Random Battle: December 2010

[Jacket]

I figure this'll be something I can do monthly, and I'll open each one about a week before the month. Discuss and vote to who you think would win in a random battle.

This month's Random Battle is: Simon Belmont vs. Link



Tale of the Tape:
Simon Belmont hails from the classic Castlevania franchise, while Link hails from the equally classic the Legend of Zelda franchise. Both games would revolutionize genres and game making as a whole, in far too many ways for me to mention.

Simon would defeat Dracula, the ultimate vampire, while Link would defeat Ganon/dorf, the ultimate evil wizard. While Simon would appear in several games, including games that were not in the Castlevania franchise, including Ganbare Goeman 2 and Wai Wai World, Link's appearances are a bit more of a mystery, confounded by the fact that many of the "Link" appearances were in fact different heroes. We can say that they all share many traits in common.

Link, no matter which one is looked at, has been known to utilize numerous weapons and items in his quests. He is a master of the sword, and sometimes a master of the Master Sword, not to mention is very handy with bombs, boomerangs and most recently a whip!

The whip is of special interest, since this is Simon's weapon of choice, specifically a specialty whip known as the Vampire Killer. He's also been known to use other weapons such as throwing daggers, throwing axes and holy water, to name just a few.

Both have battle bats (be them vampire or keeze) and walking skeletons. Both make use of a variety of weapons to take down their enemies. And both have saved a damsel in distress. And now you won't have to wait for Simon to join another Konami character, Snake, in the next Smash Bros. to see who would win between these two classic videogame characters.

So, who would win? Simon Belmont or Link?

[Guardian]

Link has the triforce. :3 Also, Link has more long-distance weapons, which would give him an advantage.

[Kristovski]

I'd have to say link, as Belmont was a very slow character with limited direction for attack

[deValdr]

This is an interesting consept. I say Link for the win!

[Jacket]

Just to be fair, I'm going to say that Link doesn't have more far ranged weaponry. I left it open so you could use any of the possible Links (although, I myself would say this would be the original game's Link - which was in more than one game, and had magic spells - remember Zelda II for example). But Simon has been in 3 games with 3 different set of subweapons, including explosives, two types of boomerangs, the whip, daggers and a throwing axe, as well as holy water - which could be argued wouldn't affect Link, since he isn't an evil being. He's also used a mace and sword as weapons.

While I am leaning towards voting for Link as well, I wouldn't say that Link has more long ranged weapons. Link has been in more games, but he's also been more than one hero. I didn't limit it to the Link of the first two Zelda games, or the Link from Twilight or Minnish, or any specific setting, but there are various Links I believe would be defeated by the Belmont. If we were to average all the Links down to one character, it becomes tougher. Though I think the early Link games would win.

[DerVVulfman]

Interesting debate. Sounds a little like "Ultimate Warriors" on SpikeTV.

Let's compare

Simon

Link

Whip

Sword

Axe

Bow

Dagger

Boomerang

Holy Water

Bomb

Coming over the hillside is Simon. Link sees him approaching and draws his sword. Before Link could reach him, Simon cracks his whip and immediately scores first blood at Link. Link dodges side to side while Simon whirls the whip around, never letting Link get within striking range. Frustrated over the situation, Link dashes away much to Simon's surprise.

Link gets behind a tree and pulls a couple arrows out of his quiver and knocks an arrow. Simon approaches and whirls his whip at Link, but the whip hits the tree instead. At that same instant, Link lets loose the arrow straight at Simon. It hits him in his left shoulder and knocks him down. Link readies another arrow, as Simon tries to roll away. Another arrow is loosed, but misses its mark. Filled with fury, Simon pulls out a small axe and throws it at the elf. Before it cleaved his skull in two, Link raises his bow and blocks the axe. Unfortunately, his bow was splintered by the attack.

Gritting his teeth, Simon pulls the arrow from his shoulder while Link dashes away again. Simon, becomes wary of the elf and decides to circle around a hillside. Sure enough, there was Link waiting for him... but in open ground this time. Simon pulls out a dagger and throws it at the elf.

The blade hit Link in the thigh and brought him down, screaming in agony. Simon approaches, but Link threw something at Simon. It whirled around lazily enough for Simon to duck. However, he did not realize the item spun back and struck him in the back of the head. The Vampire hunter fell face first into the sod as the boomerang landed beside him.

Simon grunted as he got to his knees and reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass vial and threw it at Link. Link reached into his own pocket and likewise threw something at Simon.

Link laughed as the glass vial broke easily on his person, the water within merely making his clothes even damper than the grass did before. Simon, on the other hand, cursed as a fuse reached finality and the bomb that Link threw at him exploded.

Score: Link

[Hsia_Nu]

Link for the win.

[Jacket]

Oh, now you've opened a can of worms!
I have included more weapons... I am focused on the original Link from the first Zelda game, as well as Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Let's re-compare

Simon

Link

Vampire Killer Whip

Master Sword

Throwing Dagger

Bow

Cross Boomerang

Boomerang

Throwing Axe

Hammer

Holy Water

Bomb

Double/Triple Shot

Magic

Okay, now, let's compare...

The Vampire Hunter vs the Master Sword.
Since we're going for the full Master Sword, ignoring the other weapons in the game, we'll do the same for the Vampire Killer, and we'll use it's most powerful form, the Fire Whip.

The Master Sword is capable of shooting projectiles, but only when Link's health is full. The Vampire Hunter is elemental in nature, and has a much longer natural reach. Although a usual whip is typically a non-lethal weapon, and is incapable of inflicting instant death like a sword, the fire potential and the morning star tip are more than enough kill. The question is can Link's Master Sword cut through a fiery chained morning star? Can the Vampire Killer block an incoming attack from the Master Sword? Given Simon's physical abilities, he should be able to recover better from attacks.
Winner: Simon

Throwing Dagger vs. the Bow
The throwing dagger is Simon's most common secondary weapon, similar to Link's bow, it fires in a line of sight fashion and flies the entire screen. Unlike Link's bow, it does not require Link to be stationary. Simon can use his dagger while moving, as well as when in the air. Do to this being the major difference, point has to go to versatility on this one.
Winner: Simon

Cross Boomerang vs. Boomerang
The boomerang, on it's own, will not damage large enemies, such as a human sized individual like Simon. It is capable, however, of stunning such enemies. The Cross Boomerang is larger, and flies equally well, delivering damage as it flies, capable of hitting more than once, unlike Link's boomerang. Although Link's boomerang can be upgraded to the Magical Boomerang, but even this weapon does nothing special on it's own, but it can be thrown even further, and faster. However Link has constant use of his boomerang, it is not an expendable item, such as the cross boomerang, but since the boomerang can not deal direct damage to Simon, and can only stun him, the winner should be obvious.
Winner: Simon

Throwing Axe vs. Hammer
Although the hammer isn't directly a weapon, it really can be. It has the power to destroy large boulders, so it must be very powerful. The thrown axes of Simon's, likewise can be utilized as a powerful weapon. While the axes can -hypothetically- be used as a melee weapon, it is almost always used as a throwing weapon, giving it the edge to the hammer. However it's arch requires precise timing and aim to use, while the hammer is a swing and hit weapon. Unlike the throwing axe, the hammer is a constant item, that does not get used up (hearts).
Winner: Link

Holy Water vs. Bomb
The Holy Water proves to be an effective weapon, unleashing a tower of flame to injure evil creatures. Unfortunately for Simon, link is himself not evil. Not that the bomb doesn't have drawbacks, it can easily damage Link, even killing him. It must be placed and does not explode on impact, allowing Simon to maneuver out of danger. However Link's weapon has the edge, being capable of dealing damage to Simon, while the Holy Water would have no effect on Link.
Winner: Link

Double/Triple Shot vs. Magic Spells
Simon has used both the Double and Triple Shot, which has allowed him to use two or three sub-weapons consecutively, allowing him to unleash a flurry of three throwing axes, or daggers at once, for example. It greatly increases his deadliness, and adds to his over all versatility. Link, on the other hand, is capable of casting magic spells. Link can use the Fairy Spell to turn into a Fairy and fly about, the Fire Spell allows Link to shoot fire balls, and the Thunder Spell lets him damage every enemy on screen an equivalent of a sword strike. The Jump Spell allowing Link to - well - jump very high, while the Life Spell can heal his lost health. There is also the defensive spells of the Reflect Spell, reflecting both weapon and magic projectiles, and the Shield Spell which cuts all received damage in half. Although he has another spell, the Spell Spell, it would have no effect on Link. The versatility and abilities of the Magic Spells far outweigh those of the Triple Shot.
Winner Link

They're tied, 3 to 3.
The downfalls are basic. All of Simon's weapons, besides the whip, are expendable on use. Link can't continually cast spells, the Thunder Spell alone is capable of draining his magic in only a few uses. Simon has a useless weapon in this battle, while Link has one that is unable to deal damage, but can stun. However Link is far less athletic than Simon, unable to outpace him, and isn't as agile. Link's shield, and Shield Spell would stand up for him, for a bit, however he is slower, and his projectiles are slower, even many of his spells.

Can Simon's athletics outdo Link's magic? Can Simon make better use of his expendable weapons than Link can? Can Link hold out long enough so that he doesn't drain all his magic, and not succumb to the onslaught of thrown daggers an axes? Can Link make up for his slower movement and attacks with a wider assortment of skills?

Yeah, Link looks like a clear cut winner - if you max out all abilities on both ends, but only if he connects with every attack. Simon has the close range, mid range and long range game down, whereas Link really only has his magical abilities standing for him.

[Guardian]

I think Sixty makes a good point. While, in terms of weapons, Link may have the upper hand, Simon's maneuverability might end up being a larger advantage. It's like when I play Super Smash Bros. Melee (don't mind me as I go into a random comparison). I'm usually Peach and I can kick the larger characters' butts because she's agile enough to avoid a lot of their bigger attacks. The same general idea would apply here. If Link's too slow to avoid attacks and Simon isn't, then Link will get worn down quickly.

Hm...

[Jacket]

Hey all, for those who haven't voted or still wish to discuss you have just over one week before this poll closes, and the thread goes bye-bye. I planned to do this one week before the close of the poll, but idiot me - didn't realize that would be Christmas Eve. Chances are I won't be online, so here's your warning.

I'm gonna post next month's a bit later than my set up, so instead of doing it 7 days before the month, you'll have to do with 5 (again, most likely). But for all you Megaman fans, get ready!

-ha i was wrong and decided to jus do it early on christmas eve (my time zone)