Fight 9
Today is more than a battle between two competitors. Today is about a fight between genres and we have a dandy here with Adventure/ Puzzle going full throttle with RPG. Link, the icon of the Legend Of Zelda series goes one-on-one with the icon of the Final Fantasy series, Cloud. The result of this bout could be determined by which Link we will see. Will we see the 2D munchkin, hailed by retro fans? Will the current gen figure make an appearance? Or will our newly cell-shaded hero emerge?
As the two combatants enter the arena all eyes are on Link and as we see the glint of a rather large sword, followed closely by the hem of a green tunic, we reveal that it is the Twilight Princess character who comes to light. Unusually for a battle of this type, Link is accompanied to the battle scene by Princess Zelda, whom we assume is here for moral support and will have little involvement in this bout. Cloud stands in wait at the opposite end of the arena, his Buster Sword glimmering in the blinding sun.
"When you're ready!..." yells Cloud by way of on-screen text.
With a frowned face, Link brushes Princess Zelda aside, marches over to Cloud and launches a basic attack. It lands and sucks 25 HP from the RPG hero. After selecting Attack from his list of options, Cloud delivers a swipe with his hefty sword, but Link is quick enough to evade reception of his gift.
Cloud selects Items and then Potion from his list but in the time it takes for his meter to build up, Zelda delivers another blow, halving his HP. When Cloud does manage to regain some health his EXP rises unexpectedly, giving him enough time to sneak in a fire attack on Link. As Link struggles to quash the flames, Cloud runs to Princess Zelda and kidnaps her, locking her in a cage behind the arena.
When Link recovers he notices Zelda's disappearance and a shocked face is displayed. In a fit of rage, he then transforms himself into a wolf and the entire area turns black. In a strange twist, Midna appears and has apparently gained the ability to control the Shadow Beasts that emerge. After setting them on Cloud they systematically pick him apart. However it is at this point that Link transforms back to his true self for one last time, ending the attack.
Weak and frail, Cloud displays the words, "...why?"
"Because he wants to know where The Princess is dummy!" pipes up Midna.
With his sword poised for one last final blow, Link awaits an answer.
"...Behind the... Arena..." mutters Cloud
And with that a fatal blow is delivered by Link's sword, bringing this battle to a close. Man, Cloud got killed worse than Aerith.
Battle 9: Snake vs Sam Fisher
While this was certainly not the quickest or smoothest of encounters, we can expect an entirely different fight in the next clash which sees Metal Gear Solid's Snake face-off against Sam Fisher, figure head of the Splinter Cell series. One thing for damn certain is that stealth will play a key part in this encounter. But the question is, who will have the finest skills on display on the day? Let the voting commence.... Now!
