Board 8 > What's your pick to win the new Game of the Decade Contest in early 2020?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Last week, SB confirmed he's begun work on the next GameFAQs Contest, set to release early next year. It's been a fantastic last 10 years of video games, but which has held up the best in the mind of GameFAQs voters? (Or for the sake of keeping this poll interesting- which has made the second largest impact, after Breath of the Wild.)

Let's see what the people think.



Previous Results
YES, Western Civilization peaked in 1999, as The Matrix told us (39%)
YES, B8 still wants a lady on the street and a freak in the bed (59%)
NO, China is not allowed to have their human-chimp hybrid man compete in the Olympics (54%)
YES, Ngamer is allowed to wear his controversial NGS sandals (56%)


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Skyward Sword, Sw/Sh, and FF15 aren't going to be anywhere near the running.

I would have included Undertale over any of those.
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Skyward Snore is an objectively bad game.
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Barring a rally, it will be a Nintendo fest. The real question is what non-Nintendo game will have the best X-stats. Gonna guess The Witcher 3 for that.
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Oh okay, you edited. I was gonna say I can see something getting rallied, resulting in something relatively random like, say, Uncharted 4 getting second in the X-stats for being its first round opponent.
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It should be Super Mario Odyssey - that game is a Herculean accomplishment.

Realistically, it'll be Smash Ultimate or maybe Skyrim.
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Skyward Sword is at that weird era where it doesn't get nostalgia or recency bias. Give it a few more years, and it will pick up the influx of love that Twilight Princess has started getting the past couple years.
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Breath of the-Oh... uh, Smash Ultimate?
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

Barring a rally, it will be a Nintendo fest. The real question is what non-Nintendo game will have the best X-stats. Gonna guess The Witcher 3 for that.

Probably something multiplatform so witcher 3 is a good guess.

I'm curious to see where bloodborne will rank although obviously not that great

Underleveled posted...

Skyward Sword, Sw/Sh, and FF15 aren't going to be anywhere near the running.

I would have included Undertale over any of those.

Zelda's surprised us in GotD before (and every other bracket since 2005, frankly) so I wanted an option for it. But yes with BotW in the bracket SS is so overshadowed, I probably should have picked A Link Between Worlds, if anything.

Wanted a Square option as well so I'm okay with 15, but I think you might be sleeping on Pokemon. GameFAQs has always favored consoles and with the Switch's huge install base (both on this site and worldwide) I think it'll be a smash hit this Christmas to the point where people could still be excited to support it in early 2020.

EDIT - Oh and also I think it's worth considering as a rally candidate; the potential at least is always there, as we saw versus Undertale.
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Nintendofaqs so a Nintendo game. And one Nintendo game has a ton of Nintendo characters so that one.

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Wow, this is a strong reminder of how bad the last decade has been, especially among GFAQs tastes. BotW shouldn't even sniff the top 4. I'll vote for what I think maybe should face it, but Last of Us doesn't feel like a real option because of this site's voting patterns.
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ChichiriMuyo posted...

Wow, this is a strong reminder of how bad the last decade has been, especially among GFAQs tastes. BotW shouldn't even sniff the top 4. I'll vote for what I think maybe should face it, but Last of Us doesn't feel like a real option because of this site's voting patterns.

That's not true, TLoU is fairly strong.
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I feel like KH3 is a better choice if you wanted a Square option.
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ChichiriMuyo posted...

Wow, this is a strong reminder of how bad the last decade has been, especially among GFAQs tastes. BotW shouldn't even sniff the top 4. I'll vote for what I think maybe should face it, but Last of Us doesn't feel like a real option because of this site's voting patterns.

Last decade has been the best decade in gaming!
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Ngamer64 posted...

Wanted a Square option as well so I'm okay with 15, but I think you might be sleeping on Pokemon. GameFAQs has always favored consoles and with the Switch's huge install base (both on this site and worldwide) I think it'll be a smash hit this Christmas to the point where people could still be excited to support it in early 2020.

A lot of people are mad about Gamefreak cutting Pokemon
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Smash Ultimate is probably a lock for at least a finals appearance.

My personal GotD, Undertale, isn't going to win it because I doubt there's going to be another rally to carry it through another contest.
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TomNook posted...

Skyward Sword is at that weird era where it doesn't get nostalgia or recency bias. Give it a few more years, and it will pick up the influx of love that Twilight Princess has started getting the past couple years.

More like people don't have nostalgia for excruciatingly long filler-fests where the only good parts are watered down by the boredom and repetition surrounding them.

I've always enjoyed Twilight Princess. I've never enjoyed Skyward Chore. There's a reason TP and BoTW will overshadow Skyward: Because they're actually good games.
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Despite not doing THAT great in the last contest, I feel like The Witcher III might be riding on Cyberpunk 2077's hype to a good contest run.
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Assuming no rally, it's probably going to be BotW vs Odyssey.
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Big Bob posted...

Despite not doing THAT great in the last contest, I feel like The Witcher III might be riding on Cyberpunk 2077's hype to a good contest run.

The Witcher 3 did pretty damn well considering it was a brand new game at the time. And it is not a game that came and went, its popularity only built over time. Just look at Geralt's run in the last contest. That is a top 5 contender for sure, maybe top 3.

It's an extremely GameFAQs game all things considered so it makes sense.
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awww man dark souls just missing out

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I cant see Odyssey being stronger than SSBU

Lightning Strikes posted...

Big Bob posted...

Despite not doing THAT great in the last contest, I feel like The Witcher III might be riding on Cyberpunk 2077's hype to a good contest run.

The Witcher 3 did pretty damn well considering it was a brand new game at the time. And it is not a game that came and went, its popularity only built over time. Just look at Geralt's run in the last contest. That is a top 5 contender for sure, maybe top 3.

It's an extremely GameFAQs game all things considered so it makes sense.

It will also be a Nintendo game as of October.
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I feel like some of you have never heard of the Zelda cycle (the Pokemon topic told me that)
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I'm surprised to see no votes for Mass Effect 2, but a few for Skyward Sword. I personally think ME2 vs. The Witcher III could be a pretty close match.

BotW > Smash > Skyrim > Odyssey > Mass Effect 2 would be my Top 5 prediction. Persona 5/The Witcher III for runner-ups.
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To be fair The Witcher 3 did far better against MGS2 than Mass Effect 2 did against MGS3. Yeah MGS3 is stronger, but is it that big a discrepancy?
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MGS3 would wipe the floor with MGS2.

That being said, I don't have any faith in Mass Effect after Andromeda put the series into cold storage.
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Either Odyssey or Smash Ultimate will get to lose to Breath of the Wild in the finals
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Lightning Strikes posted...

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Wow, this is a strong reminder of how bad the last decade has been, especially among GFAQs tastes. BotW shouldn't even sniff the top 4. I'll vote for what I think maybe should face it, but Last of Us doesn't feel like a real option because of this site's voting patterns.

That's not true, TLoU is fairly strong.

In general, absolutely. But in this fanbase? It'd be strong, but not nearly as much as it should be.
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https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6118-best-game-ever-day-17-round-2-kingdom-hearts-ii-vs-the-last

It would be pretty strong, but probably not enough to sniff the big boys of Nintendo.
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BotW
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doom could somehow have a chance

Well, IMO B8's done a good job identifying the three top contenders, and I can't disagree with Smash being the favorite. Had plenty of hype, was well received at launch, and still has buzz/is staying fresh in everyone's minds thanks to the slow roll of new characters. That being said, I don't think it should be as enormous a favorite as these results indicate, for a couple reasons.

- the Switch has been a huge seller since late 2017, almost all those new owners get a Mario to go along with it, and almost all of them come away absolutely delighted by the game. (at least, that's been the case for the four people I know who have been late adopters of the console in the last couple years) this gives Odyssey some serious potential for growth since the one poll we've seen it in, the GotY from right after it came out. not enough to reverse the result against Breath of the Wild, let's not be crazy! but maybe enough to reach #2

- if every day of the bracket brings more Nintendo domination (which seems likely) and we appear to be headed toward an All-Nintendo Final (ditto), Skyrim is going to make the perfect upset candidate. it's been everywhere, released on everything, universally acclaimed, and you can't dismiss the memes! I feel like the smallest spark could ignite a major offsite rally, and it honestly wouldn't need THAT much help from the internet at large as it's already top notch on this site just from its natural strength


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I voted Smash Ultimate days ago, and only just now decided to make an actual post for reasons.

The approximate probabilities of each (group of) major contender(s), as far as I see it:
- 50%: Smash Ultimate
- 20%: rally bait
- 15%: Skyrim
- 10%: Mario Odyssey
- 5%: something else (independent of mass rallying)

Briefish breakdowns of my reasoning:

Smash Ultimate: Ultimate should theoretically inherit Smash 4's (admittedly questionable) 2015 strength, with a little extra on top due to its more popular console. It's also totally possible that it gets rallied to the finals. The big problem here is its mere 54-46 GotY win over God of War. Unless that game is some hidden beast, even the 60-40 less dedicated voters might turn that into in a contest scenario isn't good enough to stack up to its likely competitors. That being said, I'm even less confident in those competitors, and I also think Smash Ultimate is likely to benefit a bunch from non-GotY voters.

Rally Bait: Other than the aforementioned Smash Ultimate. Yes, the last two contests were conspicuously free of mass rallies, but people simply care more about games than characters, and way more than years of all things. Plus, you can never be too certain with something like this. A few games worth pointing out here are The Witcher 3, Undertale, Fortnite, DDLC, and Pokmon Sword/Shield.

Skyrim: Based on raw results alone, Skyrim has the inside track to the finals. However, it feels like one of those games that people very slowly care less and less about, and I generally wouldn't be confident in a Western game maintaining its strength on GameFAQs, especially in light of Dragonborn's terrible 2018. On the other hand, Skyrim is the most likely alternative to the Switch's three big forces; akin to Brawl's win over Fallout 3 in GotD, though, I anticipate Smash Ultimate being a bit too strong for voters trying to avoid an all-Nintendo finale to make a difference.

Mario Odyssey: I can never have too little confidence in a 3D Mario without nostalgia to clean up, no matter how much people love it. It doesn't help that Mario Odyssey is arguably the distinct third wheel out of the three big Switch games; given those factors, placing its odds as high as 10% is a testament to its reception.

Something Else: In general, I would be very surprised if anything not mentioned above has (more or less) natural High Midcarder strength, but it's possible if very unlikely that being a regular Midcarder is enough to beat the aforementioned games even without mass rallies. Notable names with long shot potential: Dark Souls, The Last of Us, A Link Between Worlds, The Witcher 3, Persona 5, Nier: Automata, and Pokmon Sword/Shield even though what we've seen so far isn't particularly inspiring.

Obviously this all assumes that none of the major contenders for #2 is stuck facing BotW before the finals.
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Dragonborn was terrible in 2013, too. Nobody cares about the default appearance of a customizable character.
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Great post, MMS!

BTW if anyone would like to experience The Best of the Decade (besides BotW), Witcher's 70% off today.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/292030/The_Witcher_3_Wild_Hunt/


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Something I'm actually looking forward to is the overall Pokmon participation in the bracket.

Looking into its fanbase...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/259372-pokemon-sword/77797407
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/259372-pokemon-sword/77873061
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/259372-pokemon-sword/77536263

To give a better picture (some things may seem obvious or redundant to some, but I still think it's necessary to point them out):

Gen 4 consists of D/P/Pt + HG/SS
Gen 5 consists of B/W + B2/W2
Gen 6 consists of X/Y + OR/AS
Gen 7 consists of S/M + US/UM
Gen 8 consists of Sword & Shield
Pokmon X/Y was groundbreaking at first (making it enter BGE only 2 years later), but its "3D novelty" wore off over the years, not having enough quality to back it up the following years; so even though it has certainly decayed in popularity, it still stands fairly strong nowadays.
...The same can't be said for Gen 7, since it clearly had a lot of backlash regarding its core gameplay.
The Nintendo DS era is considered by many to be the golden age of Pokmon. Despite them not showing any signs of strength site-wise (it's actually quite the opposite), it's still agreed by many that the series has gotten a little worse with each passing Gen.
...Combine the aforementioned with the huge amount of backlash Sword & Shield is currently receiving, Gen 8 is not really going to be strong.
As a fun side fact, both Gen 1 and Gen 5 are extremely polarizing for the fanbase. They are a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, especially Gen 5.
...And finally, despite the core series receiving 3 sets of acclaimed remakes FR/LG for Gen 3, HG/SS for Gen 4, and OR/AS for Gen 6, only HG/SS have stood out as GOAT material.

Maybe the logical conclusion at first sight, just by looking at this site's experience with Pokmon as well as looking at past stats, is that Pokmon isn't worth a thing in terms of strength aside from Gens 1 & 2; however, we're talking about a new decade with many more Gens untested, so while D/P/Pt are not eligible now, HG/SS are, and that's a huge deal from my point of view, especially considering each passing generation has been consistently receiving more and more backlash.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Dragonborn was terrible in 2013, too.

At least he looked to be above the Fodder Line then, unlike now.

Advokaiser posted...

so while D/P/Pt are not eligible now, HG/SS are

Remakes/remasters have never been eligible in previous game contests, including GotD I, so I don't see why they'd start now.
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MetalmindStats posted...

At least he looked to be above the Fodder Line then, unlike now.

ehhhhh

he got a really favorable draw and still looked pretty weak
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Hbthebattle posted...

I feel like some of you have never heard of the Zelda cycle (the Pokemon topic told me that)

Even the Zelda cycle cant save SS. The thing that all the previous games to benefit from that have in common is they all had a loud and dedicated cult fanbase supporting them from Day 1 that never let up until the Zelda cycle finally caught up to them. SS has nothing but deafening apathy.

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the idea that a Zelda game becomes more liked after the next one comes out because the fanbase focuses on criticizing what was wrong with the latest one and the previous game suddenly looks better by comparison

it's not really a "cycle" and it really only seems to have happened for MM and WW but yeah

it doesn't really work when people loved BotW from the get-go
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LeonhartFour posted...

it's not really a "cycle" and it really only seems to have happened for MM and WW but yeah

Most people would say TP as well.

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I don't feel like TP has gotten the bump that MM and WW have but it was also more liked from the outset than those two were.
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