Lurker > MetalmindStats

Bump.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Yesterday's matches are still running for slightly over 3 hours. To vote in them, look here: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77806262

First, please read the rules:

- You may only vote once (for one game) per match; please only vote in matches where you have played at least one of the games. No using alts to circumvent this rule, unless you would like your votes to stop counting for the rest of this contest.
- Please do not edit or delete your posts.
- Days will last strictly for 24 hours each - no more and no less, not even by a second. Votes posted outside of this limit will not count.
- Any matches that are tied after 24 hours have passed will be rerun as part of the next set of matches, with both days counting cumulatively.
- Also, I reserve the right to add or change rules as necessary.

With that out of the way, I hope you all have fun!

Here are today's matches:

Dead Cells vs. La-Mulana 2
Cuphead vs. Iji

And here's the whole bracket, for reference: https://challonge.com/B8BIGE
Finally, here's the results and discussion topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77765463
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Professor Oak: Low Midcarder - I think he's a notch ahead of Giovanni, for the reasons Zen mentioned. Also, Giovanni's a well-liked villain, but not truly beloved nor among the first Pokmon characters who comes to mind for most people, and his design isn't as recognizable as Oak's.

Robo: Fodder Line - I disagree with Robo being the weakest core CT cast member; if anything, he comes off as the fan favorite and most popular, when excluding Crono, Frog, and Magus. On top of that, CT's been at its strongest since before 2005 over the past five years or so.

Cappy: Mid Fodder - A cute entrant with some potential joke and meme heat, but the same thing that I've said about multiple other Mario characters goes here - people don't care one bit about him, so there's no reason to assume he'll perform. He also doesn't have the longstanding legacy of a Goomba, for example.

I will also nominate the following characters:
Ayla (Chrono Trigger)
Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)
Link's Grandma (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
Lucca (Chrono Trigger)
Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)
Marle (Chrono Trigger)
Misty (Pokmon)
Pokmon Trainer Blue (Pokmon)
Princess Leia (Star Wars)
The Genie (Aladdin)
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Mario
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

KCF0107 posted...

I know that I said this before, but Ori vs Rocket League should be a finale match, not in the first round!

Well, more people should have nominated Rocket League, then!

Also, something I should have announced in the OP: I will be putting up tomorrow's matches significantly earlier than today due to changes in my schedule, likely around 12:30 PM PDT. If either of today's matches should tie after 24 hours, I will instead rerun the tied match as part of the subsequent day.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Hitman isn't Square-Enix anymore, though. Also, I'm not sure if there's any one Dragon Quest game that stands out above the rest; for all the series' virtues, quotable is not something I generally think of it as. I guess the first Dragon Quest is probably the best choice, for things like "A Slime draws near! Command?"

For fighting game franchises, I don't suppose Super Smash Bros. counts?
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Day 12's winners are FTL: Faster Than Light, by a 13-6 margin over Into the Breach, and Hotline Miami, by a 13-9 margin over Crypt of the NecroDancer.

Some thoughts:
- Finally, after 23 matches, our first genuine upset has happened. On top of the seeding, only 4/11 brackets called Hotline Miami's victory correctly, including just one (iirc) that wasn't a favorites bracket. In the process, Shonen_Bat lost their perfect bracket.
- It's hard to say, though, if Hotline's result means it can beat FTL and even contend with whichever Lucas Pope game escapes Round 2, or if NecroDancer is just weak.
- Yes, Into the Breach was pretty wasted, but these intra-developer / similar game matches seem to be a proven formula for attracting votes at least.

Here is Day 13's topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77806262
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Our first genuine upset is finally in the books! Now, let's see how well the victim can fare in the losers' poll.

First, please read the rules:

- You may only vote once (for one game) per match; please only vote in matches where you have played at least one of the games. No using alts to circumvent this rule, unless you would like your votes to stop counting for the rest of this contest.
- Please do not edit or delete your posts.
- Days will last strictly for 24 hours each - no more and no less, not even by a second. Votes posted outside of this limit will not count.
- Any matches that are tied after 24 hours have passed will be rerun as part of the next set of matches, with both days counting cumulatively.
- Also, I reserve the right to add or change rules as necessary.

With that out of the way, I hope you all have fun!

Here are today's matches:

Ori and the Blind Forest vs. Rocket League
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale vs. Baba is You

And here's the whole bracket, for reference: https://challonge.com/B8BIGE
Finally, here's the results and discussion topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77765463
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

My domestic weekend predictions for Toy Story 4 and the gang:

1. $146.4 million Toy Story 4
2. $18.0 million Childs Play
3. $12.6 million Men in Black: International
4. $10.1 million Aladdin
5. $9.7 million The Secret Life of Pets 2
6. $5.3 million Rocketman
7. $4.2 million Shaft
8. $4.2 million Anna
9. $3.7 million John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum
10. $3.7 million Godzilla: King of the Monsters
11. $2.8 million Late Night
12. $2.6 million Dark Phoenix

Better to play it safe and hopefully be pleasantly surprised than shoot for the stars and be let down, I say. With a reduced rush factor, I do think that Toy Story 4 will hold better than Incredibles 2, though, and have no trouble surpassing $500 million domestic.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

MetalmindStats posted...

Up.

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

-

Avengers
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Up.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Aladdin: Fodder Line - Theoretically should be weaker than Simba, but I feel like GameFAQs is more likely to vote for Aladdin (despite his not overly memorable design), especially in light of his well-received games.

Skull Kid: Fodder Line - He could easily be almost as weak as Groose or as strong as Epona, and I wouldn't bat an eye. This is in between those two extremes.

Ada Wong: High Fodder - Not as important or seemingly well-remembered as Claire, but she has the sex appeal to compensate for it on GameFAQs.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

NFUN posted...

why the fuck did you put FTL vs Into the Breach in a R1 match

MetalmindStats posted...

Oh, and if you're wondering why there's so many weirdly coincidental matches and fourpacks, here's how I broke nomination ties for seeding:

ZenOfThunder posted...
how are going to base the seeding for groups with the same # of noms? metacritic scores?

My plan is to break the ties by the order in which each game with a given nomination number received its last nomination.

Butchered quote from the discussion topic, but hopefully you and anyone else who is wondering why gets it.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Read 'em and weep! Papers, Please won 14-1 over Wandersong, and Return of the Obra Dinn triumphed 13-2 over Deltarune. Now, these two Lucas Pope titans must fight in a bloody duel to the death the next round.

But really, 'surprised' doesn't quite cut it about my feelings regarding Deltarune's sheer margin of demise. I actually took the upset in my predictions, thinking among other things that Obra Dinn would have a low playrate, and at least expected that the match would be close. In retrospect, a poorly-worded rules clarification may have turned away people who thought they should only vote if they had played both games, because I would have expected yesterday's matches to be more than two votes ahead of our minimum to date. Also, another bad sign for Undertale after its Round 1 struggle.

Here is Day 12's topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77803582
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

It seemed like quite a few people didn't think Deltarune should have been eligible, so have a poll on the general subject. In retrospect, it also seemed like my poorly worded rules clarification may have turned people off from what should have been a popular and contentious day; hopefully it doesn't sound so confusing now.

First, please read the rules:

- You may only vote once (for one game) per match; please only vote in matches where you have played at least one of the games. No using alts to circumvent this rule, unless you would like your votes to stop counting for the rest of this contest.
- Please do not edit or delete your posts.
- Days will last strictly for 24 hours each - no more and no less, not even by a second. Votes posted outside of this limit will not count.
- Any matches that are tied after 24 hours have passed will be rerun as part of the next set of matches, with both days counting cumulatively.
- Also, I reserve the right to add or change rules as necessary.

With that out of the way, I hope you all have fun!

Here are today's matches:

FTL: Faster Than Light vs. Into the Breach
Crypt of the NecroDancer vs. Hotline Miami

And here's the whole bracket, for reference: https://challonge.com/B8BIGE
Finally, here's the results and discussion topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77765463
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
2001: A Space Odyssey
Shaun of the Dead
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

There's a few other movies closely in contention for that final spot; Cuckoo is just my current choice.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite (The Empire Strikes Back)
The Snap (Avengers: Infinity War)
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Bump.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

ZenOfThunder posted...

Put me in charge of Character Battle XI and not only will you see a real Sonic vs Mario match but also Serious Sam v Mr. Driller II, the rematch we've been waiting for for over 17 years!

Dewit, Allen! You know you want to.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

And yes, I know Deltarune is a somewhat different situation to open alphas and betas, but the fact that it's available for the public to play makes it eligible regardless.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Underleveled posted...

Superman - low midcarder. He may be synonymous with the word "superhero" but especially for the past 20 years he seems to play second fiddle to Batman on the DC totem pole.

Jak - high fodder. That's about where he's always been and I don't expect that to ever change. His fans pretty much remain loyal but with his series being functionally dead he's unlikely to gain any new fans.

I agree with these. For King Boo, I'm going to say Mid Fodder, and you can reference my Goomba and Bowser Jr. explanations for why.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Hbthebattle posted...

I'm not sure Deltarune should have even been able to qualify, given that it is... not a full game yet.

MetalmindStats posted...

Rules:

1a. Indie games that are currently in an alpha, beta, or other public testing phase and have not fully released are allowed.

I already covered this, way back in the nominations topic.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

SantaRPidgey posted...

No, I was never on Facebook

Nrrr posted...

I wouldn't say I use any 'social media' in the way people normally think of it, obviously this message board is socializing still.

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

TheArkOfTurus posted...

Oh sorry, I didn't change my vote, I just edited to capitalize Isaac. Won't do it again.

Yeah, it's fine, since I knew you weren't trying to tamper with your vote. As long as I can tell what you're voting for (which I could regardless), capitalizing it doesn't matter.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Our latest winners are Braid, by an 11-4 margin over Furi, and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, by a 10-8 margin over Antichamber.

Braid dispatched its opposition exactly as expected, whereas Isaac struggled against Antichamber. It looks like the technical seeding upset won't happen next round.

Here is Day 11's topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77800837
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

@TheArkOfTurus, I'm going to have to remind you that, as with UF8 earlier in the contest, editing votes is against the rules. Like with UF8, I'm letting your vote stand; please be more careful next time, though.

First, please read the rules:

- You may only vote once (for one game) per match; if you have not played at least one of the games in a given match, please don't vote in said match. No using alts to circumvent this rule, unless you would like your votes to stop counting for the rest of this contest.
- Please do not edit or delete your posts.
- Days will last strictly for 24 hours each - no more and no less, not even by a second. Votes posted outside of this limit will not count.
- Any matches that are tied after 24 hours have passed will be rerun as part of the next set of matches, with both days counting cumulatively.
- Also, I reserve the right to add or change rules as necessary.

With that out of the way, I hope you all have fun!

Here are today's matches:

Papers, Please vs. Wandersong
Return of the Obra Dinn vs. Deltarune

And here's the whole bracket, for reference: https://challonge.com/B8BIGE
Finally, here's the results and discussion topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77765463
---

"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Snake5555555555 posted...

Death and Thanos (Marvel)

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Holy Grail
Hotel Mario

ZenOfThunder flaired this topic...

Contest Discussion

uh
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

TheCodeisBosco posted...

But at the end of the day, he's a clone fighter, Marth's inferior

I don't think that's how most people view him. Roy actually has a clear fanbase, unlike the likes of Marth and Robin, and Fire Emblem fans generally like him quite a bit even though his game was never released outside of Japan. As for Fire Emblem's status among the Smash community, I don't think that matters as much as you would think on a site that's always been focused on singleplayer games, and where Smash Ultimate tanked in last year's GotY polling. I, too, expect Roy to be weaker than Ike, but Ike did not look like he was on the Fodder Line last year, unless you think there was zero SFF or other weirdness in his entire path.

As for Homer, I guess I'll up my vote to Fodder Line; I could see him either there or where I originally voted him. For whatever reason, I just don't feel like he's someone most people would be inclined to vote for, and I don't think having games that are fondly regarded is the same thing as having games people actually remember and care about.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Roy: Fodder Line - Basically Robin except with a longer Smash legacy, and that people actually care about him, at least to an extent.

Homer Simpson: High Fodder - Hardly anyone remembers Simpsons games, and the TV series is simply not something I'm confident in having any strength on GameFAQs.

Ecco: Mid Fodder - Generic non-human animals automatically have more GameFAQs appeal than generic humans, and that goes double for a dolphin. Plus, a minority of voters probably remember Ecco's games fondly.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

th3l3fty posted...

you still need 3 karma to post here

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Drakeryn posted...

When I mentioned Pokemon, I wasn't counting evolution, for exactly the reasons you stated. I was thinking specifically of:
- Megas, which do have the ability to change back and forth between their regular and Mega forms
- Pokemon like Shaymin (Land/Sky formes) and Giratina (Origin/Altered formes). Admittedly I don't know the lore of these formes, so if transforming back-and-forth is not a thing then I retract my statement.

Offhand, all of those need some sort of catalyst (whether it's an item held or used, a move used, dimensional travel, etc.), so I doubt they would be eligible, since it's not considered an innate ability. Ditto would probably be the exception, due to its Pokedex entries and depictions in other media.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

It's a shame because, as evidenced by his movie ranking topic, SephG can be a productive contributor and well-liked user (not saying this necessarily should be or needs to be one's goal here, though). Instead, he would rather rustle people's jimmies.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

-
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

This time, the winners are Hollow Knight, by a 16-4 margin over Iconoclasts, and To the Moon, by a 10-6 margin over Freedom Planet.

Some thoughts:
- Hollow Knight looks like a real contender as expected, between its margin of victory and the solid amount of votes for its day.
- Will Shonen_Bat manage a perfect bracket through Round 1? Obra Dinn v Deltarune tomorrow should be the first real test.

Here is Day 10's topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77798163
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Sorry everyone, no poll this time, partially since I'm running behind in getting this topic up in the first place.

First, please read the rules:

- You may only vote once (for one game) per match. No using alts to circumvent this rule, unless you would like your votes to stop counting for the rest of this contest.
- Please do not edit or delete your posts.
- Days will last strictly for 24 hours each - no more and no less, not even by a second. Votes posted outside of this limit will not count.
- Any matches that are tied after 24 hours have passed will be rerun as part of the next set of matches, with both days counting cumulatively.
- Also, I reserve the right to add or change rules as necessary.

With that out of the way, I hope you all have fun!

Here are today's matches:

Braid vs. Furi
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth vs. Antichamber

And here's the whole bracket, for reference: https://challonge.com/B8BIGE
Finally, here's the results and discussion topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77765463
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

PumpkinCoach posted...

Mario

I'm pretty sure Mario wouldn't be allowed, probably because he has to consume power-ups to shape-shift.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Oh, is Loki not a proper shapeshifter? I guess I would support literary Dracula, if he counts. Probably a less appealing category to me personally than Princesses, though.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Cavedweller2000 posted...

Anyone have a link to the wiki page containing all character's tier rankings that we voted for after the last contest?

I'm guessing you mean this?

https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Ranking_the_CBX_Characters_by_Contest_Strength
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

MetalmindStats posted...

Bump.

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Bump.
---

"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Underleveled posted...

The Grinch - Mid fodder. Not the right place. And Smash Bros. fans will be anti-voting him in droves. If Link vs. Santa is any indication though, his strength could increase if his match were held close to Christmas, but not higher than fodder line, and that's being super generous.

Madeline - Low fodder. I see her being right on par with Hat Kid.

Agreed on both of these. As for Black Mage, I'm going to say Fodder Line. Recent trends for early Final Fantasy (before 6) have been less than optimistic, and design-based characters who don't draw their appeal from TJF have universally declined. I don't think the multiple layers of nostalgia can do enough to make Black Mage a contest force, because I fundamentally don't feel GameFAQs cares about the character.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Captain America (MCU)
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Iron Man (MCU)
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

StealThisSheen posted...

MetalmindStats posted...

The time heists felt like an inferior riff on Inception, lacking its visual inventiveness and Nolan's distinctive direction, though revisiting past MCU movies was a neat twist.

This feels like such a weird comparison to me because they're like, nothing alike whatsoever. Inception is about going into dreams, which is why the visual inventiveness can flourish. The time heists are just... Them time traveling. You weren't going to get any crazy visual scenes because they're not like, actively bending reality or anything.

Yeah, I probably explained that poorly. I'm not asking for the same level of visual inventiveness as that movie or, say, Doctor Strange. It's just that, besides the interesting conceit of time traveling into the events of past MCU movies, I didn't feel there was anything to distinguish these scenes from the mildly engaging realm. That disappointed me, since I generally find the big action and plot beats of MCU movies more than just mildly engaging.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Hannibal Lecter
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

scarletspeed7 posted...

Awesome! Glad this series is back.

Well, it's been back for quite a while, just not daily.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!

Snake5555555555 posted...

Fun link!

Yep, and they also have one for MCU movies that I didn't use because I already have them all ranked in a Word document. https://sorta.app/q/1019

As for the box office, I was expecting a subpar debut from Men in Black, but Shaft's sheer weakness really blew me away. Even with WB's lacking marketing, high-profile African-American targeted movies usually find at least somewhat of an audience, and Shaft had a potentially appealing premise with its three generations schtick. Let's hope Toy Story 4 can improve on its current presales (just 61% of Incredibles 2 right now) and draw substantial walk-ups to boot, so we can see these box office blues fade.
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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!