Board 8 > Best Year in Gaming Contest Analysis Crew

(+) Yeah! (+)

Anyway for what it's worth, I have it going 52-48 in favor of 2011. I literally picked this one as a guest because I picked it to win last round and this round. It probably won't win but I'm sticking with my pick. Any year with a Zelda game has a shot at winning in any round (87 and 00 both put up respectable percentages), I heard fantastic feedback from a lot of people about Skyrim, Portal 2 and Dark Souls are both very popular, etc. So yeah. But go with whatisurnameplz's if you wish :P
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SpikeDragon posted...

Anyway for what it's worth, I have it going 52-48 in favor of 2011.

got it in three seconds before the match

we'll take it
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My bad about the late entry, I got home later than expected. My family celebrated mother's day today for some reason.
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whatisurnameplz posted...

emergency guest analysis:

you guys have too much confidence in 94 after it stunk it up round 1, and are underestimating 2011. 94 will win but won't break 60.

94 - 59.83%

you're lucky we didn't accept this

imagine how silly you'd look right now
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Board/bracket vote
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yeah 1994 will probably break 80% later
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Nono trust me 2011's got this. My bracket said so
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Round 2 – 1998 vs. 1992

Moltar’s Analysis

The next year on 1998’s free path to the finals is 1992. It’s a bit of a shame too, as 1992 is a pretty strong and deep year with LttP leading it.

1998 has OoT though, and LttP always bows down to King OoT. Even though the backup games are fairly comparable, I think people are mostly going to see this as LttP vs. OoT and vote accordingly.

Moltar’s Bracket: 1998

Moltar’s Prediction: 1998 - 65%



transience’s Analysis

92 ain't bad, but it's obviously not 98. 98 isn't at peak strength with this pic but it got its big three and that's what matters. 92 really only has LTTP and SMK -- something tells me FF5 will never get considered -- and while those games can keep things reasonable, 98 is in a whole other class from even the top years in this contest.

transience predix: 1998 with 71.13%



Leonhart’s Analysis

End of round two already, huh? Not much to say about this match. This might basically be OoT/LttP redux, so I’m not going to take much away from this match regardless of whether 1998 goes really high or 1992 does pretty well. It’s weird how we’ve gone from undershooting years in round 1 to overshooting them in round 2. This contest continually makes little to no sense.

Leonhart’s Vote: 1998

Leonhart’s Prediction: 1998 with 62.25%



Kleenex’s Analysis



Guest’s Analysis - whatisurnameplz

92 is one of the few years that has a game that can actually stand up to Ocarina or Pokemon RBY thanks to A Link to the Past, but the drop off between that and Super Mario Kart is pretty huge, and neither Kirby's Dream Land nor Wolfenstein 3D have the strength to make up for it. Really, there's nothing in this contest that can stop 98. It's absolutely deserving of the title "Best Year in Gaming". It won't be a total blowout because 92 actually has games, but I expect 98 to easily get the win.


1998 – 65.07%



Crew Consensus: 98 takes it ez
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LeonhartFour posted...

whatisurnameplz posted...

emergency guest analysis:

you guys have too much confidence in 94 after it stunk it up round 1, and are underestimating 2011. 94 will win but won't break 60.

94 - 59.83%

you're lucky we didn't accept this

imagine how silly you'd look right now

fortunately for the rest of us, there's no imagination required for this one!
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shoot, sorry. nothing to say about 98, just that 92 got screwed.

98 with 67%

I'll send the other in a minute
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Round 2 – 2003 vs. 2005

Moltar’s Analysis

This could be a decent match? Neither year impressed much last round and put up similar numbers on their opponents. 2013 vs 2015 would likely be a close match as well, though I lean more towards 2013 there since it has the stronger top games.

So we got Wind Waker, FFX-2 and KotOR vs. RE4, PW and SotC… give me the former there, but not by much.

Moltar’s Bracket: 2003

Moltar’s Prediction: 2003 - 53%



transience’s Analysis

Man, who knows. Round 1 looked pretty identical between these two guys. Maybe 2005 looked ever so slightly better? Neither year has a deep lineup but 03 has Wind Waker and 05 has RE4. 03 has FF and Zelda. It's not really the FF you would want but I'll take it. 03 in a squeaker but one I bet isn't actually as close as the final tally would suggest.

transience's prediction: 2003 with 54.01%



Leonhart’s Analysis

These years put up similar performances in round 1, so this essentially boils down to whether 2013 or 2015 is stronger. I think it’s probably pretty close. 2013 has the strongest game in either year in The Last of Us (or A Link Between Worlds, but it’s getting no representation here). 2015 is probably the deeper year, but it also may have underperformed a bit since it was missing Bloodborne in the match pic. LBW is obviously worth more though, so it balances out.

I went back and forth on this match when making my bracket, and I still don’t have any great confidence in either year. I’ll stick with my bracket and go with 2003 because it has a mainline Zelda, and that’s a pretty good tiebreaker for two relatively even years.

Leonhart’s Vote: 2005

Leonhart’s Prediction: 2003 with 57.57%



Kleenex’s Analysis

I've already expressed my lack of faith in 2005 twice this contest and I'll do it again here - I still don't think '05 is that strong. That being said, '03 kinda sucks too. It couldn't break 60% on '13 and it really only has Wind Waker of note. At the end of the day, though, it doesn't matter because they both get savaged by 1998 next round.

Based on last round, I think 2005 was slightly more impressive so I guess I'll go with that. 2005 is also a much more aesthetically pleasing number, so that's sure to get it some votes, right?

Kleenex's Prediction: 2005 with 55%



Guest’s Analysis - spooky



Crew Consensus: 2003 is the Crew favorite
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phew no curse
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you are welcome
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Emergency Guest Analysis:

This will probably be a 55-45 affair in favor of 2005. I have no respect for Disgaea or FFX-2 whatsoever, although Wind Waker is a good anchor.

But just to make things fun, I'll do a direct stats comparison and call it a day.

Resident Evil 4 - 31.82113664
Shadow of the Colossus - 28.94601069
God of War - 23.27769341 (estimate)
Phoenix Wright - 22.37199906

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - 36.010065
KOTOR - 26.46739778
Final Fantasy X-2 - 20.9403196 (estimate)
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness - 17.7671412 (Estimate)

2005 - 106.421
2003 - 101.2

2005 wins with 52.45%

Actually less than what I would have given, but I'll roll with it. 2003 has the pic advantage anyway. RE4 and SotC should not be at the bottom of the pic orotation.
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Starting with Round 3, we'll be switching over to 1 match per day.

Also, we need a Guest sign-up topic for the Round 3 matches (unless sign-ups are going to happen in this topic).
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as if we needed any more proof that '98 is going to stomp this contest
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I'm surprised you guys went so low
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Crew Prediction Challenge:

Moltar: 26
Kleenex: 25
transience: 25
Leonhart: 24
Guest: 23

Crew Accuracy Challenge: tran gets the point for 95, 94, 98 and 01, Leon gets the point for 97, 03 and 96, Luster gets the point for 91

transience: 9
Kleenex: 5
Guest: 5 (Dp, Tsunami, Bane, Luster (2))
Leonhart: 5
Moltar: 3
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Round 3 – 1995 vs. 2001

Moltar’s Analysis

I was a bit worried about this one pre-contest when I didn’t know what would matter more, the anchor or depth. Now? I couldn't feel more confident in my pick.

Round 2 pretty much set up 1995’s fate here. It basically went even with 1987, a strong year with good depth. Why was it a close match? Because Chrono Trigger is all 1995 has, and voters are voting based off the entire year (or at least the pictures represented for that year).

If 1987 is Magikarp, then 2001 is Gyrados, an entirely different beast. 2001 has even stronger games and more depth than 1987, so if 1995 could barely beat that, then 2001 shouldn’t have a problem cleaning up here.

Moltar’s Bracket: 2001

Moltar’s Prediction: 2001 - 60%



transience’s Analysis

I guess we're down to one match a day now? This match was kind of hotly debated pre-contest due to how out of this world Chrono Trigger was in 2015. It might have been the strongest game in the bracket, putting 60% on 2001's strongest game before getting counterrallied in one of the most egregious results of all time. I would put CT's loss as being worse than anything Undertale did. At least Undertale was new and refreshing, even though we reacted about as poorly as we could. Melee was a strong game getting beat clean and found a get out of jail free card.

Anyway, 95 needs a hell of a picture factor to turn this around. It needed all day to fight off four NES games, a system that goes maybe 3 deep across the whole platform's lifespan. It was gimped but best case is that Chrono Trigger is still at godslayer strength -- not likely -- and that it gets its four best games which is still a long walk from 01. 95/01 is good in that we're getting a good barometer for good SNES year vs. good PS2 year but the strength gap is pretty massive.

transience's prediction: 2001 with 61.78%



Leonhart’s Analysis

I have to imagine 1995’s picture situation will be much improved now that we have user-made pics, but I don’t expect DKC2, Yoshi’s Island, and EarthBound (and maybe the PS1) to be enough to overcome the gap that appears to exist between it and 2001. It’s looked like a monster through two rounds, which should come as no surprise considering the lineup of great games it’s got. It might get an even better set of games for its pic, too. On the surface, I can’t see any way 2001 loses here, although I think 1995 will perform respectably with a better set of games in its corner. However, if 1995 somehow pulls this one out, it’s just a testament to how much pictures actually matter in a contest like this.

Leonhart’s Vote: 2001

Leonhart’s Prediction: 2001 with 59.50%
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Kleenex’s Analysis

R.I.P. my bracket (May 2nd 2017 - May 16th 2017).

I had some high hopes for 1995 going into this contest. After round 1, it seemed like my pick of 1995 making it to the finals wasn't entirely crazy. Then round 2 happened, and it's all down the toilet. 1995 looked bad last round. You can try to gussy it up all you want - 1987 is actually really strong! The match picture was bad! - but there's no denying that this upset has almost no chance of happening now. 2001 looked pretty great last round too, for what it's worth.

Now, I don't know what the match pics look like for round 3 yet. I assume with 8 games per year, they'll both get all the big names this time, instead of freaking Full Throttle for diversity's sake. Even then, 1995 is going to have to rely on Chrono Trigger a lot and I think we've seen that one anchor game isn't enough to do well in this contest. 2001's depth is too too strong, even if 1995's top game is far and away the strongest.

Although both games are equidistant, year-wise, from 1998...! Really makes you think...

Kleenex's Prediction: 2001 with 57%



Guest’s Analysis - Tsunami

Well, we've seen this before. Just last contest, actually; CT didn't have enough to take down Melee then, and it doesn't have enough backup to deal with the rest of 2001's repertoire. That said, this is NostalgiaFAQs and 1995's not exactly weak, so I think this will merely be an Ulti-style blowout rather than a true blowout.

2001 with 57% of the vote



Crew Consensus: 2001 moves on to the final four
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Master Moltar posted...

Crew Prediction Challenge:

Moltar: 26
Kleenex: 25
transience: 25
Leonhart: 24
Guest: 23

Crew Accuracy Challenge: tran gets the point for 95, 94, 98 and 01, Leon gets the point for 97, 03 and 96, Luster gets the point for 91

transience: 9
Kleenex: 5
Guest: 5 (Dp, Tsunami, Bane, Luster (2))
Leonhart: 5
Moltar: 3

thanks for the crown, boys! we'll ignore the prediction challenge though Moltar still has to get 91/94 and the top semifinal right.
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ez
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let's go 95, prove me wrong
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I'm toying with a perfect prediction in 2003/2005 at the moment.
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feeling slightly less bad about pick 95 now, at least this is close
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Round 3 – 1997 vs. 1996

Moltar’s Analysis

FF7 vs. SM64 would be a very interesting match these days, as FF7 isn’t as strong as it used to be, while SM64 is like a fine wine. This isn’t that match though, as 96 and 97 were bigger than just those two games.

Unfortunately for 96, it really only has SMRPG and high fodder going for it after SM64. 97 definitely wins the depth battle, and its second tier games like SotN and Goldeneye, are fairly legit.

The days of blowouts are over, but 97 is strong enough to win this by a comfortable margin.

Moltar’s Bracket: 2000 (lol)

Moltar’s Prediction: 1997 - 57%



transience’s Analysis

This match feels pretty clear now. There was a time when a 96 win was a fun theoretical thought, back when you could maybe say Mario 64 beats FF7 and depth doesn't matter. Since then, we've seen that depth does indeed matter and 96 just doesn't have it. 97 only goes maybe 5 deep but 96 goes maybe 3 at best. Okay, there are other last-gasp SNES games from big series' that maybe help but it's not going to hang with 97's n64 triple threat.

Basically, 97 only needs to be better than a gimped 00 to win. It should be above that with some ease. We need one of those time-and-again FF7 bombs to drop this one. Possible, but super unlikely.

transience's predix: 1997 with 59.34%



Leonhart’s Analysis

I’ve seen some people picking 1996 to win this one, but I don’t really get it, especially after 1985/1987. This is basically the N64 version of that match, with 1997 having the added advantage of a little game called Final Fantasy VII. 1996 has Mario 64 and the launch of the N64, but 1997 is one of the best years on the system, headlined by Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye 007. I just don’t think 1996 has anything else to pull from to overcome 1997. It probably wouldn’t even be here if 2000 didn’t get hampered by its unfortunate pic rotation, and I doubt 1997 will have that problem here. I think 1997 wins this one easily.

Leonhart’s Vote: 1997

Leonhart’s Prediction: 1997 with 63.45%



Kleenex’s Analysis

I don't really see any way that 1996 can win this. It's a year mostly anchored by two games, while 1997 has a ton of depth. After Mario 64 and Mario RPG, 1996's quality drops off pretty sharply. And to be frank, 1996 doesn't even deserve to be here tbqh. 2000 got robbed. This will be a decent test for '97, though. 2001 definitely looked vulnerable last round (not to discredit '95 or anything!) and '97 can definitely capitalize on that in the semis if it puts up a nice showing here.

Kleenex's Prediction: 1997 with 59%
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Guest’s Analysis - Luster Soldier

One day into Round 3, and we haven't seen any consoles appear in match pictures. I guess Allen is going to snub consoles yet again, even if users submit pictures for consoles. 2001 wasn't too likely to have consoles in its match pictures because the year is too deep with games to swap out one of the games for a console (and 2001 has 3 consoles). 1995 was more likely to have a console appear in a match picture as that year doesn't have as much depth and the PS1 would have been the system most likely to make an appearance. No consoles appeared in 1995's match pictures either, and I don't have much hope of a console appearing in 1996's match pictures.

With the N64 not expected to appear in 1996's match pictures, the chances of winning this match is much lower. The switch from 2 matches per day to 1 match per day has allowed the match pictures to show twice as many games for each year and this clearly benefits the years that have a lot of depth. 1997 has better depth than 1996, including some Nintendo representation that could leech some votes away from 1996.

So far, 1997 has not acted like a FFVII proxy and become the target of anti-votes like FFVII itself would have. But those were the earlier rounds and maybe this could change later in the contest. 1997 has access to solid Nintendo representation in Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, and GoldenEye 007. Those games could make it harder for voters to anti-vote 1997 if all of them appear in the match pictures. Having those 3 N64 games on 1997's side could even neutralize any advantage 1996 might get from having the N64 in a match picture.

Luster Soldier's Bracket: 1997

Luster Soldier's Prediction: 1997 – 55.48%



Crew Consensus: 97 says see ya next year to 96
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Emergency guest analysis

1996 wins here, no questions asked. SM64 + SMRPG > FF7 + SoTN

spooky's predixion - 1996 wins with 52%
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what emergency
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y tho

cant we just throw in an upset pick
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you can (and should) when it's your turn

Guests have been disappointing this year
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perfect reflection of the contest
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Oh well yeah, but it was disheartening to see no support for 1996 >_>
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that's because it's going to lose
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no it wont
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there goes bracket
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LeonhartFour posted...

there goes bracket

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i actually have 97 winning

its just that i get eliminated from the guru within an hour. had 95>2001

soooo uhh....yeaa there goes bracket
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glad I went high

whoo back on the leaderboard
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2001 is fucked
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man I almost went super high here but hedged my bet

hmm 96 or 92?
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Why doesn't 1996 get Diablo or Civ II in the picture / list of notable games? The first was groundbreaking and the second is considered nearly legendary. I get why cult classics like Lufia II (a truly exceptional game that never gets its fair due) isn't there, but leaving out the above two is just irresponsible.

-MS

Allen just picked what people submitted. quick, someone submarine 98
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brb going to make pics for Gex, Blasto, Iggy's Reckin' Balls, and Body Harvest
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mikestrauss posted...

Why doesn't 1996 get Diablo or Civ II in the picture / list of notable games? The first was groundbreaking and the second is considered nearly legendary. I get why cult classics like Lufia II (a truly exceptional game that never gets its fair due) isn't there, but leaving out the above two is just irresponsible.

-MS

Because they were PC games pre Steam. Sadly nobody cares about those outside of another Blizzard title, Starcraft, and early FPSes like Doom.

If PC gaming pre steam had any popularity, 1999 would be just outside of 1998 and 2001, so in that 95/00/97 type tier. Yet people think its one of the worst years because they are idiots.
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Round 3 – 1991 vs. 1994

Moltar’s Analysis

So here’s what many are speculating to be the last toss-up of the contest. I have 1991 in my dead bracket, but am I still standing by that? Click here to find out!



So I’ve been going back and forth since the contest started. In Round 1, 91 blew out fodder (which isn’t as impressive now considering how many other years were able to do the same) while 94 struggled with 2004. In Round 2, 91 struggled with 2002 while 94 performed well. Overall, I would take 2004 over 2002, so on that basis alone I’m leaning more towards 1994.

Picture might not be a huge factor here as both years got great pictures that showcase their strongest games at the forefront. 1994 is missing MMX, but that would have been the final nail in the coffin, as even without it, I believe it edges out 1991’s line-up. Yeah, SMW is at the top, but several of 1994’s games are right behind it and ahead of the next strongest 1991 game.

In the end, those Round 2 performances made up my mind on this match. Siding with 1994.

Moltar’s Bracket: 1991

Moltar’s Prediction: 1994 - 54%



transience’s Analysis

Okay, I'm back home and ready for the match of the contest! It probably won't be 96/00 close but it's the most fun theoretical battle of the contest, especially with how 01 struggled against 95 and 97 blowing 96 the hell up.

Let's start by looking at results. 1991 looked in control after round 1 where it destroyed 1988. It's one of the most nostalgia-heavy years going up against the lowest tier mainline Zelda and a year that lacked Mario 2 (not that it would have mattered a whole lot). Meanwhile, 1994 collapsed after the early vote and got dragged under 60% by 2004, a year without any really big games outside of MGS3. In round 2, 1994 again started out super strong before falling from heaven. It was probably better than 1991 though which went under 55% against a 2002 year that had good games but not great ones.

That's all nice and good. I actually don't think results matter a whole lot here though. This is an intergenerational battle and I think it depends on which side the fanbase falls on. Here's what it comes down to for me: can Super Mario World SFF Super Metroid? Or, put another way: is Super Metroid legit? It had a breakout year in 2015 but was way out of line with its previous performances. Yeah, we never had a good read on it, but it was clearly never on Majora's level after getting tripled by LTTP in 04 and struggling with Super Mario Kart in 09.

I'll answer these separately. Can Mario World SFF Super Metroid? It certainly wasn't able to do anything to Metroid Prime. Different generations, but still. Is Super Metroid legit? Metroid Prime certainly looks it! Also, Chrono Trigger almost carried 1995 to a win over 2001 which is full of killers. Those two things point to both Metroid being legit and the 2015 results being legit. Oh, one other game that looked great in 2015? Final Fantasy VI.

I do think there's some scary stuff in 1991's favor. There's the x-factor of that Mario World/Sonic 1 picture, side by side, in the first scroll. The Super Metroid/FF6 combo is a strong counter though. There's the fact that 1994 missed getting Mega Man X while 1991 got Metroid 2 - not a strong game by any means but it still looks awesome and has METROID all front and center. FF4 was able to avoid the head-on confrontation of FF6 which would not go well. If there's a nostalgia factor in this contest, 1991 has a great shot.
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Me? I'm going with the better games. 1991 is the year that the Super Nintendo debuted but 1994 is the year that the SNES matured into 'system of the ever' status. I don't think this matchup will be very close -- 1994 will surely jump out to a lead before 1991 starts clawing back. With same fanbase type stuff, it's rarely dead even. I'm gonna throw my hat in the 1994 ring.

transience's prediction: 1994 with 55.78%



Leonhart’s Analysis

Now that I’m back on the leaderboard, it’s time to act in complete self-interest and find reasons 1991 will win…! Seriously though, I think it’s pretty clear through two rounds that both of these years weren’t as strong as many of us originally predicted. I do feel a little better about 1991’s chances after seeing 1995 essentially go even with 2001 outside of the night vote after a terrible performance against 1987. I’m probably making a false correlation, but it works for me! Makes me feel like 1991 can rebound here, too.

The match pics went up shortly before I started writing this, and it looks like both years got a good lineup. 1991 has Mario/Sonic and 1994 has Super Metroid/FFVI on the top line, which is what both sides would want. I think 1991’s pic has more nostalgia for people like me who were gamers back then, but 1994 has more stuff that people still play and love today. I don’t know who that’s an advantage for, but I think it’s pretty balanced. I think this will be a pretty close match either way, barring some weird generational SFF thing.

Leonhart’s Vote: 1991

Leonhart’s Prediction: 1991 with 51.05%



Kleenex’s Analysis

This is probably the last debatable match of the contest, after seeing the past two days' results. The last 4 days are on cruise control barring any outside influence.

So today's match. '91 has impressed and '94 has slightly disappointed in my eyes. I originally thought that '94 would take this because that year had better depth and that has been shown multiple times to matter in this contest. But after seeing the match pics, the depth is actually a lot closer than I thought, especially with '94 being denied MMX. If you go down the list of both years by strength, SMW should beat FF6, SM should beat FF4, Sonic 1...probably beats S&K? SF2...loses to DKC? Maybe? F-Zero is then probably worth more than anything left in '94's bucket.

This one is going to be close. Perhaps this is finally the match where the console makes the difference? For the two people who take that into account? My bracket says '91, so let's go in on this. Screw you 1994! I don't like your games anyway.

Kleenex's Prediction: 1991 with 51%
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Guest’s Analysis - tennisboy213

This is a big match, and will go a long way in determining the guru winner and who wins a prize in the main contest. Maybe I can even make a leaderboard appearance! Before I get to this match, I'd like to talk about something that has been lightly discussed, but I feel is probably a major factor this contest, and that is generational SSF. I feel that any matchup between years that feature games from the same consoles will have at least a little, and probably a good amount of SSF. I think we're seeing that in the current match. Both years are PS1/N64 years, and '97 is far superior for both consoles. Will there be SSF in this match? Probably, as '91 and '94 and both SNES/Genesis years, although I don't think it will be as pronounced as in some of the other matches we've seen.

Anyway, these are two of my favorite years. Neither year got an optimal pic, although 1994's Mega Man X is probably the biggest snub, and Allen continues to refuse to acknowledge Sonic 3 & Knuckles (S&K appears in the pic though). 1991 didn't get the SNES, but that was expected after no console pics appeared in the other matches.

1991 underperformed against 2002 last round, getting under 55% when most were expecting low to mid 60's. That makes 1994 the slight favorite going into this match. 1994 may have slightly underperformed against 2011, getting 62%, but the real thing to take away from that match is 1994's drop from the board vote. It dropped nearly 17% from the 4-minute mark. We'll see if a similar drop happens this match.

The pic order may be important, as 1994 has the advantage in the first 8 pics, and 1991 has the advantage in the last 8. This match seems similar to the ongoing match, however, I believe this will be significantly closer. 1991 has more depth than 1996 and 1994 is missing Mega Man X from the pics. Still, I think the voters will see 1994 as just the better and deeper year.

tennisboy213's bracket: 1994>1991
tennisboy213's prediction: 1994 with 55%



Crew Consensus: Crew is split! 1994 is the slight favorite
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I've got the high 94 pick! watch this go like 65/35
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transience posted...

I've got the high 94 pick! watch this go like 65/35

in favor of 1991 hopefully
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