====================AWESOME GAMES DONE QUICK 2023==================== =========Raising $2,643,375 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation======== =========================January 8-15, 2023========================== -------------------------------SUNDAY-------------------------------- Splatoon 3 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2022) Any% Pre-2.0.0 by LonTr0 [WRH] host Xenadir, couch Adeptics, Nobobin 56m33s (est 1h05m, wr 54m16s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube LWFzrPtIt6A+0 Review: The speedrun really focuses on the movement mechanics, mostly on abusing them to bypass obstacles entirely. The commentary was remarkably dry for a Nintendo title, but informative. Splatoon 3 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2022) After Alterna [BONUS] by LonTr0 [3RH] host Xenadir, couch Adeptics, Nobobin 10m41s (est 10m, wr 7m54s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube LWFzrPtIt6A+3468 Review: This bonus level ups the challenge significantly, and includes some proper challenging combat. Short but good. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2017) Any% by Player 5 [WRH] host Xenadir, couch Limcube, TheRealNoman 29m55s (est 29m, wr 23m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube w1TlQsOzG70+40 Review: A very skip-heavy run - a few forced tutorials, then the ending boss rush. There's been some new tech since the last BotW Any% run, but the core nature hasn't changed. It's impressive but again, very dry and technical commentary. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (PC - Vicarious Visions 2017) Crash 3 Any% by Murcaz host Xenadir, couch JHobz, Casually Clutching [3RH] 44m34s (est 50m, wr 53m20s rta) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube qxWdonZ8pSE+30 Review: Well, I liked this one better than most Crash runs I've seen. It's mostly a game of mastering some tricky unintended movement mechanics, but there's not much variety to it, and it doesn't look that much faster than a casual run. Add in a lot of simple, near-autoscroller levels, and it's just a hard run to recommend for series outsiders. Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PC - DICE 2016) NG+ by CodeNameMeteor [2RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch Heki, Mazkud, AlexHXC15 [3RH] 53m01s (est 55m, wr 49m18s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 1RyCTbFVzw4+101 Review: A very chill run. Commentary was informative, but also very subdued and quiet. There's a ton of very small skips and sequence breaks, interspersed with some well-executed vanilla gameplay and a few empty sections that never dragged on too long. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xb360 - KCE Tokyo 1997, 2007) All Bosses [BONUS] by Dr4gonBlitz [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, no couch 32m40s (est 35m, wr 30m59s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube zfclFTn2Mco+61 Review: For a category names "All Bosses", they sure don't have much of an impact. It's almost entirely a movement showcase... much like most of today's runs. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced (PC - Gearbox 2009, 2019) Any% Unrestricted by zzrules21 [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch UnjustAction Deceptix Amyrlinn 1h23m49s (est 1h40m, wr 1h23m43s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube z7TMJDepyro+0 Review: This run was enjoyable but just did not have the variety to hold interest for eighty minutes, unless you're a serious Borderlands fan. Nothing really wrong with it, and ZZ's execution seemed excellent, but the constant savequitting and lack of variety really dragged the pacing down. Cuphead (PC - Studio MDHR 2017) [BONUS GAME 1] 300% by Jason2890 [WRH] host ateatree, couch Sublime 1h12m02s (est 1h25m, wr 1h05m44s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 5kjo2i0_FFc+0 Review: An infamously difficult game, defeated to absolute completion. There wasn't too much in the way of commentary needed, which all involved used to barrage us with horrendous (and thus hilarious) puns. Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES - Rare 1996) Any% race, Bluepen49 vs laff____ [2RH] vs Shaaf [WRH] host ateatree, couch V0oid 46m50s, 47m17s, 48m57s (est 55m, wr 45m49s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube pyV5CTekqsI+4 Review: A heavily polished run, but held back by clunky commentary, a plethora of autoscrollers, and uncompetitive racing. Still a decent run, but we've seen better. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PC - Kojima Productions 2014) Perfect Stealth/No Kills NG+ by JosephJoestar316 [2RH] host ateatree, couch OneCoolMan [WRH] 32m02s (est 35m, wr 27m00s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube QFW-QAhTIKs+16 Review: A much snappier Metal Gear run than most. Tight routing, fun commentary, and only a few mistakes. It made me want to actually revisit and finish the game. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS via 3DS - Chunsoft 2009; CapyPara 2020) Randomizer 10 Dungeon Blitz by EpicYoshiMaster host Char_bunny, couch Strifesada 46m44s (est 1h00m, no wr) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 9TJQi4MTm-A+105 Review: I can't say I understood half of what was going on, due to a lack of a basic introduction to the game, but I can't say I didn't have fun anyways. -------------------------------MONDAY-------------------------------- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (PC - Troika 2004) Any% Nosferatu by Vysetra [2RH] host Char_bunny, couch Vynn 37m50s (est 45m, wr 29m34s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube uCCVlPH9KSE+85 Review: I can tell what they were *trying* to do with this run - do that mix of story explanation and trick explanation that's worked wonderfully for runs like Yakuza. The game certainly has enough Plot for that. But with how many sequence breaks this run has, and how little time there was for primers, it rang pretty hollow, and the runner's constant self-deprecation made the mistakes more prominent than the successes. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (PC - Robomodo 2012) Any% by Nase host Char_bunny, couch Party Man X 38m05s (est 40m, wr 32m19s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 8JGxn4H0nic+126 Review: I've never been much of a fan of THPS speedruns, so this one clearly exceeded expectations. Clean movement, nice routing, more depth and more variety than I usually see from these games. It's still not my favorite run, by a long shot, but it might be my favorite skateboarding run so far. SSX (PS2 - EA Canada 2000) All Race Golds (Single Event) by junior host Char_bunny, couch Helix 19m56s (est 23m, wr 16m58s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Sc_HHCly5F8+0 Review: Just a very simple run. The most common trick was hitting an off-track warp that happens to move you forward instead of back. There was not a lot else. The execution wasn't impressive. Commentary was threadbare. If you loved the game, perhaps give it a shot - it's only twenty minutes, twenty-five with the bonus levels - but it's not going to draw anyone else. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (PC - Midway 2004) Any% by Kainalo [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch KilledByAPixel [DEV], Timo★, yisk 30m40s (est 30m, wr 27m23s rta) [NV] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 4FzM4lipCd8+140 Review: A run without much in the way of tech, mostly just some box clips. Some very inconsistent box clips - I lost count of how many premade safety saves got used. The dev had a little bit to say, but not much - unsurprisingly, he didn't remember that many details, from a game that shipped two decades ago. Dust: An Elysian Tail (PC - Dean Dodrill 2012, 2013) Any% Warps by AggytheAron host THEKyleThomas, couch KatLink 24m03s (est 25m, wr 16m12s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 0ZJ40sQkKhY+210 Review: The movement in a Dust speedrun is flashy as all get out. I've played a bit of the game casually, enough to know that some of that is just how Dust is, but it's still fun to watch. Unfortunately, the commentary was pretty stiff, and a sloppy mistake led to repeating the final boss fight, which was tedious to begin with. A bit of a disappointment, but still worth a watch if you're a fan. Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (Game Gear - Aspect 1991) 100% by sharif [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch jquestionmark [3RH] 29m23s (est 35m, wr 24m15s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube AFqXA4KGHoA+110 Review: A weird little spinoff. The run's short on polish but had some nice improv, and it's entertainingly presented. Cyber Hook (PC - Blazing Stick 2020) Full Game Marathon by squeali0 host THEKyleThomas, couch Fell, cyan 32m22s (est 35m, wr 33m20s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube KAFLtWy16y8+105 Review: First-person platforming with a grappling hook. Trippy synthwave graphics. Easy skips on levels that are otherwise long and boring, no big skips on fun or short levels. No real marathon strats, just yolo the IL strats a few times. Yeah, if this game's speedrun keeps going, it could be a classic, but for now, it's still a pretty cool watch. I think the imperfection does a better job of showing just how hard this run is. Gungrave (PS2 - Red 2002) Any% by DECosmic [3RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch pmcTRILOGY 30m29s (est 35m, wr 26m15s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube G817CYDjSEg+0 Review: A very lethargic run. Combat was mostly just ignoring enemies, or spamming them down - occasionally care would be needed to run up a combo or to quickly beat a boss, but it was a relatively uneventful run, with commentary that clearly had not had enough coffee yet. Decent filler, but still filler. Armored Core: Project Phantasma (PS1 via PSTV - From 1997) Any% by pmcTRILOGY [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch peaches, Chef Lu Bu 35m35s (est 40m, wr 33m11s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube q97Ud7d0Loo+19 Review: A pretty neat speedrun, considering how niche the game is. It's a mix of proper combat levels and some OoB clips, decent variety. I kind of wish they'd gone more into the lore, either explaining it or making fun of it, because that was where the commentary seemed to rise above the average, but I'm happy enough with what we got. Bomberman 64: The Second Attack! (N64 - Hudson Soft 1997) Any% by EiP [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch yunagi 29m26s (est 35m, wr 28m32s) Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube zrPPgfIr2pg+26 Review: My expectations going into this run were low, and I was still shocked by how bad this was. The run was typical - a few simple glitches, a few bits of tight routing, nothing in the least bit impressive. But dear sweet rnjesus, this commentary was awful. An incredibly thick accent made most of it incomprehensible, and what little I did get, was downright infantile. I know it's a cutesy game, but this felt outright condescending. Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (PS2 - Capcom 2002) Any% Easy No Ultimate by Woadyb [2RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch LonerHero 1h15m10s (est 1h12m, wr 50m48s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube pLE0GjhyQfg+30 Review: I'm not sure what the draw of this run is even supposed to be. It has similar controls to first-gen Resident Evil - fixed camera, tank controls - and so it's a lot of running around enemies as they make slow wind-up attacks. The boss fights were slow and seemed to rely on getting proper RNG, which they just never saw, making them kind of painful to watch. The commentary had huge amounts of dead time, where there was just nothing to talk about. All in all, a pretty weak run, but maybe series fans can appreciate it better. Superliminal (PC - Pillow Castle 2019) All Collectibles by Ozmourn host Lanaruse, couch Sapphire [WRH] 30m53s (est 32m, wr 25m21s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube dCjlUMU9tsc+193 Review: A very trippy first-person puzzle game, lots of perspective illusions. The speedrun makes heavy, but not exclusive, use of prop launches and OoB, which is strangely *less* strange than the as-intended gameplay bits. Skate (Xb360 via XSX - EA Black Box 2007) X Games% by SupaScared [3RH] host Lanaruse, no couch 45m04s (est 55m, wr 44m09s) [PB?] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube SSdz2QDb1F8+42 Review: A pretty clean execution of a pretty dull speed game. So much of the runtime was taken up by timed segments that it never felt like the runner's skill was actually making him any faster. Maybe it hits different if you're familiar with the game and its difficult controls, but I wasn't seeing it. Shovel Knight Dig (PC - Nitrome 2022) Any% race davidtki [WRH] vs Luukie13 [2RH] host Lanaruse, couch DanTheVP MooMooAkai 12m40s, 13m20s (est 20m, wr 11m44s) [NV] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Fp4hwyfBS7c+36 Review: A short race, but a fun one to watch. The RNG was kept manageable by starting with some safety items, but there were still plenty of curveballs. CULTIC (PC - Jasozz 2021) Any% Inbounds by Kaos_Wulf [2RH] host Lanaruse, couch Jasozz [DEV] 15m56s (est 20m, wr 12m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ViHZuGM0z0U+19 Review: A fast-paced boomer shooter run, a few neat skips in between just good gameplay. The dev on the couch offered some pretty deep insight into the technical side, which I loved, leaving the runner to handle the actual speedrun commentary. Yakuza Kiwami (PC - Ryu Ga Gotoku 2016, 2019) NG+ by BigNoNo [WRH] host Shado_Temple, no couch 1h35m14s (est 1h40m, wr 1h35m35s rta) [WR?] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube K4QCEmSqTbQ+15 Review: Yakuza series speedruns all differ in some way. Kiwami is apparently the shooter of the bunch - this run swaps a lot of the easier brawls for shotgun blasts. Somehow this ends up being a chill run, anyways. TMNT Shredder's Revenge (PC - Tribute Games 2022) Coop 2v2 Any% Arcade Chill race GeneralAndrews, Dospostmann [2RHs] vs Benja, Paul-Knives [3RHs] host Shado_Temple, couch junkyard_dave, ateatree, Arispici 56m18s, 1h00m23s (est 1h05m, wr 59m25s) [WR] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Vomk5XfxyUs+2 Review: This was kind of rubbish as a race, with one team pulling ahead by an entire stage even by the halfway point. But if you just watch that one screen, oh wow is it impressive. Outside the boss fights, there's not much to it besides memorizing enemy spawns and instantly obliterating them, but they do it so well, it's beautiful to watch. And the commentary does a great job pointing out all the fanservice the game is packed with. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5 - Insomniac 2020) Any% by Pessilist [WRH] host briesbe, couch BurkeMaverick, RebelDragon95, Corvimae 2h31m55s (est 2h40m, wr 2h28m29s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube tDUuwEGhmoU+0 Review: Many runs have had to tackle the problem of long, unskippable cutscenes. Some make up for it with ultra-precise routing of every battle that can be explained - this one, most battles are improvised. Some make up for it with story and lore explanations - this one didn't really bother. Some make up for it with couch shenanigans, and... well, they tried. Chalk this one up to another victim of the online format, maybe. Portal (PC - Valve 2007) [BONUS GAME 2] Airboat% by Msushi [3RH] host briesbe, couch BaileyP2SR 22m30s (est 20m, wr 14m37s rta) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube zGEQH21SsSI+0 Review: An extremely silly category, run with manic energy. Probably the most enjoyable run of the marathon so far. BioShock (PC - 2K Boston 2007) Any% by bloodthunder host briesbe, no couch 35m53s (est 45m, wr 32m23s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube XBtM3lRRfEI+8 Review: A fairly glitchy run, with remarkably chill commentary for such a dark game. Fallout 3 (PC - Bethesda 2008) All Quests by BananaPegasus [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch Radioactiv 1h18m41s (est 1h30m, wr 1h15m13s rta) [NV] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 5vs4SpaujUM+0 Review: Like a lot of RPG runs, this run is an intricate knot of overlapping questlines. And being a Bethesda game, it has a TON of glitches, some useful... and one that required a console command to fix. Oops? Hitman: Blood Money (PC - IO Interactive 2006) Pro/SA [BONUS] by Threeballer [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 32m18s (est 30m, wr 24m30s rta) [NV] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube jhR__RVLbVU+1 Review: A game based around learning complex, clockwork levels is ripe for speedrunning. Threeballer had some trouble with AI manipulations not working quite right, but the on-the-fly adaptations were still a solid showcase of skill. Fable Anniversary (PC - Lionhead 2004, 2014) Any% by SeraVenza [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Ligitacy, ReVo [2RH?], Etem 1h14m15s (est 1h20m, wr 1h04m17s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube H1faNSF-TT0+1 Review: It's fairly typical RPG speedrun stuff. Glitch to get the best weapon early, glitch to max out your stats, glitch through some doors to bypass a lot of content, and then just slam through everything else. But doing that in a Fable run, with a Fable community on the couch, somehow highlights the absurdity of it all. ------------------------------TUESDAY-------------------------------- Ape Escape 2 (PS3 - SCE Japan 2002) Any% by Liquid Squid [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 55m56s (est 1h00m, wr 50m31s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Vk_lpeocvFY+0 Review: The neat thing here was seeing the tiny improvisations. The game is very closely routed, but in a way that you expect to go off-route at some points, from AI being unpredictable. Squid did a great job commentating both the plan and what he ended up doing instead. Frogun (PC - Molegato 2022) Any% by Traitor [2RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch TheHellfridge [WRH], trihex 46m26s (est 50m, wr 44m51s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube nsoSSXnxfGc+0 Review: An adorable little indie platformer. The strats aren't too complex but were more polished than expected, and they even managed to turn one of the autoscroller bosses into proper speed gaming. MediEvil: Resurrection (PSP - SCE Cambridge 2005) Any% by desa [2RH] host SporadicErratic, no couch 37m49s (est 50m, wr 37m43s) [PB] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube DmX6N0D2em8+0 Review: Kind of just a rough watch. Vague and unenthusiastic commentary, and a bad audio mix made what we did get hard to hear. The run's heavily reliant on a single trick, but also surprisingly unreliable. This run had several easily-visible mistakes, yet still came within seconds of WR, which just makes the run seem unpolished. Blade II (XbC - Mucky Foot 2002) Any% NG+ by Mattmatt [WRH] host Char_bunny, couch Tom Forsyth [DEV] 46m45s (est 55m, wr 42m17s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube xfRtV9MrXho+0 Review: The speedrun is fairly easy - a lot of clips, some simple combat strats, and more autoscrollers than is probably justified. But it turns out Tom Forsyth, in addition to being a minor legend in the programming community, also gives great commentary about a mediocre game he helped work on two decades ago. Buckle up for some pretty fun anecdotes, tied nicely into the speedrun. Goat Simulator (PC - Coffee Stain 2014) All Trophies (Base Game) by Riekelt [3RH] host SporadicErratic, no couch 16m26s (est 20m, wr 11m54s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube pQGHLYz3jQs+0 Review: A silly game, but the run itself didn't lean too far into it. It just showed the game, in all its absurdity, and let the host melt down in laughter at it. This probably would have been an absolute riot, with a good in-person couch, but it's still quite fun. Illbleed (Dreamcast - Crazy Games 2001) Any% by Punchy [WRH] host SporadicErratic, couch Ecdycis, Maxylobes 1h19m38s (est 1h20m, wr 1h16m06s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube DIBKDo7cV-c+42 Review: A very strange game. No, really, this is a *weird* little game. There's not much to compare it to, but somehow it works? It's easy enough to follow, Punchy gives great explanations, and then on top of it you've got tons of humor about the bizarre story and gameplay. Even a game crash and restart barely shook the flow of this run. Wavetale (PC - Thunderful 2021) Any% No Major Skips by Glint [2RH] host SporadicErratic, couch Bytez, Lemuura, YANN 57m18s (est 1h10m, wr 1h02m24s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Bi-5qQlWsZc+4 Review: An exceptionally chill run of an obscure 3D platformer (thanks, Stadia /s). There's a lot of just swimming from section to section, which has just enough tech to be relaxing rather than tedious. The platforming sections are pretty tight, but mostly, this is just a vibes run. Burnout Paradise Remastered (PC - Criterion 2008, 2018) Big Surf Island Any% by sawtoooooth [WRH] host Argick, couch Miso_Nicomi, MiddleSnail 26m05s (est 30m, wr 24m41s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube EptCN53vJ48+0 Review: The commentary on this run was kind of useless, just describing the things the game itself told us pretty obviously, or when the car was wrecked on purpose. No strategies, no tech, just driving fast with a busted DLC car. I'm glad to see more foreign runners getting a chance on the GDQ stage, when it's online, but you kind of need English-fluent commentators if you're going to do that. This couch seemed too unsure of how to speak, to actually commentate. Astral Chain (Switch - PlatinumGames 2019) Any% (No Abilities) by Ratyu [WRH] host Argick, couch Kap, Herreteman [3RH] 2h34m38s (est 2h40m, wr 2h29m23s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 0dzJShw1ASg+0 Review: This was just a slog to get through. The commentators were too busy freaking out over "how good" the run was, to actually explain what was good about it, or even really explain what was going on. And at least from watching it, it seems just like dozens of other speedruns - not particularly polished or demanding, and laden with quite a bit of down time. [[[CASTLEVANIA BLOCK]]] Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (Xb360 - Konami 2010) Solo All Character NG+ by KeynNaka [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, couch JupiterClimb 28m44s (est 45m, wr 25m20s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube MYPL_1AYtVw+33 Review: An obscure throwback Castlevania game, built around couch multiplayer. That limits any exploits to skipping just the majority of a level, which does happen a few times, but there's also some good boss-melting combat and some interesting routing. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (PC - KCE Tokyo 2003) Any% No 0HP (Standard) race JupiterClimb [2RH] vs Chewy4u [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch halgorithm, GarniTexas, Berix 13m24s, 14m16s (est 18m, wr 11m41s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube bHwKt5ps0Tg+30 Review: A good run, but the race element was a complete flop. When one runner gets stuck in a reset cycle trying to make an RNG manip, right at the start, that tends to reduce it to two parallel playthroughs more than a race. But setting that aside, it's a fun run - manips, clips, clean movement and some tricky boss fights. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (PC - KCE Tokyo 2003) Julius Any% [BONUS] by JupiterClimb [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, couch halgorithm, Berix 6m05s (est 18m, wr 5m15s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube bHwKt5ps0Tg+1181 Review: It's supposed to be a quick bonus run, but I actually liked it more than the main race. Lighter on glitches, just one boss drop dupe, but very fluid movement and some interesting tradeoffs, all with lovely commentary. [[[/CASTLEVANIA BLOCK]]] Fashion Police Squad (PC - Mopeful 2022) Any% by danejerus [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Miika [DEV], Bryonato, Amyrlinn 46m16s (est 50m, wr 38m44s loadless) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★★ Youtube mS0Ah6zFIwM+1 Review: When a game is as silly as this, it takes some real work to outshine it. Danejerus pulls it off with style. Add in some exasparated sighs from the dev and some shine from the rest of the couch, and you've got one of the funniest runs in years. But underneath it all is a surprisingly good speedrun. Fashion Police Squad (PC - Mopeful 2022) Challenge 3 [BONUS] by danejerus host THEKyleThomas, couch Miika [DEV], Bryonato, Amyrlinn 3m01s (est 10m, wr 2m27s loadless) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube mS0Ah6zFIwM+2947 Review: A fairly quick but difficult bonus level. Some tricky platforming, executed pretty well. Transistor (PC - Supergiant 2014) Any% by Kass [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Ele, Syna Maur [2RH] 44m58s (est 50m, wr 37m33s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube MRtnnmGEg8I+3 Review: Suitably, this run is a huge pile of glitches. But it still has a fair bit of down time. A good run to vibe to, especially if you like art deco cyberpunk, but not too thrilling a watch. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii via Wii U VC - Nintendo EAD 2010) Any% race SuperViperT302 vs HardcoreGaming vs ImJhay [WRH] vs MutantsAbyss host Nukkuler, couch Rox, SpikeVegeta 2h54m51s, 2h59m05s, 3h00m53s, 3h03m55s (est 3h10m, wr 2h54m55s) [WR] Overall ★★★★★ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube nTpXQ9hSq_w+1 Review: Three hours of gamers absolutely *crushing* a run packed with dangerous tricks, commentated by another experienced Mario runner and the inestimable SpikeVegeta. This would have been a highlight even if one runner *hadn't* gotten on an absolutely insane pace. About the only critique I can make is that it wasn't easy to follow who was leading, due to frequent route divergences and the game rarely displaying progress totals. Jak II (PS2 - Naughty Dog 2003) Any% by rRubiks host cartridgeblowers, couch G3Catcher, TJGame5rs, Aslov [WRH] 1h03m51s (est 1h05m, wr 54m35s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 3u3ut_9FLLk+1 Review: This run is so heavily glitched that it's sucked out almost all the gameplay. It's going from trigger to trigger, hovering over or clipping through walls, only occasionally stopping to kill necessary enemies, or do a mandatory race. If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably love this, but I found it dull to watch. Outer Wilds (PC - Mobius Digital 2019) Stranger 100% by ptminsker [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch TheStrangePie [2RH], DeRockProject 26m01s (est 35m, wr 21m09s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 8xn9XlUlN-s+86 Review: A chill run, there's a lot of tech but the explanations were pretty light. Good vibes but that's about it. WRs ptminsker thestrangepie proxbalance Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS3 - Insomniac 2004) All Titanium Bolts by Scottobozo [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Dylwingo, Xemmypoo [2RH?], Torpedo 1h09m57s (est 1h25m, wr 1h07m50s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube eogfSMvfMGM+0 Review: This run had a lot of tricks, from simple death abuses to some pretty complex technical exploits. The commentary was a bit vague on how a lot of it actually worked but the long chains of inputs kind of speak for themselves, most of the time. WRs loadless Scottobozo 1h07m29s xem92 king_dedede [[[SPOOKY BLOCK]]] Resident Evil Village: Shadow of Rose (PC - Capcom 2021) [BONUS GAME 3] Hardcore by 7rayD [2RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch spicee [WRH], Captain Ezekiel 47m32s (est 50m, wr 41m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube C109zfY5Evw+3 Review: A nice, shorter RE run than usual. It's still mostly dodging around enemies while bouncing between required items, practically glitchless, but the boss fights are tightly planned (and impressively improvised when derailed). WRs spiceeTV 7rayD Nindo ------------------------------WEDNESDAY------------------------------ Resident Evil 7 (PC - Capcom 2017) End of Zoe Any% by Maxylobes [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Captain Ezekiel 20m28s (est 22m, wr 19m44s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 34_8eJ-EN9w+0 Review: A mild departure from the series, the speedrun being focused on melee combat. At this length, it's probably worth checking out if you're interested, but it's no must-watch. NM: Assumed Easy NG WRs maxylobes Akaya d0rtmunder Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 (PC - Mob Entertainment 2022) 100% by Nerd_Squared [3RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch AstralSpiff 24m39s (est 30m, wr 19m38s rta) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube aEpv7Tq-hWI+3 Review: This is apparently the new mega-popular Kid-Friendly Horror game, now that FNAF has declined. The speedrun is pretty basic (a few skips over almost all the content, and then basic walking to each objective) and the commentary offered little of interest, to either newcomers or series fans alike. NM: Assumed OOB WRs loadless _QqQ_ 18m46s MutantAye Nerd_Squared 20m12s Dead Space 3 (PC - Visceral 2013) Any% coop by sharkhat87, SergeantRadish [2RHs] host Kungfufruitcup, couch tofercakes, Mattmatt 1h59m02s (est 2h20m, wr 1h57m36s loadless) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube SnXkB1NY16U+0 Review: Even some internet issues didn't hold this run back too much. There's a nice balance to it - both players doing things, some skips and clips that cut out entire chapters, while still playing others pretty normally, a good blend of speedrun narration and story primer. It's nothing amazing, but it's quite a solid run. Dead Space 3 (PC - Visceral 2013) Awakened DLC coop by sharkhat87, SergeantRadish [WRHs] host Kungfufruitcup, couch tofercakes, Mattmatt 16m03s (est 20m, wr 12m33s loadless) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube SnXkB1NY16U+7642 Review: It's just more Dead Space 3. Nothing you didn't see in the main run, but if you liked that, go ahead and spend another quarter hour on this. Cryostasis (PC - Action Forms 2008) Any% by shmumbler [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch BigScared, Garlips 34m27s (est 35m, wr 31m55s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 7TqgD2X3hMM+4 Review: When a run doesn't have enough to talk about, that's a good sign that it also doesn't have enough to watch. There was plenty of clipping and skipping going on, but none of it was interesting. Pretty much the entire game was skipped over in one form or another, leaving... not much. [[[/SPOOKY BLOCK]]] Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (PS2 - Midway LA 2005) Any% by Elfinout [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch PND Ketchup 17m57s (est 20m, wr 17m45s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube hnkQSBMgLRI+3 Review: It's a one-trick game. Three, if we're being generous. A certain move can be chained infinitely with pauses, letting you fly over several levels. In others, an out-of-bounds is used to let you use that first trick to fly under the entire level. And in the final boss rush, an infinite combo is used to try to keep them in hitstun. Somehow, this twenty-minute run felt long and empty. FEZ (PC - Polytron 2012) Any% by thearst3rd [2RH] host Prolix, couch Jokertyf, Juikuen 26m11s (est 30m, wr 25m33s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube pVf6xFS5Az4+19 Review: A cool run, just really hard to follow. I think that's unavoidable, given the perspective-weirdness focus of the game, but even as someone who's played it, I couldn't grok what was going on a lot of the time. Sutte Hakkun (GBC - Indieszero 1997) 50 Levels by junkyard_dave [2RH] host Prolix, couch Kat_ 12m33s (est 15m, wr 11m28s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube whYJXUkLrto+2 Review: A neat puzzle-platformer, with surprisingly precise platforming. The commentary is a bit lackluster, but the game explains itself so well I barely noticed. Vampire Night (PS2 - Wow Entertainment 2001) Arcade Medium by Boyks host Prolix, couch Amyrlinn 38m15s (est 40m, wr 28m28s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube hVLy9cQU_mE+2 Review: A schlocky story should be a lot of fun, but this one kind of wasn't. Too little time spent on it, and too disjointed to really laugh at. And then the gameplay was pretty much all autoscroller, even compared to other light-gun rail shooters we've seen. It's a fun novelty, but that wears off well before the end. I always consider it a warning sign when a runner gives over entire levels to donation-reading, and Boyks did that multiple times. Nightmare of Decay (PC - Checkmaty 2022) Any% Normal by Gnydsmelt [2RH] host Prolix, couch Juh0rse 19m37s (est 20m, wr 15m49s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube jSWO_e0KHEM+1 Review: In the vein of many other horror games, it's mainly about juking around the few enemies in your way while running from objective to objective. It just doesn't do anything we haven't seen elsewhere, better. Final Fantasy VII (PS1 via PS2 - Square 1997) Any% No Slots by Zheal [WRH] host Brutal_Melo, SporadicErratic, couch AceZephyr, Dash Retro, brutalspeed 6h55m42s (est 7h10m, wr 6h33m43s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Ume70AMnNr4+3 Review: A run of this length demands an excellent and *high-energy* runner and couch. Zheal clearly knows his stuff, the couch often chimed in with additional tidbits of info, but it just failed to engage any interest whatsoever. Just no charisma, no charm, very little to say beyond stiltedly narrating the run, and with the amount of down time this run has, there was a lot of dead space to fill. Stardew Valley (PC - Eric Barone 2016) Seeded Crafts Room - Glitchless race blackheartwings vs theValiantSun [WRH] host Skybilz, couch Blade 22m36s, 35m38s (est 30m, wr 20m16s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 7UAKHZVLSF0+4 Review: Seeded runs are normally all about precise execution, with no randomness... this one was *still* incredibly random, with the time swing of 50% entirely due to not getting needed item spawns, with no good way to compensate. Even setting that aside, the run started off with two minutes of dead time and had no real precision or speed tech besides the route. [[[SONIC BLOCK]]] Sonic Unleashed (Wii - Sonic Team 2008) All Day Stages by Speck [WRH] host Skybilz, no couch 22m37s (est 23m, wr 19m54s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 0KaP0NkGWgg+0 Review: Motormouth commentary and some moderately-jank platforming that speedrunners will gleefully exploit. Yep, it's Sonic Block. Sonic Colors: Ultimate (PC - Sonic Team 2010, Blind Squirrel 2021) Egg Shuttle race thebluemania [WRH] vs Subbaro vs Nyu [3RH] host Skybilz, couch CriticalCyd, AuraAce 46m40s, 48m31s, 48m45s (est 55m, wr 37m52s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 0sv28Ks8x6U+0 Review: Fairly engaging as a race, but it could have benefitted from clearer commentary. I think a lot of the jargon was defined once towards the start, so if you missed it or forget, it can easily become confusing. Sonic Advance 2 (GBA via GBP - Dimps 2002) Knuckles [BIDWAR] by Kirbymastah [WRH] host Skybilz, couch Aleck47 28m03s (est 30m, wr 24m49s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Bqgh33R7HIA+0 Review: Just some clean, high-speed platforming. Not too much in the way of tech but it's short enough to get by with just the core mechanics. [[[/SONIC BLOCK]]] Pokemon Yellow (GB via GBP - Game Freak 1996, 1998) [BIDWAR] Any% Glitchless by pokeguy [WRH] host Lanaruse, couch Maddict, Truely 2h01m24s (est 2h05m, wr 1h53m11s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube bbHfnAs2bDE+2 Review: A particularly dry run, and unfortunately low-energy. The game knowledge on display is absolutely immense, but it's hard to stay interested when even the runner seems bored. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS - Nintendo EAD 1998, Grezzo 2011) Any% by benstephens56 [3RH] host Lanaruse, couch Yashichi, Gamestabled, Cabbage 30m47s (est 35m, wr 26m58s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube uSRmK1CURdw+1 Review: This run gets extremely technical, but the commentary tried to keep it simple. I'm not sure whether it worked, but then again, I'm one of those that likes extremely technical exploit explanations. It's basically a bunch of gathering requirements, then executing a credits warp after the first boss. If that sounds fun to you, this is probably worth a watch. WR pal62 zeldacubed benstephens56 28m29s Stray (PC - BlueTwelve 2022) [BONUS GAME 4] Any% Unrestricted by Erims [2RH] host Konception, couch SatoriEarth 49m50s (est 53m, wr 48m11s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Q4nwuBnCAks+1 Review: This just wasn't that great of a speed game? It's pretty new so it wasn't that unexpected to be pretty rough and unpolished, but this was a letdown even so. If you want an hour of seeing a cute cat, this will do it, but they didn't even have much fun with that part, instead trying to play it off as a serious speed game. WRs Anemion Erims 48m29s Codyumm Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (PS2 - Insomniac 1999) 2v2 Lockout Bingo by slvr__, zacharylawrence vs Spudlyman, Wed host Konception, couch Dereklander, nitrof 32m00s (est 55m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube SARx9hMq43I+2 Review: Bingo matches are always a bit hard to follow, especially for games you're not familiar with. Even the commentators fell behind at some points... but it had some nice, frantic, madcap energy nonetheless. Even a bit of a one-sided match didn't make it less enjoyable. NM: need bingo dev? ------------------------------THURSDAY------------------------------- Neon White (PC - Angel Matrix 2022) White's Heaven Rush by Blaidan [2RH] host Konception, couch Humps [WRH] 32m00s (est 40m, wr 30m32s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube -9aZBcuCvhQ+3 Review: A very streamlined speedrun - being tailor-made as a speed game, it had little in the way of down time, just half an hour of pure flow. A great mix of platforming and some really precise shooting. Neon White (PC - Angel Matrix 2022) Rainbow Heaven Rush by Tordana [WRH] host Konception, couch Humps 13m27s (est 40m, wr 10m51s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube -9aZBcuCvhQ+2602 Review: And here's yet more Neon White, this time doing the more gimmicky side levels. Still a lot of fun, and it adds some needed novelty, but it wasn't quite as engaging. Perhaps there was just less needing to be said. [[[AWFUL BLOCK]]] Yo! Noid 2: Game of a Year Edition (PC - Dustin Bragg 2017, 2018) No Major Skips by rythin [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Spectral 14m37s (est 16m, wr 13m36s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube Y1nHu0ttghg+3 Review: More of a silly game than an awful one, but that boundary has long since been blurred into nothing. It's a game-jam platformer, with enough jank that there's skips and clips throughout, and a category that makes you actually play through the levels. Commentary mostly plays it straight, but the game plays well enough for that to work, and the humor stands on its own. NM: Assumed (Vocal)Noid category counts both vanilla (used) and Vocal Noid characters [[[/AWFUL BLOCK]]] Kirby Star Allies (Switch - HAL 2018) Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! Mage Sisters by Mr_Shasta host Konception, couch Laurie D. Bunnykins 35m22s (est 40m, wr 19m19s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ny-GnkrBSSk+3 Review: A zippier run than most Kirby games, the movement isn't exactly complex but it sure is fun to watch, and the combat has more to it than the series norm. And we have commentary that's engaging without being twee... basically, it's a Kirby run without all the things I don't like about Kirby runs. [[[AWFUL BLOCK]]] Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (SNES - Namco 1994) Any% by PARTY MAN X [3RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch SecksWrecks 24m19s (est 26m, wr 21m33s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube LP_zQ3Uk4Ug+1 Review: One of those baffling character-focused Pac-Man games from the post-crash era. There's a surprising amount of speed tech needed just to finish the game in a vaguely reasonable time - which makes it great Awful Block material. Yolanda: The Ultimate Challenge (Amiga - Millennium Interactive 1990) Wimp% by FlannelKat [2RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Brossentia, Fyzzu 9m30s (est 18m, wr 7m41s) [PB] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 6C2pQTlVJXs+0 Review: An old title from the sadistic era of game design, lots of pure guesswork gameplay and random slapdown deaths. If it lasted much longer, it probably would have gotten repetitive, but this was just the right length for the joke to not wear out. Lizard Lady vs. The Cats (PS5 - The Voices 2021) Any% by Asuka424 host AnEternalEnigma, couch Dathus, CSRadical 4m12s (est 6m, wr 3m42s) [PB] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube HgYCJG8OQSo+1 Review: I am amazed that a game this bad managed to be made in the year 2021, and sold not on Steam or Itch, but on the PlayStation 5 store. The run is barely long enough to scratch the surface with it, but that's fine, because it mostly speaks for itself. A speedrun, this isn't, but Awful is most certainly is. Office Race (PC - Rain of Cubes 2018) Any% by BystanderTim [2RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Bullets, amyrlinn 24m27s (est 30m, wr 24m45s) [PB?] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube UaVUyKBON5E+3 Review: An exceptionally jank racing game, tech mostly consisted of skipping every lap but the first, and hoping the QTEs actually work right. It's a funny joke but half an hour of it sort of stretched it too far. Salamander County Public Television (PC - Tinzone 2022) Any% by teddyras host AnEternalEnigma, couch TieTuesday 21m32s (est 30m, wr 17m20s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube jX_-6QgIifI+3 Review: An eccentric minigame collection, like a more surrealist WarioWare. Not the greatest speedrun, but more demanding than much of Awful Block. (And also very clearly a better game, but I guess they didn't want to wait six months for Silly Block). Runner had some proper madcap antics to keep things entertaining, through the levels that couldn't be sped up. Battle of the Eras (DOS - Procyon 1995) Any% Shadowsnake by corndan host Nichole Goodnight, couch Wobbly Python, Ryyudo, bird friends (🐦) 8m20s (est 10m, no wr?) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube ow3mBltOpVw+2 Review: One part Axe Cop, two parts Badage Boys, three parts Street Fighter: The Movie (the game). That's the recipe for some great Awful Block material. Morodashi Sumo (PC - Bakumatsu 2022) Any% by teddyras [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch amyrlinn 24m45s (est 20m, wr 15m59s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ☆☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube yLjvEhvYSTY+30 Review: It's about one third (skippable but donated to watch) cutscenes of dancing, one third tedious autoscroller boss fight, and one third gameplay that never gets properly explained. Awful? Yes. Entertaining? Briefly. Dokkaebi-ga Ganda (DOS - Senori Box 1995) Any% by dowolf host Nichole Goodnight, couch brossentia 19m29s (est 20m, wr HhMMmSSs) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube msfFc5PVM-k+1 Review: A surprisingly good-looking game, but with some clearly bad movement and some terrible level design. Great Awful Block material, not that much to it but short enough that even restarting levels didn't drag it down. NM: Not on speedrun.com I'm going to die if I don't eat sushi! (PC - Tadasumen 2021) Any% Easy by Bullets [2RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Monkeyy_Man, pmcTRILOGY 21m54s (est 24m, wr 20m24s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube DkyAQ7YFmjE+3 Review: A very rudimentary game - a barebones 3D platformer - but with delightfully dumb plot and cutscenes that everyone riffs on. Solid Awful Block material. Sonic Blast (Game Gear - Aspect 1996) Beat the Game - Sonic vs Knuckles race Hibnotix [WRH] vs S-TWO [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Argick 14m04s, 14m06s (est 16m, wr 13m32s, 13m38s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube c4WXRcpz134+3 Review: Just not awful enough of a game to fit in with Awful Block, and playing it as if it were a serious speed game only makes that worse. At fifteen minutes, it's a decent novelty, but it was neither exciting nor funny. Bad Guys At School (PC - Forceight 2020) All Missions by Sadlybadlyy host Bobby Blackwolf, couch tetrinico_, biglaw 23m40s (est 25m, wr 17m44s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ekXstzDw78s+4 Review: More of a silly game than an outright awful one. The strats are simple, just some basic routing optimization and a few cases where items are interchangeable, but the missions being done are silly enough, and the couch banter is good enough, to make this a fun watch. Steven Seagal Is: The Final Option (SNES - Riedel Software 1995) [UNRELEASED] Any% 9 Exits by Crak Atak host Bobby Blackwolf, no couch 21m44s (est 30m, no wr?) [WR] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 1JYFqhcUx6w+0 Review: All the entertainment here comes from playing a buggy, incomplete game. But it's a letdown - enemy AI is so bad you can usually just run past, obstacles just don't stop you, and you can trivially death-warp past what few hazards work properly. A good couch to laugh at it could have made this great, but all we got was some reheated Chuck Norris jokes as a donation theme. Given that Seagal, the actor, is now enmeshed with the Russian oligarchy and is producing propaganda for Putin's invasion and genocide, those jokes fell pretty flat. NM: no leaderboard I could find [[[/AWFUL BLOCK]]] Mega Man ZX (PC - Inti Creates 2006) Any% Normal by Amesiyo [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Ikkisoad, Meta_X 50m51s (est 58m, wr 50m35s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 3aSpP0-Li5g+3 Review: I can't really point to anything this run did wrong, I just can't say I remember anything it did particularly right. The boss fights seem downright trivialized, the movement isn't up to the level of other Mega Man games, and the commentary passed right through me. The World Ends with You: Final Remix (Switch - Square Enix 2007, 2018) Any% Normal by Kuro* [WRH] host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Herreteman 2h53m44s (est 3h10m, wr 2h51m32s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube erfa-XHDoxI+0 Review: It's impressive in the abstract to be able to play the game this well while dual-wielding Joycon pointers, but it's hard to stay that way when Kuro* does it so consistently for so long. Probably a highlight for TWEWY fans, but not likely to hook newcomers. Boomerang X (PC - DANG 2021) Any% NG by Evandar [WRH][ORH] host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Bones [DEV] 22m21s (est 25m, wr 20m54s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube m0kBankUZck+2 Review: A neat little FPS-platformer, but outside some skips at the beginning and end, it's pretty much a play-game-good sort of speedrun, and not polished up to the standards of bigger speed games. Metal Slug (PC - Nazca 1996, Dotemu 2015) Medium - Steam by ChairGTables host iggyzig, no couch 12m40s (est 16m, wr 10m12s) [PB] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube znP4yOmONQE+2 Review: Wow, this run was obnoxious. It's great to be hype for the game you're running, but you should not be breathless with laughter at *every* *single* mundane event. It didn't just feel forced, it felt condescending. WRs sukimos Moliman dta52 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC - LucasArts 1998) Any% by Alnak host iggyzig, no couch 25m53s (est 25m, wr 15m55s loadless) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Pv1kIvHdaIA+3 Review: This run used a lot of savescumming to pull off tricks that don't actually seem that precise. The lore explanations were pretty threadbare (speaking as a former SWEU fanatic who somehow never got into SWJK) and it just generally failed to shine. BS Legend of Zelda (SNES - Nintendo R&D2 1995) 100% race, vanni_van [2RH] vs Iceblue [WRH] host iggyzig, couch Sabera 35m00s, 36m23s (est 42m, wr 35m09s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Yn1dkIjQz_o+2 Review: A pretty obscure Zelda title, and a rare glitchless one. Not a nailbiter but a pretty close race throughout. The mixture of an unfamiliar game, on top of a very familiar formula (it's a "third quest" for the OG Zelda), makes for some interesting watching, and the QOL improvements made to the game helped the audience as well as players. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii - Nintendo EAD 2011) All Dungeons by gymnast86 [WRH] host PippyInATopHat, couch Peppernicus 3h07m43s (est 3h15m, wr 2h54m04s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 6RtVj9rtDG0+1 Review: An extremely technical run - as Skyward Sword tends to be. It's dry and a bit repetitive, but if you like intensely technical runs, this is the one for you. Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (PS2 - Sonic Team 2005) HaraHara Any% (Normal) by Peas [WRH] host frozenflygone, no couch 19m54s (est 30m, wr 9m27s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Qz3aFuMsxgY+2 Review: Pretty RNG-heavy, to the point of losing several battles. Where most puzzle-game runs are confident and precise, this one was frantic and panicky, but that sort of worked for it. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch - Nintendo EAD 2017) [BONUS GAME 5] 150cc DLC 24 Tracks (No Items) [INCENTIVE] by Peas host frozenflygone, couch Helix, Fabby, Lunaaa 56m58s (est 1h05m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube y5XY36xCpuU+0 Review: MK8DX isn't nearly as broken as some past games, definitely not in a marathon setting. So instead it's just a really, really good casual playthrough, knowing all the optimal tricks. The commentary stumbled at times but everyone's played Mario Kart before, things often stand on their own. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (PC - Radical Entertainment 2003) All Story Missions by LiquidWiFi [WRH] host frozenflygone, couch Ticker, Axey 1h25m10s (est 1h26m, wr 1h19m59s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube yaJnhYVGa-M+3 Review: A silly sort of run. There's some tech, mostly in routing and AI manips, competently executed, but it's a run you watch more for the jokes and the couch chemistry. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (XSX - KCE Japan 2004, Kojima Productions 2011) European Extreme, All Camos race ApacheSmash vs Vermillion [WRH][ORH] host ateatree, couch dlimes13, Spartyy 1h15m30s, 1h15m57s (est 1h25m, wr 1h22m01s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube H940AUPZh40+420 Review: Not too many changes of position but still an incredibly close race. This is a pretty hard category (even if a bit niche, and apparently not well recorded on the leaderboards), so the skill is obvious to see. NM: funny song bit before the runner intro starts, add it when you add multisegment offsets to YT links -------------------------------FRIDAY-------------------------------- PowerWash Simulator (PC - FuturLab 2022) 6 Players, All Vehicles, No Soap coop by Amyrlinn, Bullets, Biglaw, Enigma Requiem, AngelicKnight, Acadiel host ateatree, no couch 33m31s (est 45m, no wr?) [WR] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube pdkt_fS-zKY+2 Review: Big co-op runs like this tend to be about efficient division of labor, and that's more or less exactly what we get. There's some "bunch of friends goofing off together" energy but it *is* pretty tight gameplay, feels more at home than some other big multiplayer runs. A lot of the tech is just working around game bugs, though, which isn't the most interesting. PowerWash Simulator (PC - FuturLab 2022) 6 Players, Steam Locomotive [BONUS] coop by Amyrlinn, Bullets, Biglaw, Enigma Requiem, AngelicKnight, Acadiel host ateatree, no couch 6m03s (est 8m, no wr?) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube pdkt_fS-zKY+2184 Review: And a bonus run, just more of the same, really. The changes in equipment mostly balanced each other out, and the limited supplies didn't come into play much with how many players were involved. NM: No coop runs on speedrun.com Celeste (PC - Maddy Makes Games 2018, Thegur90 et al 2021) Into the Jungle - Any% by Comet625 [WRH] host Xenadir, couch frozenflygone 21m17s (est 25m, wr 18m54s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube kgJ90Wdpmaw+1 Review: After so many Celeste runs, it's cool to see something new, that still retains that core Celeste experience. This isn't like a kaizo hack, it seems to be about the same difficulty as the base game, but it adds new mechanics that spice things up, and Comet crushes it the same way Celeste speedrunners always do. Worms Armageddon (PC - Team17 1999) All Missions Any% by RuffledBricks [2RH] host Xenadir, couch Mablak [WRH] 1h11m12s (est 1h20m, wr 1h03m18s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 6NFwlcoLlYw+237 Review: A bit heavy on retries, and a bit repetitive for my tastes, but probably a treat for Worms fans. Kirby Air Ride (Gamecube via Wii - HAL 2003) All Tracks No Duplicate Rides by 1davidj [WRH] host Xenadir, couch Pearstrike 21m02s (est 23m, wr 20m33s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube vlbNxHKqq00+2 Review: A somewhat arbitrary category, but it makes for some interesting gameplay. I think having played the game would have been a boon while watching - the explanations of the different rides were pretty spartan. Jackal (NES - Konami 1988) Any% (2-Player) coop by Toad22484, anthole host Xenadir, no couch 8m50s (est 15m, wr 7m55s loadless) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube kk_bJCiuR-w+1 Review: An excellent run for speedrunner noises, but a letdown if you wanted to actually hear much in the way of strats. Still, at under ten minutes, they wouldn't have been able to explain much anyways. Mickey Mousecapade (NES - Hudson Soft 1987) Any% by BluntBunny [2RH] host Prolix, couch CTConqueror, InfiniteMystery 8m23s (est 11m, wr 7m26s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Tg75Vy7kXbc+22 Review: A quick little speedrun of an old Disney platformer. Pretty chill, surprisingly serious commentary for what kind of game it is, but it does seem to be a decent speed game, only a little bit of annoying RNG. Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers (NES - Capcom 1990) All Zones [INCENTIVE] by Tecate [WRH] host Prolix, no couch 13m25s (est 15m, wr 12m33s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ouZhdFMM2SQ+0 Review: A tight little platformer, lots of frame-perfect jumps and some dboosts, a few even just to save a few frames of recoil. It's short and rather dry, but it's competently executed and well commentated. Marble Blast Ultra (PC - GarageGames 2006) All Levels by thearst3rd [WRH] host Prolix, no couch 33m58s (est 38m, wr 32m15s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Q3-pajD_Tq8+5 Review: It's a pretty simple game, but played well and solidly commentated. Hardly the most exciting thing, especially without nostalgia glasses, but a perfectly fine run. Beautiful Katamari (Xb360 via XSX - Now 2007) Any% by Harutomo [2RH] host Prolix, couch Enzor 27m16s (est 30m, wr 25m44s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube fP_aXCqrdOw+4 Review: A neat sort of run, not too technical but a chill sort of watch. It's a play-game-good run, no glitches or special speed tech, just knowing where all the best places to pick stuff up are, and how big your katamari needs to be to grab them. PS5 Simulator (PC - Alex Grade 2021) Any% by Swordfish4649 host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 6m34s (est 10m, wr 0m58s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ☆☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube _6-0bGnMYvk+3 Review: A short joke physics game, but this run fell flat. Wasting time to do prop comedy doesn't make for a good speedrun, but the runner's limited English skills really ruined the joke delivery. I honestly think I would have enjoyed this more if he'd just spoken Japanese, even *without* someone on the couch to do translation. ElecHead (PC - NamaTakahashi 2021) Alternate End by Uncle Slam [2RH] host Argick, couch crep 16m24s (est 20m, wr 15m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube HOfEMh6S394+3 Review: A very clean run of a 2D indie puzzle-platformer. If you've got a quarter hour to kill, this is a fine way to do it, but it's a bit too simplistic to really shine. Gunstar Heroes (Genesis via Switch - Treasure 1993) Any% Normal Co-op coop by TapatioJ, Bag the Tea [WRHs] host Argick, no couch 42m38s (est 45m, wr 34m33s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube z0Y-kMg8NS0+0 Review: We start off with a massive pile of RNG, during which one player was deliberately dead. Then there's a glitch that results in falling for a minute straight. Then a lengthy autoscroller. The rest of the game would have to shine pretty hard to make it worthwhile. It didn't. Runners kept up some good energy, and gave good commentary, but this game is just such a slog to watch. Hook (SNES - Ukiyotei 1992) Any% by LivelyRaccoon host Argick, no couch 14m51s (est 20m, wr 14m13s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube e4Ec37xzYuA+4 Review: A very straightforward run, it barely even needed commentary. A good early-morning quiet sort of run, very chill, and at just fourteen minutes, it doesn't suffer for its lack of speed tech. Kirby's Adventure (NES via Wii U - HAL 1993) Any% No Stone Glitch by Darksol188 host Argick, couch TheTerrificTracy 41m10s (est 45m, wr 36m59s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube DWOjRovde60+4 Review: Kirby games aren't exactly the most difficult platformers out there. Some of the glitches used to shave seconds off in this run are precise, but there's only so many of those. Most of it's just "fly UFO to end". Some better commentary would have helped keep it engaging - what we got was perfectly adequate, you can follow along just fine, but it wasn't as fun as it could have been. Haiku the Robot (PC - Mister Morris 2022) Any% by Quacksilver [WRH] host Char_bunny, couch CovertMuffin 22m38s (est 25m, wr 21m00s loadless) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 3F7WmfzvDzA+1 Review: A neat little game, with a neat little run. Not too technical, but more than you normally get in a twenty-minute one. And the poetry gimmick was plenty of fun. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PC - Robomodo 2012) All Goals by Biglaw [ORH] host Char_bunny, couch PARTY MAN X 18m24s (est 22m, wr 14m32s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube cw5fQrd0jFk+1 Review: It's pure collectathon, might be fun if you like that, but I just couldn't. No interesting tricks being called out, no strategies, the closest the commentary got to entertaining was when they "argued" about which levels were best. Metroid Prime 1 + 2 (Wii - Retro 2002, 2004; Henrique Gemignani et al 2017) Multiworld Randomizer Co-op coop by UncleReggie, BashPrime host Char_bunny, couch ToasterParty, BajaBlood 2h57m16s, 3h01m11s (est 3h00m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Oz3Jsa-bBxY+27 Review: Scattering items from both games across both worlds, with a logic path that can gate one player by another's progress, is a recipe for absolute chaos. Cult of the Lamb (PC - Massive Monster 2022) Any% Easy, Unrestricted by shovelclaws host iggyzig, couch Dezinator [3RH], Metrick 1h33m18s (est 1h50m, wr 1h12m25s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ty_1Y-kdTC0+4 Review: It's a fairly new game, so the speed tech isn't too polished. And it focuses almost entirely on the dungeon-crawl side, if you were a fan of village-sim gameplay. But it's a good game to joke around about, and while not the most hilarious run of the marathon, it was solidly entertaining. Super Mario Land (GB - Nintendo R&D1 1989) Any% race EiP [WRH] vs Retroverse host iggyzig, couch Oh_DeeR, Yutori 12m30s, 13m16s (est 15m, wr 12m24s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube kNg06AGo_eM+1 Review: A bite-sized race of a somewhat clunky game. Unfortunately there was a bit of a performance disparity, it's not that great a race when one player is behind WR only by the margin of RNG. There also wasn't too much to commentate on, this is a very hold-right-and-jump sort of platformer. Still, not bad. TrackMania Turbo (PC - Nadeo 2016) All Environments (White, Double Driver) 2p1c by Rastats, Gyrule_ [WRHs] host iggyzig, couch Turbo 30m14s (est 37m, wr 24m41s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Nt1uI9Ep1sQ+4 Review: Seeing such a silly category, for one of the most tryhard speedrunning games out there, makes for an interesting experience. For the most part, you can barely tell they're doing double driver - in a few places, they even use it to their advantage, one player idling to make the controls less sensitive. On the easy White tracks, it was sometimes hard to see just how ridiculously well they were playing. But be sure to stick around for the Black tracks showcase, those were kind of nuts. Brave New World (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1990, derv82 2022) 100% by Zapplex [2RH] host iggyzig, couch ThirdWall, Amethyst 24m56s (est 35m, wr 16m11s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube _cfQESkSm_w+2 Review: A kaizo *tutorial* hack, which is an interesting concept in and of itself. It's not the most interesting level design, and speedrunning it is very much just doing things first-try rather than slamming into it for an hour, but it's very easy to follow. Elephants and Snakes and Crocodiles (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1990, Morsel 2019) 100% by YourBoyRudy host Mr. Game and Shout, couch White_Moth, DaWildGrim 38m52s (est 45m, wr 27m07s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 6tV8DRp_qjE+3 Review: An extremely difficult kaizo hack, faced down with upbeat determination. Maybe not the most brutal kaizo, but a difficult one, and in particular one that demands consistency. Final Fantasy XIV (PC - Square Enix 2010, 2013) PoTD Solo MCH F171-180 - 2 Hands on KB/No Mouse by Angelusdemonus host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Frosty 48m53s (est 1h00m, no wr) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 2etZ3kdLME8+2 Review: I may just be too unfamiliar with MMOs to have appreciated this but... it seemed extremely bland. The main strats were just kiting and avoiding enemy triggers. Maybe if there had been more commentary into the details of the build, or if the enemies had more complex mechanics, but it felt like half an hour of "walk backwards while shooting enemy". NM: these ten floors aren't run as a specific speedrun, but 1-10 or 1-50 are too easy, and 1-100 or 1-200 are too slow for a marathon. So no WR is correct. StepMania - Technical (Arcade - Chris Danford 2001, various song authors) [BONUS GAME 6] Showcase by dimo host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Telperion, Toph, Vincent ~1h30m (est 1h00m, no wr - showcase) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube CZ-P3MZKCvA+4 Review: Where past Stepmania showcases have focused on creative mods, this one was pure skill - and dimo delivered. I couldn't even parse the charts as fast as he was dancing them. The first bonus - going in blind with sight-reads - was even more impressive. The second bonus - going up to a chart that has only barely been cleared by humans - was perhaps less so, simply because I have too little knowledge to see what makes it harder than the rest. But it lives up to the tradition of rhythm game showcases, being one of the highlights of the whole marathon. ------------------------------SATURDAY------------------------------- Super Mario All-Stars Shuffler (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1993; authorblues 2021) All Four Games any% No Wrong Warp by Skybilz host Nukkuler, couch authorblues, Aweglib, Phant 1h24m38s (est 1h40m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 7MO-TiCsScQ+2 Review: Speedrunning Mario games is challenging. Speedrunning five Mario games in a row would be harder. Speedrunning five Mario games, that randomly cut between one another, is just abject shenanigans. It's a lot less polished than any other Mario run I've seen, but it's a roaring good time. Katana Zero (PC - Askisoft 2019) Any% tas by Bar0ti host Nukkuler, no couch 13m58s (est 15m, human wr 15m11s igt) Overall ★☆★☆★ Skill ☆★☆★☆ Fun ★☆★☆★ Youtube QkwzxjGnyXU+0 Review: A short and surprisingly simple TAS. Most of it is just dashing through levels with mechanical precision, using some extremely tiny optimizations to gain speed, and the explanations were not well-presented. If you were hoping for classic TASBlock shenanigans, this isn't it, but it's a neat little thing on its own. Freedom Planet 2 (PC - GalaxyTrail 2022) Any% Carol by UraniumAnchor [2RH] host Nukkuler, couch Punchy [DEV], Revolucion, frogmoss10 [3RH] 1h41m19s (est 1h55m, wr 1h28m30s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube RR7GN4nI_Xg+2 Review: A somewhat new game, but more polished than most 2022 speedruns because it's built on an existing speed game. A nice mix of commentary - one tester, to give a few inside insights, plus a lot of speed tech explainers. Leaving the story aside was probably a good call. Freedom Planet 2 (PC - GalaxyTrail 2022) Weapon's Core [BONUS] by UraniumAnchor [2RH] host Nukkuler, couch Punchy [DEV], Revolucion, frogmoss10 6m59s (est 8m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube RR7GN4nI_Xg+6244 Review: A secret level and superboss, much harder but UA sailed through the first and needed only one retry on the latter. It's not part of any category and the IL leaderboard has only one run for a different character, so it's not the most polished, but it's still fun enough. Espgaluda (PS2 - Cave 2003) Showcase - High Score by ColonelFatso host briesbe, couch Dumplechan 28m28s (est 33m, no wr - showcase) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube PaN8OeSfzmA+1 Review: It's been a few years since we saw a Cave shmup showcase. This one was neat but not much else - we've seen more hellish bullet hells, and more precise routing. If you like runs that are mostly self-explanatory, this is a good one, but it doesn't show much depth. Blinx the Time Sweeper (XbC via Xb1 - Arbon 2002) Any% by Lotus_RT [2RH] host briesbe, couch Aun_El, Isnert, Miku [WRH] 1h00m36s (est 1h25m, wr 55m21s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube nz1yjGCxs14+1 Review: It's hard for me to pin down why this run felt dull. I think it just felt too slow, lots of little delays to suck up trash, constant visits to the shop, enemies with lots of i-frames. This might be the fastest you can beat this game, but it didn't feel speedy, and it didn't have enough complexity for commentary to fill all the needed time. Unsighted (PC - Pixel Punk 2021) Any% by Roofon [3RH] host briesbe, no couch 38m55s (est 38m, wr 25m43s rta) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube vdPYKAjkldw+210 Review: A neat game, but wow, a pretty rough performance. Weak commentary and lots of mistakes, including multiple deaths to the final boss. Even when things were going well, it didn't seem like a particularly great speed game. Handshakes (PC - Pet Pumpkin, Damaskino, Trumpetguy 2022) Co-op by Bloupeuh, Senen [ORHs] host musical_daredevil, couch Damaskino [DEV], Trumpetguy [DEV] 5m40s (est 8m, wr 5m25s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube SDc4nnbrC18+1 Review: A morsel-sized speedrun of a game-jam coop puzzler. Nobody really had time to say anything of import, just enjoy them blasting through the game faster than you can even follow. [[[MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] Mega Man 64 (N64 - Capcom Studio 2 1997) Any% race BlueMetal [WRH] vs Aerlien [2RH] host musical_daredevil, couch Bo Steed, SecondPlace92 48m38s, 48m42s (est 54m, wr 50m22s rta) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube _2f_OlfyJqY+29 Review: Generally regarded as the worst version of Mega Man Legends, due to bad controls and a tendency to crash. Yet they speedran this version anyways, and whattya know, it crashed and one of the runners had to load a safety save. It's somewhat entertaining to hear all the bad features of the game, but this isn't Awful Block. NM: generally titled as Mega Man Legends on wikis/leaderboards Megaman: Rock N Roll (PC - Dennis Engelhard 2019) Any% by Amad [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch LVCreed, Krimmydoodle 42m23s (est 50m, wr 41m56s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube H_WqjbnsNl0+2 Review: A really clean run of a Megaman fangame in the vein of the classic series. The quality-of-life features make it a much smoother watch as well as a smoother play, and the modern engine makes this just nonstop high-octane gameplay. Amad's run was particularly clean - it would have been a world record just two days before. A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX (PC - Extend 2010) Ares Any% NG+ [BIDWAR] by KiwamiZX [WRH] host musical_daredevil, no couch 26m10s (est 30m, wr 25m43s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube fla8ov0wfik+2 Review: A pretty ordinary run-and-gun sort of game, played with competence, with no flashy or interesting speed tech. It feels like filler. Is it bad filler? No. But if you hadn't heard of this game before, you probably have little reason to watch. Mighty Gunvolt Burst (PC - Inti Creates 2017) Any% (Normal, Call) by KiwamiZX [2RH] host Shado_Temple, couch Tempest Steve 35m49s (est 45m, wr 34m55s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube uW-lVQs8I2w+2 Review: Another interesting not-quite-mega-man-but-still-totally-mega-man game, this one more about just really solid execution. The commentary was much elevated over the previous run, by having an actual couch, talking mainly about all the references to other games that would have flown right over my head. [[[/MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Genesis - Disney Interactive 1996) Any% (Genesis, Practice) by SBDWolf [WRH] host Shado_Temple, couch Grondious [2RH] 14m34s (est 18m, wr 13m25s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube fY6nSbGEndE+1 Review: It's a decent run of a licensed 16-bit platformer. No huge glitches, just damage boosts and some unintended platforming, executed cleanly but not amazingly. Nostalgia for the game is probably a prerequisite for this run. The Lion King (SNES - Westwood 1994) Any% Easy by SBDWolf [WRH] host frozenflygone, couch Bronkel 13m17s (est 18m, wr 11m55s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 6HnlIOu0HL0+55 Review: Another licensed platformer, this one a bit more well-known. There's a bit more challenge to it, but it still feels like filler. Good filler, but filler nonetheless. WRs SBDWolf Akiteru_archived Kannadan LOVE 3 (PC - Fred Wood 2021) Any% race Char_bunny [WRH] vs Paulister vs Heponwana host frozenflygone, couch Zet 11m35s, 12m30s, 13m34s (est 20m, wr 11m13s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube BTVnI6hGa1Q+1 Review: A tight race of a tight little platformer. A bit obscure but surprisingly easy to follow, and at this short a run, it's worth checking out. LOVE 3 (PC - Fred Wood 2021) Custom Level Blind Race race Char_bunny [WRH] vs Paulister vs Heponwana host frozenflygone, couch Zet 2m58s, 3m54s, 3m55s (est MMm, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube BTVnI6hGa1Q+960 Review: A bonus from the previous run, sending the runners into a set of stages created specifically for this event, never seen by them before. Naturally less polished, but fun to watch them stumble through things, and even help each other out. The Pedestrian (PC - Skookum Arts 2020) Any% by Paulister host frozenflygone, no couch 12m31s (est 18m, wr 11m12s) [PB] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ic5j9AZpUq8+0 Review: A brief chill-vibes run, before we head into the final stretch. Neither super technical nor super polished, but smooth and upbeat. Metroid Dread (Switch - MercurySteam 2021) All Bosses Glitchless race Ednolium [2RH] vs Manijure host Konception, couch Hobbit, Satorha [WRH] 1h32m15s, 1h33m47s (est 1h35m, wr 1h18m27s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube mP_2YfEJPp8+1 Review: Easily the most fluid movement in the Metroid series, and even glitchless still permits a lot of sequence breaks and little tricks. Not the most high-octane race, but considering how much I struggled with this game, seeing it crushed like this couldn't help but impress. Terraria (PC - Re-Logic 2011) Moon Lord No Major Abuses by Haboo [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, no couch 1h41m21s (est 1h50m, wr 1h18m37s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube JOUhFgznma4+1 Review: Another dry sort of run, but it did a good job of explaining all the gameplay for us non-Terraria players. Half-Life: Alyx (PC - Valve 2020) Inbounds by Buffet Time [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, couch KeeganExtremeGaming 47m38s (est 50m, wr 37m57s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube uFJSgdzLJYE+4 Review: The novelty of being a VR speedrun is all this really had going for it. The execution wasn't polished enough to really impress, and the commentary was stilted. Perfectly adequate, but nothing remarkable. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PC - From 2014, 2015) Old Souls by Nyk_Style [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, no couch 1h12m18s (est 1h20m, wr 1h06m44s rta) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube taoMANrAGwQ+1 Review: What fool decided to leave this runner to do his own commentary? The gameplay was fine but he clearly struggled to explain what he was doing, or otherwise say anything that might engage interest. With no couch, this turned into an hour of Melo reading donations and urging people to meet the next incentive. This either needed a good commentator to run support, or to be an early-hours filler run. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1991) [BONUS GAME 7] 100% by Glan [2RH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch ChexHuman, Tojso 1h12m43 (est 1h15m, wr 1h07m18s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube JXFjglr-Ya4+2 Review: When a LTTP category doesn't include "no major glitches", you can safely assume you're in for some major glitches. Basically none of this game is beaten as intended. This makes for an interesting run, though a rather serious one. Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Switch - Game Freak 2022) All Lords by halqery [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch Corvimae, ThomasPatrickWX, Keizaron 3h20m30s (est 2h45m, wr 2h35m33s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 0Rg8RIgwhO4+1 Review: Not what I expected from a Pokemon speedrun. There were very few Pokemon battles, and even fewer that needed to be won. Instead, it was more like a collectathon - catch X of this species, hit Y of this species with rocks or food, see Z of this species use this move - with a few boss battles won by dodgerolling through attacks and pelting them with food. There was some skill needed for on-the-fly routing, to adapt to the RNG, but even that barely got talked about. Instead, this was an early-onset late-night-madness run, two and a half hours of bad puns, running gags, and runners playfully shitting on each other. Which yes, can be quite enjoyable, and was a big part of past Pokemon runs, but here it never quite reached the heights it once had. The Arceus battle showcase afterward had some interesting gameplay, but the glitch exhibition was actually a big letdown, nothing too flash and tedious to pull off. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES - Nintendo EAD 1990) Any% Warpless by mitchflowerpower [WRH] host Skybilz, couch TheHaxor 52m54s (est 55m, wr 50m10s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube LZ-MIe0xT0o+0 Review: One of the best Mario speedrunners of all time, playing what seems to be his favorite category of his favorite game. A solid way to end the event, even if I did struggle to keep my eyes open at this point. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES - Nintendo EAD 1990) Any% by mitchflowerpower [WRH] host Skybilz, couch TheHaxor 3m45s (est 4m, wr 3m01s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube LZ-MIe0xT0o+3435 Review: And one final bonus run, the extremely short wrong-warp-to-the-credits category. This is more of a party trick - the skill is in knowing how to do such an unusual setup, and in precisely lining things up, but it's not one of Mitch's main categories, and he plays it that way.