DRAMA:
Vs. Zeno (Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter) vs. Killer/Lady scene, pre-final dungeon (Shadow Hearts 3)- Lady: always brings out the best of SH3.
Lighthouse backstory (Xenogears) vs. Virgil's Exit (Xenosaga 3)- Mmm. Y'know, when I nommed this scene, I really thought it had the bloody corridor scene at the end to tie everything back together. I mean, yeah, we had seen it at least twice by then, but still, feels weird without it. Hmph. I dunno, I feel like I want to think of Virgil's exit as stronger than it really is because it's basically the last remotely good thing that entire series did, whereas there's great scenes all over in Xenogears. Meanwhile, Emmy is one of my favorite characters and a lot of that is on the simple sadness underscoring this scene.... yeah.
STYLE:
Miror B Fights (Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness) vs. Intro (Starfox 64)- Miror B, much like hippopressor, isn't about style in any standard sense. It's really about the concept. Obviously, disco dancing man with a gigantic pokeball afro is awesome, but it's more than that. What are his pokemon? Why, Ludicolos of course. Who else could dance with him but the mexican meepleduck? What do they do? Well, they dance around. Then they cast Rain Dance so they can DANCE FASTER AND LONGER. Hee.
Rose's Flasback in Kadessa (Legend of Dragoon) vs. Rofel and Dycedarg chat villainous things (Final Fantasy Tactics)- Mmm. Honestly, I think I like the flashback more. Buuuut... some of that is because it has some unintentional cheese mixed in with the pretty stuff (MELBU FRAHMA!!!). Meanwhile, quite apart from a more general "exemplifies something FFT did really well" credit other people are giving, this scene does what a lot of the other Shrine Knight scenes failed to; establish these guys as credible threats beyond RARR WE ARE DEMONS stuff. I mean, Dyce has been an unrepentant, untouchable bastard the entire game to here, then you have this weird Rofel guy wander in, do a nice "oh, by the way, I think we could EASILY prove you killed your father, beloved over all of Ivalice", then set the stage for drawing him into their ranks without ever letting him realize he had no control of the situation. Pretty solid.
HUMOR:
Ryudo Mocks Selene (Grandia II) vs. Zetta Opening (Disgaea 2)- Hmm. Vaporize Tink, call out Selene for a bloodthirsty bitch... hmmmm. Eh, we'll just tiebreak for the game I like more.
Lily Character Quest 3 (Mana Khemia 2) vs. Jade i'm SOOOOOOORRRYYYYYYYYYYY (Tales of the Abyss)- Well, two things. Firstly, when I had to go look for the TotA scene, I just immediately smiled when I found it. Lily didn't quite get that same kneejerk. And... actually, I think Lily CQ4 is the good one, actually. Like... accidentally changing into a puni, that's just how Chloe rolls, and Lily is clearly distressed at it. So not all that unbalanced beyond having the puni fetish to start with. When CQ4 reveals she later does it again on purpose so she could touch herself, THAT'S supreme unbalance.
YOU SPOONY DIVISION!:
The Day the Shovel Died (Wild ARMs 5) vs. CHRONO CROSS PLOT!!! (Chrono Cross)- Y'know, in retrospect I wished I'd looked up this scene before nomming it. I probably would have switched to the next one on the beach, since I was really going for "break Niu with CHRONO CROSS PLOT" as my real nom. That said, this scene does capture some of the sheer unlikelihood of the entire plot, even if not getting into the "IT WAS ALL BALTHASAR. ALL OF IT." that I was hoping for, so it does serve it's purpose to some degree. The Day the Shovel Died meanwhile... well... I'm 99% sure they meant it to be both silly, cheesy, but also serious, all of which it was. So y'know.
BONUS ROUND:
Wine In Front Of Me (Princess Bride) vs. Men In Tights (Robin Hood: Men In Tights)- Mmm. Not my favorite scene from either movie, but both acceptable. The Men in Tights song thrives on the sheer random of it, so it loses a little power having seen the movie as much as I have. Wine in Front of Me does lose a little something knowing the solution to the puzzle, but I do enjoy the acting there, so we'll give it the nod.
