GameFAQs Contests

it's super weak for a second strongest game of the year.

For what it's worth '78 is Zork's real debut. At least it should've teamed up with Space Invaders!

I'd take Mario Kart DS to beat Borderlands 2, and that got GotY.

yeah - but 2012 is also a terrible year! same with 2009

Mario Kart DS probably has decent strength, but handheld stuff generally doesn't do as well here if it's not Pokemon.

I feel like MKDS got obsoleted and forgotten long ago though.

all glory to the crew at the top of the leaderboard

whoa I'm #1

#1 on the leaderboard right here

4000 brackets lol

#3

soon to be #1 after 1985 wins

the lines have been drawn

Normally, I like to do a bunch of writeups in advance for this thing, but there are so many unknowns that I feel like I need to wait until the day before, at least for round 1.

I wrote my 85/87 up to a point and then just stopped to wait.

Round 1 – 1995 vs. 1986

Moltar’s Analysis

First actual match of the contest yay

Fifth blowout of the contest boo

Chrono Trigger alone makes 1995 one of the strongest years in this Contest. Having secondary games like EarthBound, DKC2, and Yoshi’s Island also don’t hurt its case. 1986 doesn’t have anything of note, so this is going to be about how big 1995 can go here.

We saw CT put up some very impressive numbers in the Best Game Ever, and it definitely still is one of the top games on this site. That alone is enough for 1995 to put up 80%+ on a year with no standout games.

Moltar’s Bracket: 1995

Moltar’s Prediction: 1995 - 87%



transience’s Analysis

1986 is a dreadful year. The early 80s have games that aren't loved, but are seen as classics. 86 has none of that. It's just a dead year with nothing in it. Video games didn't really start being great -- the great that we think of today -- until 87. SMB1 was just way ahead of its time.

1995 should wreck it. Chrono Trigger's a top 5 game on the site but there's also a bunch of other games that, while not top tier games, are diverse, well-known and well-liked. Earthbound, DKC2, Yoshi's Island, assorted PS1 games -- yeah, 95's going to town here. This'll be our first clue to see if 95 can hang with 2001. I think it needs to go above 85% to stay in that conversation - and it should given how bad 86 is. Hopefully it breaks 90.

transience's prediction: 1995 with 89.23%



Leonhart’s Analysis


You could put Chrono Trigger in this match by itself against 1986’s entire video game library, and it’d crush this match. It could be that infamous “Link vs. Everyone” type of match others used to suggest hypothetically in the past. I’ve been of the opinion that depth isn’t really going to matter as much as a lot of people think, and your top anchor will matter the most, so 1995 scares me a lot. Chrono Trigger was truly fearsome in the last Games Contest, and it could’ve won that contest.

1986 is the year of my birth, but sadly, it might be the weakest year outside of the vote-ins. Its most notable release might be me. Seriously, you could just put a picture of me on the front page, and it wouldn’t change much.

Leonhart’s Vote: 1995

Leonhart’s Prediction: 1995 with 90.90%

Kleenex’s Analysis

Alright, now that we got through those wildcard rounds, we can get to some real matches!

...well, maybe not. I never realized how dire 1986's game collection is. What's the strongest game here? Bubble Bobble? That's rough. Meanwhile, I've got Big Plans™ for 1995. In the grand tradition of overrating Chrono Trigger every contest, I have 1995 making a pretty deep run in my bracket. The supporting cast of Yoshi's Island, EarthBound and the Playstation launch (lol consoles) made it seems like an enticing choice. Given the disastrous pictures so far though, Chrono Trigger might not even make it on the front page. Who knows.

Either way, this should be a rout because 1986 has no games.

Kleenex's Prediction: 1995 with 84%



Guest’s Analysis - whatisurnameplz

Ok so we all know 95 wins. It has Chrono Trigger, possibly the strongest game on GameFAQs before rallies, whereas 86 has…umm…Balloon Fight…uh…Bubble Bobble…and, uh…Master System?

Basically, 86 has nothing GameFAQs gives a s*** about. I don’t think a single game from that year has ever shown up in a BGE contest. This isn’t even an Atari year either (not the 7800 which who cares it was released this year), this is the first full year the NES was on the market in North America. Between Mario and Metroid NOTHING came out for the NES that GameFAQs cares for at all.

So with all that said, this could potentially be the blowout of the contest. To give some perspective, CT scored 85% on Ratchet & Clank 3 in BGE 2015. I’m assuming that whatever fodder there is in 86 would do even worse.

I picked an NES game I felt would be around the strength of this year (in this case, River City Ransom) from the x-stats on ngamer’s website, put it up against Chrono Trigger, and here’s what popped out:

1995: 93.25%
1986: 6.75%

As for implications for later rounds, 95 will have to put around this performance to stand up against 01, in my opinion. Anything below 90, and I think it could be in trouble.


Crew Consensus: Chrono Trigger wins

I wonder if the pictures drag 95 down

yeah right, it's bubble bobble

Round 1 – 1985 vs. 1987

Moltar’s Analysis

The first debated match of the contest is this bad boy. Two very close years that have some of the best that the NES had to offer. This match is going to be a good sign of what’s to come. One of the main pre-contest debates was anchor vs. depth, or to put in broader terms, quality vs. quantity (of quality). Which of those factors is going to matter more?

1985 is what’s considered as an anchor year, which means that its strength is hinging on one big title, and that is Super Mario Bros, the strongest NES game. Nothing else released that year comes close, and that title alone would put it over the rest of the 1980s easy.

1987 is what’s considered as a depth year. By then, the NES had been out for a while, and some of its more popular titles were starting to come out. These include little known releases like Mega Man, Castlevania, Metroid, and something called The Legend of Zelda. There are a lot of strong titles here, but they all bow down to Super Mario Bros.

Hence the debate, can SMB carry 1985 to a victory over 1987 despite it having way more to offer? Based off what we’ve seen so far, the picture is going to play a huge role here. If SMB is featured in the forefront, that could be all she wrote. If it ends up being the 3rd or 4th pic in the rotation though, that could allow for 1987 to take it. We’ll also finally be able to see how the voters are really voting here, and if they are taking the entire year of releases into account.

I’m going with 1987 because my guess is that depth > anchor, but this result is going to shape what we see during the rest of the contest.

Moltar’s Bracket: 1987

Moltar’s Prediction: 1987 - 52%



transience’s Analysis

I'm gonna have to wait for the match picture to even understand how to think about this one. This contest is so dependent on what you get, especially in a matchup as close as this. NES Mario and Zelda have been a little rivalry ever since 2004 when Zelda 1 rose to heaven against bad opponents only to get stopped by Mario 3, the second of four straight Zelda games to go down that year. That was an amazing week for contests - the hype/fear of Zelda domination followed by each one going down one by one. It didn't get another shot until 2009 where it got beaten clean by Mario 1 twice. Zelda 1 is strong, but it's clearly not on Mario's level when we talk about the NES.

That's the perfect framing for 1985 vs. 1987. 1987 is one of the 3-4 biggest years in gaming history, especially on console, thanks to all the series' that started here. Metroid, Zelda, Castlevania, Mega Man, plus classics like Punch-Out and Kid Icarus. The NES came out in 85 but it came to life in 87.

Meanwhile, 85 is.. Mario 1. A lot of games came out at launch but it's really just Mario and Duck Hunt that would stand up today. That said, a picture of Mario and Duck Hunt implies the launch of the NES which is a powerful thing. My thinking on this match is that it's really Mario and Zelda on display here and there needs to be enough big games in the picture to matter. If it's Mario and Duck hunt vs. Zelda and Metroid, Mario wins. If it's Mario, Duck Hunt, Gauntlet and Oregon Trail vs. Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania and Mega Man, I feel a little better about 1987.

As it turns out, we do get 4v4 -- but with the added wrinkle that these awful rotating pictures will likely only show voters one or maybe two games. There's also a little logo for each year and, as strong as Zelda 1 is in that format, it can't match up against a mushroom. If 1985 gets what I think it will get, 1985 will take it.

All that said, I'm waiting for the match picture...

..and now I feel even more confused. Neither picture is good! For 1985, it got the classic Mario icon but starts off with Excitebike of all games and gets a bad Mario 1 art piece. 1987 features four classics but bad Zelda 1 artwork and box art Mega Man. Does it hurt? Probably not, but it's not the home run that a screenshot would have been.

So I'll call the picture a draw and ignore it. I think voters in this context, where we have less than 20000 votes, are generally pretty knowledgeable folks. As we shrink, the average user becomes less casual and more gamefaqs-y. They know what years are important. I don't think the picture is the end-all as it would have been ten years ago when people cared about this site.

Which year is more important? I'd argue 1987 with the launch of so many big franchises. But the average person will say 1985 and the launch of the NES.

transience's prediction: 1985 with 53.56%



Leonhart’s Analysis

Here’s the first (and one of the few) hotly debated match of the contest. The arguments for 1987 are easy to make. 1987 has a lot of depth and is a launching point for many franchises, most notably Zelda. I don’t think the individual games themselves are worth that much outside of LoZ, but they’re big names. If most voters take depth into consideration, 1987 takes this one. It got the best-case scenario in its match pic to take advantage of that, too.

But as I said in the previous match, I’m dubious about how much voters will actually take depth into consideration. I’d wager most people are more like me and not like transience or Yoblazer in that they don’t keep a running tally of what came out in what year. I think a lot of people will look for something they really like and go, “Oh man, I love that game!” and vote for that year, especially with the way these match pictures are formatted. I doubt most voters are going to sit there for 30 seconds and let everything rotate through first, and there have been issues with the pictures not rotating at all for a lot of people, to boot. Plus, Mario 1 has the “respect” factor in its corner. If people take into account how important a release was, very little can top Mario 1. It’s one of the most widely respected games out there, and just about everyone’s played it at some point. Allen is basically ignoring console releases for all intents and purposes, but I wasn’t really banking on the NES to help out that much anyway, so whatever.

I’m aware that I’m betting on one very specific scenario in order for 1985 to win here. It’s definitely the underdog, but in a contest like this where there aren’t a lot of toss-ups, I’ve gotta take a risk somewhere. This is as good of a place as any. Regardless, this match will tell us a lot about how the average voter is viewing this contest.

Leonhart’s Vote: 1985

Leonhart’s Prediction: 1985 with 54.44%



Kleenex’s Analysis

This is probably the first 'real' match of the contest. 'Real' in the sense that it's theoretically a tossup, but when you take a closer look at the game list, it's not. The only thing 1985 really has going for it is Super Mario Bros. Consoles have, thus far, not mattered. That could change today if there's an NES in the picture, but as of right now, I'm going to assume it won't be. Given that, Mario already loses to 1987 because of Zelda. When you throw in Punch-Out, Mega Man and Castlevania, it's no contest. Even if we assume the NES makes an appearance in the match pics, I'm still pretty confident that 1987 wins this.

I wish 1987 had a better spot in the bracket, because it's probably the strongest of the NES years, with really only 1990 giving it a run for its money. As it is, it gets a relatively easy win here, and then folds to 1995 next round. Shame.

Kleenex's Prediction: 1987 with 64%



Guest’s Analysis - Yoblazer

With the wildcard matches over, we're all collectively hoping that the real bracket can deliver some more votals and excitement. The first match, where 1995 is heavily anchored by Chrono Trigger, should result in one of the biggest blowouts of the contest. This second matchup, fortunately, isn't as predictable. In fact, it's our first debated showdown.

1985 has a very strong anchor in the original Super Mario Bros. While 1987's top game, The Legend of Zelda, may not be quite as strong, it can rely on a much more robust supporting cast with Metroid, Castlevania, Mega Man, and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! Apart from The Oregon Trail, 1985 has practically nothing which can help Mario share the load.

Share the load.



Share the load.

https://pagelady.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/gandalf_falling.jpg

Shaaaare theeee loooooaaad.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view5/4278364/share-the-load-o.gif

This match has generated discussion since the bracket was unveiled, but a new layer of intrigue has been added once we discovered SBAllen's "interesting" picture format for Round 1 - with rotating pics that shift the focus to one of four games (selected by Allen) every five seconds. The board is in general agreement that the FIRST game in any year's armada of four is the most important, as that may be the only one voters take the time to see before casting a vote.

For some, this has swayed things in 1985's favor, as SMB is almost guaranteed to be its first game in its rotation. While LoZ is likely to bat first for 1987, there's a chance that Allen can opt for something else because WHY NOT MAKE US MAD.

Still, I feel confident in 1987, if for no other reason than this picture format completely ignores console releases. Nowhere on 1985's profile (picture, text, anywhere) will we see any mention of the NES release, and I feel this omission will have about as big an impact on 1985's strength as any one thing can have on 1987's. Additionally - and feel free to call me out on this - I'm not THAT convinced that SMB is even a stronger anchor. Yes, it proved stronger back in 2009, but I feel the Zelda series as a whole has grown since then, at least relative to Mario. The two 8-bit powerhouses may be on somewhat even footing.

With the NES nowhere in sight and with 1987's far superior firepower (despite it getting diluted with the picture format), I think that it'll cruise to a more comfortable win than many are expecting.

1987 – 57%



Crew Consensus: Crew is split! We slightly favor 1987

My money's on 1985 cause I feel like people will have the sense to give consoles of note some actual credit. Guess we'll see-- definitely don't think we've seen any real test for whether consoles matter as of yet, but 1985 vs 1987 will be the one.

you '85ers are nuts

nah, 85 winning could just be the Mario over Zelda that we've already seen.

I'm comfortable with the "depth" here because it includes Legend of Zelda.

4-way stats belong in the garbage tbqh

that's as one on one as that contest got!

Oh man. Bubble Bobble, Outrun, and birth year. I'm definitely voting for 1986. 1995 has Full Throttle! He's dumb.

The 1985 release of the NES is the one console release that should be universally recognizable among the voters here. Most of the other console releases are not as immediately recognizable (like the Genesis, as an example).

Well, Allen added the ? with the list of notable releases on the poll page. Wonder if that'll make any difference.

edge 1987? at the very least, if people click on it, it gives them more time to see the pictures rotate. I actually think that voting for two matches lets them see that hey, they animate and they can stick around to look. wonder if that changes when we go down to 1 match a day.

I'm surprised you went with 1985 in the end. You seemed to be leaning pretty heavy toward 1987 most of the way.

Also, the ? addition will at least let people see that the NES came out in '85 if they take a look at it, so it might cancel out.

I had 85 in my bracket until 20 minutes before lockdown. I switched it when I thought the match pics would be 4v4.

with this format, all bets are off - and I trust 85's intangibles more than I do 87.

that said, 87 could double 85 and I wouldn't blink an eye. it's hard to gauge a voting criteria that isn't clear at all.

round 2 and on might be more fun because we'll have data and some of the garbage will be out of the way? I think I like the idea of the contest as a mathematical, theoretical thing once it doesn't feel so nebulous.

Yeah, I feel like if '87 wins, it wins big.

also, I feel like since people don't actually have much vested interest here, the 4k brackets in this contest -- 20% of our vote -- are just straight up bracket votes. I wonder how the early vote looks here compared to a few updates in.

Is 87 a huge bracket favorite or something? I would've expected that a toss up.

116-30 in the guru

Zeldafear is real.

transience posted...

the 4k brackets in this contest -- 20% of our vote

I didn't realize how depressing this was until you said it

actually it's more like 25%!

bracket votes matter more, edge '87 !!

non-B8ers favor Mario 1 book it

board 8 knows the superior game

I would actually think non b8ers would favor Mario 1

But I also wonder how large a majority non b8ers are with that low turnout. Like between regulars and lurkers and the occasional crowd who happened to see the bracket was up how many b8ers/"smart folk" put in brackets. 500? 1000?

not for nothing, but I think the fact that this site and the general Internet is still kind of high on BotW matters here too.

Eh, I don't think BotW really matters that much. GameFAQs is always high on Zelda.

LeonhartFour posted...

Eh, I don't think BotW really matters that much. GameFAQs is always high on Zelda.

I couldn't disagree more. When was the last time Zelda had a universally loved release? Skyward Sword was lol, Twilight Princess didn't meet expectations, Wind Waker was divisive and so was Majora's Mask.

it sounds good in theory, but when's the last time a released game made a tangible difference on another game? ever?

when's the last time the greatest game ever made came out??

I don't actually know because in general we only care about that stuff when the game comes out within a day or two of the match. I think BotW is bigger than any other instance before this.

I also still think '87 wins regardless, so I suppose it doesn't really matter

I wonder if that's true. BOTW should be huge, but I also question a game in 2017 meaning the world to this site.

transience posted...

it sounds good in theory, but when's the last time a released game made a tangible difference on another game? ever?

Mass Effect?