Results[]
Round One
Ulti's Analysis[]
| Division | Division 4 |
|---|---|
| Match # | 32 |
| Match Date | Thursday, November 12, 2015 |
| Oracle Expectations |
Persona 4 - 70.36% 104 for - 0 against |
| GameFAQs Prediction |
Persona 4 - 92.48% |
I shit on Persona's fanbase a lot for being among the most annoying fanbases in gaming (a fact that they're actually proud of, because heaven forbid anyone have the opinion that the games aren't that good), but part of my big face turn is getting more in tune with the hug-it-out stuff.
So with that being said, every fanbase should enjoy a contest win here and there, and Persona 4 has more than enough respect to pull wins off. This thing made round 3 in Game of the Decade and pulled off a great match against Dead Rising (though one wonders how impressive a nailbiter against literal Dead Rising is), and this year it got enough nominations to get a 2 seed. This bracket was set up well, and almost all of the top seeds won their first match. This was hardly Nathan Drake getting a 2 seed and getting stuck fighting The Boss.
I'm sure 999 is a fine game, but it didn't have a prayer here. Persona 4 is decently strong and all, but it's not 78% strong against anything but an absolute contest bottom-feeder. There aren't many games that I can objectively say should not have been in this bracket, but 999 is one of them. Where the hell was Sonic 3 & Knuckles? Mario 1? Zelda 1? Link Between Worlds? Link's Awakening? Final Fantasy 1? Contra? Mega Man 2? Street Fighter 2? Devil May Cry 3? Super Smash Bros. Brawl (yes, seriously, I objectively think Brawl not making this bracket and trying to redeem the Game of the Decade final is a joke)? Street Fighter 4? Super Smash Bros? Super Mario Kart? MOTHER FUCKING LEAGUE OF LEGENDS?????? God of War? Star Fox 64?
As a matter of fact, let's just list the games I objectively think should not have been in this bracket. I say objectively because while I would love certain games I personally hate not to make the bracket, I'm not silly enough to think they shouldn't be in. Any Best Game Ever contest should obviously have things like Shadow of the Colossus, for instance.
The "Why did these get in?" list:
Persona 3
The World Ends With You
Pokemon XY
Age of Empires 2
The Walking Dead
Life is Strange
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Mario Kart 8
999
Monster Hunter 4U
Super Mario Maker
Bloodborne
Fallout New Vegas
Splatoon
Bayonetta 2
Virtue's Last Reward
BioShock Infinite
That's 16 games we could easily get rid of, maybe more if I looked again. Some of those snubs are unforgivable, and it was all done to keep League out of the bracket. Allen did a great job with this contest, but not allowing League to get in was a mistake. You cannot prevent rallies from taking these contests over anymore. It's impossible. Just embrace it and tell the crybabies to buy a pacifier and sit with the rest of the children where they belong.
Ctes's Analysis[]
Seriously, when a game like Persona 4 has such a high prediction percentage and can score such a blowout, the other game really shouldn't make a the bracket. Persona 4 is of course a #2 seed, which it likely got because it has a more dedicated fanbase that most things. But it has more main appeal than anything else from the franchise. It's a step above the rest. Fans can be just as passionate about other SMT games, but I think the Persona 3 match made it perfectly clear and we're seeing a vocal minority and only Persona 4 is worth having in these contests.
But yeah, Persona 4 scoring this much led to some absurd ideas. People were considering if it might give Twilight Princess a scare, but it was obvious Skies of Arcadia would double 999 too. 999 is a contender for the absolute worst game in entire bracket. Just to make it clear, I mean strength wise, I know nothing about the game. I'm sorry once again, but this was one of the times where I had to knock my face into my desk at the decision of letting Super Mario Bros miss the bracket. Seeing as it just missed it, it means games like 999 were looked at and expected to be a better addition by SBAllen and can you imagine having Super Mario Bros at this part of the bracket? One of the absolute most predictable four packs would suddenly be heavily debated. Not sure it'd be that interesting, but more than this for sure. It's a big waste of a bracket spot, so I really hope that the fans of the game were happy that it made the bracket.
Also, there was discussion of 999 being SFF'd here. It's an interesting theory coming from the fact that they look like similar games. I don't know if they actually are, but I can see where people are coming from, but I must admit that the theory doesn't really hold water. Different developers and consoles aren't things that lead to SFF, especially in a contest where SFF is very limited to begin with. This is just 999 because turbo fodder in these contests.