2011 Holiday Contest

[mjs256]

Hi everyone,

In an effort to spread a little holiday cheer this season, I am having a contest. The winner will recieve a brand new, in the box figurine of the lovely Mai Shiranui from the King of Fighters series. The figurine is actually quite large, standing at about 10.5 inches (26.5 cm) tall. The box that she comes in is about as tall, wide, and deep as a Neo Geo AES console with a game inserted. Below are images of 25 characters. The contest is to see who can identify the most characters and list the character name, the game from which the image was taken, and the system the game is on. My goal was to make the contest challenging enough to be fun, but not impossibly hard. Some of the games featured are more obscure than others, but they are all fairly well known. Some are relatively new and some are pretty old. Here are some important tips:

All of the characters are female.

All of the characters are primary characters for their respective games.

All of the characters are playable - you can control them for at least part of the game.

All of the games were made for the consumer market (that is pretty much everything except arcade games). The games may be ports or home versions of arcade games, but in every case, it is the home version that is featured.

None of the games are computer games. They are all home console and portable system games.

I have removed the background on most of the images.

All images show the characters exactly as they appear in the game. None of the images are from the box art, posters, instructions
, or any other printed media.

I have tried to make it so that if you are reasonably familiar with the game, you should recognize the character. Whenever possible, I have taken images from early in the game, so you would not need to play through the entire game to see the images I have used.

There are some games featured which were not officially released outside of Japan. In each case they are among the more well known import games and games that I strongly feel should have been given a worldwide release. All games that are import only will be labeled as such.

I will be lenient in scoring. For example, if the character is Chun Li from Street Fighter II Turbo on the SNES, I will call it correct if you guess it is Chun Li from Super Street Fighter II on the SNES, or Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition on the Genesis, or the original Street Fighter II on the SNES, or Super Street Fighter II Turbo: Revival on the GBA, or Street Fighter Collection on the PS1, or Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition on PS2, or ... you get the idea.

Some of the games may have appeared on multiple systems. In that case I will count any system on which the game was released as correct.

Even if you don't recognize all of the characters you can still enter. The winner is the person who gets the most right - not necessarily all of them right (but you do need to get at least three right to win).

I will send the figurine to the winner at any address in the United States free of charge. International members are welcome to enter as well. If the winner does not reside in the United States then I will ship it by whatever method you want and I will contribute USD $10 to the cost of international shipping, but I will ask you to pay me the amount of the postage in excess of USD $10.

Based on the above guidelines, here are some examples of characters that could not be included and why:

The PS2 game ICO is one of my all-time favorites, and I would have included the girl character Yorda, but I could not include her because you can influence her actions, but you never actually control her directly, thus she does not qualify as a playable character.

Siren from the Neo Geo game Flip Shot is excluded because Flip Shot is an arcade game which never oficially got a home release.

Castlevania III is another one of my all-time favorites, but the female character Sypha Belnades was not included because you don't find out that she is a female until the ending, which means you would need to be more than what I would consider "reasonably familiar" with the game to know that.

Here are the rules for the contest:

All entries must be recieved by December 25, 2011.

This contest is only open to members of the Neo-Geo forum.

Each member is allowed one and only one entry. If anyone tries to submit more than one entry they will be disqualified.

The winner must get at least 3 of the 25 characters correct.

The winner will be the member who gets the most characters correct. If more than one member gets the highest score then the earliest entry to get that score will be the winner. You will want to judge whether you want to answer quickly or spend more time trying to get more correct.

Enter the contest by sending me a Private Message with your answers (PLEASE COPY THE TEMPLATE BELOW AND PASTE IT INTO YOUR MESSAGE AND THEN FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH YOUR ANSWERS - this will make it much easier to score). I have no idea how many entries I will get, but I will try not to allow my inbox to fill up. If my PM inbox is full, or you are a new member and you do not yet have permission to send Private Messages then please email your entry to neogeoforum_2011_holiday_contest@hotmail.com. Please title the Private Message or email "2011 Holiday Contest Entry" and if you send an email please be sure to include your Neo Geo forum user name.

After December 25, 2011 I will post the correct answers and I will score the entries. I don't know how long it will take me to score all of them, but when I am done I will post the time and score of the entry that I think is the winner. After that there will be a period of time (one or two weeks - I will post the duration) for members to argue their case if they think they got more right (or the same number right with an earlier entry).

After this period I will post the name of the member who won and send the winner the prize!

Here is a picture of the prize:

Sorry about the box being banged up a bit - it was shipped from overseas.

Here is a sample answer for the character Yorda (mentioned above).

Character X name>___Yorda_____________
Character X game>___ICO______________
Character X system>___PlayStation2_____

PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING TEMPLATE AND FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH YOUR ASWERS

Character 1 name>_____________________
Character 1 game>_____________________
Character 1 system>____________________

Character 2 name>_____________________
Character 2 game>_____________________
Character 2 system>____________________

Character 3 name>_____________________
Character 3 game>_____________________
Character 3 system>____________________

Character 4 name>_____________________
Character 4 game>_____________________
Character 4 system>____________________

Character 5 name>_____________________
Character 5 game>_____________________
Character 5 system>____________________

Character 6 name>_____________________
Character 6 game>_____________________
Character 6 system>____________________

Character 7 name>_____________________
Character 7 game>_____________________
Character 7 system>____________________

Character 8 name>_____________________
Character 8 game>_____________________
Character 8 system>____________________

Character 9 name>_____________________
Character 9 game>_____________________
Character 9 system>____________________

Character 10 name>_____________________
Character 10 game>_____________________
Character 10 system>____________________

Character 11 name>_____________________
Character 11 game>_____________________
Character 11 system>____________________

Character 12 name>_____________________
Character 12 game>_____________________
Character 12 system>____________________

Character 13 name>___(user selected)_____
Character 13 game>_____________________
Character 13 system>____________________

Character 14 name>_____________________
Character 14 game>_____________________
Character 14 system>____________________

Character 15 name>_____________________
Character 15 game>_____________________
Character 15 system>____________________

Character 16 name>_____________________
Character 16 game>_____________________
Character 16 system>____________________

Character 17 name>_____________________
Character 17 game>_____________________
Character 17 system>____________________

Character 18 name>_____________________
Character 18 game>_____________________
Character 18 system>____________________

Character 19 name>_____________________
Character 19 game>_____________________
Character 19 system>____________________

Character 20 name>_____________________
Character 20 game>_____________________
Character 20 system>____________________

Character 21 name>_____________________
Character 21 game>_____________________
Character 21 system>____________________

Character 22 name>_____________________
Character 22 game>_____________________
Character 22 system>____________________

Character 23 name>_____________________
Character 23 game>_____________________
Character 23 system>____________________

Character 24 name>_____________________
Character 24 game>_____________________
Character 24 system>____________________

Character 25 name>_____________________
Character 25 game>_____________________
Character 25 system>____________________

Okay, that's it! Good luck to all! The contest starts.....NOW!

CHARACTER #1

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CHARACTER #2

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CHARACTER #3
Sorry I could only get one picture of her that would not give away the answer.

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CHARACTER #4
HINT: This is an import game.

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CHARACTER #5

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CHARACTER #6
HINT: She is playable only for a relatively small part of the game.

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CHARACTER #7

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CHARACTER #8
HINT: This is an import game.

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CHARACTER #9

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CHARACTER #10
HINT: This is an import game.

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CHARACTER #11

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CHARACTER #12
HINT: This is an import game.

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CHARACTER #13
This is a character whose name the player chooses. There is no default name. Just give the title of the game and the system it is on for this one.

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CHARACTER #14

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CHARACTER #15

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CHARACTER #16

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CHARACTER #17
HINT: This is an import game.

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CHARACTER #18

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CHARACTER #19

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CHARACTER #20

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CHARACTER #21

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CHARACTER #22

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CHARACTER #23

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CHARACTER #24

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CHARACTER #25

 

[rcantor77]

No chance.. I only recognise about half a dozen of them.

 

[rarehero]

Good contest, but yea, I can only spot half of them myself.

 

[thieslo]

Haha you guys are doing better than I would have. I only remembered the names/systems of two of them

 

[SNKorSWM]

I recognize only 14. I don't stand a chance in this. XD

 

[mjs256]

Keep in mind you don't have to get them all correct to win. The winner will be whoever gets the most right - the winning score could be 20, or 13, or 4.

I received a number of comments about not being able to recognize very many of them, so I decided to lower the minimum winning score from 10 to 3. So now, you only need to get 3 correct to have a chance of winning.

Also, unless you plan on spending some time trying to figure out some you aren't sure about your best chance will be to answer early - that way you would win over anyone else you gets the same number right.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Hmm... I only recognize about 5 or 6, maybe 7.

What a strange contest by the way... I applaud your generosity, but this is just... strange.

 

[OrochiEddie]

a bunch of sluts

statue please

 

[Marek]

a bunch of sluts

statue please

lol

 

[LoneSage]

ALL YOUR MAI ARE BELONG TO LONESAGE

1. Shaia from Gowcaizer (Neo-Geo)
2. Sheena from Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
3. ???
4. Konami Girl from Wai Wai World (Famicom)
5. Annie from Wild Guns (SNES)
6. Co from Rambo (NES)
7. Cathy from Top Hunter (Neo-Geo)
8. Maria from Final Fantasy II (NES)
9. Koudelka from Koudelka (PS1)
10. Angela from Seiken Densetsu 3 (SFC)
11. Lady Sia from Lady Sia (GBA)
12. Hikari from the Parodius series (Arcade)
13. ??? from Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (GBC)
14. Rachel from Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
15. Tsunade from Tengai Makyou: Ziria (Neo-Geo)
16. Maki from Final Fight 2 (SNES)
17. Code Name: Ceramic Arms from Shock Troopers 2nd Squad (Neo-Geo)
18. Windia from DeathSmiles (Arcade)
19. Tyris Flare from Golden Axe (Genesis)
20. Shanoa from Castlevania: OoE (DS)
21. Momohime from Muramasa (Wii)
22. Leila from Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis)
23. Lucia/Pheromone Contra from Shin Contra/Neo Contra (PS2)
24. Shantae from Shantae (GBC)

 

[LoneSage]

So do I win?

 

[mjs256]

So do I win?

No, it is not over yet. Since you posted your answers instead of sending me a PM or an email like I said to, everyone knows what your answers were . Since you only get one entry and you didn't provide an answer for the 25th character, anyone who copies your answers for 1-24 and then gets 25 correct will beat you . I would says that your chances of winning are... not so good.

 

[LoneSage]

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN

 

[ChuChu Flamingo]

god #25 is hard I have no clue what that is from

 

[Fett]

#3 has to be some obscure pic of Blue Mary with the blond hair, red shirt, and her arms up in that pose. No idea from what game though. Just give it to lonesage though tbh, lol.
Also, you mention that any other pic would give it away, so I assume it's a no-brainer among Neo fans.

 

[topher]

Thanks Sage, all I got to do is copy your answers and fill in 3 & 25 :-)

fat chance of that happening....

 

[Fritz]

I don't know about the contest but lonesage won the thread.

 

[Kid Panda]

sage is a goofball

 

[LoneSage]

Listen up you sons a bitches, I was never in it for the Mai anyway. Just did it for shits n gigs, I don't want that thing in my house. So if any of you wanna copy and paste my answers, have at it. That's what I was expecting, anyway.

 

[N30_G30_speed]

sorry, couldn't help it.

nice skills there lonesage

 

[mjs256]

There are now 10 days left. So far no one has gotten all 25. The last day to enter is December 25.

 

[mjs256]

Now only three days left to enter.

 

[LoneSage]

heeeeeeeeeey

 

[mjs256]

And the winner is...

Okay, it's all over.

It appears that the winner, with a score of 23 correct out of 25, is....... LoneSage!

If anyone thinks they submitted an entry with more than 23 correct please let me know within one week and I will listen to your case.

If anyone is interested, the correct answers (along with a few comments) are:

Character 1 name>___Shaia_____________
Character 1 game>___Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer
Character 1 system>___NEO-GEO_________

Character 2 name>___Sheena____________
Character 2 game>___Contra Hard Corps_
Character 2 system>___Genesis_________

Character 3 name>___Surf______________
Character 3 game>___Street Racer______
Character 3 system>___Saturn/PlayStation1/SNES/Genesis
I could only get one image of her outside of her car, and showing her in her car would have given it away.

Character 4 name>___Konami Girl_______
Character 4 game>___Wai Wai World_____
Character 4 system>___Famicom_________

Character 5 name>___Annie_____________
Character 5 game>___Wild Guns_________
Character 5 system>___SNES____________

Character 6 name>___Co________________
Character 6 game>___Rambo_____________
Character 6 system>___NES_____________
A lot of people despise this game. I don't think it is a great game, but I wanted to include it because I think it deserves more credit than people generally give it. I honestly enjoyed this game as a kid. I like how it really is built around the storyline of the movie, unlike most games of the time which would take a completely unrelated game and alter the graphics to make it look the part. It does have a lot in common with Zelda II, but I wouln't call it a clone, and there are far worse games than Zelda II to use as a model.

Character 7 name>___Cathy_____________
Character 7 game>___Top Hunter________
Character 7 system>___NEO-GEO_________

Character 8 name>___Maria_____________
Character 8 game>___Final Fantasy II__
Character 8 system>___Famicom_________
The original 8-bit Final Fantasy II - not the North American 16-bit SNES game of the same name (which is really a modified Final Fantasy IV).

Character 9 name>___Koudelka Iasant___
Character 9 game>___Koudelka__________
Character 9 system>___PlayStation1____
This game was published by none other than the original SNK. I think it may be the last game to bear the original SNK logo. It was released shortly before SNK's collapse which explains why the game feels like it was quickly thrown together in many respects. Nonetheless, there some things, like the story, cutscenes, and voice acting which are top notch. It has a completely different feel from your typical save-the-world RPG that I found refreshing and I think it exudes a certain coolness in spite of its flaws. One word of caution: I think a lot of games that are ESRB rated M do not deserve that rating, but this is one that does.

Character 10 name>___Angela____________
Character 10 game>___Sieken Densetsu 3_
Character 10 system>___Super Famicom___
It is a terrible tragedy that this game was never released outside of Japan.

Character 11 name>___Sia_______________
Character 11 game>___Lady Sia__________
Character 11 system>___Game Boy Advance

Character 12 name>___Hikaru____________
Character 12 game>___Gokujo Parodius___
Character 12 system>___Super Famicom/PlayStation1/Saturn/PSP

Character 13 name>___(user selected)_____
Character 13 game>___Bionic Commando Elite Forces
Character 13 system>___Game Boy Color__
Great character animation (for the time) in this one.

Character 14 name>___Rachel____________
Character 14 game>___Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Character 14 system>___PlayStation3____
My understanding is that Rachel is only playable in the PS3 version, but I counted the XBOX 360 version as correct too.

Character 15 name>___Tsunade___________
Character 15 game>___Kabuki Klash______
Character 15 system>___NEO-GEO_________

Character 16 name>___Maki______________
Character 16 game>___Final Fight 2_____
Character 16 system>___SNES____________

Character 17 name>___Angel_____________
Character 17 game>___Shock Troopers 2nd Squad
Character 17 system>___NEO-GEO_________

Character 18 name>___Windia____________
Character 18 game>___Deathsmiles_______
Character 18 system>___XBOX 360________

Character 19 name>___Tyris Flare_______
Character 19 game>___Golden Axe________
Character 19 system>___Genesis_________

Character 20 name>___Shanoa____________
Character 20 game>___Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Character 20 system>___Nintendo DS_____

Character 21 name>___Momohime__________
Character 21 game>___Muramasa__________
Character 21 system>___Wii_____________
Thechnically, the XBOX 360 and PS3 have better graphical capabilities than the Wii, but this Wii game looks as good as anything I've seen on either the XBOX 360 or the PS3. The graphics are just stunning.

Character 22 name>___Leila Blitz_______
Character 22 game>___Rolling Thunder 2_
Character 22 system>___Genesis_________
Despite the meager technical capabilities of the time, this game has style!

Character 23 name>___Lucia_____________
Character 23 game>___Contra Shattered Soldier
Character 23 system>___PlayStation2____

Character 24 name>___Shantae___________
Character 24 game>___Shantae___________
Character 24 system>___Game Boy Color__

Character 25 name>___Princess Toadstool
Character 25 game>___Super Mario Bros. 2/Super Mario Bros. USA
Character 25 system>___NES/Famicom_____
The North American NES version is called Super Mario Bros. 2 and it has nothing to do with the Japanese Famicom game Super Mario Bros. 2. It was eventually released on the Famicom as Super Mario Bros. USA. This game was popular long before Princess Toadstool became known as Peach, but I counted Princess Peach correct anyway.

 

[LoneSage]

awwww christ, street racer, geez, shoulda known.

hey man I'll be outta town for the next four days...is it cool if I PM you my address when I get back? thanks bro. nice contest. awfully nice of you to go thru such trouble.