The dust has settled on the latest round of voting, and only two game heroes remain: the world's most famous plumber, and the toughest MIT PhD ever to swing a crowbar.

This is it. The last showdown. The ultimate match. The final countdown!

Who will take home the title of the greatest game hero of all time? It's up to you to decide. Get your votes ready and prepare for a fight!

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Mario

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Gordon Freeman

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The Story So Far:
See how you stack up on the Greatest Game Hero leaderboard

Check the current Game Hero standings

Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

The quarterfinals are over, and we're down to the fabled four.

Is YOUR game hero in it to win it? Catch up with the final four in handy video format below, and don't miss out on Round 5!

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Mario

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Link

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Samus Aran

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Gordon Freeman

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The Story So Far:
See how you stack up on the Greatest Game Hero leaderboard

Check the current Game Hero standings

Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

Hi everyone,

We discovered an attempt to stuff the ballot boxes and have removed the fraudulent votes. These votes only were significant enough to impact one contest: Bub & Bob vs. Samus Aran. As we mentioned, we wanted to make absolutely sure the results for round 3 were above the board, and as it happens, we caught close to 16,000 fraudulent votes from five specific people. Subtracting these votes from the total means that Samus is the winner (by a healthy margin) of the contest and advances to Round 4. We apologize for letting these five people inspire and then dash the hopes of Bub & Bob fans everywhere.

We know there are a lot of Sonic and Master Chief fans, but as we've mentioned, we didn't find evidence of ballot-stuffing during those rounds.

Let's tip our hats to Bub & Bob, the Cinderella Story of this contest. They gave it their all and did more than anyone thought two lovable dinosaur dragons could, and they should exit the arena with their heads held high.

We are now down to eight contestants. Round 4 voting will start momentarily!

- GameSpot Staff

We are currently investigating some suspicious activity found on a few of the game heroes polls that were not found in former rounds. As you might expect, as people find out that something is not working, they will try something new. We do have ways to track the origin of every vote so if there is anything suspicious happening, you will all be the first to know about it! Standby for further information as it comes available.

Round 3 is open!

Get in there and fight!

Here are your storied 16 game heroes. Who will make it to the finals?

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Ryu (of the Street Fighter series)

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Mario

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Ryu Hayabusa (of the Ninja Gaiden series)

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Bub & Bob

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Cloud Strife

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Pac-Man

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Kratos

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Donkey Kong

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Link

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Samus Aran

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Duke Nukem

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Gordon Freeman

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Lara Croft

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Niko Bellic

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Snake

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Mega Man

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The Story So Far:
See how you stack up on the Greatest Game Hero leaderboard

Check the current Game Hero standings

Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

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Round 3 voting begins soon.

Until then, feast your eyes on the special videos created for the 16 game heroes who are headed into the next round.

Friday's videos:

Ryu (of the Street Fighter series)

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Mario

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Ryu Hayabusa (of the Ninja Gaiden series)

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Bub & Bob

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Wednesday's videos:

Cloud Strife

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Pac-Man

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Kratos

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Donkey Kong

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Tuesday's videos:

Link

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Samus Aran

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Duke Nukem

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Gordon Freeman

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Lara Croft

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Monday's videos:

Niko Bellic

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Snake

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Mega Man

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The Story So Far:
See how you stack up on the Greatest Game Hero leaderboard

Check the current Game Hero standings

Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

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We are happy to report that, after a thorough review of our anti-fraud system (and a review of the techniques being passed around the Interwebs – what, you think we don't visit sites other than GameSpot?), we found vote-stuffing attempts - that failed. The majority of these attempts were for the Bub & Bob vs. Sonic contest, with some found for Little Mac vs. Cloud Strife. Those attempts were never counted in the official tally.

We ran through a few scenarios that changed a few criteria for how votes are accepted. The result? None of these scenarios changed the tallies enough to change the winners of the contests. We know that there has been a lot of discussion of Bub & Bob, and all we can say is this: the Bub & Bob supporters have been successful at getting out the vote. We, of course, are actively monitoring the voting and will give you more updates should we see any new concerns.

With this behind us, it's time to get ready for Round 3, and I think we can all agree that even with all the excitement thus far, the storied 16 is where it gets interesting.

Dear GameSpot Community,

As you know, we are actively monitoring voting in this contest. We have recently discovered issues with Round 2 that we did not see in Round 1. As we promised in our last announcement, we are keeping you informed about what we are doing and addressing these issues as quickly as possible:

- We are recounting the round 2 contests and removing the fraudulent votes
- We will tell you as soon as we know the results of the recount and we will adjust the standings accordingly.
- We are rescheduling Round 3 voting to begin after the recount is completed

We take this contest seriously and our number one priority is to have a fair competition.

Thank you for your continued support and energy!

Jody Robinson, Ricardo Torres

Round 2 voting is over.

Take a break, watch some movies, and get ready for round 3 this Thursday!

There are also more new Heroes Chronicles movies for your perusal for Wednesday. Also, if you haven't seen them, be sure to watch Monday's and Tuesday's, also below:

Friday's videos:

Ryu (of the Street Fighter series)

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Mario

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Ryu Hayabusa (of the Ninja Gaiden series)

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Bub & Bob

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Wednesday's videos:

Cloud Strife

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Pac-Man

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Kratos

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Donkey Kong

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Tuesday's videos:

Link

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Samus Aran

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Duke Nukem

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Gordon Freeman

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Lara Croft

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Monday's videos:

Niko Bellic

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Snake

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Mega Man

--

The Story So Far:
See how you stack up on the Greatest Game Hero leaderboard

Check the current Game Hero standings

Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

--

--

Get started here:
Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

Cast your vote on your iPhone

--

Round 1 has ended with some close finishes, and some not-so-close finishes.

Moving on to round 2 are the following victorious heroes, who are now taking each other on!

Mario vs. The Prince | Kyle Katarn vs. Lara Croft | Cloud Strife vs. Little Mac | Pikachu vs. Kratos | Wander vs. Ryu | Niko Bellic vs. Strider Hiryu | Yoshi vs. Gordon Freeman | Alucard vs. Snake | Bub & Bob vs. Sonic The Hedgehog | Frogger vs. Samus Aran | Ratchet & Clank vs. Mega Man | Pac-Man vs. Dante | Ryu Hayabusa vs. Sackboy | Leon S. Kennedy vs. Duke Nukem | Fox McCloud vs. Link | Banjo & Kazooie vs. Donkey Kong

Get in there for round 2 and vote!

Yes, now you can cast your votes for the greatest game heroes of all-time by iPhone.

Make your votes count!

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Get started here:
Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

--

--

Get started here:
Revisit your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

--

Let's hope that bracket of yours is ready to be put to the test of the first round of game hero voting this week. The first round has the most matchups of any round, and be warned: Even though some may seem like cakewalks, they might not be.

The first round of voting has begun!

The world's most famous plumber is squaring off against the world's most hard-headed caveman!

The original ledge-climbing hero versus the world's first magical flying dream-jester-thing-guy!

A Jedi master squares off against a guy who pumps his opponents full of hot air!

An archeologist with a ponytail and short-shorts steps into the arena with a rapping dog with wonderful self-esteem!

The original spiky-haired young Japanese RPG protagonist faces off with the original video game silent protagonist!

A video game lawyer with a twinkle in his eye stands up to a pint-sized pugilist with a heart of gold!

A pocket monster with an electric personality looks deep into the eyes of a wisecracking treasure hunter descended from Sir Francis Drake!

A secret agent man with night-vision goggles takes on the man who took on the god of war...and won!

A fellow who would really like to be a pirate someday gets ready to rumble with a hero who won glory for himself by slaying giants!

The master of the dragon punch steps into the ring with the master of mind-controlling chants!

A fledgling crime boss seeking the American Dream gets ready to dance with Darth Vader's star pupil!

A robo-ninja (minus his robo-panther and robo-eagle, but plus his energy sword) faces the smartest female secret agent to come out of the 1960s!

A kung-fu monk who fights like a devil and shrieks like a turkey faces the most helpful egg-laying dinosaur in video game history!

The toughest PhD ever to swing a crowbar in a crowded lab takes on a robot so good with bombs, they named him for it!

The upside-down-castle-conquering son of Dracula duels a comic-book-and-pro-wrestling fanboy assassin!

The man who conquered Metal Gear stands up to the zaniest marsupial ever to help launch the Sony PlayStation!

Who'll come out of this week's round of voting the strongest? Leave us a comment and let us know who you think will come out ahead this week.

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Get started here:
Enter your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

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Voting for GameSpot's All-Time Greatest Game Hero begins this week. In fact, it begins tomorrow (Tuesday), and brackets are closing TONIGHT.

This is your last chance to get involved in the competition, compete for $3,000+ in prizes*, and set yourself up for bragging rights the likes of which your forum buddies have never seen.**

Saddle up and get ready. Voting begins soon. Immortality is forever.***

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* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the US 13 and over. Approximate total prize value US$13,852.50. Contest ends on 8/31/09. Void where prohibited. See complete rules for details.

** Believe it!

*** OK, for this part, I just added this to sound dramatic and cool. I think it worked out pretty good.

**** Wait, I don't think I put a four-asterisks thing.

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Get started here:
Enter your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

--

Here's the deal. Brackets for the All-Time Greatest Game Hero competition are up, and if you haven't chosen yours, now's the time. We'll wait.

(OK, are they gone? I can't believe they fell for that line.)

Let's go over the first round of matchups. Here are the standings:

Mario vs. Bonk

The Prince of Persia vs. NiGHTS

Kyle Katarn vs. Dig Dug

Lara Croft vs. Parappa the Rapper

Cloud Strife vs. Lester Knight Chaykin

Phoenix Wright vs. Little Mac

Pikachu vs. Nathan Drake

Sam Fisher vs. Kratos

Guybrush Threepwood vs. Wander

Ryu vs. Abe

Niko Bellic vs. The Apprentice (Starkiller)

Strider Hiryu vs. Cate Archer

Liu Kang vs. Yoshi

Gordon Freeman vs. Bomberman

Alucard vs. Travis Touchdown

Snake (Solid and otherwise) vs. Crash Bandicoot

Master Chief vs. Bub & Bob

Sonic the Hedgehog vs. Ryo Hazuki

Garrett vs. Frogger

Samus Aran vs. Jade

Ratchet & Clank vs. Gex

Mega Man vs. Mike Haggar

Pac-Man vs. Kirby

Dante vs. Manny Calavera

Ryu Hayabusa vs. The Nameless One

Sackboy vs. Bo Jackson

Leon Kennedy vs. JC Denton

Duke Nukem vs. Marcus Fenix

Fox McCloud vs. Jak & Daxter

Earthworm Jim vs. Link

Ico vs. Banjo & Kazooie

Raziel vs. Donkey Kong

Some matchups seem like they'll have pretty obvious results. Others don't. Keep in mind that brackets were not chosen in any specific order, so purely by the luck of the draw, some characters seem like they might have an easier time getting to the finals than others. (Or do they?)

Some of the most interesting matchups are the ones between characters who seem like they're almost, kind of, sort of, evenly matched. Even though this is a competition between game heroes from a variety of different eras, from the early arcades to the 8-bit days to the newest generation of console and PC hardware, there are a couple of matchups that seem like they could go either way. Let's take a look:

Sam Fisher vs. Kratos

OK, both of these guys are total badasses. Neither is the kind of guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley. Both star in very popular, long-running game series that have spanned multiple game platforms; Fisher in the Splinter Cell series, and Kratos in the God of War series. Yes, in his more recent games, Kratos is technically a god himself, and possesses unbelievable power, but Sam Fisher is one of the best stealth operatives out there and was knocking guards off of lighthouses while Kratos was still a twinkle in the collective eyes of Sony's Santa Monica studio. I don't think the results of this matchup will be as easy to predict as they might seem to be. You're welcome to try to prove me wrong. (Reminder: Voting begins the week of September 1.)

Leon Kennedy vs. JC Denton

Both of these guys are super-secret agents. Both are firearms experts. Both are famous for uncovering tangled conspiracies involving foreign governments. Leon is the pretty-boy protagonist of Resident Evil 4 (a game that totally reinvented and refreshed the series); JC is the hero of the sadly underappreciated cult classic Deus Ex. Leon has a briefcase full of upgradeable weapons and grenades and sometimes carries a room-clearing rocket launcher. JC carries the latest in experimental future tech. JC also isn't afraid to implant some of that future tech in his own body, making him a better marksman, a better sneaker, a better computer hacker, and even a better diplomat. But Leon suplexes zombies, which counts for a lot.

Duke Nukem vs. Marcus Fenix

The sad story of Duke Nukem Forever aside, The Duke is a tremendous action hero who, in Duke Nukem 3D, completely nailed his role as a cigar-chomping, cliche action hero. In fact, he was THE cigar-chomping, cliche action hero. His one-liners are legendary and his arsenal of weapons is one of the most varied, and most hilarious, of all first-person shooter heroes. Marcus, on the other hand, is a tough act to follow himself. The star of the Gears of War series is a former military prisoner and now leader of an elite squad whose mission is to stop an alien invasion. And his gun has a chainsaw on it.

Fox McCloud vs. Jak & Daxter

Fox has been around longer than Jak & Daxter. Much longer. The guy first appeared on the SNES in Star Fox as a space pilot, then later returned as an action-adventure hero in Star Fox Adventures, and then tried his hand at the Super Smash Bros. series. Fox is a good pilot, his ship, the Arwing, was a secret item in Animal Crossing, and he hangs out with the loveable Slippy. (Or, at least, someone out there must love Slippy. Right?) Jak & Daxter have appeared in a racing game, but are otherwise primarily action-adventure guys who reliably deliver the goods in a series of very solid action-adventure games. You have colorful animal characters with action-adventure games on both sides of the table here. Who's got the advantage here?

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Get started here:
Enter your All-Time Greatest Game Hero bracket

Browse the full hero list

Discuss the competition in the Greatest Game Hero forum

Have questions? Check the FAQ

--

You say you can pick the winning bracket, no problem? Yeah, sure. You say GameSpot might as well just give you the bragging rights, right now? Uh-huh. Here's a thought: you humor us and come back regularly to cast your votes as each game hero bracket squares off, and when you win (wink, wink), you'll be able to claim the fabulous grand prize: a $3,000 shopping spree from Best Buy, plus yearlong subscriptions to GameFly and other goodies. That is, in addition to being able to tell pretty much everyone else in the world that you're the winner, and that they're losers.

Tell you what. Let's make it really interesting. GameSpot staffers will also be posting their own Game Hero brackets, which will be revealed in the near future. Here's a shortlist of which staffers are already involved so far, and when their brackets are revealed, you can follow their brackets to the end, too. Pretty much what we're saying here is, are you smarter than a GameSpot staffer?

Here's who you're up against:

AndrewP (Andrew Park, Managing Editor) - The obvious frontrunner in this competition. His choices are solid gold. This is coming from a very objective and unbiased source.
LarkAnderson (Lark Anderson, Associate Producer) - Seems to like Japanese console RPGs and side-scrolling games like Metroid and Castlevania. He also uses that so-called "Twitter" thing. A word of advice: Never trust anyone who "tweets."
megagood (David Good, Product Manager) - Very shifty guy. Don't trust him, either.
JodyR (Jody Robinson, Community Manager) - Leads a diverse array of game sessions for community game night each week. Don't trust her.
Giancarlo (Giancarlo Varanini, Editor-At-Large) - A longtime GameSpot editor returning for a second tour of duty with GameSpot; possesses a broad knowledge of games on all platforms. DO NOT TRUST UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
AndreSegers (Andre Segers, Game Guides Editor) - As a game guides editor, seems skilled at, and comfortable with, a great variety of games. Don't trust him.
SarjuS (Sarju Shah, Associate Hardware Editor) - A knowledgeable fellow who tests a variety of PC and console games for hardware stories. Don't trust him.
Kevin-V (Kevin VanOrd, Associate Reviews Editor) - Well-rounded game reviewer whose progressive nature seems to particularly appreciate smart, competent female protagonists that don't have to stoop to pandering. By the way, don't trust him either.
BrianEk (Brian Ekberg, Senior Editor, Console Previews) - A console previews editor with a specialist background in sports games. Don't trust him.
Chris_Watters (Chris Watters, Associate Reviews Editor) - Never heard of him. Don't trust him, though.
Sophia (Sophia Tong, Assistant Editor, Console Previews) - Multitalented editor with specialties in console RPGs and adventure games. Don't trust her, either.

Actual staff brackets will be revealed in the near future. Stay tuned and be sure you have your own bracket filled out so you can be ready for me to humiliate you to compare brackets with GameSpot's in-house talent.