Board 8 > Most Influential Character in Gaming (Mock bracket reveal + Predictions)

(+) Yeah! (+)

The third match of Group 8 is

(5)GlaDOS vs (12)Vincent Valentine

GLaDOS made a huge impression on gamers in her relatively short debut appearance in Portal. She starts as no more than a robot instructing voice, but gradually becomes more insulting and aggressive towards Chell before unhinging completely. She is a very complex character with a tragic backstory, and the endless amount of wit and hilarious insults GLaDOS dishes out sets her apart from other villains robotic or otherwise. She is iconic and very popular due to this, as well as her role in the games. She is even better in Portal 2 when forced into an uneasy partnership with Chell. Her bitter insults are praised, and her emotional depth is as well. GLaDOS' surprising softer side is revealed in the game, furthering her influence to gaming. Her design, VAing and hidden motives are also praised. GLaDOS is one of gaming's defining antagonists - she is loved by fans and has even gotten favorable analysis from academics scholars.

Vincent is one of the few "dark and edgy" game characters whose design has stood the test of time. He is just a straight up mysterious bad*ss loner with a gun and a stylish red cloak. Said cloak is organic and allows him to transform into various forms in battle - a unique concept in RPGs at the time. Vincent is an optional character in Final Fantasy VII, but he is easy to encounter and recruit on the main story path. Vincent does not speak often, but he has a lot of stories to tell when he does, such as the forced experimentation that gave him his powers and the past of Sephiroth. He is also a very attractive guy to boot. Vincent was popular enough to get his own game in Dirge of Cerberus. While not a huge success, the game was praised for its story and fleshing-out of Vincent's character. He is one of the defining "cool" characters of RPGs.

Valve's goodwill on Gfaqs has eroded, with GLaDOS having little impact in 2018. Vincent wasn't overly impressive, but I think he takes this. 55% win for Vincent

The fourth match of Group 8 is

(4)Zero vs (13)Joker

Zero was a bit ahead of his time when he debuted in Mega Man X. Fans loved him from the moment he appeared; his cool design and fiery attitude in comparison to protag X make him incredibly popular. Not only that, but he had flowing blonde locks of hair and AN ENERGY SWORD. In Zero's later playable appearances, his swordplay would give players a new way to experience Mega Man series gameplay. Zero would later get his own spinoff series Mega Man Zero, which would give him a sleak redesign alongside unique weapons and a darker story than mainline MM. His origins are linked to the OG Megaman games, and his anti-hero role in the series is praised. Zero has been in many Capcom crossover games, most notably Marvel vs Capcom 3. He is possibly THE example of a bad*ss breakout character in gaming.

Persona is no stranger to near-silent protagonists, but Joker was something very few silent protags are - cool as h*ll. While unassuming normally, Joker is a stylish showoff in his phantom thief role in Persona 5. He sneaks around with knives and guns and always gets the job done, and looks cool while doing it. Joker awakens his persona by tearing off his trademark mask, and embodies the spirit of rebellion pushed by the game. Unlike previous protags he lives up to his role as the leader of the party, and feels like a real participant in the story. Some of his possible dialogue options are really funny too. His popularity and stylish flair helped make Persona a much more visable series, and he even got a smash appearance to back this up.

Even with a smash boost and no naming issues, Joker has no chance of defeating the high midcarder Zero. 67% win for Zero.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 8 are

(6)Capcom vs (11)Namco

and (3)Nintendo vs (14)Konami
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(6) Dr. Wily vs. (11) Blinky
(3) Pokmon Trainer Red vs. (14) The Boss
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The fifth match of Group 8 is

(6)Morrigan Aensland vs (11)Ivy Valentine

You only need to look at Morrigan to know why she's popular; she is sexy as h*ll. Morrigan's sleak and sexy design, alluring face and seductive personality make the succubus a breakout fan favorite. She surpassed the popularity of her own series and became a Capcom and gaming icon; appearing in countless crossover games. She is a defining sex symbol of the 90s too. Morrigan has a bit of an immature streak despite her looks, but ultimately accepts her responsibilities as the successor to her family's demon world throne. Her relationship with her "sister" Lilith is also a bit suggestive, to say the least. Her fighting style and moveset in Darkstalkers is also iconic. She has a unique manner of midair movement which can be taken advantage of with moves such as Shell Kick. Morrigan is best known for her Soul Fist projectile, which can be oppressively spammed in conjunction with certain super moves.

Ivy is one of the best-known sex symbols in gaming, although she is not above criticism. Some say she is too sexualized and that her costume is too skimpy - most fans do not mind. Ivy's design leaves VERY little to the imagination, and her exotic white hair and British accent are also appealing. Her sharp tongue and rough demeanor combined with her signature whipblade weapon give her the appearance of a dominatrix, which naturally is another popular aspect of Ivy. Despite that, Ivy is a celibate lone wolf who considers her bloodline cursed, and is determined to defeat her father - the mad pirate Cervantes. She is a very sexualized yet unattainable crush for many Soul Calibur fans. Her moveset in the games is very unique, making use of her weapon;s superior range in both sword and whip states. She is a very difficult yet satisfying character to use.

I think that Morrigan has likely lost strength since 2013, but she still likely wins this. Gfaqs doesn't really care about 3D fighting games in general. 65% win for Morrigan.

The sixth match of Group 8 is

(3)Yoshi vs (14)The Boss

Yoshi is just really cute. His simple design effortlessly stands out and appeals to fans. He is one of the most popular and cutest characters in gaming. Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World and brought a lot of unique elements to platformers of the time. He could stomp on enemies, eat items and enemies alike with his long tongue, and gain different abilities (and colors) by eating Koopa shells. And Mario could jump off Yoshi's back to save himself; a sacrifice that would be made commonly by players. Yoshi is one of the signature sidekicks in gaming, and a loyal partner to Mario. Yoshi has had many games of his own, including Yoshi's Island and Story, which introduced his signature flutter jump and ground pound abilities. His constant presence in Mario spinoffs and smash helped his iconic status.

The Boss was only featured as a major character in Metal Gear Solid 3, but made a huge impact in that game. She is a tough soldier who was a WWII hero, and supposedly betrayed the U.S. for the Soviets. She is presented without a hint of sexualization - rare for major female character in gaming. She is attractive, but that is not really important. She is a pure bad*ss who relies on nothing but her own strength and determination to accomplish her goals. The Boss' role in the game and backstory are praised as emotional and complex. And her final showdown with Naked Snake is one of the most iconic moments in gaming. She is a character who is still loved to this day, and her legacy would be important in later Metal Gear games.

Obviously Yoshi is a lot stronger here, but The Boss definitely has a fanbase on Gfaqs. She avoids a doubling I think - 66% win for Yoshi.

The seventh and eight matches of Group 8 are

(7)Capcom vs (10)Namco

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Atlus
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(7) Dr. Wily vs. (10) Blinky
(2) Pokmon Trainer Red vs. (15) Catherine
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tag
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The seventh match of Group 8 is

(7)M. Bison vs (10)Heihachi Mishima

Of course M. Bison is the most iconic villain in fighting games; he was the final boss in the original Street Fighter 2 and the archrival of several characters in the series. His influence in the series is felt in every game, as his criminal organization Shadowloo is responsible for countless vile deeds. His goal is world domination, and he has the power and ambition to make it happen. Bison has an over the top dictator-like design and personality, and can be equal parts cheesy and intimidating. He gave up his human empathy to obtain his Psycho Power, and relishes every opportunity to make use of it. Bison is a very popular villain, and his memetastic portrayals in the Street Fighter movie and animated show only help his cause. Many of Bison's special moves in gameplay are iconic, such as Psycho Crusher and Scissor Kick. His boss fights are also praised, particularly in the Alpha series. He is pure evil with a twist of humor, and one of gaming's defining villains.

Heihachi first appeared in the original Tekken, and has been in every game since. Despite being an old man, he is an unapologetic villain and the poster boy for terrible dads in gaming. He threw his young son Kazuya off a cliff to supposedly "test" him, but was ultimately defeated by Kaz. The two would continuously wrestle for control of Mishima Zaibatsu in later games. However, many of his actions have good intentions, and he will fight evils greater than him. Tekken 7 reveals his tragic past, and ends with a dramatic confrontation with Kazuya. His black and grey morality makes him an interesting character among fighters. His design is iconic thanks to his crazy hair, and he is praised for his power. The old man needs only a few hits to take down his opponent, potentially just one punch This bad*ss grandpa is likely the most well-known and popular character in the Tekken series.

Tekken is not popular on Gfaqs so Bison is the obvious choice here, but Heihachi won't do terrible. 56% win for Bison.

The eighth match of Group 8 is

(2)Ganondorf vs (15)Aigis

The king of evil and the holder of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf is the main antagonist and final boss of most Legend of Zelda games. He first appeared as a demon-like boar called Ganon in The Legend of Zelda, and is stopped from conquering Hyrule. Referred to in ALttP, the Gerudo thief Ganondorf debuts in Ocarina of Time. He succeeds in taking over Hyrule Castle through treachery, and the game establishes the Master Sword as the counter to his dark power. His first boss fight in this game is iconic as well. He returns again and again with new plots in other games. His design screams evil, and he is just a cool character in his appearances. He has great ambition and power, but his arrogance and ego almost always doom him in the end. He is one of the most popular and praised villains in gaming, and his appearances in smash and the memetastic LoZ cartoon boost his status as well.

I may try to find a replacement for Aigis here, not sure yet. She first appeared in Persona 3, and was praised for her character development in that game. She starts out very robotic (fitting for an android), but gradually learns to be human. Her hidden past and relationship with the protagonist are key to the game's story. The player can pursue a romantic relationship with Aigis too. Aigis proved very popular, and was the protagonist of The Answer expansion of P3. Her design famously blurs the line between robot and human, with her cute face and slick gold and white color scheme. Aigis is powerful even without her Persona, with a multitude of weapons and flight abilities built in. She is one of the most complex robotic characters in gaming.

Obviously Ganondorf is winning this by a lot. However I do think Aigis could be stronger than Yu due to her appealing design. 74% win for Ganondorf.
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So the bracket is fully revealed, but this topic is not done. I will be making a recap of the bracket and talking about possible changes that can be made - seeding changes, possible characters to cut and snubs (including most of Metalmind's guesses/suggestions). Stay tuned. I will likely remake my bracket after that and post it in a new topic for discussion. I don't think I'll do a guessing game on that, but maybe I could go with game debut dates instead of companies? Thoughts on that.
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I'm going to wait until you post a full recap to list my concrete suggestions, but I don't think I would bother to participate in another guessing game, unless perhaps you were able to get a few others to do so. You could probably tell how phoned-in my guesses were by the end - I must have guessed Dr. Wily at least five times, and I totally forgot Ganondorf hadn't even been revealed.
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I put the bracket in good old Bracket Maker - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=471892

There are a lot of changes I would consider making to bracket, here are the most likely ones I would make:

Darth Revan, 2B - move up to 15 seed
Simon Belmont - move up to 11 or 10 seed
Duke Nukem - move up to 10 or 9 seed
Amaterasu - move up to 14 seed
Fox - move down to 7 seed
Marth - move down to 9 seed
Alucard, Zero - move down to 5 seed
Lara Croft - move up to 2 seed
Haggar - move up to 9 seed
Guybrush, Alyx Vance - move up to 11 seed
SHODAN, Magus - move up to 13 seed
Dracula - move down to 6 seed
Metroid, Lightning - move down to 12 seed
Mai Shiranui - move down to 8 seed
Chris Redfield - move down to 13 or 14 seed
Yuffie, Vincent - possibly move up to 11 seed
Auron, Agent 47 - move up to 12 seed
Knuckles - move down to 11 seed
Kirby - move down to 3 seed
Tommy Vercetti - move down to 15 seed
Sub-Zero, Crash Bandicoot - move up to 4 seed
Lloyd Irving - move down to 16 seed
Felicia - move down to 10 seed

Aigis, Kanji Tatsumi, Zangief, KOS-MOS, Saber - remove from bracket
Erdrick, Travis Touchdown - possibly remove from bracket

I will make another post regarding snubs. I will definitely be considering The Avatar from Ultima, Diablo, Dr. Wily, Ms Pac-Man and others.
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Now that I can look at the whole bracket easily, here's part 1 of my suggestions:

Characters to Consider Adding

- Cecil Harvey (as far as I understand it, his distinctive characterization and moral struggle represented a new milestone in character development among video game protagonists)
- Clyde (the first video game villain who was something more than an enemy, and had some sort of actual characterization in his uniquely random manner)
- Creeper (came onto the scene with a uniquely suicidal and devastating style of attack that leveraged Minecraft's voxel sandbox properties to their fullest, and has since become arguably the icon of its tremendously popular and influential game, and arguably even indie gaming in general)
- Doomguy / Doom Slayer (a character whose characterization [implied in the original series, and directly shown in the reboot] perfectly encapsulates the gameplay and general ethos of his tremendously influential debut game, arguably serving as the popularizer of the whole archetype of heroes of few words, but big weapons in shooters and even certain similar games)
- Lee Everett (a rare prominent, positive depiction of a minority ethnicity in video gaming, and a pioneer of the modern resurgence of choice-heavy adventure gaming)
- Ms. Pac-Man (the first female character with a substantial, playable role in a popular game, and one who was and even is still to a certain extent distinct for her lack of sexualization, particularly in gameplay)
- Pauline (the original damsel-in-distress of video games, with the success of her game establishing said archetype as the most common goal of a hero's quest in video gaming; that alone should be enough for a low seed at least, even if you consider the likes of Peach and Zelda to be much more influential as popularizers of their archetype)
- Red Bird (not very influential as a character, but his source game turned into a near-unprecedented phenomenon, leveraging its characters' unique style of gameplay)
- Sans (hard to explain this one without spoilers, but this is a character of many roles in his internet phenomenon of a source game, including memorable dialogue delivered in a distinctive style)
- Space Invader (the original disposable goon that spawned and attacked the player en masse, well before the likes of the Slime and Goomba; also inadvertently created the concept of difficulty as we know it in video gaming, by way of them becoming faster as fewer of them were on the screen, thanks to programming limitations - furthermore, to this day, it's a prominent symbol of video gaming in general, particularly among older audiences)
- The Avatar (I would suggest a mid-pack seed; see post #49 for my reasoning)
- Weighted Companion Cube (Portal's plot development pulled off the unprecedented feat of emotionally attaching the player to this inanimate object, even giving it implied characterization)

Characters to Consider Removing

- Aigis (I don't see a robot developing humanity in a cult hit as terribly influential, even by the standards of video gaming, a medium where such character progression isn't dime-a-dozen)
- Lloyd Irving (I believe Crono and especially Sora pretty much obsolete Lloyd's twin niches of the idealistic JRPG protagonist who holds his ideals the whole game and a pioneering character in terms of establishing action-RPG gameplay)
- Saber (just not a very influential character overall, and not one who belongs in this bracket, in my opinion; maybe I'm just out of the loop about her importance, though, and I suppose she is a principal symbol of the modern gacha trend)
- Strider Hiryu (really, it's fellow Capcom character Dante who's the very image of the cool protagonist rather than Strider, and as you mentioned, his series never went beyond a cult hit)
- Zangief (for the reason you mentioned, of him not innovating grappler gameplay)

Part 2 will be in another post.
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And here's part 2, about specific seeding changes I would recommend:

First off, I agree with all of these:

half_silver28 posted...

Simon Belmont - move up to 11 or 10 seed
Duke Nukem - move up to 10 or 9 seed
Marth - move down to 9 seed
Alucard, Zero - move down to 5 seed
Lara Croft - move up to 2 seed
Haggar - move up to 9 seed
Guybrush, Alyx Vance - move up to 11 seed
SHODAN - move up to 13 seed
Lightning - move down to 12 seed
Mai Shiranui - move down to 8 seed
Chris Redfield - move down to 13 or 14 seed
Auron, Agent 47 - move up to 12 seed
Kirby - move down to 3 seed
Felicia - move down to 10 seed

Heres some additional seed shuffling I favor, with explanations:

- Swapping DK and Mega Man: DK was the original big bad of video gaming, and an overwhelmingly iconic and enduring presence in that role, even before his second iteration as a hero of his own series and a spinoff staple turned him into perhaps the most prominent heavyweight, both in terms of gameplay and characterization, of video gaming. Meanwhile, though Mega Mans gameplay is iconic in more ways than one, and hes distinct as a robot protagonist at a time when robots were common enemies in various mediums, I dont feel his series has the sheer profile and importance necessary to justify a 1-seed. To me, his influence is akin to the likes of Pac-Man and Lara Croft rather than the likes of Snake, Samus, and Sonic, and I think his seed should reflect that.

- Swapping Gordon and Crono: Gordons highly distinct and influential, especially in his genre, for his intelligence and resourcefulness, with his nerdy traits enhancing his presence as a stand-in for the player. On top of that, hes one of the most enduringly popular of all video game characters practically everywhere outside of GameFAQs, much more so than Crono. I also dont feel Cronos really all that unique in terms of gameplay or characterization versus the likes of Link and Erdrick.

- Swapping Tracer and Joker: You effectively nailed the reasons for Tracers importance, but I would contend that you judged her a bit too harshly for being such a new character from such a new game. To me, Joker (who is from an even newer game) simply has less going for him in terms of influence, whatever ones thoughts might be on the two as characters.

- Increasing Arthas, Ryu, and Slime: Arthas because of his tragic descent into darkness, making him unique as a hero who becomes a villain, and the most iconic character from his popular series. Ryu is because when comparing him to other Capcom characters, his influence is much closer to Mega Man than to Dante, and I could make similar comparisons to most other 2 and 3-seeds. Finally, the Slime was the first video game enemy to be loveable rather than threatening or at least alien. Its sheer popularity led to it becoming its series mascot at a time when video game enemies were supposed to be just that, and it was arguably even responsible for the addition of monster-taming elements to later Dragon Quest games, which in time blossomed into an entire sub-genre of its own.

- Decreasing Cammy, GLaDOS, Guile, Mileena, Morrigan, Terry, and Zelda: GLaDOS owes too many debts to SHODAN, and theres still surprisingly few antagonists like her in video gaming, which attests poorly to her influence. I dont think Zelda should be above Peach, considering they generally serve similar roles in their games, and Peach even came first. Im out of space to explain the rest in this post, so Ill instead elaborate if you ask.

- Further decreasing Alucard and Zero: The Castlevania series features many vampire hunters but only one Dracula, and Alucard fits the profile of a fan favorite rather than an icon, so I think he should be below Dracula. Excepting Zeros blond hair and energy sword, Proto Man was arguably Zero before Zero was Zero, so I feel that even a 5-seed is overrating him.

Part 3 will be a postscript about things I forgot in part 1, and why I'm not citing some of the characters I guessed.
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First off, theres two notable characters I forgot to mention in part 1. KOS-MOS, who you already mentioned you intended to remove, is a character I would also recommend cutting. At first, I thought she was important enough to have a reasonable argument for staying, but the more I think about it, the more I realize even her few relatively unique niches by video game standards aren't distinct when considering broader media.

Likewise, Ness is another character who has a strong argument to be added, for his enduring positivity, kindness, and general idealism as a child protagonist, distinguished further by his unique weaponry, his own mind being the source of his magical talents (iirc), and his games setting.

I would also like to defend Erdrick as a worthy choice for inclusion, despite the fact that I didn't even guess him as the second Enix character. In short, while Erdrick was contemporaneous with Link, who admittedly steals his thunder in many ways, he justifies his inclusion for me due to his status as a recurring presence throughout the initial Dragon Quest trilogy, at a time when video game stories tended to essentially repeat rather than explicitly acknowledge the events and plot beats of their predecessors.

There's a lot more I might feel differently than you on, but I chose to limit myself, because much of this is about subjective opinions regarding characters who have very similar claims to a given seed. Plus, I'm not that knowledgeable about the influence of many characters from games I haven't played, with exceptions where their importance is obvious. Those reasons contribute to why I'm not suggesting characters such as Blinky, Diablo, and Dr. Wily, all of which I frequently guessed. In addition, there's nothing that definitively says to me that they were highly influential characters, as opposed to merely being prominent parts of popular and significant series.

I guess that about wraps up my thoughts. Sorry this turned into a three-post novel - it was certainly interesting to follow along with this bracket, and I wound up having plenty of things to say about it once fully unveiled. Props for your effort on it, which shines through to the final product; in particular, I never would have thought of some of these characters, and yet they make perfect sense after reading your explanations.
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Thanks for following this topic to the end and giving plenty of suggestions. It is apparently pretty difficult to make writeups on characters I am not always completely familiar with, but I'm glad they turned out ok in the end. I think I identified most of the major errors in the bracket, mostly due to my own bias and occasional lack of oversight. I did have a hard time separating Gfaqs contest strength from affecting seeding too - probably since I was doing match analysis.

I will start off this post on snubs by going over Metalmind's suggestions, and then talking about other snubs I identified in another post. I'll probably respond to the seeding and removal suggestions in another additional post:

Cecil Harvey - And let the bias begin. I am familiar with FFIV and considered many characters from it. My having played the game went against Cecil; his struggles with morality in the game made me roll my eyes. It felt like he was a Dark Knight in name only, and he only had inner darkness because the game said so. But that is discounting the fact that his struggles were unique and groundbreaking at the time, so Cecil is ultimately a valid snub here.
Clyde - I don't think that having a unique attack pattern makes Clyde particularly influential. You could glean characterization from that, but I don't think that is a common thought. No on this one.
Creeper - I know next to nothing about Minecraft, but it isn't a particularly character-focused game. It has a somewhat unique manner of attack and is well known, but I don't think it does enough.
Doomguy - The problem with him is that he is just a mostly unseen player avatar, and doesn't even have an official name. He filled his role perfectly well to allow players to insert themselves into a bad*ss demon killer. But his complete lack of personality until the reboot hurts him too much here.
Lee Everett - I don't think Lee is suitable here for two reasons. He is notable as a minority protagonist, but it wasn't really groundbreaking circa 2013. Also the "revival" of point and click adventures only lasted for a few years, so any influence he had was very limited.
Ms. Pac-Man - "It's just Pac-Man with a bow" was the thinking that kept her out of the original bracket. But she was possibly the first female protagonist in gaming, and even had some personality shown in her developing relationship with Pac-Man. Very valid snub here.
Pauline - Overlooked her here, she is a valid snub. In fact while looking for snubs, I noted another early damsel in Princess Daphne from Dragon's Lair. She is one of the earliest examples of an overtly sexualized female character in games.
Red Bird - Um, no. You even admit he isn't influential.
Sans - Yeah I got nothing here. If he is a big part of Undertale like you say then maybe he is valid here.
Space Invader - Pretty valid snub for the reasons you stated.
The Avatar - Absolutely a valid snub. One of the first notable customizable protagonists, and the groundbreaking use of a morality system for him/her.
Companion Cube - No on this one. The cube itself doesn't do anything but look vaguely cute. It is the game itself/GLaDOS that makes you care about the cube.
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Here are my additional snubs:

Dr. Wily - He was one of my last cuts from the original bracket
Diablo - Same for him.
Red, Blue - Red is iconic for being the default image of a trainer, and Blue is an iconic jerk*ss rival
Andrew Ryan - Complex character with unique motivations who shaped the story of Bioshock
Big Daddy - considered for the bracket
Trevor Philips - notable anti-hero who could believably commit heinous acts in GTA
Gex - had unique gameplay and abilities for the time, praised for his witty one liners
Athena Asamiya - Her design and powers making her a popular magical schoolgirl archetype. She wasn't just popular in KoF, but her game Psycho Soldier had unique gameplay for 1987 and she was one of the first game characters to have their own vocal theme music. She is also a descendant of the Athena from a self-titled arcade/NES game. She even became a virtual Youtuber last year. Athena was one of the last cuts from the bracket.
Kain, Raziel (Legacy of Kain) - Kain himself is probably a valid snub, perhaps Raziel too.
Garrus Vakarian - another late cut from the bracket. He is a very strong and developed character in his own right.
Max Payne - Possibly THE defining vigilante cop in gaming. Also known for this dark personality and development, and for having the worst luck on the planet.
Ness - Probably a valid snub, but I'm not sure he does enough. He would barely be known by anyone if it wasn't for smash. Earthbound is a game with many merits, but I feel that few of them can be attributed to Ness himself.
The Prince of Persia - The early games featuring him had unique gameplay for the time and he was a more mature protagonist. The Sands of Time brought in the unique time manipulation into gameplay, and the Prince was likable and praised for his development. Valid snub most likely.
Q*Bert - A cute character in a unique early 80s game. He had some personality too with his "cussing". Valid snub.
Rayman - Very unique design and his punch powers brought a new experience to gameplay. His 2D games are renowned for difficulty. Mascot for Ubisoft.
John Marston - Another late cut from the bracket
Ryo Hazuki - A normal guy who does normal guy things in Shenmue. He's known for driving a forklift at his part-job. Shenmue was a hit despite focusing on the mundane. Players really care about him due to everything they have to do in the game.
Heather Mason - somewhat a late cut. She's a unique female protag in Silent Hill 3.
Garrett (Thief) - Also a late cut. He is praised for his development and coolness. He is a cynical bad*ss who is the gaming version of Robin Hood.
Illidan Stormrage - A very powerful villain who is deeply involved with the lore of Warcraft. Known for his duel against Arthas and the Legion. He is praised for his struggles with his own power.
Little Mac - The ultimate underdog protagonist. He's a little guy who takes down huge fighters. Not sure if he does enough to be a real snub.
Frog - I had him in the bracket for a long time, but I just couldn't nail down WHAT his influence to gaming is. His unique accent and power despite being a frog maybe? And his history with Magus acting as a false flag to direct the player's hatred to him. Valid snub maybe.
Carl Johnson - Possibly a valid snub as a notable minority protagonist in gaming. He looked a bit like a stereotype but was a very sensible and likable char. Minority protags were still pretty rare at the time.
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Here's an interesting litmus test that I just thought of, which helped clarify some of my thoughts on the snubs you mentioned: is a given character definitively more influential than Amaterasu? Basically, my thinking was that Amaterasu probably deserves to be in this bracket, but only barely. If someone is distinctly less influential as a character than Amaterasu, then they don't belong in this bracket. Likewise, if a character is clearly more influential (as opposed to merely debatably so) than Amaterasu, they almost certainly belong in this bracket.

This is approximately how I'd place all the snubs we've mentioned using the Amaterasu test:

More Influential:

Kain: A notable example of an early gray-area antihero from a rather influential series; he's one of the characters who I thought about mentioning, but whose relative degree of influence I couldn't pinpoint until I applied the Amaterasu test.
The Prince of Persia: Basically the same story as Kain, except for the antihero part, of which he isn't a very significant example.
+ Ms. Pac-Man, Pauline, Space Invader, The Avatar

Less Influential:

Garrus Vakarian: I might be missing something because I haven't played his series, but him being a likeable, well-written character with excellent development isn't the same as properly being influential.
Heather Mason: She's certainly unique as a realistic, deglamorized female protagonist of horror, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's hugely influential. Little Mac feels like a good comparison of characters who have things to set them apart, but aren't quite important enough to be considered proper snubs.
Rayman: Another character I thought about, but a unique design and gameplay plus mascot status doesn't necessarily equate to major influence.
Raziel: Kain strikes me as the more significant character from their series.
Red Bird: I suppose I am conflating his game's significance a bit too much with his own.
Trevor Philips: He's merely following in the steps of many previous GTA protagonists, and more generally antiheroes in gaming.
+ Frog, Gex, Little Mac

Arguable:

Andrew Ryan, Illidan Stormrage, John Marston: I'm not really sure about any of these because I haven't played their series.
Carl Johnson: Though I don't know for sure, I feel like Barret is both the more complex and less stereotypical character, which probably outweighs CJ's player character status.
Clyde: I do think you're underrating the fact that he doesn't even chase after Pac-Man as characterization a bit, considering that "rawr I'm evil" was about the extent of most villains' characterization in those days - for example, Bowser didn't acquire proper personality beyond that until 1996. Saying that, though, I don't think he's an egregious snub by any means.
Dr. Wily: I have a hard time pointing out exactly what's overly influential about him, but it does feel odd to see him excluded while Dr. Robotnik sits around midpack, even as Sonic and Mega Man share 1-seeds.
Lee Everett: My impression at least is that he's a serious, principled African-American character who lacks some of the more stereotypical aspects of African-American characterization from previous significant characters such as Barret and CJ, which is the one major argument for his inclusion.
+ Athena Asamiya, Big Daddy, Blue, Cecil Harvey, Creeper, Diablo, Doomguy, Garrett, Max Payne, Ness, Princess Daphne, Red, Ryo Hazuki, Q*Bert, Sans, WCC
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Might Dan from Street Fighter be worth considering as an iconic joke character?

GavsEvans123 posted...

Might Dan from Street Fighter be worth considering as an iconic joke character?

I considered him along with a wide variety of SF characters. He is a defining joke character, but I felt that wasn't enough for this list. Dan is barely known outside of the FGC too.

I do have a lot of thoughts and bracket changes incoming in response to Metalmind's suggestions, but I'll go over a few now:

The Ammy test - that seems like a decent enough way to decide a character's viability. I think the characters you identified as more influential than Ammy are deserving of a spot, though Kain and Prince are debatable (only because characters like Cecil or Dr. Wily are perhaps more deserving).

The ones you identified as less influential are all in hindsight valid exclusions. I am not too familiar with Garrus or the ME series so I wasn't sure how to go about including him, and Heather was just a thought I had. I had Geese Howard and Nakoruru as not so serious ideas too. Frog is a fan favorite but not too influential. Gex I have little experience with, but he was in a very early 3D platformer series with some unique things. I will have at least 6 slots for new entries - I will concede your point on Lloyd Irving and cut him.

Shortlist for inclusion:

Kain
The Prince of Persia
Pauline
Ms. Pac-Man
Space Invader
The Avatar
Dr. Wily
Cecil Harvey
Diablo
Garrett
Q*Bert

More thoughts on seeding later
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MetalmindStats posted...

And here's part 2, about specific seeding changes I would recommend:

- Swapping DK and Mega Man: To me, his influence is akin to the likes of Pac-Man and Lara Croft rather than the likes of Snake, Samus, and Sonic

- Swapping Gordon and Crono

- Swapping Tracer and Joker

- Increasing Arthas, Ryu, and Slime

- Decreasing Cammy, GLaDOS, Guile, Mileena, Morrigan, Terry, and Zelda

- Further decreasing Alucard and Zero

I'm still working on the bracket, but I will go ahead and address these suggestions.

I do not agree with swapping Megaman and DK. DK has the OG Donkey Kong where he is a defining villain, and perhaps the first popular antagonist in gaming. However there is no comparing the influence of the Megaman series to the rest of DK's games. MM easily is more influential and prominent. I think Mega edges him out for a 1 seed slot.

I don't know if I will directly swap Joker and Tracer, but I will move her up and Joker down at least.

I will move Arthas up and likely will move up Slime as well. Ryu I'm just unsure of who I could possibly move down from the 2 to 3 seed line. Maybe Zelda, but it will feel odd to have her below Ganondorf. Maybe I move down both and put Master Chief to 2? The 2 and 3 lines are very close together to me.

Out of all the characters you suggested to move down here, the only one I'm hesitant on is Zelda. I feel that her connection with Link and Ganondorf through the Triforce sets her apart from most damsel characters of the NES era of gaming. And she is the series namesake as well. I will still consider swapping her with Peach - she still came before Zelda. I could think about moving Sephiroth down to the 3 line too.

Also I think I will have to go ahead and cut Travis Touchdown - I don't think he passes the Ammy test and there are quite a few characters who deserve a slot ahead of him. I am not quite ready to cut Strider as you suggested earlier, but I will probably move him down. His OG game is pretty influential, and as a defining "cool" character, he outdates Dante and Captain Falcon.
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new reseeded bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=471976

I am thinking of running this as a tournament thread but I'm not sure if there would be much interest in a tourney that didn't draw nominations from B8. I do think it would be interesting to see who wins though. Would like to hear thoughts on this idea. Can definitely address any questions with the new bracket too.
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The main question I can think of is: why aren't the characters ordered properly within the seeds? To explain what I mean, based on the ordering of GameFAQs contest brackets, there's the following implied ranking within a given seed, in appearance order: 1st > 8th > 5th > 4th > 3rd > 6th > 7th > 2nd. In GameFAQs contests, said ranking is by total nominations, but in this case, it should be by influence where differences are discernable. The previous version of your bracket had such a ranking, with Mario at the top. This time, though, Sonic is at the top for some reason, while Mario is the lowest-ranked 1-seed.

There's a few other minor nitpicks I have, but overall, this bracket looks great. If you were to run it as a contest, I would follow along and vote in the matches, but I unfortunately don't think you would see much interest otherwise.
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I did not do any seeding within the seeds with the bracket - it would be really tough. I won't be running this bracket I think. I might be starting a new discussion topic relating to contests, similar to one from a few years ago that discussed the potential strength of new characters.

I had a good time making the bracket and with the writeups (to an extent). It was feeling like a chore at times but ultimately was a helpful exercise for me. Thanks to everyone who followed this topic : )
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half_silver28 posted...

I did not do any seeding within the seeds with the bracket - it would be really tough.

Yeah, that's fair. I would only propose it for the first few seeds, where the distinctions are noticeable enough to justify a ranking, and even then, your 3-seed order looks right on the money based on influence to me. It just feels odd to not see Mario at the top, though looking at the previous version of your bracket, its top seeds weren't really ordered within the seed either.

Here's about how would rank the 1 and 2-seeds in terms of influence:

1: Mario, Link, Sonic, Samus, Snake, Cloud, Pikachu, Mega Man
2: DK, Pac-Man, Lara Croft, Luigi, Sephiroth, Bowser, Ganondorf, Zelda

Also,

I might be starting a new discussion topic relating to contests, similar to one from a few years ago that discussed the potential strength of new characters.

I would definitely follow along if you decided to do something like this.
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And now there is finally a topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77724679
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