nobody realized that there could be such a big Nintendo increase like the one we've been seeing the whole tournament... And it's come to the point where the winner of this match will simply be the opponent that Mario will beat in the final match of the regular bracket...

Rockman's performance so far was much more impressive than Crono's. In the first round, he did what was expected against Conker, then he failed to double Leon Kennedy, which made people think he was weak, but it wasn't really so. Simply, a good part of the Capcom fanbase had supported Leon, taking the votes always reserved for Rockman. Not to mention that RE4 being Gamecube-exclusive so far helped Leon get a good deal of the Nintendo votes (that proved to be a huge number this contest). All that was made evident in the next match, where Rockman completely blew out Yoshi. Some people claimed there was SFF in the match... I just don't know what to think. There has to be some explnation for Rock getting such a huge win, that's for sure. What it is, I'm not sure.

Rockman's match against Sonic was the pinnacle of the contest. It was close the WHOLE day, until the very end. Just in the final 90 or so minutes it became clear Sonic wouldn't be able to come back again. Since we can be certain that Sonic became stronger than last year, especially after his impressive win over Tifa (if only the match was just 3 days later...), that simply means that Rockman has gotten stronger, too, and his huge win over Yoshi wasn't just luck or a simple overperformance. Can he beat Crono, though? If it weren't for Advent Children, I would probably have gone with yes. However, I have the theory that Vincent was stronger against Crono than in his previous matches, which makes Crono's performance against him not look that bad at all. It'll certainly be close, but I'll go with The Silent Hero in this one.

Predicted percentage: Crono with 51.34%.

Crono's the favorite, eh?
---
"Stay there for me, trapped in memories."
"I...I won't become a memory."

Crono is indeed the favorite.
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Crono vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (108/144)

Well, this match pretty much guarantees the finals will be total crap. We already have Mario as a lock ever since he beat Samus, and now we%u2019re either going to have Capcom%u2019s product whore, or the silent hero that is the worst PC in Chrono Trigger. I hope to God whoever wins the final gets pwned by Sephiroth.

Wow, and you call ME elitist and opinionated >.>

Vlado, I doubt that Vincent recieved that big a boost from AC. I can't see that many people outside of the FF7 fanbase bothering to pirate (yarr) the files off the net.

All I can say is go Mageman!!!!!!!!!!


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 96 points Mario vs Snake

Megaman with 50.97


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 96 points Mario vs Snake

Crono with 51.66%
---
Return of SF1: YOU DON'T HAVE A CASE!
makeyourchance: Yes I do! It's Samsonite.

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

Vlado, I doubt that Vincent recieved that big a boost from AC.

Top 10 FAQs. Compare to a week ago. Enough said.
---
"Cloud... Words aren't the only thing that tells people what you're thinking..." - Tifa

Being on the top 10 FAQs means nothing. It didn't help CJ and it didn't help the FFX cast.
---
Return of SF1: YOU DON'T HAVE A CASE!
makeyourchance: Yes I do! It's Samsonite.

*doesn't read any writeups and posts what I accidentally failed to e-mail Moltar*

This is a tough match, and it has the potential to be the closest match of the entire contest. At a glance, one may say that Mega Man has the edge. Crono failed to impress against any of his opponents, and flat-out disappointed against Master Chief and Vincent. However, Mega Man himself wasn't so hot against Sonic, and the closeness of that particular match may swing a few revenge votes in Crono's favor. who knows. It's tough to gauge how strong either character is, because the X-stats of the past have proven to be absolutely unreliable in this contest.

It comes down to whether or not Mega Man/Sonic boosted, as well as whether or not Crono went down. Crono's increases over the past few years have been magical, but the entire CT cast, including him, has done nothing to impress me in this contest. And while Mega Man completely disappointed last round (relatively), Crono isn't looking good at all right now. My bracket says Crono, but my gut says Mega Man.

Prediction: Mega Man with 50.13%

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

Crap, Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games and Mega Man is one of my favorite series. I think that Mega Man will ride his momentum from the past two rounds though only to be stomped on by Mario, probably garnering around 51.5% or so.
---
First God created idiots. That was for practice. Then He created forum trolls.

Being on the top 10 FAQs means nothing. It didn't help CJ and it didn't help the FFX cast.

False. When you're already popular, bringing the attention back at you certainly helps. That's completely different than CJ's case.
---
"Cloud... Words aren't the only thing that tells people what you're thinking..." - Tifa

First of all, congrats Moltar on getting your pic up there. Which one is it?

Secondly, it doesn't matter who wins this match, Mario is going to beat them badly. Go MageMan (even though you will probably lose today)


TuRtLe
~~~
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 SC2k5- 96 points Mario vs Snake

Mega Man vs Snake
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=1775

Mario vs Snake
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=2126

Mario did .02% better

and Crono vs Mega Man
http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=2127


Don't count Crono completely out yet. I'm not saying I think he'll win (I don't), but still, that's pretty close. Of course, there is the whole MGS3 thing, too, and that could factor in. However, we all know how much that did for Ocelot. And then there's the whole "the stats are wildly inaccurate" thing going on, too.
---
Official Chrono Trigger Fan
I'm already eliminated from the Guru contest, but Alucard>Sora anyday.

First of all, congrats Moltar on getting your pic up there. Which one is it?

http://www.sc2k5.com/gallery/albums/sc2k5/br62-1.jpg
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Crono vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (108/144)

Mario................................57.21% 59463
Solid Snake.......................42.79% 44483
TOTAL VOTES.............................103946

42.04% of the brackets called this match correctly.

42% of the brackets had Mario in the finals...42%! Crazy bracket support for Mr. Nintendo. Snake does well though, and manages to not get crushed by Mario. That's good.

Today, Crono is beating Mega Man by a little over 2000 votes. Mario/Crono in the finals...amazing.

CLOSEST PREDICTIONS

Soul - 12
Tnote - 11
Outback - 10
Vlado - 8
Inviso - 6
Ulti - 6
Moltar - 5
MasterMage - 1

Woah, I have the closest pick? That hasn't happened since like...forever!!
---
RIP Samus: Mario, you better take down Seph.
Crono vs. Mega Man - Bracket: Crono - Vote: Crono (108/144)

Way to go MM. That match pic is awesome.

Damn you Crono. How dare you pwn Megaman >.<
---
"Like Darth Maul, the bastard child of Micheal Flatley and Hellboy"-trancer1 Officially out of the running SC2k5(Magus..)

Tournament Finals Match 63 – (1)Mario vs. (2)Crono

Mario - Don’t roll over to Crono this time, Mario.
Round 1 – vs. Joanna Dark (Mario: 80.90% - Joanna: 19.10%)
Round 2 – vs. Ness (Mario: 82.80% - Ness: 17.20%)
Round 3 – vs. Zero (Mario: 62.86% - Zero: 37.14%)
Round 4 – vs. Samus (Mario: 59.79% - Samus: 40.21%)
Round 5 – vs. Snake (Mario:57.21% - Snake:42.79%)

With Snake’s pretty decent performance, he, Bowser an Kirby all > Samus. Owned.

Crono - Don’t own Mario this time, Crono.
Round 1 – vs. Zidane (Crono: 76.72% - Zidane: 23.28%)
Round 2 – vs. Tommy (Crono: 70.85% - Vercetti: 29.15%)
Round 3 – vs. Master Chief (Crono: 61.29% - Chief: 38.71%)
Round 4 – vs. Vincent (Crono: 55.38% - Vincent: 44.62%)
Round 5 – vs. Mega Man (Crono: 51.00% - Mega: 49.00%) [Estimate]

Mega Man tried to take down Crono, but came a little short.

Well, this match is familiar. One that we’ve seen not once, not twice, but three times! The only way you don’t know about these two controversial histories is if you have been living under a rock. So to you hermit crabs out there, go ask someone else about the past matches, no history lesson here. However, we will look at…their paths….to the finals…*edgy music starts to play in the background*

~Mario vs. Joanna Dark~

Mario: Mamma Mia! You don’t look anything like Joanna!

Joanna: I know, I’m 68.9% more slutty now! What can I do for you big boy?

Mario: You can get the heck away from me you STD infected monster!

Joanna: C’mon baby, don’t be so shy.

Mario: *runs*

Joanna: ;_; *cuts self in the corner* My life suuuucks.



~Mario vs. Ness~

Ness: PK FIRE!

Mario: *dodges and knocks Ness off the stage*

Ness: *thinking* Alright, time to perfectly aim my PK Thunder to hit me in the butt and blast me back onto the stage. I only get one chance at this though. If I mess up, it will be all over for me. You can do this Ness, you can do this…PK THUNDER!

*Ness misses and dies*

Mario: Amateur…what a horrid recovery move anyway.



~Mario vs. Zero~

Mario: Yeah, I fight to rescue the priness and restore peace to Mushroom kingdom. That’s what drives me.

Zero: Uh huh.

Mario: How about you?

Zero: Well….uh

Mario: C’mon Zero, there’s gotta be something you fight for.

Zero: Ummm….

Mario: ZERO, WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR?!?

Zero: KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!



~Mario vs. Samus~

Mario: Ha ha, Nintendo fans prefer me more than you!

Samus: I should have expected th-

Ulti: LOL X-STATS!

Samus: …Who are yo-

Some n00b: LOL X-STATS!

Samus and Mario: …Wh-

Stats Haters: LOL X-STATS!!!!

Samus: *charges up beam*

Stats Haters: LOL….uh oh…*run*



~Mario vs. Snake~

Snake: Mario, who are the Patriots.

Mario: A football team!

Snake: Mario, Metal Gear?!?

Mario: Uh, I guess so.

Snake: La-Le-Lu-Li-Lo?

Mario: Stop making up stuff.

Snake: Am I fat?

Mario: In that stealth camo you are.

Snake ;_;

*Music changes, now focuses on Crono*

~Crono vs. Zidane~

Crono: ZOMG Mithos 2!

Zidane: Teehee, I’m loli bait.

Crono: Well, I’ll admit it. I’m tempted.

Zidane: Tempted to what?

Crono: Smother you and INAPPROPIATE FOR GAMEFAQS, AVERT YOUR EYES!!!

Zidane: ………Oh Lord.



~Crono vs. Tommy V~

Tommy: I’m washed up.

Crono: It’s not that they don’t like you anymore. They’re just tired of the Hawaiian shirt?

Tommy: Really?!

Crono: No, I lied. You’re washed up. You’re just holding the Hawaiian shirt back now.

Hawaiian Shirt: That’s what I’ve been saying!!



~Crono vs. Master Chief~

Master Chief: I need a weapon.

Crono: You also need a personality.

Master Chief: ….Do you just realize what you said?

Crono: Yeah.

Master Chief: Wait a minute…did Mr. “…” tell me, ME, to get a personality?

Crono: Yeah, I did.

Master Chief: Where can I buy one?

Crono: The Square-Enix store! They have a discount on whiny ones too!




~Crono vs. Vincent~

Crono: I just downloaded your movie?

Vincent: ….whatever…wait a minute, you downloaded it? Where?

Crono: On the Internet!

Vincent: It’s out already?

Crono: No, it got leaked. Thousands of people are watching it and it’s not even out yet?

Vincent: You know what this means…

Crono: Huh?

Vincent: MY POPULARITY WILL RISE LIKE AN ELEVATOR!!

Crono: “…” ;_;



~Crono vs. Mega Man~

Mega Man: This match isn’t over yet!

Crono: Well, you had a chance, but I stole your day vote.

Mega Man: Well…you stink!

Crono: Be quiet! Because of you, Gordon Freeman is stronger than half the field!

Mega Man: …..oops

Crono: Thanks to you, and partly Half-Life 2, GFNW will end. I hope your happy, Mega Dud!



Alright, no big epic final write-up here, just a quick rundown. In 2002, Mario beat Crono because Crono had some massive vote-stuffing issues. In the end, he lost, but kept 2000 of those cheat votes. In 2003, Crono was winning again, until a massive Mario surge in the end. Mario ended up winning again. In 2004, Crono beat Mario rather easily. No epic here. Now they face again in 2005 in the finals.

In Round 1, Mario and Crono both looked good by getting strong numbers on Joanna and Zidane respectively. In Round 2, both faced Contest vets. Mario SFFed Ness bad, while Crono easily beat Tommy. Round 3 rolled along and Mario crushed Zero, getting 63% on him. Crono stunk it up against Chief and only got 61% on him. In Round 4, Mario beat his toughest opponent thus far, Samus, in a 60-40 match, while Crono beat Vincent with 55%. In the Elite 8, Mario beat Snake with 57%, and Crono will win with around 51%. So who’s looked better so far, and who’s looking to win this baby?

Can I get a M-A-R-I-O? I’m predicting Mario will win this baby. His 63% on Zero, and 60% on Samus were the final nails in this Contest coffin. He had apparently grown tremendously in strength. Crono, on the other hand, isn’t looking too hot. This match against Mega Man is FINALLY turning some heads in his direction. Still, it’s too little, too late. Mario has just about everything going for him tommorrow; let’s just hope Crono can make it epic.

Moltar’s Bracket Says: Samus will win…..RIP

Moltar’s Prediction is: Mario: 51% - Crono: 49%

Ulti’s Analysis

The year was 2002, and Mario and Crono were getting ready for what seemed like a flat-out cakewalk for Mario. Mario had just gotten through his miraculous defeat of Cloud, and despite a good run by Crono to get into the Final Four in his own right, no way could he stand up to Mario if Cloud failed. Right?

Wrong. After Mario went up by 1000 votes, Crono completely stalled the match. And much to the shock of everyone, Crono managed to begin the comeback of all comebacks against Mario in that fateful match. Unfortunately, just as Crono took the lead and Crono mania swallowed GameFAQs, CJayC stepped in and removed 400 votes from Crono due to some idiot stuffing 3000 votes for him. Why CJayC only removed 400 votes when he later admitted that there were 3000 cheated votes, no one knows. What we do know is that despite a valiant attempt by Crono to get the lead in the match, there simply wasn't enough time. Crono wound up losing by just over 100 votes, and Ceej was right in the middle of the outcome.

Enter 2003. Ceej blatantly sets up a rematch between the two characters by sticking them in the same fourpack, and Crono had all the momentum entering the match. Crono beat the absolute hell out of his first two opponents, while Mario struggled with Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow the Hedgehog. The same Shadow who would eventually go on to lose to Tidus in 2004.

As expected, Crono came flying out of the gates. If you can call a slow build to a lead of 850 slow, that is. But Mario would not allow Crono to run away with the match, and used the day vote to come all the way back on him and build a lead of just over 50. But Crono, out for blood after the debacle in 2002, rebounded with the evening vote to build a lead of just under 900. Mario stalled Crono's advance after that, but after the two characters were deadlocked at that same ~850 vote lead for Crono, it looked like Crono had the match locked down. Time was winding down on Mario, and despite his best efforts to do something miraculous, he was down by 850 votes with a mere 2:15 remaining in the match.

But just as everyone on GameFAQs was celebrating Crono's revenge, including Heroic Mario himself admitting defeat at the hands of the mute one, Mario went on perhaps the greatest tear we'll ever see in one of these matches. Mario began a slow comeback attempt that turned into greased lightning within minutes. What began as simple chipping at Crono's lead turned into Mario cutting off well over 100 votes per update. As time wound down on this epic match between the two titans, Mario raced toward the finish line with a blinding fury. Then, in the absolute last update of the match, Mario took the lead from Crono and won the match. Some people will argue that Crono only lost because CJayC extended the match past 1 AM, but these people have bad memories. The fact of the matter is that Mario was winning at 1 AM; and when CJayC checked for cheating and closed the poll at 1:07 AM, Mario had extended his lead to just over 100.

And then CJayC made a topic on Board 8 to announce that the results were official. You can imagine how that went. CJayC set up a third Mario/Crono duel in 2004, but it did not live up to the hype. Crono began the match on fire and never looked back en route to beating Mario by well over 6000 votes.

...but something didn't quite feel right about that match, almost as if Crono's victory was a little to easy. A little to quiet. A little too safe.

And that leads us to tonight, which will write the next chapter in the epic rivalry between these two characters. What some may have forgotten is that not only did Crono beat the hell out of Mario in 2004, but that Chrono Trigger the game beat the hell out of three of Mario's games in Spring 2004. Mario is as on the ropes as he's ever been in a Mario/Crono affair, but he's got help this year. There has been a widespread Nintendo boost in this contest, and Mario is one of the posterboys for the proof. Mario has beaten the hell out of every opponent he has faced this contest, including the strongest Solid Snake we've ever seen and a Samus that was *supposed* to be able to avoid being on the ass end of an SFF beatdown. Mario is out for blood in Mario/Crono 4, and given Crono's lackluster performances in this contest, the stage is set for perhaps the ultimate rubber match of the series.

I'm not going to act like there's any real proof of who can or will win this match. It's Mario versus Crono. Anything can happen. All I'm really doing here is making a pick in conjunction with my bracket and hanging on for what will hopefully be the best final we ever see in one of these contests. And while my bracket (and my Crew pick) say Crono, I have to be honest in saying that Mario looks like he has the edge in the match. And further, this is taking place on a Sunday. Crono may have a better shot if this were a weekend match, but with the fact that the after school vote will go entirely in Mario's direction, Crono is in for hell. Mario and Nintendo are out for the win in this thing, and if Crono wins, it WILL be an upset. I wouldn't call Crono the favorite, despite last year.

But like I said, it's Mario/Crono. Who in the hell knows what we're about to see. Let's hope it's memorable.

Prediction: Crono with 50.00% (Crono by 3 votes)



Inviso’s Analysis

Well…Part IV of this match. Whoopdedoo. Mario has beaten Crono twice, and Crono has beaten Mario once. That’s the basic rundown of the matches in the past. I really don’t feel like analyzing this match that much, because I dislike Mario, and I dislike Crono. Easy way of looking at it is that Mario has been powering through his opponents with two blowouts, two victories in the 60%’s, one of which was over Samus, and then a Solid beating of Snake. Crono meanwhile performed meh on Crono, meh on Tommy, bombed against the Chief, then struggled with a contest newbie before having a close match with Mega Man…a character Mario would likely stomp.

My Bracket: Samus Aran
My Vote: Crono
My Prediction: Mario Mario with 53.65%



Tnote’s Analysis

Mario wins #1... barely. Except when you take into account there were a number of cheat votes CJayC mentioned existed, but were not removed because they did not effect the outcome.

Mario needs an extra 15 minutes to pass Crono for #2. All hell breaks loose.

Crono whips Mario in #3, in an extremely anti-climatic bout.

Mario whips Crono in #4, proving that the SSB:M uber-boost is real, and it is spectacular.

My bracket goes down in flames with the mute swordsman of time.

Pick: Mario with 52.83%

Soul’s Analysis

FINALS BABY!

Mario's Record

Defeated Joanna Dark: 80.90% - 19.10%

Defeated Ness: 82.80% - 17.20%

Defeated Zero: 62.86% - 37.14%

Defeated Samus: 59.79% - 40.21%

Defeated Snake: 57.21% - 42.79%

Crono's Record

Defeated Zidane: 76.72% - 23.28%

Defeated Tommy Vercetti: 70.85% - 29.15%

Defeated Master Chief: 61.29% - 38.71%

Defeated Vincent: 55.38% - 44.62%

Defeated Mega Man: N/A at the moment.

Mario Vs. Crono IV. It wouldn't be a Summer Contest without this tradition. Yes, the only rivalry worth noting (pfft to Snake/Knux) will become the final match of this contest. Was CJayC planning this match all along, or did this just happen randomly? Your guess is as good as mine.

Instead of talking about their historic matches in the past, I'm just going to try and mention some things about this year's matches. Looking at their records so far, it looks as if Mario is a lot stronger this year. He got over 80% in two matches; got over 62% against Zero; got just a bit under 60% on Samus; and wrapped it up with a 57% win over Solid Snake. Crono, on the other hand, looks absolutely horrible compared to Mario. He got over 70% in two matches; got 61% on Master Chief; got 55% against Vincent Valentine; and is currently only getting 51% against Mega Man.

Those are respectable enough, but Mario looks to be a lot stronger right now. Crono only got 61% against M. Chief, while Mario got 62% on Zero. It's extremely obvious that Zero would absolutely decimate Chief in a match. Also, Mario got 57% on Snake, compared to Crono's pitiful 55% against Vincent Valentine. Now, I know that Vincent is somewhat strong, but thinking that he is stronger then Snake is absolutely idiotic.

Anyway you look at it, Crono has disappointed. He never broke 80%, while Mario did it twice. Sure, Mario faced weaker characters (or SFFed one), but it still looks good on paper. Meanwhile, what was supposed to be a massacre against Vercetti, turned out to be a huge underperformance by Crono. But the slip-ups wouldn't stop there. He went on too lay the biggest egg ever against Chief, by barely breaking 61%. If you want to be recognized as a serious threat, you're going to have to do a hell of a lot better against Master Chief. His slip-ups did not end there either. He let Vincent get 44% against him. Would you really put Vincent over Snake, Samus and Zero? Sure, he can probably make Zero sweat a bit, but I don't believe for a moment that Zero would lose.

And yet, there are still people saying Crono can win. "He beat Mario by 6000 votes last year!". You know the perfect answer to that? Just reply with something like "So?". That would be perfectly responded with, in my opinion. So what if Crono beat Mario last year? Guess what, last year was last year. This year is not last year. This year is completely different from last year. Not only are characters boosting out of nowhere, but we get around 20K more voters now. Guess what Crono fans, anyway you look at this, those voters are big Nintendo fans. That's right, those voters seem to absolutely love Nintendo characters. Because of this, other characters are being left in the dust. Crono included.

If that's not proof enough, just look at Crono's allies. Frog lost horribly to Samus. Magus lost to Knuckles. Luigi got 47% on a FF7 character. Donkey Kong almost upsetted Master Chief. Bowser almost upsetted Solid freaking Snake! If that's not proof enough for you that Nintendo characters are rising, then you need to open your eyes.

Basically, Crono has no chance to survive, make his time.

My prediction: Mario wins with 54% of the vote. And so, another great year finished... ToC? Wtf is that?!

Vlado’s Analysis

Mario vs. Crono IV... It was expected by many, and it was supposed to tie things between those two at 2-2... Unfortunately, everything that happened so far in the tournament proved that it won be like that. Mario has been killing all of his opponents, while Crono hasn't been nearly as impressive. A huge win over Mega Man was the only chance Crono would have looked with some chance to defeat the plumber, but, as we saw, it just didn't happen. Crono has remained on roughly the same level since last year, maybe he dropped a little bit, but not much. Mario, however, has benefited the most from the huge Nintendo boost. He owned Zero, he owned Snake, there's simply no stopping him, even if he hasn't faced someone on the level of Rockman like Crono has.

I'm usually an optimist and I want to predict a Crono win, but it's just obvious that it can't happen. After two shady Mario victories over him in 2002 and 2003, the first of which denied The Silent Hero the chance to appear in the Tournament Final, something he really deserved, Crono got sweet revenge in 2004, defeating his opponent by over 6,000 votes... However, this is not nearly the same Mario. This year, he's tons stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if Crono loses by even more than he beat Mario by last year. Horrible truth. I don't know what the hell happened since 2004, but the result is visible - we'll have a boring final that will simply not be close. The only consolation is that Mario seems to not have a real chance against Sephiroth.

2005 was supposed to be Crono's year...

Predicted percentage: Mario with 52.87%.

Ulti will get the point.
---
Return of SF1: YOU DON'T HAVE A CASE!
makeyourchance: Yes I do! It's Samsonite.

Mario needs an extra 15 minutes to pass Crono for #2. All hell breaks loose.

Like I said, fuzzy memories.

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