GameFAQsContests.com

Mario opened the contest with the expected blowout, and the writeup mainly watches turnout and whether the result strengthened his case as the favorite. It also notes the Gamespot banner and the unusual ability to keep voting after the poll had technically ended.

Ness's upset over CJ becomes the jumping-off point for a long discussion of the board's race arguments, representation in games, and whether Grand Theft Auto simply underperforms on GameFAQs.

Zero beat Ryu Hayabusa comfortably in a deliberately uneventful match after the previous day's chaos. The writeup nevertheless saw Ryu's late recovery as a mild warning that Zero might be somewhat overrated.

Lloyd never seriously risked losing, but Wesker performed much better than the writeup expected against the Tales protagonist. The result was treated as a clear Lloyd underperformance and another sign that recent statistics were hard to trust.

Samus demolished Yuri and strengthened the case that she could win the entire contest. The writeup treats the performance as an impressive answer to people who thought Mario should be favored in their anticipated matchup.

Frog survived Riku, but Riku's sustained pressure convinced the writeup that Frog's celebrated 2004 strength had been badly overstated. Instead of reinforcing Frog's reputation, the close win turned him into one of the contest's biggest statistical question marks.

Ganondorf beat Yuna as expected while the writeup debated whether the result helped or hurt his standing against Auron. It also explicitly points to suspicious voting on Yuna's side.

Cheat: The writeup says TRE identified numerous examples of blatant cheating coming from Yuna's side of the poll.

Auron cruised past Big Boss in what the writeup treats mostly as a preview of Auron's coming match with Ganondorf. Big Boss's poor picture is singled out as a reason not to read too much into the size of the win.

Pic: The writeup argues that Big Boss's unrecognizable cartoon-style picture hurt him and that a recognizable Naked Snake image would have performed better against Auron.

Snake predictably overwhelmed Manny, but the writeup treats Manny's appearance itself as a victory after a long Board 8 nomination campaign. Much of the discussion pushes back against claims that Snake's huge win was somehow disappointing.

Zelda turned a heavily debated matchup into an easy win, badly undercutting the statistical case for Vivi. The writeup interprets the result as evidence of both Zelda's growth and the wider Nintendo boost that was becoming a major contest storyline.

Alucard beat Kratos, but Kratos's strong daytime showing made the favorite look far less convincing than expected. The writeup saw the result as a warning that Alucard was aging and would be vulnerable against Sora.

Sora handled Agent 47 comfortably, yet the writeup still considered the performance mediocre for the matchup. More importantly, Riku's earlier showing against Frog had already shifted the coming Sora-Alucard debate strongly toward Sora.

Kirby demolished Cecil far beyond expectations and immediately looked much stronger than his seeding reputation suggested. The writeup credits both Kirby's rise and Cecil's terrible picture while treating the result as an early sign of a broad Nintendo boost.

Pic: The writeup calls Cecil's Amano image one of the worst match pictures in the contest and accepts that the picture likely contributed to how badly he underperformed against Kirby.

Tidus won comfortably, but the writeup turns the King of All Cosmos into a running joke while arguing that Tidus still performed too poorly to beat Kirby. The result became another strike against Tidus's old reputation as an elite-level character.

Bowser beat Chun-Li almost exactly as expected, leaving the writeup with little new information about his strength. The real focus remained the anticipated second-round showdown with Ryu.

Ryu beat Rikku but fell dramatically short of Board 8's expectations as his percentage kept sliding through the day. The writeup saw the performance as effectively ending the case for Ryu over Bowser before their match even arrived.

Master Chief won easily enough, but CATS performed much better than expected and made the top seed look unimpressive. The writeup strongly credits CATS's recognizable face picture for helping him outperform his old numbers.

Pic: The writeup explicitly argues that CATS's recognizable face picture helps him perform much better than the eggplant-style image used in other contests.

Donkey Kong beat Sam Fisher in a match the writeup repeatedly calls dull. DK started above expectations but gradually gave enough back that the result offered little confidence about his next round.

Kefka and Vercetti produced a long, volatile comeback battle that became one of the contest's biggest Board 8 explosions. The drama was ultimately overshadowed by confirmed and alleged vote-stuffing on both sides, turning a classic close match into a major cheating controversy.

Cheat: The writeup documents extensive vote-stuffing and exploit use around both entrants, including votes removed by CJayC and admitted multi-voting by several users. It treats cheating as central to the match's final hours and aftermath.

Crono easily dispatched Zidane in a remarkably steady poll after the chaos of Kefka-Vercetti. The writeup mainly wonders whether shared Square support suppressed Zidane, without reaching a firm conclusion.

Dante crushed Terra and quickly ended what little upset speculation had existed around the matchup. The writeup treats Terra's weakness as another example of an ensemble-cast Final Fantasy character failing to translate game popularity into contest strength.

Vincent flattened Kerrigan in a match that many had overthought because of StarCraft's earlier contest success. The writeup treats Vincent's debut as a statement performance and Kerrigan's result as a major failure of Board 8 expectations.

Knuckles stunned a board that had essentially treated Magus as a lock and even a possible division winner. Magus led early before Knuckles's daytime strength took over, producing one of the contest's most memorable bracket-busting upsets.

Squall overwhelmed Geno in a match whose main question was how much shared-fanbase suppression would appear. The result also helped frame the now-unpredictable Devil Division after Magus's upset loss.

SFF: The writeup says Squall likely applied some SFF to Geno, a Square-created side character from Super Mario RPG, and uses that as evidence for how Squall might have treated Magus.

Sonic easily beat Jin, but Jin held up better than an unsupported newcomer was expected to. The writeup treats the result as mildly concerning for Sonic ahead of the anticipated Mega Man showdown.

Diablo beat Kratos Aurion without serious trouble and largely matched expectations from his strong villains-contest run. The writeup sees the result as a useful confirmation of Diablo's strength rather than a major storyline of its own.

Tifa's long-awaited contest debut became a rout as she performed far beyond expectations against Vyse. The writeup immediately debates whether Tifa was truly elite or whether Vyse had simply been overrated for years.

Luigi demolished KOS-MOS despite projections that had the matchup much closer. The writeup treats the result as one of the clearest early examples of the contest-wide Nintendo boost and a warning that Tifa's next match might not be easy.

Mega Man crushed Conker but slipped below the performance the writeup wanted from him, giving new life to Sonic supporters. The result was treated mainly as an imperfect preview of their eventual divisional clash.

Leon extended Gordon Freeman's famous losing streak, though Gordon once again performed better than a supposedly hopeless underdog should. The writeup turns the recurring GFNW joke into the main story of another Freeman defeat.

Yoshi handled Laharl almost exactly as expected in one of the first round's least eventful matches. The writeup treats it as little more than another easy Nintendo win before Yoshi's projected meeting with Mega Man.

Pac-Man upset heavily favored Ocelot in a close first-round finale that eliminated the remaining perfect brackets. The writeup celebrates Pac-Man's overdue major win while blaming Ocelot's poor picture for at least part of the upset.

Pic: The writeup argues that Ocelot's faded old-man picture hurt him in the close loss and says a recognizable in-game Metal Gear image likely would have improved his performance enough to win.

Mario annihilated Ness in a result the writeup treats as an extreme SFF beating. The performance strengthened Mario's championship case while making Ness's earlier upset over CJ look even stranger statistically.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Mario SFFed Ness and argues that the suppression was even stronger than prior same-fanbase results involving Ness.

Zero dispatched Lloyd exactly as the bracket had seemed to prescribe from the start. The writeup mainly uses the match to reassess Lloyd's place among Tales characters and to leave Zero's real test for Mario.

Samus demolished Frog and erased the mystique built by Frog's string of close 2004 matches. The writeup treats the rout as another sign that Frog had been badly overrated and as strong evidence that Samus remained a championship threat.

Ganondorf beat Auron more comfortably than the pre-match debate suggested, turning the first match of the much-hyped Gauntlet into an anticlimax. The writeup still credits Auron with legitimate strength while sending Ganondorf onward to Samus.

Snake quickly dismantled a Zelda upset bandwagon that had grown from mismatched old statistics and concern over his ugly picture. The writeup treats the match as another example of Board 8 talking itself into a close contest that never materialized.

Sora turned one of the contest's most debated statistical matchups into a clear win over Alucard. The writeup argues that recent Kingdom Hearts momentum and Alucard's stagnation mattered far more than the old x-stats.

Kirby decisively beat Tidus after the board had once treated Tidus as the overwhelming favorite. The writeup sees the result as both a major Kirby validation and another humiliation in Tidus's long decline from his 2003 reputation.

Bowser beat Ryu without the close fight that had once made the matchup a major bracket debate. The writeup treats the anticlimax as one more piece of evidence for a site-wide Nintendo boost and another failure of the Gauntlet hype.

Donkey Kong unexpectedly built a substantial lead, only for Master Chief's daytime strength to erase it and carry him past DK. The writeup remembers the match as a rare surprise after the failed Gauntlet and as a record-setting comeback and vote swing.

Crono easily disposed of Vercetti in a quiet follow-up to the chaos required for Vercetti to reach him. The writeup treats the match mainly as confirmation that Crono still belonged among the contest's elite characters.

Vincent survived Dante after an unexpectedly competitive start, but the writeup treats the result as a major correction to weeks of Vincent hype. Dante's showing is framed as a moral victory that exposed Vincent as strong but not elite.

Squall quickly ended the post-upset Knuckles bandwagon and controlled the match despite Knuckles' familiar daytime strength. The writeup uses the result to bury Magus's old statistical reputation and set up a difficult Vincent-Squall division final.

Sonic won an otherwise routine match that mainly served as a measuring stick for his coming clash with Mega Man. Diablo's performance improved after a Diabloii.net link appeared, reinforcing the writeup's view that outside-site support mattered to him.

Rally: The writeup says Diablo improved noticeably after Diabloii.net finally posted a link to the poll, costing Sonic about a percentage point and confirming that outside-site support was part of Diablo's strength.

Tifa beat Luigi, but Luigi performed far better than the writeup says most of Board 8 expected. The result is framed as another warning against overvaluing one prior match and as more evidence of Nintendo's broader 2005 rise.

Mega Man won comfortably, but Leon performed much better than older Resident Evil comparisons suggested. The writeup treats Leon's showing as evidence that previous statistics had badly understated the series.

Yoshi crushed Pac-Man in one of the contest's steadiest matches and confirmed that his 2004 strength was real. The writeup also uses the result to revisit the casual bracketmakers who had failed to trust Yoshi's path this far.

Mario turned a mildly debated division final into an immediate rout of Zero. The writeup treats the result as a major SFF statement and a warning that Mario and Nintendo were much stronger than the old statistics suggested.

SFF: The writeup explicitly calls Mario's win an SFF beatdown and argues that Mario was able to suppress Zero far beyond ordinary expectations.

Samus advanced as expected, but the writeup considers her showing against Ganondorf disappointing next to Mario's destruction of Zero. Her weak SFF performance is presented as a serious warning before the coming Mario matchup.

SFF: The writeup says Samus barely managed to SFF Ganondorf, with only enough suppression to offset Ganondorf's recent Zelda-series boost.

Snake demolished Sora after entering the match somewhat underestimated. The writeup sees the result as both a statement of Snake's true strength and an example of a broader fanbase-overlap effect working against Sora.

SFF: The writeup rejects a simple PlayStation 2 explanation but argues that a broader form of SFF hurt Sora badly against Solid Snake.

Bowser survived a strong challenge from Kirby and gradually built enough of a lead to take the division. The close result weakened confidence in Bowser before Snake, with the writeup considering reverse SFF as one possible explanation.

SFF: The writeup presents reverse SFF as a viable explanation for Kirby keeping the match unusually close, with Kirby's starring role and bracket support potentially suppressing Bowser's expected advantage.

Crono won comfortably, but Master Chief's powerful daytime recovery made the result look less convincing than expected. The writeup treats Chief as unusually non-transitive and questions whether Crono still looked capable of winning the tournament.

Vincent survived one of the contest's best matches after Squall repeatedly erased and rebuilt tiny leads throughout the day. The win was a huge bracket buster, but the writeup calls it a Pyrrhic victory because Squall's resistance further damaged Vincent's elite reputation.

SFF: The writeup says a slight amount of SFF, together with anti-votes, likely held Squall back in the close Final Fantasy matchup.

Sonic shook off Tifa's early resistance and pulled away once his morning vote arrived. The writeup treats the match mostly as a final setup for the much less predictable Sonic-Mega Man quarterfinal.

Mega Man easily dispatched Yoshi and ended the divisional round. The writeup attributes Yoshi's underperformance partly to SFF and uses that result to swing the coming Sonic-Mega Man debate toward Mega Man.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Mega Man likely SFFed Yoshi because voters associate Mega Man strongly with Nintendo-era games.

Mario demolished Samus in the contest's most heavily debated quarterfinal and invalidated the old statistical case for a Samus win. The writeup later apologizes for its original hostility, but still treats the result as a decisive SFF showcase of Mario's 2005 strength.

SFF: The writeup repeatedly describes Mario's victory as an enormous SFF beating that overwhelmed Samus despite pre-match statistical expectations favoring her.

Snake built a large lead before Bowser mounted a long afternoon comeback that fell just short. The writeup considers the close win a major validation for Snake and argues that his poor match picture made the result look closer than it otherwise would have.

Pic: The writeup argues that Snake's hard-to-recognize sprite hurt him while Bowser had a clear, recognizable picture, and says Snake likely wins by more with a fairer image.

Crono won without serious danger, but Vincent performed far better than comparable projections suggested and then held an unusually stable share for most of the match. The writeup treats the overperformance as a puzzle involving either reverse SFF or an Advent Children boost.

SFF: The writeup presents reverse SFF between newer and older Square fandom as one plausible reason Vincent performed unusually well against Crono, while also considering Advent Children as an alternative explanation.

Sonic and Mega Man traded control in one of the contest's defining close matches, with Sonic twice appearing ready to take over before losing momentum. The writeup ultimately frames Mega Man's narrow win as another painful Sonic choke in a rivalry between nearly equal icons.

Mario controlled Snake throughout the semifinal, although Snake earned the moral victory his fans wanted by stealing a handful of updates. The writeup sees the overall margin as further proof that Mario had risen sharply and was the clear tournament favorite.

Crono beat Mega Man in a close-looking semifinal without ever facing a sustained comeback threat. The writeup argues that the narrow margin did little to suggest Crono could stop the much stronger-looking Mario in the final.

Mario ended the latest chapter of his Crono rivalry with a convincing championship win, reversing the previous year's result without another dramatic finish. The writeup treats the entire contest as a showcase of Mario's enormous 2005 rise.

Cloud briefly took the lead and performed better than many expected after Nintendo's huge year, but Link's morning and daytime strength eventually buried the comeback attempt. The writeup credits Advent Children with helping Cloud remain respectable in another loss to Link.

Sephiroth overwhelmed the newly crowned Mario and ended speculation that Nintendo's 2005 boost had lifted Mario above him. The writeup sees the result as strong evidence that Advent Children had substantially strengthened the Final Fantasy VII cast.

Link beat Sephiroth comfortably in a final that the writeup considered largely predetermined. Sephiroth still did better than expected, reinforcing the view that Advent Children had strengthened the Final Fantasy VII characters even though Link remained clearly on top.