Limit Glove

Aqua Breath only cause I never got the use for Limit Glove.

Aqualung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung, another of FFVII's 'get them early for total pwnage' skills. Took me all of two attacks to take out Reno and Rude in Gongaga using it.

In Aqua Breath form, it's less useful, but it still gets my vote. Besides, I hardly ever used Limit Glove.

Aqualung/Aqua Breath

Aqualung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung, also a good song...

Aqualung

Aqualung, also a good song...

Aqualung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung / Aqua Breath

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath - 12
Limit Glove - 1


Man, these last few battles have been total drubbings. Well, maybe that'll mean more intense battles in the next round. We've still got three battles to go before we get to that next round, though, so let's get on with it...


Mighty/Big Guard

vs.


Grand Train - Final Fantasy VI


A protection skill found in several FFs vs. Stragos's most powerful Lore ability from Final Fantasy VI. A good battle, or another thrashing? Your votes will decide-- cast them!

As much as I like the "that one hidden blue magic" in these games, Mighty Guard is too hard to vote against.

Mighty/Big Guard

Mighty / Big Guard

Mighty/Big Guard ftw

Mighty/Big Guard

Mighty/Big Guard

Mighty guard So the thrashing continues.

We all just think very alike~

Mighty Guard

Mighty Guard

Limit Glove

Limit Glove no longer in the running-- please make sure to check that you're voting on the current battle.

Battle ended by blowout...


Mighty/Big Guard - 8
Grand Train - <font color="red">0</font>


Next battle...


Bad Breath

vs.

Jump - Final Fantasy X


Somehow, I sense another thrashing coming. But who knows? Jump was surprisingly popular in the first round, so maybe it'll do well here. In any case, I may give this some extra time, due to the holiday, but only if there's a spread of greater than three votes. And, of course, I'll still end it early again if there's a blowout.

Are you kidding me? Bad Breath.

Agreed Bad Breath

Jump's cool and I'm tempted to vote for it on account of the fact that I hardly ever used Bad Breath, but after some deliberation, Bad Breath gets it.

Jump's cool and I'm tempted to vote for it on account of the fact that I hardly ever used Bad Breath, but after some deliberation, Bad Breath gets it.

I hate to say it but jump aint got a chance in hell. Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath :kirbyinhale:

Jump's cool and I'm tempted to vote for it on account of the fact that I hardly ever used Bad Breath
That's exactly how I feel about it, too-- Bad Breath seems cool, but I hardly ever used it myself. I wonder if that sentiment might end up being its demise in latter rounds? Nevertheless, it sails through here.

Bad Breath - 10
Jump <font color="red">0</font>


With that, we're right into the final battle of the second round...


White Wind

vs.

Frog Song - Final Fantasy VII


Another thrashing coming? It seems like a lot of the game-specific skills have been pretty outclassed, but maybe this will be the one that breaks the mold. Cast your votes!

White wind, without it you're flatout f'ed. Plus most bosses are unaffected by frog song.
EDIT: can you please makre more even skills? I've been looking at the past ones and they're all really uneven.

White Wind


Frog Song is a fun one but White Wind has more of a purpose

White Wind. In some versions of FF it isn't that special, but in FFVII it was pretty sweet.

White Wind

White Wind

White Wind :D still thrashing

White Wind I never used Frog Song.

Yup, White Wind.

Well here seems to be a win for a game specific...White Wind

Well here seems to be a win for a game specific...White Wind
By "game-specific," I mean ones specific to single Final Fantasy game. White Wind appears in several FFs.


EDIT: can you please makre more even skills? I've been looking at the past ones and they're all really uneven.
Well, you see, an equal number of both game-specific and several-FF skills were voted through to the second round. And so I wanted to keep things even and continue with a series of battles between game-specific and several-FF skills. I guess, when you get right down to it, though, there's a reason certain skills have shown up in several FF games-- because they're useful and people like them. That, and the fact that some of what was voted through to the second round had a surprising victory in the first round, but just couldn't hack it in the second. Frog Song, Jump, Cry in the Night-- I was surprised that any of those made it through to the second round, and yet, there you are.


White Wind - 9
Frog Song - <font color="red">0</font>


Here's what's left for the quarter finals:



White Wind
Mighty/Big Guard
Aqualung / Aqua Breath
Blowfish / 1000 Needles
Bad Breath
Laser / Missile
Beta - Final Fantasy VII
Angel's Snack - Final Fantasy IX


I think you guys will agree we've whittled away a lot of the junk. So let's see if we don't start having some better battles now. First battle of the quarter finals:


Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

vs.

Laser / Missile


Both of these are pretty useful. Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath provides one of the few opportunities for water-based damage, while Laser / Missile can half an Enemy's HP, which often comes in handy. Cast your votes!

Laser/Missile

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung / Aquabreath, laser and missle outdate to quickly.

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

Aqualung/Aqua Breath

Aqualung/Aqua Breath

Aqualung/Breath

Laser. Don't mind who wins, but I wouldn't want either to go home without any votes in this round.

Laser/Missile.

Laser/Missile or micro-missiles, those are quick and strong weapons as in Armored Core 3 and every animation/game variation.

AquaLung/Aqua Breath

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath - 9
Laser / Missile - 4


A better battle than any of the ones we've had recently, but Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath wins by several votes. Next up...

White Wind

vs.

Bad Breath


Now this, I think, should be a fascinating battle. Cast your votes!

White Wind

White Wind

White Wind

Bad Breath

White Wind, although it doesn't give back alot of HP it saved my ass the very first time i played FF quite alot. Khimari and his ability stealing ass for the win!

White Wind

White Wind

White Wind

White Wind. Looks like it won't be such a fascinating battle after all.

White Wind. Looks like it won't be such a fascinating battle after all.

White Wind

White Wind, though Bad Breath was a good one too.

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad Breath ~

White Wind - 11
Bad Breath - 6


Well, something of a late rally there. So it turned out to be a more decent battle than many of the other recent ones. Still, Bad Breath falls shy by several votes. So it's White Wind to the semi-finals. Our next battle is...

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

vs.

Angel's Snack - Final Fantasy IX


Both seem like fairly useful skills and both have done well to make it this far. Cast your votes!

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

Blowfish/1000 Needles

1,000 Needles

1000 Needles this time.

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

Blowfish/1000 Needles

Blowfish/1000 Needles

Angel's Snack

Blowfish/1000 Needles

Needles.

1000 Needles

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

1000 needles

1000 Needles

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

Yeah, time to go ahead and this...

Blowfish / 1000 Needles - 14
Angel's Snack - 1


Yet another thrashing. After making past two rounds into the quarter-finals, Angel's Snack only manages to pick up a single vote. Let's end the quarter-finals with this battle...


Mighty/Big Guard

vs.

Beta - Final Fantasy VII


Beta's a powerful attack skill and it has a "cool" factor for a couple of different reasons-- its appearance and the fact that with the right knowledge, you can gain it really early and do some ownage. Of course, it does have the weakness of being an elemental attack.

Mighty/Big Guard, on the other hand, is great for defense, but its usefulness and general availability varies based on the game.

Beta. Tempted to vote for Big/Mighty Guard, but in later FFs it was a shadow of the skill that it was in FFVII.

Mighty/Big Guard

Beta. Tempted to vote for Big/Mighty Guard, but in later FFs it was a shadow of the skill that it was in FFVIII.

Fixed...

Beta

Beta

Beta

Beta

Beta

Beta

Beta ftw

Mighty/Big Guard

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Erm, yeah. Suffice it to say that I found the whole thing ridiculous (and would have been in any thread, not just a rumble), and not just on one side. It should have been taken to PM right away, and definitely not carried on for that long, no matter what. In any case, it's done now, so enough with it. (And for those who have no idea what I'm talking about-- that's perfectly fine.)


Anyways...


Mighty/Big Guard - 2
Beta - 9


Wow! Something of an upset. Mighty/Big Guard was a very popular choice in the first couple of rounds. I thought it had a good chance for the final, but instead it only manages two votes. That brings us to the semi-finals. Here's the line-up...



White Wind
Aqualung / Aqua Breath
Blowfish / 1000 Needles
Beta - Final Fantasy VII


First battle of the semi-finals:

Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath

vs.

Beta - Final Fantasy VII


It's an elemental skirmish in this first battle of the semi-finals-- water vs. fire. Will Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath give Beta a good thrashing, or does Beta's fire burn so brightly that Aqua Lung / Aqua Breath will end up as nothing but steam? Cast your votes!

Beta for the rare-factor.

Beta

Beta - Final Fantasy VII

Aqualung, since it was the only non-summon water-based attack in FFVII. Beta was good, but when you get the likes of Flare late on it becomes obsolete as far as fire-based attacks go.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Erm, yeah. Suffice it to say that I found the whole thing ridiculous (and would have been in any thread, not just a rumble), and not just on one side. It should have been taken to PM right away, and definitely not carried on for that long, no matter what. In any case, it's done now, so enough with it. (And for those who have no idea what I'm talking about-- that's perfectly fine.)




Figures I miss all the fun drama on weekends...

But anyways, Aqualung

Due to the apparent server problems, I am extending this by at least one day-- so this will end tomorrow evening at the earliest...

Beta

Aqualung

Beta

I'm still not satisfied everyone has had a fair chance to vote yet, so I'm going to give this one more day. It seems like things have stabilized now, so, barring any further problems, I'll definitely update this tomorrow evening.

Beta !

Aqualung

I couldn't get any access at all last night-- so much for updating this then. As such, I'll go ahead and update it now...


Beta - 6
Aqualung - 4


Beta was leading all along, and Aqualung just couldn't mount a comeback. Close vote, though. Sorry if there's still anybody that wanted to vote and didn't get a chance, but I think it's been up enough over the past few days that there were a fair few windows of opportunity.


Our second semi-final battle...

White Wind

vs.

Blowfish / 1000 Needles


White Wind is a useful healing spell, but Blowfish / 1000 Needles has a certain "cool" factor about it. Cast your votes for our second finalist!

White Wind

1000 Needles.

1000 Needles

White Wind, mainly to keep it close. I like both and would be happy to see either in the final.

I like both of 'em a lot, so.

*tosses a coin*

Blowfish/1000 Needles~!

White Wind

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

1000 Needles.

1000 Needles

Well, since the boards seemed to be acting up again last night, I thought I'd give this an extra day, but I guess everybody's voted that wanted to. Or at least had a fair chance at it, anyway. Results...

White Wind - 3
Blowfish / 1000 Needles - 6


Wow! I had thought that both White Wind and Big Guard were the most likely candidates for the final, and both of them have been knocked out. Our final battle:


Blowfish / 1000 Needles

vs.

Beta - Final Fantasy VII


The favored attack of cactuars-- guaranteed 1000 damage, vs. FFVII's powerful fire attack on all targets. Oh, and I'm going to say this up-front this time-- I'm going to give three days to vote on this, since things could go down again at any time. The only way it's ending early is if there's a blowout.

Beta - Final Fantasy VII

Blowfish / 1000 Needles

I like them both. But I think it would be quite unfair for a candidate from one game in specific to beat one that has been in several. Other than that, I find 1000 Needles to be of a lot more use.

Beta

1000 Needles :D

Blowfish/1000 Needles

Oh, good fight, I like them both a lot, but I think I'll go with Blowfish / 1000 Needles.

After some deliberation, 1,000 Needles.

Well, that's going to wrap it up for this one. Somewhat less votes than I would have hoped, but I think everybody's had a fair shot at it, so now it's time to end this...

Blowfish / 1000 Needles - 5
Beta - 2


And there you have it! Congratulations to our winner:

Blowfish / 1000 Needles





Watch for the next edition coming in a day or two. I already have a pretty good idea what I want to do next, so no need for nominations for a category this time.

I hope it isn't what I think.

edit: sorry Agent, mis-read your post as 'we need to make nominations for a category this time' instead of 'no need to make nominations for a category this time' which is rather silly because the way it was worded before should have made the general message obvious. Ah well, that's what happens when you skim-read.

If you aren't planning to do something equipment-related though, please consider it for the next one.

LOL, Zak-- I'll be curious to see either way whether or not it's what you think, though I doubt it is. (And if it is, um, sorry.) Oh, and no, Ceidwad, it's not equipment, though I'll keep the idea in mind for the future.

Actually, I want to do locations. We've never done it here, before, mainly because I had considered it the province of the Champions Rumble when that was still around, but I wanna give it a shot here. To keep things interesting and fresh, however, I've got some themes set-up.


Beachfront Bliss / Water Wonders

Serpent Trench - Final Fantasy VI
Costa del Sol - Final Fantasy VII
Dollet - Final Fantasy VIII
Daguerro Library - Final Fantasy IX
Luca - Final Fantasy X
Nomination Spot 1
Nomination Spot 2


Ancient Wonders


Library of the Ancients - Final Fantasy V
Ancient Castle (Odin's Castle) - Final Fantasy VI
Temple of the Ancients - Final Fantasy VII
Madain Sari - Final Fantasy IX
The Ruins of Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X
Giruvegan - Final Fantasy XII
Nomination Spot 1
Nomination Spot 2


High Society / Techno Marvels

Vector - Final Fantasy VI
Midgar - Final Fantasy VII
Esthar - Final Fantasy VIII
Lindblum - Final Fantasy IX
Bevelle - Final Fantasy X
The Imperial City of Archadia - Final Fantasy XII
Nomination Spot 1
Nomination Spot 2


Wild Card Category

8 Nomination Spots



I like the categories I've come up with, but I also realize there are a lot of great locations that don't really fit into any of these areas. So I'm leaving 8 Nominations Spots in a "Wild-Card" category, for anybody to nominate any locations they choose. Feel free to post as few or many as you want, and/or second, etc. any that people post before you. And there are Nomination Spots with in the regular category sections as well, so please nominate for those as well. Just post it all with your vote.


But now, it's straight on to our first battle, in the Beachfront Bliss / Water Wonders category:


Costa del Sol - Final Fantasy VII (A beachfront town, you mainly just pass through this in FFVII. You can do quite a bit or almost nothing here, depending on your playing style. Once you get off the boat coming Junon, there's a brief mandatory scene and then you're welcome to leave right away. However, if you do stick around, you can encounter an amusing sequence with Hojo, some hijinks with Barret, and other interesting things. There's also various shops and, later in the game, you can even buy Cloud his very own villa if you want.)

vs.

Daguerro Library - Final Fantasy IX (Drawing on the power of water, this is an ancient and secluded library. You can only access it using either an airship or a gold chocobo. You can pick up some great cards and items here. This is also where you'll find the Four-Armed Man and can learn his true name if you make Rank S treasure hunter.)

Ah, good choice, forgot about locations. I was thinking quotes, not really a fan of those and we have a bunch with it right now.

But yeah I say do equipment next!

And... gotta go with Daguerreo Library. Better music, better stuff. Costa Del Sol had so much potential though, shame.

Phon Coast has to go in the 'Beachfront Bliss' category.

What the hell, I'll go for Costa Del Sol here. Daguerreo had some good weapons and synthesists, but there's little by way of plot-related scenes to be found there (maybe an ATE but I can't remember fully).

Locations..this'll be an interesting rumble :)

Daguerro for me.



Phon Coast has to go in the 'Beachfront Bliss' category.

Seconded~

Daguerro

Costa del Sol - Final Fantasy VII

Costa Del Sol - FFVII. And definitely Phon Coast for the Beachfront Bliss category.

Costa Del Sol for me as well

The Orphanidge (Final Fantasy VIII) could go in ancient wonders I guess. Tis a lovely place would be nice to see it included.

Oh I missed the nomination spots. I already voted but a few nominations:

Centra Ruins (FFVIII) for Ancient Wonders, definitely.

As for the wild card category, how about using something like Caves and Forests? Not boring ones, of course. I mean ones with certain appeal to them like Ancient Forest (FFVII) and Sochen Cave Palace (FFXII).

Costa del Sol for me. I loved the relaxing atmosphere

As much as I love FFIX, Costa Del Sol gets my vote in this one. ~

Also, I'd nominate the Dinosaur Forest (FFVI), even though it's not really an official Location, still. :*

Thanks for all of the nominations so far! As for the Wild Card category-- remember, you can nomination any location for that you don't think would fit into one of the other categories. So if there's any town or other area you really like that isn't included or hasn't been mentioned, make sure to nominate that.

Let's get the results on the first battle...

Daguerro Library - 3
Costa del Sol - 6


Not a bad battle to start out. Costa del Sol wins by a few votes. Next up, a battle from the Ancient Wonders category...


Ancient Castle (Odin's Castle) - Final Fantasy VI (A castle lost to the mists of time, it is only accessible in the World of Ruin. As you travel along using Figaro Castle, the man will say that there's something odd about the stratum and you'll have the choice to stop. If you do, you can exit from the dungeon where the prisoners once were and after traveling through an underground area, you'll reach this castle. This is where you have the opportunity to gain the esper, Odin, and he can also be upgraded to Raiden here. One of the eight dragons needed to break the seal for the esper Crusader is also located here.)

vs.

Giruvegan - Final Fantasy XII (Said to be a holy land, this city is told of in a song by the Viera. Your party is baited here by Cid. They seek the Jagd Difohr and the Feywood, then travel through a hidden area to reach this land. This is the home of the Crystal Core, and here, the party discovers the Occuria, who grant Ashe the Treaty-Blade. Later, you can return and fight powerful foes, including the esper Ultima and the great weapon Omega Mk XII.)

Giruvegan

Giruvegan

Giruvegan

Giruvegan

Giruvegan

Ancient Castle, loved the vagueness.

Giruvegan. Just because FFXII is newer it seems like it gets less respect because it's mostly showy and hasn't sinked in over time like VI or doesn't have a lot of history to give it depth and familiarity.

All right, let's end this battle. It's a bit earlier in the evening than I usually would end it, but I think the results are clear...

Ancient Castle (Odin's Castle) - 1
Giruvegan -6


Giruvegan wins easily. Next up, from the category of High Society / Techno Marvels:

Esthar - Final Fantasy VIII (A xenophobic city, Esthar has a very technological look about it and boasts advances you won't find anywhere else in the world of Final Fantasy VIII. Travel throughout the huge city can be done by skyways. This is also the home of O Lab and a grand presidential residence. Many residents from this town chose to leave in favor of peace and formed the idyllic community Fisherman's Horizon.)

vs.

Bevelle - Final Fantasy X and X-2 (This town's powerful machina assured its victory from the start in its war against the city of Zanarkand. Later on, it became the home seat for Yevon. Your party visits here after defeated the town's heavily teethed gatekeeper and learns some hard truths. In Final Fantasy X-2, it becomes the home for New Yevon. The party discovers the former resting spot for Vegnagun in its depths and later you can also visit the forbidding Via Infinito dungeon.)


Don't forget that nominations are still going. I'm probably going to go through the three categories one more time before closing nominations, so if there are more choices that anyone wants to add, please get them in, or I'll just fill the rest of the slots myself, with my personal favorites.

Bevelle - Final Fantasy X and X-2

Esthar

Bevelle

Bevelle - Final Fantasy X & X-2

My hatred for Esthar knows no bounds. Not too fond of Bevelle either, but I'd choose it over Esthar any day.

Bevelle - Final Fantasy X/X-2

Bevelle

Updates will resume the day after Christmas. Enjoy your holidays, everyone!

Esthar. Love it, plus you never really get to explore Bevelle anyway, I keep forgetting that it's a "high tech/industrial" city, what when we just get to see a bridge and a weird temple. Most of what we get out of Bevelle is inside one building and on a single bridge.

Esthar was a far better experience when first getting there. Also better music++

Esthar (if votes are still being counted)

Merry Christmas everyone.

Esthar

Esthar, I pretty much love every thing about it a bit more than Bevelle!

All right, let's get this show back on the road...

Esthar - 5
Bevelle - 5



It was losing by several votes, but Esthar mounts a surprise comeback, bringing us our first tie in quite a while. And when there's a tie in the first round in this particular rumble, I do a coin toss to determine the winner. The winner, in this case is... Esthar! But it looks like it may have an uphill battle to get past the second round.

In the meantime, we move back to the Beachfront Bliss / Water Wonders category with this battle...

Dollet - Final Fantasy VIII (Your party lands on the beach of this town in the well-known "Landing" FMV. Here, Squall and co. undergo their SeeD field test and it's here that the Galbadian army seizes a communication tower for its purposes. Your party makes a thrilling escape from a mechanized menace, which Quistis shoots down with a big gun, unless your party manages to take it down. Later, you can return to Dollet. There's not all that much to do here, though this is the place to go for the Queen of Cards sidequest. There's also fairly amusing bit involving the painter and his grandson (the grandson also happens to carry the cards you lose to the Queen of Cards as part of the sidequest. You can also sneak back into the path leading to the communication tower, if you want, and encounter a fairly amusing sequence.)

vs.

Luca - Final Fantasy X and X-2 (Towns don't generally get much bigger than Luca in Final Fantasy X, because of Sin. This is the home of the blitzball stadium and it's also where your party finds Auron. The Al Bhed Psyches kidnap Yuna here, but you manage to recover her. Additionally, this is where Seymour supposedly fends off a fiend attack, though you later learn the whole thing was orchestrated by him to show off the power of Anima. This is also the home of the Sphere Theater, where you can view/listen to spheres of the games FMVs and music. In Final Fantasy X-2, a new sensation sweeps Luca-- a game called "Sphere Break." Blitzball's still there, too, though you don't get to play it until the end of the game. Yuna also reminisces here about time spent with Tidus, and learning how to whistle. Oh, and let's not forget the concert, which turned out to actually be the work of an impostor, Leblanc.)

Dollet

Luca for me.

Luca

Luca

Hard choice.... damn. Considering all the factors in the end I'm going with Dollet.

Luca

Dollet - Final Fantasy VIII

Dollet

Dollet

Dollet - 5
Luca - 4


Luca takes an early lead, but Dollet comes from behind, leaving Final Fantasy X/X-2 0-2 so far in this edition. Our next battle, from the "Ancient Wonders" category--



Library of the Ancients - Final Fantasy V (A.K.A. the "Ancient Library." When Cid goes off and gets sloshed following the shattering of the Fire Crystal, the party travels here. After traveling through an underground dungeon, they fight Ifrit [as well as various bookshelves] and then discover Mid, Cid's grandson. He found a book that can get Cid's steamship running in the library. Later on, when the worlds are merged, the scholars from the Surgate Library of Galuf's world arrive here. They had the other half of the Book of Sealings. The two parts are reunited in the Library of the Ancients.)

vs.

Madain Sari - Final Fantasy IX (The village of the summoners, Madain Sari is something of a lost village. The party arrives here with Eiko and discovers that the place is little more than ruins. It turns out that Eiko and Garnet are all that remains of an ancient summoner tribe that once lived here. Eiko's grandfather died the year before and she's been living with just the moogles ever since. A great natural disaster struck the village ten years before, but her parents survived. They decided to have a family, but passed away when Eiko was still very young. The party discovers the Eidolon Wall here, which the summoners have protected for generations. Lani shows up here and takes Eiko's precious jewel, but is scared away by Amarant, who ends up joining your party. As for Lani, she ends up being taken in by the moogles and living here.)

Library of the Ancients - Final Fantasy V

Madain Sari

Madain Sari. Someone asked me a long while ago why I like those ruins so much.. it has lots of moogles, awesome background music and it used to be a fullfledged summoner town. :p There ya go.

Madain Sari

Madain Sari

Madain Sari gotta love the moogles.

Madain Sari I guess.

Bah you're all insane~

Library of the Ancients - 1
Madain Sari - 6

Well, I suppose that's no big surprise, but I'm glad that the Library from V got at least one vote.

All right, next up...

Midgar - Final Fantasy VII (A city powered by a series of Mako reactors. "A floating city... Pretty unsettling scenery." The upper world is a "city on a plate" and those below suffer and deal with polluted air. Yes, Midgar is something of a techno marvel, but it's also full of slums. You start the game of Final Fantasy VII in Midgar and spend a fairly substantial amount of time in it before venturing out to the world at large. The town is numbered into Sectors, such as Sector 7-- home of Tifa's Seventh Heaven. Also within Midgar are Wall Market, the Shinra Headquarters and the church where you first meet Aeris/th. Later, the party returns to Midgar and tries to stop Hojo from supplying energy to Sephiroth.)

vs.

The Imperial City of Archades - Final Fantasy XII (The seat of power for the Archadian Empire. You actually first enter Old Archades, which is where those who just didn't have the right information to enter the city proper dwell. As for the main city itself, one main thing to note is that it's the home of the Draklor Laboratory, where Balthier's father Cid schemes away his days. In order to get there, you first have to take part in a short quest to get "chops." You can continue this quest later on to get an even better "chop," which gets you access to the uppermost level of the city, where one of the cockatrices that's part of that sidequest is waiting and you can also get some rewards related to the rare monster quest.)



Oh, and Happy New Year, everyone! This will end on the evening of January 2, eastern time, unless it's either a blowout or a runaway result.

Ooh gimme some Archades. It'll probably lose though...

Midgar

Archades was such an interesting location, I feel rather bad voting against it.



ETA- Happy New Year, guys :)

Archades

Midgar. I didn't like Archades much at all.

Midgar

Happy New Year all!

Archades, happy new year. <3

Well, not exactly the most exciting turnout here, but we have to keep chugging along. Hope everyone enjoyed their New Year. Here's the results...

Midgar - 3
Archades - 3


Seems we have a tie. So we go to a coin toss, and the winner is... Midgar.

Anyways, nomination time is over. So I'll go add in the nominated choices now and fill out the rest with choices of my own that I think are worthwhile.

And now, our first battle from the Wild Card category:

Wutai - Final Fantasy VII (A town once proud of its culture, Yuffie berates her father Godo for turning the place into a "cheesy resort town peddling to tourists." He explains that he felt shame in losing to the Shinra, but began to wonder about the meaning of strength-- i.e., if he were to resort to the enemy's tactics, would he become like the enemy? Wutai is where you'll take part in Yuffie's sidequest [both maddening and fun] and also see the events of the pagoda. It's also the home of Da-chao statue.)

vs.

Sochen Cave Palace - Final Fantasy XII (A most curious dungeon. Your party first travels through here on the way to Archades and encounters the Mandragoras, among other tough enemies. It's something of a twisted maze, with a lot of cramped spaces, and thus can be difficult to navigate at times. This dungeon is home to several secrets, including three of the Rare Game, treasure hidden by a puzzle and the lengthy, though not overly challenging, battle with the Hell Wyrm.)

Wutai

Sochen Cave Palace

Wutai

Sochen Cave Palace by a mile.

Wutai please~

Wutai

Wutai - 4
Sochen Cave Palace - 2


Next up, from the Ancient Wonders category:

Temple of the Ancients - Final Fantasy VII (The home of the Black Materia... well, not quite. The temple is actually is the Black Materia. Your party is able to gain entrance here once you acquire the Keystone, following the events at the Gold Saucer with Cait Sith. The Temple is something of a labyrinth and is also home to some powerful monsters. Your party finds Sephiroth here, where he kills off Tseng, and you see some real signs here that something's not quite right with Cloud...)

vs.

Terra / Bran Bal (After completing Ipsen's Castle, your party is able to head to Terra via Shimmering Island. Bran Bal is the home of the genomes, Zidane's race. Garnet collapses here upon seeing the eye in the sky-- actually the airship Invincible. It is here that Zidane learns of his heritage...)

Terra / Bran Bal

Temple of the ancients was as annoyingly frustrating as the cloisters of trials.

Terra / Bran Bal

Terra / Bran Bal by very far.

Temple of the Ancients.

Temple Of The Ancients

Temple of the Ancients

Terra / Bran Bal

Terra/Bran Bal

Looks like a nice, solid battle. Let's get the results...

Temple of the Ancients - 3
Terra / Bran Bal - 5


So it's Terra / Bran Bal by two votes. Next up, from Beachfront Bliss / Water Wonders...


Junon - Final Fantasy VII (Your party finds its way here after traveling through the Mythril Mines, perhaps stopping over at Fort Condor first. Junon is somewhat like Midgar in that it's sectionalized. Your party first arrives in Lower Junon, which is full of polluted air from the upper city. Oh, speaking of the Upper City, when you get there, they're busy throwing a big inauguration party for Rufus Shinra. Your party sneaks on up thanks to Priscilla and Cloud even ends up being part of the parade. There are a lot of secrets hidden in Junon, including the Beginner's Hall---> Intermediate. Your party is held in Junon following the events of Sephiroth's summoning Meteor. Later, you return for some fun involving the town's Underwater Reactor.)

vs.

Phon Coast - Final Fantasy XII (An area just past the Salikawood forest. Your party arrives here and you learn some major stuff about Balthier's past, but it's largely just a stopping point on the way to Archades. There is a sidequest here, in the form of the rare game hunters. You turn in your trophies in exchange for the ability to shop for prizes. Besides the town itself, there's a lot of sprawling wilderness areas where you can fight monsters. Despite the seeming lack of stuff to do here, there's no doubt that this place is popular. It took second place in the locations edition of the XII Rumble and its musical theme, "The Phon Coast" was the winner of the music edition.)

I feel weird that I'm constantly voting FFVII stuff even though I'm not fond of that game, but between these two I have to say Junon.

Phon Coast

Phon Coast

Phon Coast

Junon

Phon Coast It looks cool and the music was good.

Junon - Final Fantasy VII

Was going to end this last night, but I don't like to update when the DNS is acting up. Let's get the results now...

Junon - 3
Phon Coast - 4


Close battle, but FFXII's Phon Coast takes it by one vote. Our next battle, from the Wild Card Category...


Dinosaur Forest - Final Fantasy VI (Not actually a specific, named location, but it was one of the nominations and I decided to go with it. This is a forest available only in the world of ruin. Some people in the caverns where you find Shadow refer to there being powerful "dragons" in the forest, but this was actually a translation error. It's actually dinosaurs-- specifically the Tyrannosaur and the Brachiosaur. Both of these are extremely powerful monsters, but the rewards for fighting them can be extremely great and so they are generally favored for leveling up. Additionally, the Brachiosaur sometimes drops the fabled Economizer Relic, and Locke can steal the valuable Ribbon.)

vs.

Calm Lands - Final Fantasy X and X-2 (The Calm Lands were so named because summoners took note of the vast, open prairie as an ideal place to fight Sin and thus usher in the Calm. In Final Fantasy X, your party finds yourself here following the events in Bevelle and the scene with Tidus and Yuna in the Macalania Woods. This vast area is where many summoners of lesser resolve ended up quitting their pilgrimages. Your party finds rest at the travel agency here, prior to continuing on. Upon trying to leave, they are confronted with Guado representing Lord Seymour. They say that Seymour doesn't need them alive and then summon a giant machina. Those interested in most of FFX's sidequests generally end up spending quite a bit of time in the Calm Lands. It's the home of the monster arena, the chocobo-training mini-game as well as Remiem Temple, where Yuna completes her training with the unsent summoner Belgemine and where you can also obtain the Cloudy Mirror. In Final Fantasy X-2, the Calm Lands has become home to two companies-- Open Air and Argent Inc. They offer a number a number of mini-games. You can choose to aid in the publicity for one or both companies and if you obtain Episode Complete in Chapter 5, Tobli merges the two and you can unlock either one or two new games. Additionally, later on in the game, you can send Clasko here and he'll set up a chocobo ranch where the monster arena once was. Finally, there is a man at the travel agency who you can participate in a "matchmaking" mission for.)

As I apparently have not posted for a few weeks lets make one haha

Calm Lands

Calm Lands

Calm Lands

Calm Lands

All aboard the Calm Lands wagon.

Calm Lands

Based on the general voting pattern lately, I think I'll change the blowout condition for this rumble to 6-0, like Zak did over at his rumble. Just can't see seven more votes coming in and Dinosaur Forest having any chance of coming back. As such...

Dinosaur Forest <font color="red">0</font>
Calm Lands - 6


So it's the ol' goose egg for the Dinosaur Forest and the Calm Lands progress to the second round. Next battle, from the High Society / Techno Marvels category...

Lindblum - Final Fantasy IX (Your party finds its way to this town after a thrilling airship chase upon leaving Dali. Here, you meet up with the Regent Cid Fabool, who was changed into a frog by his wife, the Lady Hilda, due to his treachery. Cid was a friend of Garnet/Dagger's father and he was, in fact, the one who commissioned the kidnap of the princess because of his concern over Brahne's actions. Besides the royal castle, Lindblum is composed of three districts-- the Business, Industrial and Theater Districts. You take part in the Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum. Later on, Lindblum is devastated in an eidolon attack and taken control of by Alexandria. The Industrial District is completely destroyed and the rest of the town is heavily damaged.)

vs.

Deep Sea Research Center - Final Fantasy VIII (A secret area only accessible once you gain control of the Ragnarok airship. If Zell is in your party when you land here, he indicates that he knows something about the place. If you let him speak, he explains that he thinks it must be the lost mobile research center, "Battleship Island." The people that worked there were trying to develop a Draw system and even experimented with some powerful GFs. After he explains this, Squall thinks that maybe he should give him more credit. As you venture in, if you perceive the light pattern correctly, you can make your way forward and eventually battle and obtain the GF Bahamut. A new path opens up and your party can venture deep into the depths. All sorts of powerful monsters are inside the Deep Sea Research Center and eventually you can fight the Ultima Weapon and obtain the GF Eden.)

I know it's probably gonna lose, but the Deep Sea Research Center was awesome. Everything about it.

Typical that I miss out on Dinosaur Forest. :o

And ooh this a surprisingly tough one, the research center was very awesome, but Lindblum is such a neat city... Deep Sea Research Center :D

Lindblum

Lindblum

Deep Sea Research Center

Lindblum - Final Fantasy IX

Lindblum

Lindblum - 4
Deep Sea Research Center - 3


Very close battle, but Lindblum takes this one by just one vote.


Time now for our final battle in the Ancient Wonders category...

The Ruins of Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X and X-2 (In Final Fantasy X, the Ruins of Zanarkand loom large as the final destination where summoners must head after completing their training in order to obtain the final aeon. Past the snowy peaks of Mt. Zanarkand, the city waits. Rikku begs Yuna for more time, but down your party goes. In the temple there awaits Yunalesca, who is there to transform one of the guardians into the fayth for the final summoning. But Yuna won't have it. She and the party put an end to false hope and defeat Yunalesca. In Final Fantasy X-2, the Ruins of Zanarkand have become a tourist attraction. Yuna can hardly believe the way that the place has been profaned, but the Gullwings plow onwards because the sphere oscillo-finder picked up a report of a sphere there-- though it turns out to be only half a sphere. Both Isaaru and Cid have taken jobs here, though neither seem entirely satisfied with their lot. Later on in the game, the party can return and match monkeys to their soulmates. If they do, then the place becomes overrun by monkeys and the tourist crowds are chased away.)

vs.

Edea's Orphanage - Final Fantasy VIII (The place where Squall, Seifer, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine all grew up. Also the home of 'Sis' Ellone, until one fateful day. The "old orphanage gang" all drifted apart and forgot about their time here due to the GF-- all except for Irvine, who doesn't actually have experience with GF until after he joins your party. It's he who fills them in on what happened at the ruins of the Trabia Garden and, thus, they begin to reclaim their memories. Although Edea's Orphanage can be seen as a location on the map as soon as you gain control of Balamb Garden, you don't actually get to enter it properly until the start of Disc 3. Edea and Cid Kramer have settled down there, though Edea leaves it once again when she joins your party to visit Esthar. Later, following the rescue of Rinoa, she suggests going back there as a place to rest and regroup, leading the famous "promise" scene in the flower field referenced in the game's opening FMV.)

The Ruins of Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X and X-2

Zanarkand Ruins

Zanarkand Ruins

Zanarkand Ruins

Zanarkand Ruins

The Ruins of Zanarkand no question

Zanarkand Ruins.

Nobody for Edea's Orphanage? Very well, then...

The Ruins of Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X/X-2 - 7
Edea's Orphanage - <font color="red">0</font>


Now, the final battle from the Beachfront Bliss / Water Wonders category...


Serpent Trench - Final Fantasy VI (A.K.A. "The Snake Path." Sabin, Gau and Cyan travel along this underground / underwater path, thanks to Gau's "shiny thing." It's a fast current and there are a number of alternative paths, but eventually they reach Nikeah and catch a ferry bound for South Figaro. "Narshe is just stone's throw away..." Later, you can come back if you want and learn Mog's "Water Rondo" dance.)

vs.

Besaid Island - Final Fantasy X and X-2 (Home of three of the main playable characters-- Wakka, Lulu and Yuna. Tidus washes up on Besaid Island following the attack on the Al Bhed ship. It's here that he first meets Wakka and the Besaid Aurochs and agrees to come with Luca with Wakka and join the Aurochs. Here also is where Tidus disobeys the precepts and heads into the Cloister of Trials, meeting Yuna, who has just become a full-fledged summoner. Yuna was brought to this town by Kimahri, who was acting under Auron's request. [Braska having told Auron that he thought Besaid would be a good place for Yuna to grow up.] In Final Fantasy X-2, Wakka and Lulu have settled down in Besaid, having married and Lulu about to have a baby. Meanwhile, Beclem of the Youth League is putting the Aurochs through the paces and challenges Yuna to the Gunner's Gauntlet. In Chapter 3, Wakka stops Beclem from burning down the temple when fiends appear due to the crisis of the aeons.)

Serpent Trench - Final Fantasy VI

Besaid Island

Serpent Trench

Woah, I've missed alot of this rumble... I'll chip in now with Besaid Island.

Besaid Island

Besaid Island

Besaid Island