(9)Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars vs (3)Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 2015

Ulti's Analysis
Can't blame the picture for MGS3's loss here, because this was as fair as possible. Axem Rangers vs Salute is as badass as you can get!

This was the match where the MGS series finally met its reckoning, though at least it would go down respectably. The writing was very much on the wall for SMRPG's win here, as it looked good for this entire contest while MGS... didn't. There really isn't a better way to put it. MGS looked awful, and it was lucky that divisions 7 and 8 were so weak, else it would not have a game in the final 8. Most of the Oracle picks were in SMRPG's favor, so we all knew what was coming.

Mario RPG went out and did what it always does, which was easily win the board vote. Mario RPG is everything this site loves -- JRPGs, Nintendo, Square, SNES, the 90s -- all rolled up into one package, and really it was the ultimate example of how hard the 1990s dominated this contest. One could even say Undertale has a 1990s feel to it.

SMRPG built up a 700 vote lead after an hour, and from here it was really only a matter of surviving the overnight vote, aka "why was I never released in Europe". SMRPG would eventually build up a lead of 930, which was more than enough to survive MGS3's overnight comeback attempt. MGS3 did a really good job overnight (and with Europe's help) to get the lead down under 500, but then the morning vote showed up. Mario RPG had dominated every morning vote leading up to this match, and it sure wasn't going to choke away a close match now. That 450 vote lead it had spiraled out of control in SMRPG's favor come morning time, and a close match turned into SMRPG's trends becoming a complete parody of itself. It really is hilarious to watch it go off during the board vote and morning vote every contest, and this year it was given a path where it could just laugh at all of its opponents come 8 am.

Undertale may have stolen all the headlines, but SMRPG's run was equally impressive. I'm too lazy to look up past prediction percentages, but 3.05% of people picking SMRPG to make it this far has to be among the lowest prediction percentages of all time in these things. It also proved that SMRPG/Oblivion was the most important round 1 tossup we've ever had. There's no telling how far Oblivion would have gone in this contest, but the thought of it making the semifinals while Skyrim couldn't win its own division is hilarious.