The Video Game Deathmatch Best Games of 2011 is ending soon and it’s up to the two last people in the universe to duke it out to help you decide which game has earned the most respect, the most love, and the most adoration between The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Without further ado, grab some popcorn, and some of Jake’s wife’s delicious baked goods, and let the Nerdfight begin.

After you read both Leah and Jake's arguments, be sure to cast your vote in the Video Game Deathmatch!

Leah: Jake, it’s plain and simple. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the whole reason that the Wii exists in the first place. Nintendo didn’t make the Wii to make games, they made this game so that the Wii had a purpose. Here’s what I think happened. When the Wii was originally conceptualized, the hardworking people at Nintendo thought, “Aside from making people flail around in their living rooms, if there’s one good game we can make on this system, it would be Zelda,” and that’s what happened. They wanted to make a game with a good story, amazing motion control, beautiful music, and and that’s what they did. How can Assassin’s Creed: Revelations stand up to the game that defined an entire console?

Jake: True. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations doesn’t feel terribly necessary and has some unfortunate design elements (cough…tower defense…cough), but at least a whole lot of people haven’t been waiting five years for it to finally deliver on expectations that far exceeded what was actually possible at the time it was first revealed. Also, it’s a bit unfair to compare Zelda to AC in terms of “defining a console” considering Nintendo made both the game and the hardware and Ubisoft is simply a publisher. If we were talking about Halo, it would be a different story.

It is impressive that Skyward Sword came about as close to meeting expectations as fans could have hoped, but then again, it’s Zelda. Really, how high are those expectations at this point? As long as Link looks like Link, the swordplay is decent, and there are decently crafted dungeons and puzzles, fans will eat it up and ask for seconds. I also think most Wii owners have come to terms with the shortcomings of the console, so anything that is even remotely passable is considered a triumph. Not to say that Zelda is merely passable, but when the bar is set so low, it makes it hard to have an honest response to something that may not be as triumphant as it would seem otherwise.

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As you probably know, our video game deathmatch for best game of 2011 is in full flower. We're down to the final four, and we need to you to vote to help us decide which games will fight it out in the ultimate showdown.

To try and sway your opinion, G4TV social media coordinator and Defender of Hyrule, Antonio Hernandez and I have destroyed our friendship over whether Skyward Sword is a better game than Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Read on to see how the two of us nerds duke it out in a battle of epic proportions.

STEVE: This battle is surprising. The new Zelda and Skyrim are nearly tied for votes. I think people must be confusing the titles or something. Just to make it clear: SkyRIM is the massive, deeply awesome RPG that’s practically a way-of-life. SkyWARD Sword is the latest entry in a gaming franchise that was good in the mid 90s, but has been coasting since then. I mean, I get it that fans of Ocarina of Time are coming out in droves to vote for the latest Zelda game, but come on, people: Skyward Sword is hardly even in the same class as Skyrim, and if it wasn’t for the nostalgia factor, and the intense loyalty of Nintendo fanboys, it would have been knocked out in the first round.

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As you probably know, our video game deathmatch for best game of 2011 is in full flower. We're nearing the end of the line, and only eight blockbustin' games are left. We need to you to vote to help us decide.

To try and sway your opinion, Attack of the Show web-personage Moye Ishimoto and I have destroyed our friendship over whether Portal 2 is a better game than Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Read on to see how the two of us nerds duke it out in a battle of epic proportions.

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HOBBITS. FIGHTING. ABOUT THE WORLD OF WARCRAFT. Of course, we're assuming that Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan don't mind being called Hobbits for the rest of their lives. Since it was a pretty popular film series, we're hope they don't care. Earlier this week, we gave you the pugilistic showdown between these two Fellowshippers. Now, we give you their oral arguments that went down before the swinging started.

As you can see, Dominic is on the pro-Warcraft side, and Elijah is anti-Warcraft. Which side do you fall on? Elijah? Dominic? Frodo? Merry? Sound off in the comments below, and and try and contain your Ring-gasms, Ringers. The match was presented as part of the KNUCKLE Debates at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Sponsored by the bare-knuckle brawling film Knuckle, the debates pit friends and enemies against each other in an oral argument, and then let them settle it with their fists

Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood may have played Hobbits in the bromance film trilogy known as The Lord of the Rings, but there is absolutely no love between them here as they debate and box over World of Warcraft. Elijah's position is that the game is for losers with no social life, while Dominic contents that it's a work of art. The best way to settle this? Pugilism.

Watch the two guys go at it in the video above, where Dominic looks like he's in the throes of bloodlust. The match was presented as part of the KNUCKLE Debates at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Sponsored by the bare-knuckle brawling film Knuckle, the debates pit friends and enemies against each other in an oral argument, and then let them settle it with their fists. 

Hitler vs. Sad Keanu Memefight

As we wind our way through G4tv.com’s month-long epic battle of Internet Memes called MEMEFIGHT, members of the staff will be picking key match-ups and taking sides. In this edition, Feed Senior Editor Steve Johnson will be arguing for the Downfall Parodies meme, featuring Adolf Hitler, while Reviews Editor Dana Vinson will be valiantly defending Sad Keanu.

Ready? FIGHT!

Dana: It’s Hitler. There. Keanu wins.

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Videogame Deathmatch is entering its final throes, but before the last gasp comes, there is still plenty of time for you to vote and let your voice be heard. Especially in this titanic battle where Blizzard takes on Blizzard, with one wielding StarCraft, and the other brandishing WarCraft. In the end, there can be only one. Thankfully, you can sound your own battle cry by voting.

The two loves of my life are being pitted against one another, and it’s up to me to dig deep within myself and find out which one I love more. Is that even possible? Let me be frank when I say that, to me, both StarCraft and Warcraft are phenomenal franchises for very different reasons. Having to pick one over the other is like having to choose between your children, and, as a middle child, I know that it’s not okay when parents choose favorites. But, this is a Nerdfight, dammit. If I have to duke it out by myself then so be it. Here we go. For Leah on Leah action, keep reading.

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Greetings, puny hu-mans! I am Leader Unit X443, your mechanical overlord and head-robot-in-charge. For reasons you do not have the intellect to understand, the Videogame Deathmatch is integral to our plans for hu-man domination. Please enjoy Editorial Unit 44385.927’s defense of Mass Effect. Please disregard the (last) words of Hu-Man unit “Tucker, Donell," especially as he tries to discuss Resident Evil. Please heed all commands of your robotic overlords. Resistance, as always, is futile. Especially when you attempt to vote. That is the most futile action of all.

Donell: What can I say about Resident Evil? Zombies rock! If you don’t like killing or running away from zombies, then I don’t know who you are anymore. Even though I don’t even know who’s reading this. Resident Evil combines two of the greatest things, zombies and more zombies. Mass Effect has zero amount of zombies. All they have are zombie-like eneimes, which are based off of Resident Evil. What do you have to say that Editorial Unit 44385.927? Wait, I’m fighting against a robot?! 

How can Donell fight back against pure logic? Find out inside.

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We're nearly at the end of Round Two of your Videogame Deathmatches, and as hard as it might be for you to believe, Call of Duty is getting trounced by Assassin's Creed. If everyone whoever called me a d-bag in Black Ops multiplayer were to vote on their franchise, they'd be an intstant winner. Instead, it's getting beaten out by a roof-running assassin and his wrist blades. 

Our own Dana Vinson has valiantly taken up her night vision goggles to continue the fight, only this time it's against the cunning Mike D'Alonzo, who is always know to have something sharper than his wit up his sleeve. Who will come out on top? Here's Dana's opening salvo:

Dana: I’m going to come out and say what everyone is thinking, “Assassin’s Creed sucks and Call of Duty rules.” There, I’m done. 

How can Mike possibly compete? Read on to find out.

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Videogame Deathmath is smack in the middle of Round Two, giving you plenty of time to get out there and vote. Don't just vote, vote hard. Make it mean something. Every one of you out there makes a difference, and we need to hear your voices loud and proud as they declare one franchise to be better than another. Because you know that they are.

Case in point. Our own Leah Jackson loves all things StarCraft with a deep and eternal flame. But, she's claiming that it's better than the entire Elder Scrolls series of games. With Skyrim about to appear on the horizon, how can this possibly be true? We argue it out down below, but you can still head over and tell us which one you think is better.

Do it now!

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The latest toe-to-toe battle in our ongoing Video Deathmatch Nerdfight showcase throws two of gaming’s most revered franchises, Mortal Kombat and Mass Effect, into the ring for what is sure to be a brutal, bloody, and very, very M-rated confrontation that might just end with one of its participants plummeting to their deaths onto a bed of spikes. In the MK corner, we have Donell Tucker, and in the ME corner, we have Jake Gaskill. Put the little ones to bed, grab a bio-enhanced mop, and let’s do this thing. FIGHT!

Donell: To start this Nerdfight I would like to quote from a powerful and deadly wizard named, Shang Tsung. He once said to Lui Kang, “Your soul is mine,” Sorry to say this Jake, but Mortal Kombat will own Mass Effect’s soul by end of this Nerdfight. But where shall I begin this brutality? Oh ya! Mortal Kombat is the most controversial game in history. It’s the reason why we have a rating system in the first place. Mass Effect may be rated M for mature, but Mortal Kombat is rated M for “My God This Is Mature.” How can you rip the spine out of your opponent and not think this is the greatest franchise ever? With brutal fatalities, simple, but yet complex fighting mechanics, and deep storylines that created the Mortal Kombat universe it shall surely win. The Mass Effect franchise is still young and needs more time to grow up before it can even compete for best franchise.

See how Jake counters after the break.

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Today’s Videogame Deathmatch Nerdfight pits two iconic Nintendo franchises against one another. Mario meets Legend of Zelda in a no-holds-barred battle for the hearts of gamers everywhere. Stephen Johnson is defending the honor of the great Mario, and Nikole Zivalich is reppin’ Link in the Legend of Zelda. Hopefully they'll still be friends when all this is over.  

Steve: I’m going to try to keep my temper for this Nerdfight. I’m not going to threaten to punch anyone, and I’m not going to kick anything. No more holes in the wall of my apartment. But come ON; Mario is the most iconic figure in video game history. Zelda is nice and all, but seriously, this is MARIO we’re talking about, and Mario deserves respect and reverence. Mario is a household name. Every Mario is more awesome than every other game. Mario games have been the god-standard, double-plus top of gaming since the freakin’ 1982.  Mario is universally recognized as the face of video games. There is no other franchise fit to kiss Mario’s overall-clad ass. Mario IS video games. 

Can Nikole hold out? Read more and see!

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Videogame Deathmatch: Best Franchise edition is upon us and it comes as no surprise that G4 writers Nikole and Leah are fighting about which franchise should take the prize. Two legendary series are going head to head, one known as a multi-generation J-RPG and the other is an iconic Microsoft exclusive third-person shooter. Leah is defending her pick Final Fantasy as the one franchise to rule them all. Nikole knows otherwise and supports Gears of War as the number one video game series. Let the deathmatch begin! 

Leah: Nikole how can you possibly think Gears of War is a better franchise than Final Fantasy? Final Fantasy is iconic. It’s timeless, it has fans all over the globe of all ages with characters every kind of person can relate to (including furries). It even has chocobos, the most amazingly adorable thing to ever come out of a gaming franchise ever. So many games are founded on ideas that began with Final Fantasy and I don’t understand how you can even begin to think that Gears of War could hold a candle to something of Final Fantasy’s caliber.  

How does Nikole respond? Read on to find out!

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Mario stands tall as an icon of the video game industry, although sometimes it seems like North American has co-opted the guy and made him an honorary citizen. Nintendo has been very forgiving, even though we made the entirely forgettable (and so laughably bad that now it's enjoyable) Super Mario Bros. movie, and the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! He's nearly right up there with Mickey Mouse and Superman, even though he's truly Japanese.

So how strange is it that we're pitting him against something as American as John Madden and his ginormous football franchise? That game has the words National Football League in the title every year, so you're playing around with some of the very foundations of American culture while you're at it. A Videogame Deatchmatch that puts a Japanese gaming legend up against the legendary American football franchise? Seems crazy. And it is.

I'll admit right here that I back Mario in this Nerdfight, and I'm pretty sure he's going to trounce Madden like the Carolina Panthers got pwned last year. But Mike takes the ball and runs with it, making a few things personal in the process. Read on to see how this Nerdfight goes, and why Mike is off my Christmas card list. Plus, don't forget to vote right now and see if pigskin can beat plumber!

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Videogame Deathmatch is in full swing, and it has unexpectedly created rifts between brothers-in-arms. Case in point, our own Stephen "Carjacker" Johnson is a lifelong fan of all things Grand Theft Auto, while Jake "Crowbar" Gaskill has some serious love for Gordon Freeman and the futuretech of Half-Life.

Take a sideline seat as the two pit science against thuggery to decide which franchise comes out on top, then head over to cast your own vote. Unless, you know, you want Jake and Steve to do all the debating for you. Here's a taste: 

Steve: Jake Gaskill is so poor, I saw him kicking a can down the street, so I said, “What are you doing?” And he goes, “Moving!” Also: Grand Theft Auto is clearly a superior franchise to Half-Life. Sure, game nerds will be like “Morgan Freeman is so great!” and “Oh my god! Pick up this can.”  But I’m like, “What about Vice City’s constant references to Scarface?”

Read on for the rest!

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