The GameFAQs Character Battle III

[EdenMaster]

Okay people! Places everyone! It's time once again for the GameFAQs Character Battle. You all know the rules, all you have to do is post your predictions, and bicker childishly about why your favorite character deserves to win over someone else! Okay...<a href="http://www.gamefaqs.com">go!</a>

So far, Link has defeated CATS, Ganondorf kicked the snot out of Alucard, and Yoshi defeated Ryo Hazuki. Right now, Luigi is in the process of pummelling Pac-Man.

My prediction? Hmm...I'm going to be rooting for Ganondorf and Auron, just like last year, but my realistic side is saying the overall winner will be...Sephiroth.

[A Black Falcon]

The Square characters will win. They always do at GameFAQs, you know...

[EdenMaster]

Link won the first time around...

[A Black Falcon]

Nintendo wins sometimes, okay. Either them or Square... but there are a huge number of Square fans at that site.

[Dark Jaguar]

We know the drill? When was the last time we did this? I think it was only the first time, and I was under the impression that we all silently came to the conclusion that this contest was so pointless that it didn't warrent us paying any more attention to it, ever.

[A Black Falcon]

III. That should mean the third time, DJ. And I agree that it's pretty much pointless.

[EdenMaster]

We had a thread about it last year for the Second Battle, do a search under the word GameFAQs and you'll find it. I follow this tournament, I'll go every day and vote, mostly because I entered my bracket into the contest :D.

[A Black Falcon]

That seems totally pointless, it's nearly impossible to get anywhere NEAR right...

[Dark Jaguar]

Well actually this is like the 4th, I'm including the Best Game contest too since it's the same thing.

The thing is, there is no common rules for judgement. Is it best game using the characters to represent it? Is it best character story? Is it most powerful character? (Trust me, a LOT of people were actually thinking it was "strongest fighter" in that first one) Is it best character design? There's no basic rule for deciding which is the "best". And of course, it's all a popularity contest. Not just a popularity contest, but a popularity contest for people who go to GameFAQs. More specifically, people who go there and take part in the polls. It's hard to say this represents ALL gamers, or even a third of English speaking gamers. I dunno, it just doesn't seem very interesting... Now, if the results were to be put in the form of a hilarious flash animation...

[A Black Falcon]

No, Best Game Ever is a different contest, obviously... games and characters are quite different, DJ! :)

Anyway, DJ, you are over-analyzing this. Which is cooler? As in, more popular. This isn't a well reasoned, ironclad list of great characters (or games, in that constest), after all... it's just a popularity constest...

[Dark Jaguar]

That's exactly what I said, EXACTLY!

And, I know characters and games are different things, but it's the same basic contest.

[A Black Falcon]

Over-analyzing, as in it shouldn't take a paragraph that long to describe such contests. :)

[Great Rumbler]

I kind of hope that Guybrush wins...

[EdenMaster]

That seems totally pointless, it's nearly impossible to get anywhere NEAR right...

No it's not. Besides, you don't need a perfect bracket to win, the ten people who come closest win. I made my predictions based on who I think the community will find most popular. If I'd entered my own personal opinions in, yeah, I'd get trampled. I stand by my predictions and, such as any contest or sweepstakes, you just gotta cross your fingers and hope you win :).

Hey, It's four days in and I still have a perfect score :D. It's looking good for today too.

[A Black Falcon]

I kind of hope that Guybrush wins...

I wish, but he'll go out in round one. GameFAQs is a console-centric site... PC characters and games generally lose early. Only the very best get very far... or even get on the constest in the first place.

*checks bracket* Yeah, exactly as I thought most all of the best and most memorable PC game characters I know didn't make it even to the contest. Didn't think they would, but my shortlist would have such names as Manny Calavera, Tassadar, The Nameless One, Zeratul, etc...

As in, if I entered with a bracket it could not be my personal opinions because a majority of the characters I'd put on the list aren't there.

[Dark Jaguar]

Woah, wait, what are you talking about EM? I thought this was just a poll, you can "win"? How does that work?

[A Black Falcon]

Before the contest, you can submit an entry -- a guess of how the contest will go. The people closest to how it actually turns out win.

[EdenMaster]

Just like ABF said, DJ. You pick how each and every match will go, and you get a set number of points for getting them right. Generally, the first round and Finals round aren't worth much, the second and third are worth a lot, considering you have to guess correctly in the earlier matches to even be able to compete. Losing a character early on that you had picked as going far can devastate your bracket. The people who get the ten highest points when it's all over win prizes.

[Fittisize]

It's exactly like filling out an NCAA Final-Four bracket, but instead of basketball teams you have videogame characters (half of which I have never even heard of). I choose basketball.

[A Black Falcon]

No, it's not. With a basketball bracket you're basing your choices on which teams will win. All kinds of stats to examine if you wish to... With this you're guessing what public opinion at a specific website will be. Quite different. :)

[Dark Jaguar]

Okay then...

[Fittisize]

No, it's not. With a basketball bracket you're basing your choices on which teams will win. All kinds of stats to examine if you wish to... With this you're guessing what public opinion at a specific website will be. Quite different. :)

You're right. There won't be any upsets in this, whereas in sports they are common. But I compared the two in case some people still had trouble in understanding..it's a good comparasion...because it's a bracket.

[EdenMaster]

Of course there will be upsets. Last year, I recall, there was a huge dispute over there because FFX's Auron defeated Tails, thereby decimating a LOT of peoples brackets. Nobody saw it coming, in fact, I was sure Tails would win too, but alas, Auron eeked out the victory.

Another factor to consider is vengeance. To repeat the above example, many Tails fans or people who's brackers had been messed up voted against Auron in his next round just to spite him.

The contest is deeper than you think ;)

instead of basketball teams you have videogame characters (half of which I have never even heard of).

Yeah, there are a few obscure characters in there, but half? I'd say of the whole list, I don't recognize maybe 5 or 6. If you don't know who Guybrush Threepwood is, I'm going to have to inflict great discomfort upon you. Then force you to play Monkey Island games at gunpoint. It builds character.

[A Black Falcon]

I'm just annoyed (but not anywhere close to surprised) that most of the great PC game characters I can think of didn't make it, while all kinds of minor characters from console games are on it... oh well. Console-centric site obviously.

[Fittisize]

Yeah, there are a few obscure characters in there, but half? I'd say of the whole list, I don't recognize maybe 5 or 6. If you don't know who Guybrush Threepwood is, I'm going to have to inflict great discomfort upon you. Then force you to play Monkey Island games at gunpoint. It builds character.

Here are a list of the characters that I haven't heard of:

CATS
Alucard
Ryo Hazuki
Magus
Luca Blight
Guybrush Threepwood (more like GAYbrush Threepwood)
JC Denton
Zero
Protoman
Kefka
Tanner
Laharl
Kain
Jak
Auron
Vivi
Terri Bogard
KOS-MOS
Dante
HK-47
Ryu Hayabusa
Sam Fisher
Gordan Freeman

So...23 out of 64. Less than half. I exaggerated. btw if I saw the names Serge, Kid, or Alexander Roivas in the bracket, then I'd be all over that competition like stank on you. Alas, they are absent, so I don't really care.

[Great Rumbler]

CATS - Zero Wing
Alucard - Castlevania
Ryo Hazuki - Shenmue
Magus - Choro Trigger?
Luca Blight - ?
Guybrush Threepwood - Monkey Island
JC Denton - ?
Zero - Mega Man Zero
Protoman - Mega Man?
Kefka - ?
Tanner - Driver
Laharl - ?
Kain - Legacy of Kain: Soulreaver
Jak - Jak and Dakster
Auron - FFX
Vivi - Final Fantasy 9
Terri Bogard - Final Fight
KOS-MOS - Xenosaga
Dante - Castlevania?
HK-47 - KOTOR
Ryu Hayabusa - ?
Sam Fisher - Splinter Cell
Gordan Freeman - Half-Life

18 of those 23.

[A Black Falcon]

Luca - Isn't that a FF character? Not sure which game though...
JC Denton - Deus Ex
Kefka - FF game, right? SNES I think... FFIV? No wait, VI. Yeah, I think VI.
TerrY Bogard - Final Fight / King of Fighters
Ryu Hayabusa - Ninja Gaiden (obviously!)
Dante - Devil May Cry (not Castlevania)
Magus - Chrono Trigger
Proto Man - Mega Man


Laharl - ?


If you're talking about 'specific game', then the characters I can't fully pin down would be (from the full list of 64)...

-Kefka (I think I don't know it anyway)
-Luca Blight (though I'd bet it's a FF character)
-Laharl (ah, they say in the list... Disgaea...)
-Auron (I don't know WHICH FF game)
-Vivi (same)


I looked up Luca Blight. I'm wrong, he's the badguy from Suikoden II.

[EdenMaster]

Auron is the most awesome FF character ever concieved, bar none, and he stars in FFX ;) Vivi was in 9.

Luca is a standby name in the FF series, kind of like Cid. In FFIV, Luca was the princess of the Underworld. In FFX, Luca was the name of the city where the Blitzball Stadium is located. I'm sure there are other references but they elude me at this moment.

[Fittisize]

Ah, Magus. I knew that he was from Chrono Trigger. Just slipped my mind.

[Dark Jaguar]

I HATE HITTING DELETE AND HAVING IT GO BACK A PAGE INSTEAD OF DELETING CHARACTERS! YOU PEOPLE WILL TELL ME HOW TO SHUT IT OFF OR I WILL KILL YOU! I AM NOT JOKING HERE! YOU THINK I'M KIDDING?!

[EdenMaster]

Just use Backspace :)

[Dark Jaguar]

You shut up and die! I meant backspace, hitting that will sometimes send me BACK a page! I want to DISABLE that shortcut... FOR ALL ETERNITY IN A KLEIN BOTTLE! (Pick up your's today at http://www.kleinbottle.com/ )

[Great Rumbler]

Oh, Klein Bottle! I'll take one of those.