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Super Mario RPG ended Metal Gear Solid 3's run and completed an improbable trip to the semifinals. The writeup treats the victory as the culmination of a huge nostalgia-driven bandwagon rather than a picture-driven result.

Metal Gear Solid 3 narrowly beat the original Metal Gear Solid in the long-awaited intra-series comparison. The writeup celebrates the close but stable result as a rare feel-good moment in an otherwise disappointing contest for the franchise.

Metal Gear Solid 3 unexpectedly routed Mass Effect 2 after most predictions had expected a very close match. The writeup gives major credit to MGS3's exceptionally strong picture and treats the win as the series' best result of the contest.

Pic: The writeup explicitly says Metal Gear Solid 3's excellent Big Boss image was the real reason it performed so strongly, calling it one of the best possible pictures for the game.

Metal Gear Solid 3 built an early lead, then spent most of the match unable to extend it as BioShock's rally support surged. MGS3 survived, but the unusually close finish became another major warning about Metal Gear's strength.

Rally: The writeup says BioShock was boosted by both direct rallying and spillover from the StarCraft-Mass Effect rally war, allowing it to run even with Metal Gear Solid 3 for much of the day.

Metal Gear Solid 3 beat Mother 3 by a wide margin but still performed far below what the writeup expected against a Japan-only title. The result became another major warning that the entire Metal Gear series had weakened.

Majora's Mask overwhelmed Metal Gear Solid 3 and fully emerged as a credible championship threat. The writeup considers MGS3 the one quarterfinalist that looked clearly out of place this deep in the bracket.

Metal Gear Solid 3 ended the Shadow of the Colossus Cinderella run in a match the writeup believes was heavily shaped by being held at night. Shadow stayed close, but MGS3's overnight strength controlled the decisive portion.

Paper Mario's run ended against Metal Gear Solid 3, but the writeup treats its performance as fully legitimate after the earlier World of Warcraft upset. It also mocks how badly casual brackets had overestimated WoW's chances in this section.

Metal Gear Solid 3 beat Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but looked weak enough to worry observers who had dismissed MvC2's first-round rally-assisted upset. The writeup retrospectively credits MvC2 with more legitimate strength than it initially received.

Metal Gear Solid 3 won easily yet still looked weak for a top seed against a vote-in survivor. The writeup calls this an early warning for the entire Metal Gear division and for the series' contest strength.

Twilight Princess took first, but Metal Gear Solid 3 built a substantial lead over Resident Evil 4 before RE4 spent most of the day slowly erasing it. Resident Evil 4 completed another close comeback and advanced.

Metal Gear Solid 3 won comfortably, while Oblivion survived a long duel with World of Warcraft for second. The writeup notes multiple rally attempts but concludes that none meaningfully changed the result.

Metal Gear Solid 3 won comfortably, while World of Warcraft beat Halo 2 for the other advancing spot without needing the massive rally many had predicted. Halo nearly fell to last and continued the contest's shooter slump.