DEATH BATTLE Prediction - War Has Changed: Sam Gideon vs. Prophet

Napoleon Bonaparte once said that "soldiers win wars, while generals get credit for them". While in most respects that may be true, it takes a special kind of soldier to single-handedly pose a threat to an entire army of enemy combatants, especially when they're outfitted with the right gear for the task at hand; in this case, powered suits of armor that will help these two combatants get the job done:

Sam Gideon, the DARPA researcher who liberated the 51st state of America and Laurence "Prophet" Barnes, the Delta Force veteran that ended an alien takeover of Earth.

Background

Sam Gideon

"They'd rather go all-out rather than bother with defense... time to hit hard and make 'em regret it."

First Appearance: Vanquish (2010, Platinum Games and Sega)
Origin: United States of America
Occupation: DARPA Researcher
Arsenal: Augmented Reaction Suit, Battlefield Logic Adaptable Electronic Weapons System, frag and EMP grenades
Former collegiate football player and habitual smoker

In the distant future, nations begin rapidly fighting for natural resources following the continued growth of the human population. In their own bid for energy, the United States created Providence, a satellite that harnesses solar energy. However, it is soon taken over by the Order of the Russian Star, a rogue military faction that overthrew the Russian Federation, who use Providence's stored solar energy to destroy San Francisco. Its leader, Victor Zaitsev, threatens to destroy New York City unless the American government heeds his demands for surrender.

Unwilling to compromise, the US military begin their assault on Providence to eliminate Zaitsev and the Order. Assisting the effort is Sam Gideon, a DARPA researcher outfitted with the experimental Augmented Reaction Suit, and his comms assistant Elena Ivanova. Sam is sent into battle to not only aid the squad of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Burns, but to also rescue the ARS' creator, Dr. Francois Candide, who was stuck on the station during the invasion and can prevent the solar array from firing again. His mission results in a success, although not without its consequences: Candide is killed by Burns under orders from the President, who secretly backed Zaitsev's coup to stimulate the American economy, and although Sam prevents Zaitsev from destroying New York, the latter evaded capture while causing the destruction of Providence.

Laurence "Prophet" Barnes

"A good soldier knows there's only one thing he can rely on when the chips are down: Not his cutting edge intel, not his state of the art equipment, and not his top of the line weapon. Just himself. It took me a long time to remember that."

First Appearance: Crysis (2007, Crytek and Electronic Arts)
Origin: United States of America
Occupation: Major - U.S. Army Delta Force
Arsenal: CryNet Nanosuit II, Semiautonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery AI, various firearms and explosives, hunting bow
Served during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom

In the year 2020, a group of archaeologists in the Lingshan Islands sent out a distress call with a potentially world-changing discovery around the same time a group of North Korean soldiers take over the island. Raptor Team, a group of Delta Team operatives all wearing CryNet Nanosuits, is sent to the islands to help the archaeologists escape with their findings. Leading the team was Major Laurence Barnes, code-named Prophet.

The Lingshan incident marked Prophet's first encounter with the Ceph, an ancient race of aliens who have hidden on Earth for more than 65 million years. As the Ceph continue their assault on humanity, Prophet and other Nanosuit-wearing soldiers are deployed to do battle with them. His near 3 decades war saw against the Ceph him commit suicide only to be revived by proxy thanks to his bond with the Nanosuit, get stuck in stasis for 2 of those decades, halt the plans of a rogue private military corporation hoping to exploit the chaos born from the Ceph invasion and eventually end the Ceph threat for good by destroying their Alpha.

Equipment

Sam

Augmented Reaction Suit

The Augmented Reaction Suit (ARS) is an experimental battle suit designed by Dr. Francois Candide with funding provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It was created to provide a supersoldier who could perform multiple tasks on the battlefield, whether it be a medic, front line attacker or anti-tank unit. The suit is composed out of a carbon-nanite based textile which provides excellent defensive capabilities while being relatively mobile and lightweight for the user.

The ARS enhances all of the user's physical capabilities; it can reduce firing recoil, heal wounded allies with medpacks, perform evasive maneuvers with Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, destroy enemy defenses with powerful close-quarters attacks, heal injuries with its built-in healing factor and boost its reactions with its namesake Augmented Reaction mode. If need be, Sam can request Elena to remove the ARS' safety limiters, increasing the suit's capabilities further but comes at the cost of a longer overheat period. For example, removing them allows Sam to lift up to 100 tons.

As the first of its kind, the ARS was deployed into battle with Sam as its user during the Russian invasion of Providence, and proved to be a capable tool in spite of the remaining issues held over from its prototype testing phase.

Battlefield Logic Adaptable Electronic Weapons System

The Battlefield Logic Adaptable Electronic Weapons System, or BLADE for short, is a shapeshifting weapon which can take the form of any firearm the user wishes it to be. This is accomplished by the system scanning any weapon on the battlefield. From there, the user can recall any previous weapon scanned at any point in time, with up to three weapons capable of being stored in BLADE's memory.

Prophet

CryNet Nanosuit 2

Developed by CryNet Industries, the Nanosuit was reverse-engineered from Ceph technology and contains CryFibril, a complex artificial muscle which can be augmented based on the various modes available to the suit itself. The suit can be powered by almost any form of energy which can be taken from the environment, ranging from solar radiation to carbon emitted from rotting corpses.

This upgraded version of the original suit Prophet and Raptor Team wore on their mission to Lianshan boasts numerous improvements over its predecessor to help it compete with the North Korean military's own take. It is primarily made out of a Coltan-Titanium exoskeleton, has resistances to EMP weapons, revive downed allies with a defibrillator, can patch up all kinds of injuries and diseases thanks to its built-in healing factor, can hack into enemy suits, has a visor which can display battlefield information in real time and provides oxygen to breath in while underwater.

As of Crysis 3, Prophet has merged with the suit in its entirety, with the suit's limiters removed.

Semiautonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery AI

The Semiautonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery AI is a device that stores all noted tactical information in the user's brain, capable of transferring videos, sound files and schematics. SECOND also regulates the Nanosuit's functions and keeps the user fit and ready for combat. It can also hack into enemy communications, suggest plans for action and improve the user's mental capabilities.

Abilities

Sam

Melee Attacks

As noted above, Sam's physical strength is increased multiple times while he possesses the ARS. With the aid of the suit's electromagnetic core, Sam can use his melee attacks to bypass enemy armor and shields with ease, although repeated use can cause the suit to overheat.

Boosting

With the aid of the ARS' thrusters, Sam can boost around the battlefield, giving him an added edge in mobility, whether it may be for transferring cover or leading the assault. He can also shoot while boosting, thanks to AR Mode.

Augmented Reaction Mode

The ARS' namesake feature. While this is activated, Sam's reactions increase, giving him more time to attack enemies or evade fatal strikes. From his perspective, time appears to slow down. It is also worth noting that should Sam be sufficiently injured, AR Mode will automatically activate, giving him enough time to position himself safely. Overuse of this mode will cause the ARS to overheat.

Prophet

Power Mode

The Nanosuit 2's passive mode, combining the Strength and Speed modes of its predecessor. This increases Prophet's ability to move around through sprinting and vaulting, and boosts his ability to carry heavy objects like debris and other enemies, which he can then use as makeshift projectiles. Performing too much of these abilities will drain the suit's energy.

Armor Mode

Here, the Nanosuit's energy is channeled into the suit's exterior, deflecting most projectiles and rendering Prophet immune to blunt force trauma. All damage taken in this mode reduces the suit's energy and protects him from losing health. However, due to the increased density of the suit, any attempts at stealth will fail due to heavier footsteps and louder reloading.

Stealth Mode

The Nanosuit blends into the environment by camouflaging itself while silencing footsteps. While ideal for sneaking, should Prophet shoot an enemy with an un-suppressed firearm while the cloak is active or otherwise interact with the environment by lifting objects, it will drain all of the suit's energy - shooting with a silenced weapon (with the exception of his bow) will still result in a loss of energy, but not all of it.

Weapons

Sam

Assault Rifle

Sam's default and most well-rounded weapon. Boasts an 80-round magazine capacity when fully upgraded; the BLADE can store up to 1200 rounds as backup.

Heavy Machine Gun

The second weapon stored in the BLADE's memory at the start of Sam's mission. While less accurate than the Assault Rifle, it deals more damage. The magazine can carry 45 rounds with another 400 as backup.

Shotgun

The last of Sam's default configurations. As with all other similar weapons, it has a short range but boasts excellent stopping power, capable of staggering enemies and dealing a ton of damage in the process. The magazine can hold up to 9 shells with 44 in the BLADE's reserve.

Grenades

Sam can carry two types of grenades in Vanquish. Regular frag grenades (as pictured above) deal your usual explosive damage while EMP grenades fry all electronics within their vicinity; given that Sam primarily fights androids, these end up acting as stun grenades for them.

Prophet

Predator Bow

Prophet's primary weapon in Crysis 3, given to him by Psycho. Unlike regular firearms, he can safely fire arrows while cloaked, making it an excellent tool for stealth. The bow can fire four types of arrows: regular/Carbon-Impact, shock, sticky thermite and airbust frag. For each arrow type, Prophet can store up to 9 Carbon-Impact arrows and up to 3 arrows for the other variants.

Superior Combat Assault Rifle Mod 2

The primary assault rifle used by the US Army and CELL forces, which fires 4mm Sabot rounds from its 40-round magazine with another 160 in reserve. This weapon serves as a jack-of-all-trades; aside from boasting decent stats all across the board, Prophet can customize this weapon with different attachments, allowing it to serve different purposes depending on the situations. Some examples include a grenade launcher, extended magazine, silencer, bayonet, front grip and different sights.

Hammer

The first weapon Psycho gives to Prophet in Crysis 3, this sidearm fires .50 compact rounds with another 54 as backup and is also capable of using different attachments, although not as much as a primary weapon would hold. Aside from scopes, silencers and muzzle breaks, Prophet can fire explosive rounds if he possesses them.

Joint Anti-Tank Weapon

As its name implies, this rocket launcher deals enough damage to incapacitate tanks and other large targets. the user can guide the missile by aiming down the sights and using its laser guidance system. Prophet can hold up to four of these.

M17 Frag Grenades

A staple explosive, which as stated above is best used to deal with groups of enemies and lure foes out of cover.

Feats

Sam

Strength

Durability

Speed

Prophet

Strength

Durability

Speed

Weaknesses

Sam

While impressive, the ARS' abilities can quickly overheat the suit if used too much. Doing so leaves Sam open, robbed of doing anything until the cooldown period ends.

Prophet

The Nanosuit relies on a set amount of energy for many of the suit's functions to work properly; having more functions active at a time drains energy faster and will require Prophet to wait until it fully recharges. In addition, if the suit is hit by a direct and sustained EMP blast, it will knock out its power.

Summary

Sam

Advantages

The ARS outclasses the Nanosuit in strength and speed.
Melee attacks can break through the Nanosuit's defenses.
Default arsenal trumps Prophet's through sheer firepower and the amount of reserve ammunition the BLADE can hold. Also, if need be, the BLADE can copy Prophet's weapons.
Better hand-to-hand combat.
While he cannot outright detect the Nanosuit when it cloaks itself, Sam has fought invisble enemies before.
Will recieve a massive power boost if the limiters on the ARS are disabled.

Disadvantages

Lacks experience in comparison to Prophet.
The ARS's durability and healing are slightly weaker than the Nanosuit's equivalent.
The ARS is open to being hacked by Prophet and the Nanosuit, leaving Sam open.

Prophet

Advantages

His history of serving in the military and fighting the Ceph give him an experience advantage over Sam.
The Nanosuit can sustain Prophet through major injuries to a greater degree than Sam and the ARS. This in turn makes Prophet hilariously hard to kill, though not impossible.
SECOND gives a tactical advantage: it can suggest strategies, hack into Sam's comm lines and can take over if Prophet is non-lethally incapacitated.
Can possibly hack into the ARS.

Disadvantages

The Nanosuit is outclassed in strength and speed by the ARS.
Hand-to-hand abilities are no match for Sam's melee attacks, which can break through the Nanosuit's defenses.
His weapons are outgunned by the BLADE, and he cannot hold a large reserve pool like Sam.
Cloak may initially be effective, but Sam has experience fighting invisible opponents.
Has no way to deal with the ARS should its limiters be released.

Analysis

What we have here is another one of those "unstoppable force vs. immovable object" fights. On one end, Sam and the ARS boast the superior destructive capability and speed thanks to their feats, and they have the better arsenal to boot. On the other, it'll be very hard to put Prophet down for good considering how durable the suit is, not to mention its healing - you would need to do something drastic to end him for good. That's the gist of the fight as I see it, but how does it look like when we break it down further?

In terms of arsenal, I'll have to admit that because I wanted to limit their respective weapons based on what they have as defaults in their home games and have them abide by the weapon limits, both Sam and Prophet don't have any of their crazier weapons: Sam doesn't have the Laser Cannon which draws its power from the ARS itself or his Disk Launcher, while Prophet doesn't have any of the Ceph's weapons. That said, I think that the load out I gave them seemed to be fair to both series given what was defined as default for Sam and Prophet so in terms of that.

Now, Prophet can carry more weapons than Sam, and his versatility is boosted further given the different attachments and ammo types he can put in, but his ammo storage isn't as deep as Sam, who can carry a lot (emphasis on lot) of reserve ammunition to keep the fight going. There's also the EMP grenades, which could short circuit the Nanosuit, but it'd need to be a sustained assault, which given the limited amount of grenades he can hold, is something that Sam may not be able to afford. Even then, both combatants have been shown to dodge bullets and missiles and even tank them if needed, since their respective suits can patch up any damage suffered, so its more or less a moot point.

Strength-wise, Sam is leaps and bounds physically stronger than Prophet. While Prophet can lift steel beams and knock away cars easily, Sam trumps him by holding back the arms of giant robots, punching the heads of giant robots fast and hard enough to decapitate them, can literally drill through more giant robots and thanks to the ARS' electromagnetic charge, can punch through other electromagnetically-charged plates of armor like nothing. Speaking of punching, Prophet isn't going to be able to trade blows with a guy who can repeatedly parry rapid-fire strikes from a suit that was designed to be better than his.

In terms of speed, Sam also takes this category handily. Both men can dodge fully automatic gunfire, and while Prophet can sprint and jump farther than any normal soldier, Sam can do just that to a greater degree, and that's still without the ARS' boosting and AR Modes increasing his movement and reaction times past anything the Nanosuit can do for Prophet.

Durability is one area that edges closer to Prophet, though. While both have survived being hit by various explosions and other attacks, the Nanosuit has more feats to its name, like helping Prophet survive atmospheric re-entry and repairing all forms of damage to ensure that Prophet fights to the best of his capabilities. Given that Alcatraz, the man whose identity was assimilated by Prophet's own, fought with loads of internal damage to the point where the Nanosuit had to re-purpose his own biomass and was the only thing keeping him alive, it can keep Prophet alive long enough to possibly outlast Sam. Now, while the ARS does have something similar by healing Sam when his health is at a critical level and even activating AR Mode to help him out, nothing in the suit's description describes, shows or implies that the suit can help Sam out in a similar manner to the Nanosuit.

Prophet's also the more experienced of the two. He participated in the War on Terror long before getting the first Nanosuit at Lingshan, and his encounters with the Ceph means that he's fought a lot longer than Sam, who isn't a career soldier and had no noted combat experience prior to the assault on Providence. Even with Sam's intelligence as a DARPA engineer, Prophet's experience and tactical mind, supplemented by SECOND, give him the edge here.

With all of this said, how exactly do both sides deal with what the other's packing? Or for that matter, who'd probably win? If you've taken a look at who has more batshit-insane stuff in their repertoire, odds are that Sam would be more likely to walk away alive. To break it down:

As established above, Sam is stronger and faster, with his main problem in the fight being how he would put Prophet down for good given the Nanosuit's healing and durability. There is a way, and it primarily concerns his overwhelming strength advantage. Thanks to the electromagnetic charge inside the ARS, Sam's strikes should be able to break through the Nanosuit's Armor Mode and drain its energy supply, which will leave Prophet open to be blitzed to death. Now, if Prophet manages to hold out until the Nanosuit comes back online, it can repair his damage, which would normally undo most of Sam's work.

However, think of it this way: with all the injuries Prophet and Alcatraz have undergone in their shared body, that essentially makes it a walking corpse thanks to the Nanosuit. Now, remember that the Nanosuit can only heal based on the amount of biomass present; if it lacks a sufficient amount and can no longer re-purpose biomass from other areas of the body, the healing process is effectively crippled. With his strength, Sam can definitely end Prophet that way, and even through other means like ripping off his head. In addition, his EMP grenades should be able to short out the Nanosuit and if you believe the ARS' electromagnetic charge is capable of doing the same, this also applies to his melee attacks, in turn locking out most of the Nanosuit's functions and effectively turning Prophet into a glorified punching bag, but this is more of a hypothesis; none of Sam's melee attacks ever really function like EMP blasts so the most it could do is still hurt Prophet the normal way.

Now, Prophet still has his own ways of trying to do the same to Sam, but it'll be a lot harder on his end. He won't be able to catch up to the ARS, or outmuscle it. While he can cloak himself and pick Sam apart with his bow, Sam has a history of fighting enemies that are invisible to the naked eye, and with the Nanosuit's cloak still being detectable if the enemy is aware of it, he can cut off Prophet's stealth advantage. Even when factoring in SECOND providing a tactical advantage of sorts, Prophet is still not well-equipped enough to take on someone on Sam's caliber, and formulating the right tactics would require Prophet to hold out while fighting a foe who is his superior in nearly all aspects. Not to mention how hard it would be for him to constantly attempt to hack into an enemy who can boost circles around him. At this point, the only real advantage Prophet can boast is his experience, but considering how Sam can outclass him in a lot of other areas, it won't help much.

Guess it goes to show how Sam had the right gear to Vanquish Prophet.

Comments

NAMELESSJune 20, 2019 at 6:55 AM
an unlocked nanosuit's durability is bat shit insane so unless sam can generate force comparable to an atmospheric reentry then defeating prophet is unlikely. Not to mention unlocking the nansuit reroutes the nanites which means it can transform into anything any form imaginable.