GameFAQsContests.com

Pokémon RBY overwhelmed Majora's Mask in a matchup many expected to be close, immediately elevating Pokémon into the contest's top tier. The two other N64 games were largely squeezed out of relevance.

LFF: The writeup attributes Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark's weak showings partly to heavy N64 and Nintendo overlap in a field led by Majora's Mask and Pokémon.

Kingdom Hearts took first comfortably, but Vice City overturned the expected Nintendo advantage and beat Metroid Prime for second. The writeup treats Paper Mario's presence as the key reason Prime could not capitalize.

LFF: The writeup says Paper Mario leeched enough Nintendo support from Metroid Prime to cost Prime the second advancing spot against Vice City.

Call of Duty 4 decisively beat Super Mario Galaxy in a result that immediately damaged Galaxy's pre-contest reputation. Even allowing for Pokémon overlap, the writeup sees Galaxy's performance as a major warning before facing Brawl.

LFF: The writeup treats Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's overlapping Nintendo support as a major factor in Super Mario Galaxy's unexpectedly weak performance.

Fallout 3 and Halo 3 advanced in a nearly perfect staircase, making the final first-round match one of the contest's least eventful. The shared Xbox and genre-heavy field produced very little movement.

LFF: The writeup attributes some of Mass Effect's weak showing to overlap with fellow Western RPG Fallout 3 in an unusually homogeneous field.

Super Mario World transformed its shaky first-round image into a dominant second-round performance. Final Fantasy IV clearly beat the original Final Fantasy, while Mega Man 3 continued the series' disappointing contest.

LFF: The writeup describes substantial overlap between the two Final Fantasy entries in the field, with the split weakening the original Final Fantasy while Final Fantasy IV still secured second.

Metal Gear Solid won, but Pokémon RBY remained impressive despite sharing the poll with Gold and Silver and Majora's Mask. The result made MGS look vulnerable for the next round while rehabilitating Majora's Mask somewhat.

LFF: The writeup says Pokémon Gold and Silver leeched heavily from Pokémon RBY and cost the older generation first place against Metal Gear Solid.

StarCraft briefly revived memories of 2004 by taking an early second-place lead, but Final Fantasy VIII erased it quickly once the overnight vote arrived. Ocarina of Time dominated throughout.

LFF: The writeup says Final Fantasy IX leeched support from Final Fantasy VIII early, briefly allowing StarCraft to threaten the second advancing position.

Twilight Princess won, but Resident Evil 4 and Kingdom Hearts II again produced a close fight for the other advancing spot. RE4 survived a late collapse, while Twilight Princess itself looked less dominant than a finalist was expected to look.

LFF: The writeup says Twilight Princess absorbed enough of Kingdom Hearts II's usual day-vote support to help Resident Evil 4 survive another close rematch.

Mario still beat Zelda without being seriously threatened, but the margin collapsed compared with their prior matchup. The writeup treats the shift as evidence that Mario split more badly with the surrounding field and as setup for later surprises.

LFF: The writeup says Mega Man 2 and Tetris hurt Mario's support more than Zelda's, helping narrow the Mario-Zelda gap sharply from their previous meeting.

Mario 3 survived a sustained challenge from Mario World, but the writeup treats the narrow escape as evidence that World's relative strength had risen sharply. It also frames the result as part of a broader generational shift on GameFAQs.

SFF · LFF: The writeup says Mario 3 clearly SFFed Sonic. It also says the other older games leeched Mario World more heavily, making World's near-win over Mario 3 especially striking.

Final Fantasy VII dominated, while Chrono Trigger built a real lead on Mario 64 before collapsing again with the afternoon vote. Mario 64's late recovery ended another promising Chrono Trigger upset attempt.

LFF: The writeup says GoldenEye clearly leeched Mario 64, giving Chrono Trigger a much better chance to steal the second advancing position.

Ocarina of Time won comfortably, while Pokémon RBY finally broke through against Metal Gear Solid and advanced. The result elevated Pokémon into the site's highest tier and exposed a recurring overlap between Metal Gear and Final Fantasy.

SFF · LFF: The writeup says Ocarina of Time imposed Nintendo SFF on Pokémon RBY, though Pokémon resisted it unusually well. It also says Final Fantasy VIII leeched Metal Gear Solid and helped Pokémon take second.

Melee and Final Fantasy X advanced through a largely featureless staircase match. Kingdom Hearts briefly fought Diablo II for position but never threatened the top two once the PS2 split took hold.

LFF: The writeup says Kingdom Hearts was held down by its PS2 overlap with Final Fantasy X, preventing it from mounting a serious challenge for second.

Super Mario World took first, while Zelda erased a huge deficit and nearly stole second from Mario 3 in the final minutes. A suspicious late swing for Mario 3 turned an already dramatic finish into a lasting Board 8 controversy.

SFF · LFF · Cheat: The writeup describes heavy Mario-on-Mario SFF and a three-Mario split that greatly helped Zelda. It also alleges that a suspicious late swing in Mario 3's favor may have involved cheating, though the official result ultimately stood.

Final Fantasy VII and A Link to the Past advanced from a semifinal the writeup considered nearly predetermined. FF7's dominant showing became the main talking point heading into the championship.

SFF · LFF: The writeup says Nintendo SFF inflated Final Fantasy VII's advantage, while the split between the two Mario games helped Link to the Past secure the other final berth.