Round 1 - Bracket C - Match 3

3. Super Mario Bros. 3

Vs.

6. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

I find it odd to introduce matchups like this when the games are so different. Well, both Super Mario Bros. 3 and Castelvania: Aria of Sorrow are 2D side-scrolling games, so that is a start. One comes from a very classic franchise, and the other comes from a slightly lesser but still classic nonetheless franchise.

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Mario has spanned decades of gaming on every Nintendo system possible. His greatest game may be argued as the first Super Mario Bros., but the third installment really works much better. The world map is an incredible way of breaking between levels, allowing you to pick up a lucky item or earn some extra lives while scoping out the territories ahead. It also gave a better look at the Mushroom Kingdom (a complete look that is missed by those bastards who use the warp whistles to go quickly to the later stages). It is much more fun do play every single level in the game, especially with a pal controlling Luigi.

He can run, he can jump, he can fly, swim, turn to stone, toss hammers, throw fireballs, hop around in a frog suit... basically Mario is the perfect choice to save the kidnapped princess, again. I should not really have to say anything about this game because virtually everyone has played this game in their lifetime. It may be the most recognizable game in this challenge, and looking at the full list, it might as well be. Another timeless gem.

This game made the favorite list because I have these memories as a child playing through the first level, grabbing the leaf and flying up into the clouds, gathering an unnecessary amount of coins, dropping behind the white rectangles, and grabbing the star at the end of the level. I do not have to be in any kind of a mood to play this game, it can just be done by picking up the controller and getting down to business.

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Of all the Castlevania games, I choose one that does not even star a Belmont as the main character (granted Julius makes an appearance and becomes playable after complettion). Another thing, Aria of Sorrow does not even give the main character the classic vampire killing whip. Instead, Soma Cruz wields a variety of weapons (the best being the Claimh Solais) like swords, knives, spears, and a handgun (which is garbage and a cheap way to defeat the antagonist at the end).

Another crazy thing about this very anti-Castlevania Castlevania game is that Soma can steal the souls of defeated enemies and use their powers as his own (like shooting fireballs, stealing health with each hit, and turning into a bat). You can gain experience points with defeated enemies, adding a nice RPG element to the action game. These souls also help in solving the few puzzles presented and advancing through the castle.

Although I have never played this actual game on the GBA, and I have the ROM on my computer (I am not advocating downloading ROMs, however convenient they may be) and it might as well be the most played game on my computer. I have played it at least once a year and find it all exciting everytime, there are really no dull moments since progressing through the game always gives you something new. Replay is also great as Julius, because you get to start off all pimped out.

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I find it unlucky for C:AoS (I just got that pun; "Chaos" is the final-final boss) being paired against SMB3 in the first round because of how great of a game I find it to be. It is a fresh and different Castlevania that helped repopularize the genre. However, Mario is Mario, and SMB3 is like the Holy Grail of NES games. I wish I had my NES up at school right now.

Winner: Super Mario Bros. 3

Bonus Post

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has been made available on Virtual Console today. I now have a perfectly reasonable excuse for not updating regularly this week. Sorry homework.

Round 1 - Bracket C - Match 2

4. Final Fantasy VII

Vs.

5. Golden Sun

RPG madness! Of the six or so true RPGs that made the tournament, this is the first head-to-head match up. Final Fantasy VII has you and your team fighting to save the world, while Golden Sun has you and your team... well, also trying to save the world. Pretty standard plot when it comes to RPGs.

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Okay, I am going to start off by saying I have only played through FFVII completely once. Only once. That means from start to finish. However, even one playthrough requires a lot of hours, and then some more when hitting sidequests and leveling and raising chocobos and leveling and gaining AP and leveling... and leveling.

All the RPG elements are here in FFVII, but they are presented differently from other games. This FF story does not take place somewhere in the past, instead it takes place in a futuristic world that is falling apart. Nothing is perfect. Not even the main character. Cloud may be the biggest anti-hero to be the hero ever. His life practically falls apart all around him. He discovers that he has been living a lie for years, and you can see that he isn't perfect all the way till the very end when he defeats Sephiroth. It still does not make things right for him. Very unique story telling.

I do not know what I love more about FFVII, the game itself or all of the lore that encompasses it. Advent Children is one of my top ten favorite movies. The game is an awesome RPG, and millions of people will agree with me on that. It is an incredibly deep game that deserves multiple playthroughs, if not begs for them.

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Golden Sun is the very first game I bought with my Gameboy Advance. And it was awesome. For a handheld game, it was visually stunning and captivating with many good moments that beg you to keep playing and go deeper into the story. Isaac, a classic silent protagonist, is thrown into being the hero like so many other RPG leads; and although this whole game is very archetypal, it works and still feels fresh everytime I play it.

The sequel was in immediate purchase because the game left such a huge cliffhanger at the end. Only two of the lighthouses were lit; Felix and Jenna were lost at sea; and the world was still falling apart. But I am getting way ahead of myself. The first game only showed you half of the problem, and you were fighting against it for the wrong reasons. The second game corrected that and showed you the truth (and the whole rest of the world via magically flying boat).

Golden Sun begs to be my favorite handheld game. It begs that all other RPGs should be played like this. IT BEGS FOR A THIRD TITLE TO REALLY REVEAL WHAT HAPPENED TO ALEX AT THE END OF GS2!!! He could not have died. He was too powerful and too big of a badass. I could get rid of my GBA after six years of good use, but then I would miss out on two (this and the sequel) of the greatest RPGs (and games in general) that I have ever played.

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So, do you think you know who emerged victorious after this turn-based battle? I know you (the millions of other readers I get) are convinced that FFVII should win this tournament all together. I mean, so many others have ranked this at the top of their list. But do not overlook that I am deciding which of these games are MY FAVORITE, not necessarily the best of all time or anything like that. Which is why I favor Golden Sun as a game over Final Fantasy VII. I have said this before and I will say it again: a decade from now if I do this whole bracket challenge again, things may change.

Winner: Golden Sun

Round 1 - Bracket C - Match 1

1. Resident Evil 4

Vs.

8. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Another Gamecube showdown. Solid. Pretty different games, but if if I had to speak out about which game gives me violent tendencies, it's Mario Kart. Who cares if I emulate the violence in Resident Evil 4? I JUST GOT DRILLED BY A F***ING BLUE SHELL!!!

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Many game franchises have tried to switch gameplay drastically in order to reach a bigger market and to take their series into a more mainstream and popular approach. Some have been mentioned earlier; so let us rejoice at the choice Capcom made when they took the static camera angles from the corners of rooms or alleys or stairways or elevators or OH GOD WHAT IS THAT!?!?!? GET OFF OF ME GET OFF OF MEEEEE!!!! to the third person camera behind Leon's shoulder.

Do not get me wrong. The cameras in Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3 all worked with the mood and setting in which they all took place. RE4 wanted to get a little more intense by letting you see exactly what is in front of you and nothing of what is behind. Think for a second: whould you be more scared by a chainsaw weilding madman wearing a potato sack on his head from a top down view or from the third-person camera where you can see the hijo de perra running right at'cha ready to take off your head? Yup.

I show the Gamecube cover because that is the first one that I played and the original (and classic). I love originals. But... I also love the Wii Edition. Controls made the game soooo much more fun. Headshots like woah. And The Mercenaries minigame!? EXCELLENT! Replay value up the wall. Upgradable weapons, larger inventory space, super bad guys (like Krauser [and Wesker, but he wasn't in the main story]).

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So I took Mario Kart: Double Dash!! over Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart Wii because, simply, I am unbeatable in DD. That and the computer F***ing cheats in Mario Kart Wii. And DD you can pick two characters instead of one. And pick your own style of kart. That was really awesome. Nintendo really knows how to do multiplayer games. Local multiplayer games. Quit whining about the Wii's lackluster online play for SSBB, it is way more fun when you can kick someone's ass while they sit right next to you.

MKWii is also silly for not letting you play Grand Prix with two players. In DD, I could grab a friend (or actually just my sister) and she would help take out the competition so we could both have loads of fun racing while I finish at the top, take in the golds, and unlock all the characters and karts. Who wants to just play by themself to do all that? Yeah. (MKWii, you do have a sweet online mode though; very quick matches and a little more fair than the computer).

Mario Kart games are most definitely the best racing games ever. I could care less for a NASCAR race or an Indy race or an illegal street race. I want to be able to f*** up my opponents as much as possible. Plus, they have our favorite Nintendo characaters, like Koopa Trooper!!!! (that was for Ben). Yeah, you know what I mean.

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It is always tiring once I get to this point of the post. I know the outcome before the match most of the time, and this is one of those cacses. Resident Evil 4 is a top seeded game for a multitude of very good reasons. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was included to the list basically on principle.

Winner: Resident Evil 4

Round 1 - Bracket B - Match 4

2. NHL '94

Vs.

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game

Ok, so it has been over a month since the last match up. Now I am back at school and I can fit this into a schedule of updates. With this contest, we face two notably older games. Up first is the best hockey game ever made. Following that is the greatest arcade game ever made (yep, even better than Revolution X), even though I will write about the NES version.

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NHL '94 just may be the sole reason I love hockey so much. My team? The New York Rangers. When I think of players still active today, I go back to the "golden age" of the teams that they used to be on. Jagr still in Pittsburgh. Fedorov a Red Wing. Salenne on the Jets. The Quebic Nordiques are still a team!!!

This is the game to rule all sports sims. No hockey game shall ever surpass it. Hockey videgames are easily the most entertaining to play of any sports games. Here is what is wrong with other major sports: basketball is too high-scoring, football is too strategic and streaky, baseball is paced too slow and is completely random, and soccer is too open and low-scoring. Hockey is quick paced, every goal counts, team work is a must, and it has one-timers.

With favorite in consideration, NHL '94 specifically has no bad teams, unless you count the Ottawa Senators. Terrible. The rosters are golden. The controls are tight. The games may play the same, but you cannot get sick of it. Score a hat trick and the fans throw their lids onto the ice. So what if there is no fighting in this game? When has an NHL sim had a decent fight to it? Include a fight that handles like Soul Calibur and then we'll talk.

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When I think of the best local mulitplayer video games, after Contra I immediately go to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game. Not necessarily a hack 'n slash, since you cannot really do either with a bo, psis or nunchakus (the swords you can). The first level is a great challenge in itself and so are the bosses. The NES version has more levels and content than the actual arcade version, so that is a plus. Also, you do not need to pump quarter after quarter when you die.

In short, these guys are the world's most fearsome fighting team. They're heroes in a half-shell, and they're green! I will stop the cartoon's theme song now before I get too carried away. But what better cartoon to base a video game on? They set up great characters, great villains, a simple plot (Oh no! April has been kidnapped!), and an easy premise of moving forward and killing everything that moves. Playing as Michelangelo, I can enjoy all of these.

The is probably my favorite arcade based game. Most likely because arcades are not really in existence these days and I do not play a whole bunch of arcade games. It also helps that I absolutely loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Whenever I think of which turtle I would be, ( I immediately rule out Michelangelo because I am not a party dude, and Raphael because I am weak and not hot-headed) I could be Leonardo for the leadership skills, but I would be more of a Donatello for my love of technology. That and I'm a bitch.

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So now that I have given you two reasons why I keep my NES and SNES, which of these games deserves more love from me? It is definitely NHL '94. Forget the 15 year old rosters, this game is a timeless gem. It appears on so many lists for the greatest sports games of all time, and graces the top of a bunch of these lists. Lots of love to TMNT, but it gets beat out in this match.

Winner: NHL '94

Round 1 - Bracket B - match 3

3. The Legend of Zelda

Vs.

6. Syphon Filter

Hmm, coming up with a decent intro to this matchup is a little harder than normal. First off, it's E3 week and I have been eating up all of the news during the hoopla. Second, these two games are very different. In my head I am trying to shoot off ideas, like characters, franchise popularity, bosses; it just cannot be done. So let's jump into it already.

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The Legend of Zelda is one of the first games I ever played. Which was also one of the first games I gave up on. It was pretty tough for a 5 year-old. Anyway, I would still watch my brother play it and amaze me at his knowledge of the maps. That was passed onto me. Years later I can start playing and have so much in my inventory before I even step foot into the second dungeon.

This Nintendo game was one of the first to have the battery save in the cartridge; I just think that is really cool. It is a fun adventure game, in fact it is pretty much the father of all adventure games.

Sorry, as I sit here I am just thinking of all the other Zelda games, so there is no real transition into this part. Up until Ocarina of Time, all Zelda games played with the top down view, and it worked for each one. And I really though that I liked this game more than I really do. I have this weird feeling right now where I cannot even force myself to say many more good things. Since A Link to the Past was already featured (and loved more) the original does not stand up to it. Bummer, right?

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Syphon Filter was one of the first games that really excited my imagination. The characters were amazing and the story was something really new to me. Gabe Logan is a real badass. Anton Girdeux was hardcore +1 with a flamethrower. Erich Rhoemer was the face of all evil. And the Agency: a super sweet faceless organization that turns out to be the driving force behind all of this terrorism. Don't forget Mara Aramov, the Russian assassin that never quits.

I have to admit: games where you fight a helicopter are amazing. Syphon Filter is among these games. Running and gunning was a great staple to the action, and with the weapons cheat, only using the grenade launcher doubled the fun.

This game is one of my favorites because of the action and the story. More so the story. It was so fantastic that somebody thought up these things (kinda like MGS, but not as far fetched), where terrorists threaten American safety with a deadly virus. The sequels expand the threats and the plots to stop them, while diving deeper into the mystery of who is behind everything (The Agency). It goes higher than you would think.

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Trying to introduce the games was hard enough. How will I choose which one I like more? Well, with A Link to the Past already moving on, I do not feel bad about leaving the original Legend of Zelda behind. Syphon Filter is to me one of the coolest games I had ever played. I ate it all up then and I still use its interesting story as a muse for my own imagination. Gabe Logan is seriously one of (if not THE) most badass main characters in any videogame. I might go as far as saying he is more badass than Solid Snake. Yup.

Winner: Syphon Filter