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GameFAQs Second Annual Character Battle

Posted by simoniker on from the pick-your-anti-jarjar dept.

Kirijini writes "GameFAQs' Character Battle has begun again. Over the next two months, the 64 most popular videogame characters will duke it out for your votes in a popularity contest that is, to my knowledge, the largest event of this kind on the internet. This is like the People's Choice Awards for videogame characters, so be sure to get your vote in! Last year had some pretty tense battles." The poll currently in progress has Pikachu up against the dangerous Fox McCloud, so get voting.

28 comments

  1. Another . . . by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Great use of the internet.

    --
    Pretty Pictures!
  2. Deckard Kain! by Kris_J · · Score: 4, Funny
    What, no Deckard Kain?

    I have quite a treasure here in this Horadric Cube for anyone that can get Kain on the list...

    --
    Stay a while and listen...

  3. Great idea! by pommaq · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So-so implementation. There seems to be a very heavy slant towards the jRPG genre: Tidus, Magus, Squall, Kos-mos, Isaac... and that's just in the "north" division! Of course some of these spiky-haired heroes should be represented, but there are PLENTY of better characters that should have made it in there instead - I would personally have loved to see Antonio Malochio (Interstate '76) or Ivy (Soul Calibur) thrown in the mix. Both have oodles of style, flair, and personality.

    That said, I'm going to do my best to send Captain Olimar to the top. Go Olimar!

    1. Re:Great idea! by nifboy · · Score: 3, Interesting
      There seems to be a very heavy slant towards the jRPG genre

      It's because GameFAQs has a heavy RPG slant (Let's face it, who needs a walkthrough for a fighting game?). This year was determined partly by nomination, so who you see is who the most people wanted. Me, I wanted Dan Hibiki to get in this year.

      Last year, though, Scorpion of Mortal Kombat fame pulled everyone for a loop by getting into the Elite Eight.

  4. Bleh by Pentagram · · Score: 0

    No Dizzy?

  5. Last year's was intense... by matlokheed · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While I think there's been a lot of sarcasm so far in this topic, this poll is truly an amazing thing. It brings out the most rabid fan support anyone has ever seen.

    In particular, last year, there was one poll between Mario and Cloud Stryfe (from Final Fantasy 7) and Cloud had the initial lead. Then planetgamecube.com put up a news item about the character battle and things started to balance out. Suddenly there was an outcry of how unfair that was for the Cloud supporters and votes started to surge on other sides. Rumors of people going into IRC channels just to say "Vote Cloud" or "Vote Mario" ran rampant.

    It was as if these things truly mattered.

    In the end, Mario won that particular poll. A few days later, Mario was up again, but this time against another Square character, Crono from Crono Cross (Trigger? I've never played either. I'm not a big RPGer).

    From the start, the two were neck and neck with Crono having a slight lead most of the day. Then votes swung back and forth wildly up until almost midnight EST, not because it was over, but because CJayC had noticed some cheating on the Crono side and penalized Crono 300 votes (there were so many votes on both sides that it's hard to believe cheating wasn't rampant on both sides, but a serious bulk of votes were caught from one source and removed).

    Outrage ensued from many and Mario finished again with a win.

    2 days later, Link went on to beat Mario soundly and win the contest altogether in the finals. Link never even had a close match. Hopefully this year, the ending will be just a little more exciting.

    Overall, it's a great big flame inducing mess most of the time, but that's always good too. It's nice to see people getting excited as fans, even if they take it a little far.

    --

    "If the good lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates." -Willy Wonka

    1. Re:Last year's was intense... by edwdig · · Score: 2, Informative

      The problem came down to GameFaqs is a rather unique site. Keep in mind that the vast majority of GameFaqs visitors are from the US (if you read the message boards you'll notice). In the US, RPGs are a fairly small part of the market. The sales of all the PS1 Final Fantasy games combined were still less than the sales of Mario 64. Also keep in mind that Final Fantasy sells a lot better in the US than other RPGs.

      However, a very large number of RPG fans, in particular Final Fantasy fans, visit GameFaqs. They are very unaware that they are in the minority, and get very upset if you even suggest that Final Fantasy is not the ultimate games ever made.

      If you took a poll from a wider selection of people, Mario would totally destroy any Final Fantasy character. GameFaqs is one of the few places a Final Fantasy character would stand a chance.

      The reason Link beat Mario easily was because all the Final Fantasy fans voted for Link to spite Mario. Final Fantasy fansites posted links to the poll saying vote for Link, whereas the Nintendo fans didn't really care who won.

    2. Re:Last year's was intense... by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      In the US, RPGs are a fairly small part of the market. The sales of all the PS1 Final Fantasy games combined were still less than the sales of Mario 64. Also keep in mind that Final Fantasy sells a lot better in the US than other RPGs.

      Mario 64 sold 11.62 million units, was a US launch title, and was one of the choices for the bundled game for the N64 (the other was Pilotwings64 I believe). When FFIX reached ~3 million sales, the total for the series was 30 million. It was up to 38 million by the time FFX (a PS2 title) reached ~4 million sales. Of course, SMB1 (which many people received with their NES systems) sold 40.24 million units, and Super Mario World (which many received with their SNES systems) sold 20.6 million units, which goes to show just how bad N64 sales were compared to their previous systems, and what a system bundle can do for your sales.

      However, a very large number of RPG fans, in particular Final Fantasy fans, visit GameFaqs. They are very unaware that they are in the minority, and get very upset if you even suggest that Final Fantasy is not the ultimate games ever made.

      and how many people really need a FAQ to get through a Mario game? How long does it take to beat the average Mario game? (I used to be able to beat SMB1 within an hour, though that was with the warp to certain levels)

      If you took a poll from a wider selection of people, Mario would totally destroy any Final Fantasy character. GameFaqs is one of the few places a Final Fantasy character would stand a chance.

      This is true in any case not only because of the popularity of Mario, but also because of the fact that the Final Fantasy series rarely has sequels (FFX-2 being the first), and rarely continues characters. If anything, some of the villains are more well known than the playable characters, because they do return from time to time.

      The reason Link beat Mario easily was because all the Final Fantasy fans voted for Link to spite Mario. Final Fantasy fansites posted links to the poll saying vote for Link, whereas the Nintendo fans didn't really care who won.

      The Zelda game for the GameCube had the highest pre-order sales Nintendo has EVER had, and almost every Zelda game has done extremely well, regardless of what system it's on. While most people have Mario games because they were bundled with their systems (SMB2 and 3, despite the madness of their releases, did not sell nearly as much as any bundled Mario game, though they did sell better than any FF game), most people had to go out and buy Zelda games.

      Don't write off Link so easily, especially as spite votes.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  6. Snoot's classic video game ''wuss'' scale by Tom7 · · Score: 1


    snoot.org has had something almost identical to this for quite a while. But those are just 8-bit NES characters, and you can vote like a jillion times.

  7. Garret? by dewie · · Score: 2, Funny

    No Garret, from the Thief series? Maybe he's hiding in the shadows.

    --
    Jurisprudence Fetishist Gets Off On A Technicality --theonion.com
  8. When was the last time you read GameFAQs? by h0mer · · Score: 0, Troll

    Obviously you don't play fighting games or check GameFAQs very much. Fighting game FAQs are sometimes the only way to learn all of the moves. Sure, Namco and other companies will give you that Command List when you pause. That's not anywhere near the depth of the FAQs written by dedicated gamers. I guarantee that Soul Calibur 2 will be ranked #1 in Most Popular on the front page when it comes out. Don't be ignorant.

    --


    I'm on top of my game like I'm standin' on Xbox.
    1. Re:When was the last time you read GameFAQs? by nifboy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Perhaps, but which one (Or even which ten) of the hundreds of fighting game characters would be nominated? Even if fighting games are as popular as you say, the individual characters are not nearly as popular as the game itself. Last year, only one fighting game character even made it past the second round last year: Scorpion (Alas, poor Ryu, forced to fight Samus in the second round).

      The only three fighting game characters in this year are Ryu (The "star" of the Street fighter series, if there ever was one), Ken (A Ryu clone who's in because you need someone to be the 15th seed to lose in the first round) and Scorpion (The only reason he's in is because of his record last year)

    2. Re:When was the last time you read GameFAQs? by Daetrin · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Sure, there are pleanty of FAQs detailing the moves, but how many walkthroughs do you see?

      Not only do RPGs have FAQs and walkthroughs, people will get obsessive and write in depth FAQs about each of the minigames in an RPG, and on how to find/train/create the best characters, and on how to get the most powerfull items, and anything else that they feel isn't covered well enough in the main FAQs.

      I don't know enough fighting games to know which to check, but most have two or three main FAQs, a character FAQ for each character (which all seem to be just a plain subset of what's available in the main FAQs) and a half-dozen or less in depth FAQs. FFX for comparison has 17 main FAQs and about 75 more specialized FAQs.

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      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    3. Re:When was the last time you read GameFAQs? by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      hmm I would think the Mishima family from the Tekken series could provide at least 2 or 3 characters. Unfortunately, I think Tekken 4 may have done too much damage by drastically changing one of the characters and leaving a little to be desired compared to the first 3 (and my stance on Tekken Tag shifts every few months).

      Soul Blade/Calibur also has a few memorable characters, including Yoshimitsu (of Tekken fame as well), Nightmare/Siegfried, and the previously mentioned Ivy.

      Then again, the popularity of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter even to this day leaves me a bit dumbfounded (though I do own the most recent MK title).

      Of course, I find that you only need a thorough offline moves list and maybe some tips on how each character should be played for most fighting games. Anything else is really dependant on the style of the player rather than the characters themselves, and if you can't find a character that fits your style as a player, then it's either the game not giving enough choice or a 'pilot error' situation.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  9. What? by ccarter · · Score: 1

    No Akira from the Virtua Fighter series? They can kiss my arse.

    1. Re:What? by nifboy · · Score: 1

      He was in last year, and he suffered a blowout at the hands of Knuckles the Echidna.

  10. Ugh, this looks to be worse than last years... by Man+In+Black · · Score: 1

    What's with all the Final Fantasy characters? Sheesh... as if they don't share the same personality anyways. This years lineup of characters is much worse, and I can't imagine this one being any better than last year where Sephiroth came in third (What the hell was that all about?)

    At least characters like Conker, Shadow, and Zero were added. Here's hoping that Ness goes out in the first round! Earthbound sucked.

    --
    -"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
    1. Re:Ugh, this looks to be worse than last years... by Dsal · · Score: 2, Funny

      They should just replace all the FF characters in there with their basic FF archtypes instead:

      Spikey haired loner hero man
      Hot chick with long brown hair
      Jovial doofus buddy
      Cheerful ditz
      Some sorta guy that is/resembles an animal

    2. Re:Ugh, this looks to be worse than last years... by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      This is why FF7 and 8 (and possily 10, i don't know about that one since i'm still partway through 9) have been less than stellar in my opinion.

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  11. No Chun-Li? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where the hell is Chun-Li on this list? I'm sure a lot more nerds have gotten excited watching Chun-Li jump around onscreen than Pac-Man, that's for damn sure!

    1. Re:No Chun-Li? by JGag21 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Spinning Bird Kick indeed. You know, when you pause it just right, oh yeah......

  12. The List of Entrants by Deflux · · Score: 3, Informative

    Everyone who's complaining about the list of entrants should know that they were all voted upon by the site's users. Before the contest started, you could send in about 10 characters that you would like to see appear. Only the characters requested most frequently got in.

  13. It's Cain with a "C" damnit! by nifboy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Last year, there was a "Kane" in the tournament, and while people were making their NCAA-style brackets, he was consistently mistaken for either Deckard Cain (Diablo), Kain (Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver), or Kain (FF4), and perhaps a couple other people who's name sounds like Cane. Alas, it was the Command and Conquer Kane (The guy who only shows up on a TV), so he sank like a rock in the first round.

  14. Re:Yet again.... by edwdig · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's dominated by console game characters because people who visit GameFAQs play console games a LOT more than PC games. Try looking at the Top 100 requests sometime. Also, PC game sales are much lower than console games, so it makes sense.

  15. Shun Goku Tatsu by MrKinkade · · Score: 1

    Akuma / Gouki from SF2-SFA# should be on that list. He's probably the most well known secret character of any game. I think he should have replaced Ken.

  16. Re:Yet again.... by Repton · · Score: 1

    Plus, the other issue: Console games seem much more likely to have an identifiable "hero" than PC games.

    Consider some of the top PC games, say, Starcraft? Civilisation? Quake?

    One of the big PC genres is the real-time strategy (Starcraft, Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, etc). A few modern RTSs have named heros, but how often will the gamer actually identify with the hero? (quick quiz: Who is/was Sarah Kerrigan? Would you vote for her against any of the big names from the console world?)

    The other big PC genre is first person shooters, and has similar issues --- if you're playing Quake or Unreal deathmatch or Counterstrike or something, you aren't playing a studio character with a name and a history, you're just contributing your own skills to a generic.

    [although there are exceptions to this in the world of single player FPS gaming. I notice Gordon Freeman (Half Life) and Max Payne both made it, although they're matched up against each other in the first round... Plus, there is no J.C. Denton (Deus Ex) or Garret (Thief)]

    There's probably a thesis in this somewhere (or at least a few papers) ...

    [personally, I'd've liked to have seen Billy Blaze in there ... Or even Repton :-) But they're both a bit too old-school, I fear...]

    --
    Repton.
    They say that only an experienced wizard can do the tengu shuffle.