GameFAQsContests.com

Super Mario Bros. 3 opened the game contest with the expected rout. The writeup focuses more on the unexpectedly weak turnout and the sponsored poll above the contest than on the one-sided match itself.

Super Mario Bros. 3 demolished Metroid and reclaimed the apparent favorite's position in the old-school division. The writeup treats the result as a straightforward show of strength before the eventual clash with Zelda.

Super Mario Bros. 3 beat Final Fantasy but looked much less dominant than expected for the division's presumed favorite. The writeup argues that strong loyalty to the Final Fantasy name explains much of the resistance while leaving Mario's prospects against Zelda less secure.

Super Mario Bros. 3 won a highly anticipated divisional final with surprising ease and further ended Zelda's early aura of invincibility. The writeup treats the matchup as a clear case where shared Nintendo support favored Mario.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says SFF finally worked against a Zelda title, with Super Mario Bros. 3 benefiting in the all-Nintendo matchup against the original Zelda.

The hoped-for third Mario-versus-Crono-style classic never materialized. Chrono Trigger took control after the opening exchange and stayed ahead, producing an anticlimactic semifinal despite the rivalry surrounding it.

Super Mario Bros. 3 delivered one of the most overwhelming four-way performances ever, leaving the weak supporting field to fight over scraps. Secret of Monkey Island eventually emerged from that battle for the other advancing spot.

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.

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.

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.

Super Mario Bros. 3 delivered one of the contest's largest blowouts, exactly as expected from a top seed against weak opposition. The writeup notes with hindsight that this would be Mario 3's only win of the contest.

Pokémon RBY was already beating Mario 3 before outside traffic arrived, but Undertale spillover transformed the result into a rout. The writeup treats the natural matchup as a legitimate Pokémon win and the final margin as heavily distorted.

Rally: The writeup says Undertale's outside rally spilled into this simultaneous poll and heavily boosted Pokémon RBY, turning an already likely Pokémon win into a much larger blowout.