GameFAQsContests.com

The first 2009 match centered on Donkey Kong versus Punch-Out for the second advancing spot. Donkey Kong survived an early scare and a reputation for choking to pull away, while Tetris dominated the field.

SFF: The writeup says Tetris imposed old-school overlap on Space Invaders and likely hurt Donkey Kong as well, though Donkey Kong was still strong enough to beat Punch-Out.

Mario dominated so completely that Duck Hunt could not mount a comeback against Ninja Gaiden for the second advancing spot. The writeup treats the result as a textbook example of extreme overlap overwhelming an otherwise stronger game.

SFF: The writeup explicitly calls Mario's suppression of Duck Hunt 'Same Cartridge SFF,' since the two games famously shared an NES cartridge.

Zelda dominated as expected, and Metroid still advanced despite taking a severe fanbase hit. Contra's failure to capitalize became the larger surprise and began a recurring pattern of disappointing shooter performances.

SFF: The writeup says Zelda heavily SFFed Metroid, while also entertaining the possibility that Contra suffered some Nintendo-related overlap of its own.

A Link to the Past dominated while Donkey Kong Country repeatedly flirted with choking away second place. Doom nevertheless failed to capitalize, turning what looked like a favorable upset setup into another shooter disappointment.

SFF: The writeup says A Link to the Past clearly SFFed Donkey Kong Country, though Doom was too weak to take advantage of the favorable situation.

GoldenEye and Super Mario RPG advanced from a debated fourpack, while Resident Evil 2 remained respectable but never broke through. Donkey Kong Country 2's long-running hype ended in a disappointing SFF-affected debut.

SFF: The writeup says Super Mario RPG SFFed Donkey Kong Country 2, helping reduce a heavily hyped game to a weak opening-round showing.

Final Fantasy VII dominated a pair of respectable Nintendo 64 games and looked every bit as strong as its old reputation suggested. Mario Kart 64 comfortably took the other advancing spot over Star Fox 64.

SFF: The writeup says Mario Kart 64 predictably SFFed Star Fox 64, leaving the second advancing position effectively settled from the opening moments.

Super Mario 64 dominated the poll, while Symphony of the Night comfortably beat Resident Evil for the other advancing spot. Kirby Super Star collapsed badly in Mario's presence.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Super Mario 64 SFFed Kirby Super Star heavily, using Kirby's collapse to argue that Kirby's character strength does not come primarily from his games.

Melee and Wind Waker advanced exactly as expected, but Wind Waker held up well enough to raise concerns about Melee's future ceiling. Fire Emblem collapsed under an especially hostile overlap situation.

SFF: The writeup says Fire Emblem was SFFed from two directions by Wind Waker and by Melee, the game that had helped introduce the series to many voters.

Mario defeated Zelda much more easily than many expected, while Metroid and Ninja Gaiden were reduced to afterthoughts. The result appeared to settle the old NES hierarchy before later rounds complicated it again.

SFF: The writeup says Mario and Zelda crushed Metroid and Ninja Gaiden through heavy Nintendo overlap, leaving the real contest entirely between the two NES giants.

Mario 3 dominated the field, while Sonic recovered from an overnight Street Fighter II lead and used its strong day vote to secure second. The match reinforced both Mario-Sonic overlap and Street Fighter's limited strength.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Super Mario Bros. 3 SFFed Sonic, though Street Fighter II still could not take advantage enough to advance.

A Link to the Past dominated, while Super Metroid and Super Mario Kart repeated almost the same close race and voting trends as their first-round meeting. Metroid again survived, but the rematch lacked the tension its margin suggested.

SFF: The writeup says A Link to the Past was clearly SFFing all three fellow SNES and Nintendo-era games in the poll.

Chrono Trigger built an overnight lead on Mario 64, only to collapse badly once Mario's morning vote arrived. Mario 64 turned the match into a convincing win and shattered expectations for Chrono Trigger's deeper run.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Yoshi's Island was SFFed into a very weak last-place showing, with Mario 64 providing the clearest source of the overlap.

Melee won easily, while Diablo II repeated its first-round success and comfortably advanced again. Halo collapsed to last behind a SFF-affected Wind Waker, producing another major embarrassment for the series.

SFF: The writeup says Melee SFFed Wind Waker, though Wind Waker still held up better than expected and even finished ahead of Halo.

Brawl annihilated Galaxy and sent Call of Duty 4 through in second, turning Galaxy's disappointing first round into a full collapse. The writeup elevates Brawl into serious finals contention after the result.

SFF: The writeup calls Brawl's suppression of Super Mario Galaxy one of the most meaningful SFF beatings in contest history.

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.

A Link to the Past and Final Fantasy VI advanced in a match the writeup considered almost completely predetermined. The only notable fanbase effect was Link's Awakening taking especially heavy suppression.

SFF: The writeup says A Link to the Past SFFed Link's Awakening heavily and left both lower Nintendo games suppressed beneath Final Fantasy VI.

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.

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 dominated, while A Link to the Past survived a late Mario 64 comeback by a narrow margin. The writeup also sees the result as another sign that newer voters were gradually reshaping the site's preferences.

SFF: The writeup says Final Fantasy VII SFFed Final Fantasy VI heavily, reducing FF6 to a minor factor while the real race developed between Link to the Past and Mario 64.

Ocarina of Time dominated the Nintendo-heavy field, while Final Fantasy X used the favorable bracket setup to advance. Melee fell to last and Pokémon could not overcome Ocarina's presence.

SFF: The writeup says Ocarina of Time heavily SFFed both Melee and Pokémon RBY, with Pokémon resisting the Nintendo suppression better than Melee.

Metal Gear Solid 4 built a large overnight lead, then barely survived a massive Brawl afternoon comeback. The two advanced together from an unusually balanced field, while Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4 were eliminated.

SFF: The writeup says Brawl SFFed Twilight Princess enough to knock Zelda out of the advancing positions.

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.

Ocarina of Time secured first easily, while Final Fantasy X erased Metal Gear Solid 4's early lead overnight and advanced to the championship. Brawl's run ended under an especially unfavorable Nintendo matchup.

SFF: The writeup says Ocarina of Time SFFed Brawl out of contention, leaving Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 4 to fight for the other final spot.