The FOFC video game character draft

[corbes]

Hey, Maple Leafs, thanks for making the pick. Sorry you waited so long -- hope it didn't slow anything down. My girls' basketball teams lost by 3 points and 4 points (JV and Varsity) tonight to the best team in the league. The first time we played them, we lost by 28 and 29 points, respectively. We did good tonight, but not good enough.

I'm still really hyper and wound up about the game. Perhaps you noticed.

[Vince]

Congrats on the improvement...sorry you guys lost though.

[corbes]

I don't want to threadjack here, this thing's big enough as is.

But thanks, Vince.

[Ramzavail]

I was a huge fan of this game - I still highly value my mint condition SNES game with maps version of Chrono Trigger. This game is considered one of the best RPGs ever on a video game console. Along with that, comes with one of the greatest main characters in a RPG.

Crono of Chrono Trigger



I could not pass up having, argueably, the two greatest RPG main characters in the genre's history on console.

[Vince]

You suck ass, Ramzavail. Continue.

[SackAttack]

Just thought I'd share this little tidbit, it seemed appropriate.

http://www.jengajam.com/r/2497

[SirFozzie]

I am ashamed of us all.

We failed to select an icon of the Strategy Game industry.

Till Now.

From the Game M.U.L.E.

The M.U.L.E.

[Vince]

Josh...I am speechless at that link.

[SackAttack]

I know, innit great?

[sterlingice]

SI's Round 4 and 5 Analysis, Part 1
I really had to work. Some of these required entirely too much research on my part and make me feel like I should spend a lifetime "researching" video games to catch up. Anyone wishing to contribute to the "staying home and playing video games the rest of my life" fund, just message me with your contribution. Here's a "double stuff" version that's halved so it's like one full round. If you are numbers 7 thru 12, your picks for rounds 4 and 5 are rated. If you're 1-6, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Oh, hey, if you see something that sounds familiar and really has nothing to do with the character, it probably means I forgot to write over the cut-and-paste. I noticed I've done that a time or two and there's the explanation for the confused.

4.12- Maple Leafs - Dirk the Daring (Dragon's Lair)
Notoriety: 4- He had a big video game and a cartoon but that was a long time ago and hasn't been in the public eye since.
Longevity: 9- Both the characters Maple Leafs picked here started in 1983. Coincidence? I think not.
Games: 7- From Gamespot itself: "And then along came an incredibly unique and exciting game called Dragon's Lair, a game that, if you listen to the creators of the game, is responsible for saving the video game industry from itself." However, there are only 3 games in the series and II and 3-D weren't noteworthy. All the points come from the first game.
Misc: 10- They get huge bonus points for basically using primitive CDs (an old laserdisk system) to create an interactive movie... IN 1983!! Oh, and anyone remember the short lived cartoon? If so, GET A LIFE! And that's coming from someone who collects cartoons online
Overall: 6- It's a shame they haven't managed to bring this series into the 21st century.

5.12- Maple Leafs - Sir Graham (King's Quest)
Notoriety: 7- The main character of a groundbreaking computer series
Longevity: 6- Another game from the days of yore, or VGA, in computer terms. Graham wasn't in KQ6 and apparently only a portrait of him appeared in KQ7 so technically his reign only lasted from 1983 thru 1990.
Games: 9- I remember playing through a couple of the King's Quest games- they were top of the line at the time but the last couple (the ones without Graham) were more Sierra going through the motions. KQ1 and KQ5 were two of the best computer games back in the early days.
Misc: 1- I don't have any useless trivia on King's Quest. I have failed you all.
Overall: 9- I really like this pick as the King's Quest games are classics. Just like Dragon's Lair, this series needs a comeback.

4.11- Desnudo - Dante (Devil May Cry)
Notoriety: 4- Even if you own a PS2, there's a chance you don't know who this is.
Longevity: 2- A youngster as the series is 3 years old.
Games: 7- The first was great and the second above average but neither was a system seller and I'm not even sure they broke 1M each.
Misc: 5- I'm a sucker for horror adventure games and the mood they create. Bonus points for not having RE's control system.
Overall: 3- This is the first one I'm really floored by. He's a cool character but I'm not even sure he's in the top 100 characters- more like a 9th or 10th round personal favorite pick, methinks.

5.11- Desnudo - J.C Denton (Deus Ex)
Notoriety: 4- Not a big name character but the game was quite big.
Longevity: 2- Another youngster as this game is only 3 years old.
Games: 9- Deus Ex was one of the more innovative titles to come down the pipes in recent years.
Misc: 10- Thanks to Computer Gaming World and their awesome promo last month, I got the original for free along with a few others! Well worth my few bucks spent on the magazine.
Overall: 8- Probably being a little generous with the character pick, but I love the game and I'll give the pick 8 points if I want to

4.10- albionmoonlight - Hero (from Adventure)
Notoriety: 4- We're still in the realm of big games with somewhat unknown characters
Longevity: 2- A one hit wonder but very old.
Games: 10- From IGN: "A title that's full of firsts: the first graphical adventure (it was actually inspired by a text-based game of the same name), the first game to introduce objects players could pick up and move and the first Easter Egg in videogame history (hidden credits for the lead programmer/designer Warren Robinett)."
Misc: 10- The first real adventure game!
Overall: 7- I can't do some of these picks justice because I just wasn't around then so I have to rely on second hand accounts to make picks. But I've certainly heard of Adventure's reputation so this is a good pick on that alone.

5.10- albionmoonlight - Atrus (Myst)
Notoriety: 5- One of the biggest series of all time, PC or console. Again, big game, not so big of a character.
Longevity: 6- Ten years and still kicking.
Games: 9- Myst was the first totally immersive game that I can recall and owns a spot on almost all "Top X Games of All Time" lists. The three sequels have been pretty well received except they always bear the cross of having to live up to one of the best selling, most popular, highly influential, and most critically acclaimed games of all time.
Misc: 1- This is more a reflection on me than anything. I bought a copy of Myst a long time ago for $10 and only played a little bit of it before being distracted. Shame on me.
Overall: 7- Still having problems with separating the character from the game. Atrus wasn't exactly a big name hero (I had forgotten his name until I saw it picked).

4.9- Calis - Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island)
Notoriety: 6- A pretty big name in the history of computer gaming. A very memorable character but only really known in PC spheres tho there was a PS2 release in the past couple of years.
Longevity: 7- The Secret of Monkey Island was released in 1990 and it's still going.
Games: 10- The first two of these nutty games are absolute classics. Even the recent outings are good with the most recent one getting an 8.7 from IGN and 8.1 from Gamespot.
Misc: 9- These games are well worth playing for the dialogue alone.
Overall: 9- I really like this pick, snagging a PC gaming icon (as opposed to a character in a hugely popular PC game) this late.

5.9- Calis - Kefka (Final Fantasy)
Notoriety: 4- If you're an old school RPGer he's an icon, if you're a neo-playstation RPGer you've heard of him. The rest of the populace has no clue.
Longevity: 1- He only lasted for one game, but what a game!
Games: 10- Final Fantasy VI is the second best RPG of all time (tho I'm having a hard time ranking a recent one so ultimately I may have this third). Amazing story, good graphics, and composer Nobuo Uematsu was at the top of his game!
Misc: 10- A rant, if I may. I love villains, much better than heroes in most cases. They're typically more interesting than heroes and always get the best troops and equipment- go back and look at the Decepticon, Cobra, and Skeletor toys and compare them to their heroic counterparts. But there are few things I hate in the world more than an bad villain. I want my villains evil, not mopey, maybe business evil, but certainly not angsty. If someone turns to cartoonish supervillainy in a cartoon or movie or video game, I want them to be wholly evil, not lukewarm evil. I also don't want one of the following: I'm evil because my parents abused me, I'm evil because my parents didn't love me, I'm evil because I was picked on as a kid, etc- basically I'm evil because someone else made me evil. If you're that evil, at some point you just chose to do evil things and completely block out your conscience. I want an evil I can hate for being so dispicable or admire for being so cunningly evil. Kefka was that kind of evil- the kind of villain you love to hate: he would kick puppies and throw kittens in swimming pools just to be evil. Now that's evil!
Overall: 7- Best (yes, best) villain in one of the biggest series of all time. I'm wondering if this pick was a bit early but I'm thinking he was likely to get snatched up by one of the resident RPGers in the next round or two.

4.8- EagleEye11 - Bomberman
Notoriety: 6- Another arcade icon, but I think he survived longer than most.
Longevity: 6- Then again, he's also newer. I didn't realize he's only been around since 1991.
Games: 8- I really haven't played any except the orignal (and I think I played it for the NES). There are over 50 games and they span every system from arcade and PC to NES to Gameboy to Playstation 2 and even including systems like the Sega Saturn and TurboGraphx 16.
Misc: 8- Apparently Bomberman Generations, one of the most recent games, was quite good and breathed some more life into the series.
Overall: 8- Another one of those second tier icons taken pretty late while people are filling up with more niche picks.

5.8- EagleEye11 - Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)
Notoriety: 8- Poster child for the playstation and the new generation of gamers.
Longevity: 3- Same as Cloud: one big game with a few cameos.
Games: 8- As I said before, I really dislike the game and where it sent the industry.
Misc: 1- I can't stand that he's popular because of his Boba Fett-esque lack of character. He's a mysterious badass with shadows of a backstory and inconsistent actions. And god forbid you take this up with the neo-playstation fanboys. Anyways, the long and short of it is: he goes against everything I ranted about above.
Overall: 10- Don't like the character but love the pick. A great value pick and I think he should have gone before Cloud.

4.7- TargetPractice6 - Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)
Notoriety: 6- The Ninja Gaiden games were some of the most popular from the NES days and Ryu was a petty popular character back then
Longevity: 6- The three original games were from 1989, 1990, and 1991. But the series is coming back this year after a more than 10 year hiatus.
Games: 10- NG, NG2, and NG3 were some of the best sidescrollers ever made, a level below the Mario games and up there with the Castlevanias and Mega Mans of the world. I only hope the new one can do them justice: please let this be a Metroid Prime level resurrection!
Misc: 7- One of the few reasons to own the big black and green paperweight! For those of us who don't get off on every new and mildly tweaked FPS, tactical FPS, or sports game- it's a useless system.
Overall: 10- I love this pick! It would be a point or two lower if not for the hotly anticipated comeback, but this is a great guy to have.

5.7- TargetPractice6 - Gordon Freeman (Half Life)
Notoriety: 5- Big PC game but the character is kindof non-descript.
Longevity: 4- Half Life has been around 5 years at this point. My, how time flies.
Games: 10- One game, but what a game. Plus, the billions of mods so that there's always something new to do. It took what Quake did for the industry and ran with it.
Misc: 5- I'm a sucker for Team Fortress- it's like sports, but with killing. Too bad it took them years to get it out.
Overall: 7- Not too exciting but a solid pick, nonetheless.

Closing Comments
This writeup took a bit too long because we are getting to more obscure characters and some I can write for but others I'm just using other's words. We're halfway through the draft so for the second half, I'm going to wait until the end, do a writeup for the last 5 picks in chunk with a spotlight on one pick for each person and then an overall draft rating and grade. The second half of the pick reviews are forthcoming but I'm getting tired tonight. The next half should be a little easier as there isn't as much stuff for me to look up.

Biggest Steal: Ryu- Great value with his eminent comeback. Getting Sephy this late was a coup for EagleEye11.
Biggest Stretch: Dante- He runs the risk of being even less than an afterthought in a few years.
Should Have Gone: Amanda Huggenkiss- I really think it was the funniest of Bart's many prank calls. Barney gets a great retort ("Maybe your standards are too high!") and it's well integrated into the plot. The only downside is that it doesn't sound like a real name at all. Even better is that the episode (9F06-"New Kid on the Block") has two prank calls in it.

SI

[Danny]

Another much appreciated writeup. Looks like my picks grade out pretty well with the exception of the Asteroids pick.

[Maple Leafs]

Man, I have to dispute that "Noteriety" mark for Dirk. The guy is in the Smithsonian, for pete's sake. He had his own TV series, action figures, board games, and they almost made a movie of the guy. Not to mention that it was one of the first "big production" games, so I'd argue it's legacy is still being felt to day with games like Final Fantasy and GTA with their movie budgets.

[Danny]

Maple Leafs, this wont help you, but before you picking him, I didn't even have remember his name and I have played the game, although like I said, it constantly crashed my computer. Also, I have a list in which it wasn't even rated as one of the 50 most influential games of all time.

[cthomer5000]

Question: Can I let Vince make his two picks ahead of me? I want to make dramatic back-to-back picks in the next round...

if that's not legal, let me know and I'll make a pick now.

[Danny]

I dont see why it wouldnt be allowed, but people are going to go looking for a famous duo now though.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

Question: Can I let Vince make his two picks ahead of me? I want to make dramatic back-to-back picks in the next round...

if that's not legal, let me know and I'll make a pick now.

No objection from me.

Vince sent his picks along:
Joe Musashi, Shinobi series main character
The Main Character in Excitebike

Back to you Homer...

[Maple Leafs]

Bump so cthomer sees we're wating for his two picks...

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Bump so cthomer sees we're wating for his two picks...

That would be his 'dramatic' two picks...

[Danny]

Someone send that bugger a PM.

[cthomer5000]

"I'm Bad!"

Blade & Striker The Bad Dudes

One of my favorite bad games of all time, I didn't want to risk these guys being taken, although they likely never would have been. I don't care about reaching, I want the two guys who were tough enough to rescue the president. Also, if you ever played the game, you can't forget hearing the horribly digitized voices saying "Ihhhmmmmmmmmmmm bad!" after completing a level by taking out ninjas, thugs, etc.

One of my favorite reviews of the game, from Seanbaby.com

Originally Posted by Seanbaby

The fourth nominee for Best Game Intro is Bad Dudes. Obviously, this intro is far too cool for me to consider commenting on it. But I do wish I was in the room when the committee decided that the best way to rescue the president was to find two civilian punks. Did the secretary of defense stand up and say, "We can't spare the military personel to rescue our president. So we'll just inspire a couple of street dudes to do it by questioning their badness. Easy."

[rkmsuf]

actually it was dramatic...

[Danny]

Well, Im sorry to say this is the first pick in which I had never heard of the game.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by EagleEye11

Well, Im sorry to say this is the first pick in which I had never heard of the game.

You haven't lived until you've played Bad Dudes on the NES.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by EagleEye11

Well, Im sorry to say this is the first pick in which I had never heard of the game.

maybe you need a PM...

[Maple Leafs]

SirFozzie sent along a pick:

He takes the Defender, from Defender.

[albionmoonlight]

I can't believe Blade went before Striker.

[Maple Leafs]

Blade is a steal. Total five-tool guy. Striker is a total reach. He rode Blade's coat-tails throughout his career. He's the Ozzie Canseco of the video game world.

OK, I have no idea who either of those guys is...

[Danny]

It's comforting that I'm not the only one.

[Ramzavail]

I was a big Bad Dudes game fan. Good dual pick.

[Ramzavail]

I am going to go back to the arcade where I fed these machine TONS of quarters when I was a kid and I could never even come close to beating this game.

Both Ghosts n Goblins and Ghouls n Goblins, I loved. I loved the sidescrolling attack and action, I loved throwing projectiles in my boxers - easily one of the most unique things ever in a video game - one hit and the armor peels off and leaving your character with nothing but a pair of boxers (another hit and its bones) and I did love the difficulty, it really matched my video game skill like none other.

Anyway, I select Sir Arthur from the Ghouls n Ghosts, Ghosts n Goblins series

Theyve even brought out, Maximo, which is a spin off of the series and Maximo 2 is scheduled to come out soon.

[cthomer5000]

nice one Ramzavail,

You have found Cloak of Darkness

[TargetPractice6]

Damn Vince, Joe was my next pick! I needed another ninja for my team.

[Maple Leafs]

Corbes selects Thomas, from the Kung Fu series.

[Danny]

Damn Icy, holding up me announcing the steal of the draft.

[Ramzavail]

Originally Posted by EagleEye11

Damn Icy, holding up me announcing the steal of the draft.

Cant wait to hear that.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

"I'm Bad!"

Blade & Striker The Bad Dudes

One of my favorite bad games of all time, I didn't want to risk these guys being taken, although they likely never would have been. I don't care about reaching, I want the two guys who were tough enough to rescue the president. Also, if you ever played the game, you can't forget hearing the horribly digitized voices saying "Ihhhmmmmmmmmmmm bad!" after completing a level by taking out ninjas, thugs, etc.

One of my favorite reviews of the game, from Seanbaby.com

"The President has been kidnapped by ninjas." That's something I never expected to see.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by EagleEye11

Damn Icy, holding up me announcing the steal of the draft.

There are some steals still on the board. If this were a real draft, I'd be working the phones to trade up right now.

[Ramzavail]

I got a good one on my mind - but I opted for Sir Arthur instead , I hope this one sticks around.

[Danny]

I think there have been a few too many reaches here in the last couple rounds allowing some better picks to slip through the cracks.

[Ramzavail]

Sir Arthur isn't a reach

[Vince]

Sorry TP...he was on my radar a while back, and he just slipped too far. And Sub-Zero isn't straight ninja, so I needed more of that on my squad

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Man, I have to dispute that "Noteriety" mark for Dirk. The guy is in the Smithsonian, for pete's sake. He had his own TV series, action figures, board games, and they almost made a movie of the guy. Not to mention that it was one of the first "big production" games, so I'd argue it's legacy is still being felt to day with games like Final Fantasy and GTA with their movie budgets.

Well, the problem, as I've said, is that I wasn't around to see some of these picks. When the game came out, I was 3 so I didn't get to see the impact on what is now history. Whereas games like Frogger and Q*Bert were remade for future systems and I could see them, some of these games I couldn't actually play.

Originally Posted by EagleEye11

I think there have been a few too many reaches here in the last couple rounds allowing some better picks to slip through the cracks.

I'll agree with this, but it's all about what people want to draft. I think we're starting to reach the point where people are wanting to put their personal flavor on the team. I'd still be trying to snag big names and make picks that look pretty but that's because I'm an f'ing elitist.

Originally Posted by Desnudo

"The President has been kidnapped by ninjas." That's something I never expected to see.

It was before 9-11 so security was much more relaxed

SI

[corbes]

Re: NES Kung Fu.

I'd like to point out, for the record, that Thomas is the fellow who saved Sylvia from the evil, evil clutches of Mr. X. And if you beat the game some number of times in a row (5?), you got to fight Sylvia. How's that for a bonus round?

[Danny]

I've played almost all the old class atari/arcade games. Well, or remakes of them. When I was younger, I used to love getting those classic packs that had like 50-100 classic games on them. A lot of them were knockoff's, but still fun.

[Danny]

Dola, asteroids used to be my favorite as if you couldnt tell .

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by corbes

Re: NES Kung Fu.

I'd like to point out, for the record, that Thomas is the fellow who saved Sylvia from the evil, evil clutches of Mr. X. And if you beat the game some number of times in a row (5?), you got to fight Sylvia. How's that for a bonus round?

That's a good bonus round, but nothing will ever top Double Dragon. You fight through a two-player game, only to find out at the end that you have to fight your partner and only one guy can be the "real" winner? Brilliant!

[albionmoonlight]

I think I am going to have to whip out the emulator this weekend and play some Bad Dudes. My president needs me. Am I bad enough to rescue him?

[Danny]

Is there a good NES or SNES emulator that works with windows XP?

[Ramzavail]

I agree Maple - good one.

Also, in Kung Fu - I never even came close to beating that game - I thought it was too tough - that was another frustrating game for me.

[corbes]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

That's a good bonus round, but nothing will ever top Double Dragon. You fight through a two-player game, only to find out at the end that you have to fight your partner and only one guy can be the "real" winner? Brilliant!

Good point.