====================AWESOME GAMES DONE QUICK 2018==================== ========Raising $2,295,191 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation========= =========================January 7-14, 2018========================== -------------------------------SUNDAY-------------------------------- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (PS4 - Vicarious Visions 2017) Crash 3 Any% by JHobz [WRH] host Prolix, couch SpikeVegeta, RicoKSP, Roach788 [2RH] 59m15s (est 1h13m, wr 58m00s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube oZzxksnpvC8+214 Review: A robust start to the marathon, though seeing it after much more recent runs was strange. Techniques later runs had mastered, were here new and rough - but that actually made it more engaging, because they showed just how hard they are to learn. Ratchet & Clank (PS3 - Insomniac 2002) NG+ by ThaRixer host Prolix, couch SpikeVegeta, Xem, JHobz, Jazper, RatchetMania 22m51s (est 30m, wr 21m16s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube eB7cb3JDrOQ+723 Review: An extremely busted run, constant clips, out-of-bounds, infinite jumps, you name it. Surprisingly easy to follow, thanks to a star-studded couch. Splatoon 2 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2017) Any% by TonesBalones [3RH] host Aprilcake, couch KungFuFruitCup, Bird650, Ethan [DEV] 1h40m06s (est 1h40m, wr 1h30m03s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube eyHEEkfCteo+527 Review: A pretty as-intended run, only cutting small corners here and there, no massive skips. Unfortunately that does leave it with quite a bit of down time, especially towards the end. inFAMOUS First Light (PS4 - Sucker Punch 2014) Any% by emeraldaly [3RH] host Myzlstyx, couch (inaudible) 1h20m34s (est 1h25m, wr 1h14m53s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube IRmm3m98qRI+840 Review: This just doesn't seem to be a good speed game, at least not with the current run. Lots of cutscenes, lots of tedious combat, pretty limited speed tech, not much polish. The couch being basically dead made things worse, leaving the runner to fill the frequent dead time alone. NM: introductions 26m42s in, couldn't make either out The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC - Bethesda 2011) Main Quest by Wall of Spain host musical_daredevil, couch LLK47, DrTeaChops, Enfero (?), BubblesDelFuego 50m26s (est 50m, wr 33m21s rta) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube zN6Cl-kE8dE+631 Review: It's a big pile of glitches, as you'd expect. Commentary stayed pretty shallow, enough to follow along but not technical enough for my tastes. It hit a few rough spots (like needing a god mode cheat to get through one fight), but still a fun watch. Hollow Knight (PC - Team Cherry 2017) Any% No Storage OOB by Mickely3 host musical_daredevil, no couch 38m28s (est 40m, wr 32m04s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Fwsq3fGlYcc+467 Review: A little hard to follow, with many of the glitches having technical and unintuitive effects that weren't deeply explained. But it keeps up a good pace and still feels like a speedrun, not purely glitch-reliant. NM: used "No Main Menu Storage" category F-Zero GX (Gamecube - Amusement Vision 2003) All Tracks Time Attack (Max Speed) by AKC12 [2RH] host GassyMexican, couch (inaudible), DrinkleDan 1h11m32s (est 1h20m, wr 1h05m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube irADzPCYFxE+699 Review: A very precise, technical run, and also a very fast one. Even when a few mistakes started piling up towards the end, it was still very impressive, though very dry. Yooka-Laylee (PC - Playtonic 2017) Any% (No Flight Skip) by Reyathae host Kungfufruitcup, couch Seraphim, UFOTechie, Mr_Shasta, flajjin_lounge 28m31s (est 35m, wr 25m24s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube YcUyxq6yuiQ+915 Review: Not an entirely barebones run, but you can still feel how new the game was at the time. Execution is good but not amazing, tech is powerful but not well-understood, and there's an unfortunate amount of dead time towards the end. Blaster Master Zero (Switch - Inti Creates 2017) EX Character - Shantae Any% by Skavenger216 [WRH][ORH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch (not introduced) 44m08s (est 45m, wr 40m57s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube DxRgI2-4OeQ+889 Review: This run just didn't do much memorable. There's some items skipped, but didn't seem to be much of the game. Bosses got melted fairly quickly, but most of the game was level traversal, and there wasn't a huge amount of tech for it. It's a perfectly okay run, Blaster Master fans will likely enjoy, but it's not going to pull in many outsiders. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC - Rocksteady 2009) Any% by cojosao [WRH] host theboyks, couch BubblesDelFuego 1h20m49s (est 1h30m, wr 1h19m51s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ZInZINWuOMs+565 Review: For a metroidvania, it's just linear enough to force most of the game to be played. But there's some sequence breaks, and some potent little glitches in the back half of the run. -------------------------------MONDAY-------------------------------- LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3 - Media Molecule 2011) New Game+ coop by p-p-j, RbdJellyfish [WRHs] host Gen Doukeshi, no couch 1h37m50s (est 1h55m, wr 1h41m33s rta) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube HGbMaNf7Qi4+1427 Review: This is just far too long a run, for what it actually has. The platforming is pretty simple, nothing you haven't seen in other speedruns. It's not polished to a level that can sustain interest for ninety minutes, and the effectively solo commentary isn't going to fill that gap. Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! (PSP - Nippon Ichi 2010) Hell's Finest by PinkPajamas [2RH] host DarkTwinge, couch (not introduced) 41m25s (est 50m, wr 39m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Q3JWexoSPnU+387 Review: A very challenging platformer, especially to speedrun. You don't need much explained, beyond "Ghosts n Goblins jump mechanics" and "one-hit-kill difficulty". But it gets a little monotonous by the last quarter. BattleBlock Theater (PC - The Behemoth 2013) Any% No Level Skips by GameguySD [WRH] host DarkTwinge, couch TheMibulous [2RH] 1h18m57s (est 1h23m, wr 1h16m41s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube T8f7Dcn4SDw+737 Review: This felt like filler. Not terrible filler, it's still a neat precision platformer being run way better than you or I could have, but it just didn't have enough going on to keep itself interesting for over an hour. Environmental Station Alpha (PC - Hempuli Oy 2015) Any% In-Bounds by R3DninjaJOSH host RogueLink, couch DCX, Headerizer, (inaudible), Kuraiden (sp?), (not introduced) 26m35s (est 30m, wr 23m18s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube WZt8kcYHWvU+562 Review: It's an indie pixel-art metroidvania, and it comes with all the stuff you'd expect - sequence breaks, skipping items, burning down a few bosses. It doesn't do anything particularly special, and dragged a bit long for what I thought it had, but if you like indie metroidvania runs, this is a solid one. Tinertia (PC - Candescent 2015) Any% by Midboss host RogueLink, couch (not introduced?) 15m23s (est 18m, wr 34m11s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube vNwTU56m1Vk+508 Review: A nice, lightning-fast platformer. Unique enough to not blur in with all the others, but still very easy to grok, and it just flies by. It *feels* like he's going fast. NM: not listed on SRC? WaveLand (PC - rologfos 2017) Any% by Stllr [2RH] host RogueLink, couch (not introduced) [DEV] 26m53s (est 30m, wr 25m56s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube _8zUF8SK-nU+365 Review: Another weird little platformer. It's a little harder to tell just what level of skill is involved, but we get some lovely little strat explanations. NM: both on couch are [dev] Gunners Heaven (PS1 - Media Vision 1995) Any% by CavemanDCJ host Hootey, couch Midboss 31m31s (est 35m, wr 32m15s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 2Y7mnA6Mnkk+940 Review: A late-era run-and-gun, but without the creeping complexity you usually find. I think I'd have liked it much better, were it not for all the autoscrollers, but even setting them aside, the run just felt like it was missing things. The story primer was "I don't know what's going on", the speed tech was limited, the couch didn't even get miked up. NM: not ranked on leaderboards? NM: Midboss never got mike'd up Contra (NES - Konami 1988) Any% coop by TheMexicanRunner, angrylanks [WRHs] host Hootey, couch MetroidMcFly, RottDawg, Toad 9m58s (est 13m, wr 9m53s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube cZETvYopcHs+1002 Review: Wow. We've seen this game many times, but this time it just got demolished. And with such style, too! NM: Toad may be Toad22484 Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES - Konami 1992) Low% Hard by Aquas host Hootey, couch (not introduced) 23m29s (est 23m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Y5LrQMGCdvU+334 Review: By skipping any upgrades or powerups, it's a very barebones run, but it does a good job of emphasizing the basics. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's also easy to follow along, no complex explanations needed. Pop'n Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures (SNES - Konami 1993) Any% by Engi [WRH] host LLK, couch (inaudible) 24m40s (est 26m, wr 22m48s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube OdlnIhHiyFY+478 Review: The movement tech has some neat momentum, but the levels are so short (when played at this level) that the run never gets a chance to build any. It feels like half the run is watching the score tickdown at the end of each level - which is a shame, because the gameplay actually looks really good. Magical Pop'n (SNES - Polestar 1995) Any% by Sent host LLK, couch Kirk, Andy 30m25s (est 32m, wr 27m32s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 9iR9DoCoE6Y+420 Review: It's very obscure game, Japan-only. The speedrun is pretty typical of action-platformers, some damage-boosts to skip platforming, some skips, some boss strats. Nothing special, but excellent work on couch and commentary puts it a bit above the rest. Disney's Aladdin (SNES - Capcom 1993) All Red Gems (100%) [UPGRADE] by Le Hulk [WRH] host LLK, couch Josh, Headerizer 17m37s (est 20m, wr 17m24s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube G4uZJYaiQNU+245 Review: Sometimes all a run needs is really tight execution. Go fast, don't mess up. Wario's Woods (SNES - Nintendo R&D1 1994) Hard Difficulty VS COM by peteyboo [2RH] host YoBGS, couch (inaudible), Cyghfer [3RH], ilikebeingsmart 20m27s (est 27m, wr 18m59s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube sDrNVUxMq9s+725 Review: Commentary's a bit scattered and meandering, but it's also fun. Execution wasn't quite at the level of other puzzle games we've seen, but it's still far better than a normal player could hope for. It felt very fitting for a Mario puzzler. Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES - Rare 1995) Any% (Warpless) race V0oid [WRH] vs waffle42 host YoBGS, couch SpikeVegeta, Sylvite (sp?) 54m12s, 57m28s (est 55m, wr 50m54s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube f18qzGM_bHo+761 Review: No crazy glitch tech here. Well, okay, a little glitch tech, once or twice. As a treat. Mostly it's just play game good, little microoptimizations, cut the corners as tight as possible. The gap between runners only really opened up in the last third, it was really tight for most of the run. Donkey Kong Country (SNES - Rare 1994) [BONUS GAME] Reverse Boss Order by V0oid [2RH] host YoBGS, couch Limnophile, (inaudible), joetherapper_ 46m11s (est 45m, wr 30m38s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube whl76PN4KYQ+923 Review: A tour de force in wrong-warping, but I think I'd have enjoyed a long primer on how the tech works, more than I enjoyed the run itself. It's a normal (if playing some often-skipped levels) DKC speedrun peppered with some opaque, repetitive tricks, which the runner sometimes struggled with. [[[SONIC BLOCK]]] Sonic Advance 3 (GBA - Dimps 2004) Best Ending by Kirbymastah [WRH] host Protomagicalgirl, couch Gedrin (sp?), LLK47, SRun (sp?) 1h25m55s (est 1h30m, wr 1h20m33s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube KHS83LQ5i1o+984 Review: There were just too many autoscrollers, too much dead time, for this to really shine. Neat Sonic gameplay, more or less glitchless, but nothing too precise or polished. It would have tested its welcome even if it had skipped the credits sequence and special stages. With them? You'll have to be a big Sonic fan to love it. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (PC - Sonic Team USA 2001) Hero Story race a_moustache vs Seraphim1313 host Protomagicalgirl, couch Viblosh [3RH], DracoMat, (not introduced) 36m03s, 39m33s (est 42m, wr 34m53s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube rCHTyer0Vw8+1294 Review: Lots of cool tricks on display, and the crowd sing-along City Escape put a smile on my face, but the race angle fell kind of flat. They just got too far apart to hold my excitement. Sonic Mania (Switch - Christian Whitehead et al 2017) Sonic & Tails Any% by Claris [WRH] host Protomagicalgirl, couch SpikeVegeta, Kirbymastah 53m51s (est 1h00m, wr 52m59s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube zkawZzw-oDM+1099 Review: IMO the best run of Sonic Block this year. Good clean gameplay, pressing close enough to the edge that the occasional mistake just pressed home how hard this is. Just enough glitches to spice things up, mostly skipping cutscenes. And phenomenal commentary, more than making up for the quiet runner. 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