====================AWESOME GAMES DONE QUICK 2024==================== =========Raising $2,515,881 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation======== =========================January 14-20, 2024========================== -------------------------------SUNDAY-------------------------------- TUNIC (PC - Andrew Shouldice 2022) Any% Unrestricted by Radicoon [3RH] host AttyJoe, couch Kevin Regamey [DEV], silentdestroyer, 🦊 21m39s (est 30m, wr 17m25s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube KvN_XNPFToA Review: A great start to the marathon. The gameplay isn't too demanding (by speedrun standards) but Rad executes it perfectly, while keeping up some of the most charming commentary I've heard. The only reason not to watch this run, is if you still haven't beaten the game yourself. Super Monkey Ball (Gamecube via Wii - Amusement Vision 2001) Master by Helix host AttyJoe, couch limy, PeasSMB 19m12s (est 24m, wr 14m56s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube YjmXK1A0F_U Review: Clearing Expert is hard. Clearing Expert Plus is hard. Doing both of those without using a continue, just to unlock the Master levels? I was on the edge of my seat for basically the entire run. Donkey Kong Country (SNES - Rare 1994) 101% Reverse Boss Order [INCENTIVE] by Tonkotsu host AttyJoe, couch Glan, V0oid 53m27s (est 50m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube An8oLP1M47U Review: A very technical, glitch-heavy run, but between the autoscroller bosses and the dry delivery, it just didn't do that much for me. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (PC - Purple Lamp 2023) Any% by PunchSh0t [2RH] host PippyInATopHat, couch CheeseJayy, Jaxler, Kaons [REM] 45m31s (est 50m, wr 39m15s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube HFSDgi0KmA4 Review: A successor to BFBB and its remake, this has much better movement than you'd expect from a licensed platformer. Still pretty busted though - lots of level skips, some using very simple tricks. Tails Adventure (Game Gear - Aspect 1995) Any% Glitchless by Mindez [3RH] host PippyInATopHat, couch Hibnotix, AmberCyprian [REM] 40m48s (est 46m, wr 36m51s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 76Jj3zdQgU4 Review: One of the weirder entries in the Sonic series - a metroidvania, on Sega's ill-fated handheld? For a "glitchless" run, there sure are a lot of exploits, but the game controls terribly so that's probably for the best. Very fun commentary, pointing out all the early-installment weirdness and general WTFery, and explaining the typically-overwrought story. Donkey Kong 64 (N64 via Wii U VC - Rare 1999) No Levels Early by Connor75 [2RH] host TheKingsPride, couch 2dos, Brandino59, Zorulda 2h04m08s (est 2h15m, wr 1h59m34s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube gCBeMeQcHYw Review: A game with so many ways to clip through walls, that they truly do seem like mere suggestions. Yet the game itself is so bloated with content that, if you require players to collect enough of just a single item that the game tries to require, it turns into a two-hour slog. Fun for DK fans and collectathon afficionados, but a bit long for the rest of us. F-Zero (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1990) Grand Prix by Zachary Ewing host TheKingsPride, couch Tedbear 41m31 (est 50m, wr 40m20s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube jYMXnw2cHa8 Review: A much more chill run than I was expecting. Not much tech, just clean execution of a simple route while adapting to the random bumper cars. Very laid-back vibes that worked weirdly well for this game. Ultimate Doom (PC - id 1993) UV-Speed (Episodes 1-4) by ZELLLOOO [WRH] host Prolix, couch KingDime [2RH], peaches 23m21s (est 30m, wr 20m38s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube n3gHzGKcZh4 Review: Another very easy run to watch, 80% of it is just movement and blasting demons. But there's just enough extra stuff to keep things interesting. Great couch work, too. JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future (XbC - Smilebit 2002) Any% by yomsa [WRH] host Prolix, couch 7thace, twinkachu 1h36m33s (est 1h40m, wr 1h34m15s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube Q0hnmbPTbIk Review: More the fault of the game than anything the runner or commentators did wrong - it's just too long, without enough novelty to keep an outsider interested. A delight for Jet Set fans, I'm sure, but by the halfway mark, I was starting to zone out. Batman: Arkham City (PC - Rocksteady 2011) Any% by ShikenNuggets host musical_daredevil, couch oneeyeddeacon 1h00m54s (est 1h05m, wr 53m39s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube C6_zYOqGv3g Review: A very busted sort of run - lots of out-of-bounds, animation cancels, even just glitchy movement, whenever it's faster than intended. Very sarcastic humor, too. -------------------------------MONDAY-------------------------------- Clock Tower (SNES - Human Entertainment 1995) Ending S [BIDWAR] by Ecdycis [2RH] host musical_daredevil, no couch 19m17s (est 22m, wr 12m08s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube f-hHk2rMMlc Review: A historical curiosity of a game, gets a slow and RNG-heavy speedrun. Ecdycis puts forth a valiant effort to keep us from getting bored - you *will* learn a lot - but nothing can make up for the game not being a good speed game. Clock Tower (SNES - Human Entertainment 1995) Ending D [BONUS] by Ecdycis host musical_daredevil, no couch 2m36s (est 3m, wr 1m50s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube f-hHk2rMMlc+1286 Review: A short, glitchy category, taking longer to explain before starting than the actual run took. TimeShift (PC - Saber 2007) Casual - Single Segment by Shockwve host MTGJoeD, couch amyrlinn, churchnsarge [REM] 1h06m23s (est 1h15m, wr 46m21s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 2Ukq-wsn3fk Review: A sloppy run, but an enjoyable run nontheless. Shockwve forgot to quicksave so often that it became a running joke, and he just ran with it all the way to the finish line. And the speed tech's interesting, too, if studded with autoscrollers. The Typing of the Dead (PC - WOW 2000) Arcade% by peaches [WRH] host MTGJoeD, couch GoatedQuest, Elysara 28m56s (est 30m, wr 28m08s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube i2UOCwcSsBY Review: Other than some optimization on dialogue, the main skill here is just "type fast". And that's the main skill of the game, so it's barely different from a casual run. But wow! Dude can type fast. Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu (SNES - Konami 1993) Any% by Teleo1 [WRH] host Peace Egg, couch Janglestorm, KLM 40m44s (est 43m, wr 37m29s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 40NOGtiiVV4 Review: A pretty simple run, just playing through an action-platformer. No speed tech to speak of - and with this many autoscrollers, it's not like it would help much. Some good couch energy, leaning into the zany feel of the game, helps save it from tedium, but it's nothing special. Hime's Quest (GBC via GBP - Poppy Works 2022) Any% by skateman222 [WRH] host Peace Egg, couch Janglestorm, Zic3 18m34s (est 26m, wr 18m51s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube X952yZs9ms8 Review: A Game Boy Color game? In the 2020s? Sure, it's pretty short even casually, but it's just exploitable enough to be interesting, while having some of the polish you'd expect from a contemporary game. A bite-sized treat of a run. Marble Madness II (Arcade - Atari 1990, 2022) Any% race yelsraek [2RH] vs Elipsis [WRH] host Peace Egg, couch FlannelKat 8m31s, 9m42s (est 11m, wr 8m05s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube dJfDYZzr-v8 Review: A game with a fascinating history, pure execution, and a tighter race than those times might make you think. And it's just the right size - ending before wearing out our interest. LONG LIVE THE AXE (PC - owch 2018) 100% by Ukobarrywewa [WRH][ORH] host Peace Egg, couch Synthy 21m32s (est 28m, wr 21m23s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube MY7yT0t3xvM Review: (not yet reviewed) A Bug's Life (PS1 - Traveller's Tales 1998) Any% by Zic3 [3RH] host Critique Quartz, couch NallyQ, Skateman222 21m24s (est 22m, wr 19m56s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube VQM20GuTN4c Review: Playing the game more-or-less as intended can be interesting, when that gameplay is varied and polished. This kind of just... isn't. It's a game too rote to be an interesting speedrun, but too competently-made to be a broken speedrun. It's just there. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition (Gamecube - Edge of Reality 2004) Any% by Blupee [2RH] host Critique Quartz, couch Avasam, GaryJGames, JaymanW [3RH][REM] 24m36s (est 25m, wr 23m09s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube T5N6OXQtW-M Review: Not every overlooked game is a hidden gem. This isn't a bad run by any means, it has some major sequence breaks, lots of skips, generally pretty busted. It's just not that interesting, especially with how often the screen is unwatchably dark (unclear if tech issues, or just how the game is). Perfectly fine filler, but nothing special. Worms Reloaded (PC - Team17 2010) Campaign (No Level Skips) by Mablak [WRH] host Critique Quartz, couch RuffledBricks [REM] 41m54s (est 52m, wr 39m52s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube YsXt0xJUbLM Review: A run heavy on memorizing precise setups to clear each level in as few turns as possible. Arguably glitchless, though one of the AI manips was clearly unintended. A bit long for what it is, but pretty engaging regardless. Cassette Beasts (PC - Bytten 2023) Any% Seeded by Corvimae host Quacksilver, couch AChocolateOrange, EpicYoshiMaster, frozenflygone 39m28s (est 45m, wr 33m35s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube AgyRq2mT6Fw Review: An indie Pokemon-like, the run is still pretty primitive and the execution is not yet well-polished. But they had such a great crew on the couch that it's a fun watch, anyways. And the seeded RNG makes it a much more skill-focused run, even if it's not at its full potential yet. LEGO Bionicle (GBA - Saffire 2001) Any% by Derek_MK [WRH] host Xenadir, couch amyrlinn, isBullets 14m18s (est 20m, wr 11m49s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube Yx0WPAdjxgI Review: A pretty short speedrun, interesting mostly for just how easily the game can be broken. No time for deep tech or story primers, just skip two levels at a time. Manifold Garden (PC - William Chyr 2019) Reverse Tree Order by Ozmourn [WRH] host Xenadir, couch bobbyburm, hatkirby, RUBIEHART 28m11s (est 35m, wr 26m17s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube KGJvrC0Nax4 Review: (not yet reviewed) NM: Assumed wall clip allowed inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood (PS3 - Sucker Punch 2011) Any% by Mickspad [3RH] host Xenadir, couch EmeraldAly, Ylando 26m07s (est 30m, wr 23m38s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube sigMZkgIVF4 Review: Nothing too spectacular, but a competent execution of some fluid movement and combat clears is still fun to see. [[[MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] 30XX (PC - Batterystaple Games 2023) Escape+ by ateatree [3RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch mrcab55, Chris King aka ck [REM][DEV] 31m24s (est 35m, wr 18m01s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube lWfwsvKklH0 Review: A neat roguelike in the style of Mega Man X. Great explanations kept everything comprehensible, despite the typical roguelike complexity of interactions, and the pace never dipped below exhilirating. Mega Man 3 (NES - Capcom 1990) Any% Buster Only [INCENTIVE] by KLM1187 [3RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch ChoobsX, ITSaMe_Alex, mrcab55 50m10s (est 50m, wr 42m35s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 17UshcKcx9o Review: Buster-only, with an asterisk because the game simply was not built to let you do that. It adds a nice bit of challenge, and cuts out most of the tedious weapon-switching of early Mega Man games, but it's still a very dry, serious sort of speedrun. Mega Man 8 (PS1 via PS2 - Capcom 1996) Any% by MrCab55 host cartridgeblowers, couch ateatree, KLM, ppotdot1 54m53s (est 55m, wr 50m27s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube ursXEDFejlE Review: Somewhat different from earlier Mega Man runs, cutting down a lot of tedium, but still familiar. [[[/MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Gamecube - Retro 2004) 100% by MrMiguel [WRH] host Threach, couch BashPrime, CScottyW [2RH], Cosmonawt [REM] 2h13m36s (est 2h25m, wr 2h04m28s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 3xCgvRms2iU Review: A marathon run that beats second place on the leaderboards is always impressive. This is a game packed with out-of-bounds and sequence breaks, but 100% negates most of the shenanigans that normally leads to. Instead it turns into a sprawling Traveling Salesman problem, and two hours of near-flawless movement. Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition (PC - Square Enix Division 2 2016, 2018) Any% by Kyoslilmonster [2RH] host iggyzig, couch alphena, DECosmic, Froob 1h00m56s (est 1h05m, wr 53m44s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube HHg3thLrM-o Review: One of those runs that's incredibly broken, but in a very opaque way. Some of the clips are easy enough to follow, but the stuff with menu states seems to be a mystery even to runners. The bonus run afterward is skippable for anyone but die-hard FFXV players - just a slog of waiting for the openings and guzzling revives. Whiplash (XbC - Crystal Dynamics 2003) Any% by Jaxler [WRH] host iggyzig, couch CorundumCore, Helix 24m08s (est 30m, wr 19m05s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube tPB7HdSQYMs Review: A forgotten game from the 128-bit era, this is a mascot platformer in peak early-00s edge style. A nonstop barrage of tricks and narrative WTFery - Jaxler keeps up the same cracked-up weasel energy as the game itself. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (PC - Sonic Team USA 2001) All A-Ranks, Dark Story [BIDWAR] by Deku_sr [WRH] host Char_bunny, couch auraace, Drumbasher [2RH], drywall 35m05s (est 40m, wr 33m43s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 4rsLplVT0rU Review: Another case of "the category makes us play more of the game, while still using all kinds of tech". This was a *very* clean run of a well-optimized game, with some great couch work. Only Up! (PC - SCKR 2023) Any% All Skips by Mitchriz host Nichole Goodnight, couch maxylobes 16m36s (est 20m, wr 12m29s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube G-R_4Kst4gU Review: A bit simple of a speedrun - a mix of don't-mess-up, know-the-shortcuts, and a few physics tricks - but very approachable, and a fun atmosphere. Silent Hill 2 (PC - Team Silent 2001) [BONUS GAME 1] Hard/Hard by Ecdycis [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch CarcinogenSDA, KatLink, NallyQ 55m26s (est 1h00m, wr 43m23s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 6mGK5vTNuA8 Review: An RNG manip and a way to essentially disable triggers bypasses a lot of the game, but what's left is a surprisingly strong speed game. Ecdycis makes it look easy, this was a very clean run, but it also had much less downtime than most Silent Hills, or horror games in general. Pikmin 4 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2023) Rescue Olimar by Kap [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Piepusher11, AshEevee, 360Chrism 1h18m10s (est 1h20m, wr 1h15m17s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube 6u9rjs70waw Review: The game is less than a year old. How is it already this optimized?! Kap is a master of dandori, not just in the game but also in the commentary - always explaining something, in a charming and often funny way. StarCraft: Brood War (PC - Blizzard 1998) Any% Zerg Campaign by 7thAce [WRH] host MTGJoeD, couch Ectar [3RH], GiantGrantGames [REM] 1h31m59s (est 1h40m, wr 1h24m29s rta) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube aG6udyjUydk Review: (not yet reviewed) -------------------------------TUESDAY------------------------------- Bayonetta (PC - Platinum 2009, 2017) New Game Normal by Reclaimer [WRH] host MTGJoeD, couch Kap 1h35m12s (est 1h39m, wr 1h30m43s rta) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube zXpsEOYCOsQ Review: (not yet reviewed) Dead Space (PC - Motive 2023) Any% Unrestricted (Story) by sharkhat87 [2RH] host AshSaidHi, couch Meta, NervyDestroyer [3RH], Patrick Quinn [DEV] 1h55m14s (est 2h00m, wr 1h39m11s lrt) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube NO9INocrinU Review: A newer game, so the speedrun isn't exceptionally well-polished, and the low difficulty makes it less tense than most horror game runs. But there was some great commentary and a lot of little tech, spread across the run. Easy to follow but still impressive. And having a QA dev on the couch is always welcome - particularly one this into speedrunning! Contrast (PC - Compulsion 2013) Any% by NallyQ host musical_daredevil, couch Ecdycis 15m19s (est 18m, wr 11m38s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube r5pb9JYmfpg Review: The game isn't that long casually, but getting it down to this size, involves skipping almost everything. They spend more time out of bounds than in it, and that unfortunately makes things hard to watch. There's a decent chunk where even the player isn't rendered, you're just looking at a skybox for a few minutes. And with a run this short, commentary has to focus on barebones narration, no space for interesting tidbits or fun tangents. It's perfectly watchable, just not the most entertaining run. Backyard Skateboarding (PC - Humongous 2004) Any% GOTY by peterafro [3RH] host musical_daredevil, no couch 13m48s (est 15m, wr 11m28s rta) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube QSDcqPoYutQ Review: Nobody cared. That's all I can say about this run, nobody seemed to care. The runner gave stumbling and confusing commentary. The couch didn't show up. The category was listed wrong on the site. Even after tech issues forced a pause, they couldn't be bothered to move the mouse cursor off-screen. It's a play-game-good run that isn't even played well. We've seen better runs as emergency improv. Orbo's Odyssey (PC - Feverdream 2023) All Gears by BystanderTim host musical_daredevil, no couch 10m04s (est 14m, wr 8m13s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube ZuC-6F6lPJ8 Review: (not yet reviewed) Super Cable Boy (PC - SΓΈrb 2020) Any% by Doublevil [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch Sybert 32m16s (est 34m, wr 27m58s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube CFrErWh7pWA Review: It started off slow, but as more abilities get unlocked, the speed tech expands drastically. A pretty good run, but don't expect much from commentary - it's functional but it's pretty low-energy. Bad Dudes (NES - Data East 1988, 1989) Any% by burst_error [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch Apesmeister, Bassguy4, Gunstarheroes 15m17s (est 16m, wr 14m33s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube bIxqpdlSz68 Review: Just a clean bmup run. Short, simple, and to the point. Arkanoid (NES - Taito 1986) Any% by chessjerk [2RH] host Jaypeg, couch yelsraek 31m11s (est 30m, wr 12m17s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube zb6ik3hk1xE Review: I'd always assumed this was just a simple Breakout clone. And in a way it is, but it's also much more fluid and much, much, *much* harder. And then Chessjerk demolishes it - doing an RNG manip on the first level, just to show how the WR does the run, before going into pure play-game-good. Gimmick! (NES - Sunsoft 1992) Best Ending (Zipless) [INCENTIVE] by Ryan Ford [WRH] host Jaypeg, couch Bean, Teleo 12m29s (est 14m, wr 9m48s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube QogXkRU-XJY Review: A platformer with some neat movement tech, but maybe not as deep as it first appears. Or maybe it's just impossible to get into, in a run this short. Panic Restaurant (NES - EIM 1992) Any% (US) by janglestorm host Jaypeg, couch JSR_, Skateman222 15m29s (est 17m, wr 13m26s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube LWzexDr_uWQ Review: (not yet reviewed) Tempo (32X - Sega 1995) Any% by Hibnotix [3RH] host Jaypeg, couch Lizstar 20m26s (est 30m, wr 19m59s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube NnMKg2x3zRA Review: (not yet reviewed) Tape to Tape (PC - Excellent Rectangle 2023) Easy Campaign by cavecavecave host TrainerAnade, couch Hastan 19m45s (est 30m, wr 16m57s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube nc3mjdfx37Q Review: (not yet reviewed) The Legend of Zelda (NES - Nintendo EAD 1986) 100% [INCENTIVE] by Cantaloupeme host TrainerAnade, couch Adirondackrick, Iceblue, RCDrone 38m26s (est 40m, wr 33m28s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube oyj1MCAQGqA Review: 100% sands down some of the absurd difficulty of this game's speedruns, but it's still not as easy as Cantaloupe makes it look. Here Comes Niko! (PC - Frog Vibes 2021) Any% by NaomiiPlays [3RH][REM] host Lanaruse, couch ChristianRoyle [REM], like everyone at Frog Vibes [DEV] 25m46s (est 30m, wr 19m50s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube ELPq22BYwWs Review: A very cozy little platformer. No spectacular gameplay, but dangerous levels of cuteness. Dinobreak (PC - Dead Drop Studios 2023) Any% NG+ by Gnydsmelt [WRH][REM] host Lanaruse, no couch 19m54s (est 20m, wr 19m41s igt) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube jTkvVCmLFm0 Review: I'm just not sure who this run is supposed to be for. The combat is completely trivialized by the NG+ weapons. The movement is incredibly simple, no depth. If it was supposed to be the comedy, it fell completely flat. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PC - Auroch 2023) Restricted, Chapter 1 by Kaos_Wulf [3RH][REM] host Lanaruse, couch Grant [DEV][REM] 22m37s (est 25m, wr 19m36s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube DE4IFXDSNq4 Review: A neat little run of the 40K boomer-shooter. Dev commentary was fun, run looked clean, nothing special but there doesn't always have to be. Gyromite (NES - Nintendo 1985) Game B - Dog Assistance by JSR_, Peanut Butter (🐢) [WRHs][ORHs][REM] host Lanaruse, couch Threach 26m19s (est 30m, wr 25m29s) [NV] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube wwP5N44Lcd8 Review: They say the robots are taking all of our jobs, but here's a puppo stealing ROB's job. Who's a good boy? Peanut Butter is! Mario Kart Wii (Wii - Nintendo EAD 2008) 32 Tracks, Skips by LoganUS [WRH][REM] host Argick, couch 12_Kelvin [REM], dksc4life [REM], zeldacuber1 [REM] 1h10m06s (est 1h14m, wr 1h09m02s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… Youtube NSnOrrpaYog Review: When the couch ran out of tricks and skips to explain, they just went absolutely insane. I was alternately picking my jaw up off the floor, or rolling around on it with laughter. Starfield (PC - Bethesda 2023) Any% by Harcacola [WRH][REM] host Argick, couch metasr [REM], tomatoanus as tomatoangus [3RH][REM] 41m21s (est 45m, wr 35m40s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube nqwsHMLtPoQ Review: The run is still pretty new, so it's not a surprise that it's not yet completely busted. But it's a Bethesda game, so it's not a surprise that it's still pretty broken. NM: Assumed NG Standard Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2 - Naughty Dog 2001) 100% by theflu124 host ThomasPatrickWX, couch WedSR, Raosal, Sir_Jazzberry 1h43m58s (est 1h39m, wr 1h31m04s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube y-g7Fk2IFbU Review: Nearly two hours of clean, efficient movement (minus one error). Not too precise or technical, but still far beyond what a casual run could do. Deathsmiles (PC - Cave 2007, 2010) Mega Black Label 1.1 Sakura All Stages Level 3 by Raelcun host ThomasPatrickWX, couch Char_Bunny 49m10s (est 55m, no wr - high score showcase) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube QzLhP1SeDZA Review: Another in the long tradition of GDQ bullet-hell shmup high-score showcases. This one seemed less technical than past ones, but harder just to make it through? Hard for me to judge, I'm terrible at this genre, so it's always neat to take a peek into another realm of gaming. Octopath Traveler II (PC - Square Enix Division 1 + Acquire 2018) Galdera (120fps, glitchless) by Sanjan [3RH] host frozenflygone, couch Corvimae, Sunnymuffin 1h22m29s (est 1h30m, wr 1h06m04s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube OnWCx_j_tD0 Review: A snappier JRPG speedrun than many we've seen in the past, even Octopath I. Grinding is brief and cutscenes are skipped, but there's still a ton of work needed to get to the game's superboss. And then beat him blindfolded. Hades (PC - Supergiant 2020) 3 Weapons (Modded) race arcalena [3RH] vs trash_lapras host Quacksilver, couch nnevic, cgull 45m16s, 45m27s (est 50m, wr 38m43s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube djMbPyOqj4Y Review: An absurdly tight race. The mod takes away *most* of the RNG, but there's still just enough to keep things spicy. Hades (PC - Supergiant 2020) 2p1c Any Heat Achilles Spear [BONUS] 2p1c by arcalena, trash_lapras host Quacksilver, couch nnevic, cgull 15m28s (est 16m, 1p1c wr 14m50s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube R2sb1PifXkM Review: How? How can you be this good at the game? How can you be this in sync with each other? I talk to *myself* more while gaming than they needed to, and they made it look absolutely easy. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PC - Artplay 2019) Zangetsu All Bosses (Hard, NMG) [INCENTIVE] by Bobbeigh [2RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Dr4gonblitz, AshSaidHi 30m24s (est 35m, no Hard wr listed?) [WR] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 5hUGmn-qrYM Review: This category is basically a boss rush, and Bobbeigh just *melts* through the bosses. No fancy tech, no intricate setups, he is just Good At Video Game, and it's amazing to watch. ------------------------------WEDNESDAY------------------------------ Granny (PC - DVloper 2017, 2019, 2021) The Nanthology by Maxylobes host Nichole Goodnight, couch Bird650, Starwin 56m59s (est 1h00m, no wr?) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube aOooxIH9mHc Review: Low budget horror games, now in trilogy form! Gameplay leaned more towards casual than speedrunning, but holy crap, this was hilarious, I don't even mind. Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC - Capcom 2019) Claire 1st Hardcore No Damage Attempt [BIDWAR] by CarcinogenSDA host AshSaidHi, couch Ecdysis, KatLink, MattDaRoc 1h27m57s (est 1h30m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube Rbh5K9sJC-w Review: An extremely dangerous run to do - this was one slip away from catastrophe, almost constantly. It's always neat to see slightly different shows of skill at GDQ, and this "smoothrun" was way too good for such an early-morning slot. Great couch, amazing energy Diablo (PC - Blizzard 1993) Lvl 1% Sorcerer by Funkmastermp [2RH] host AshSaidHi, couch amyrlinn, Shockwve 37m37s (est 32m, wr 20m47s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube J9ulF6CxWRQ Review: A run unfortunately heavy on RNG, savescumming, and some repetitive duping grinds. Take all that away and I'm not even sure what was left, besides a marginally-interesting ability combo. It just doesn't have any of the things I'd expect to enjoy in a Diablo run - no crazy builds, no high APM, no clever map reads. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Gamecube via Wii - Intelligent Systems 2004) Any% by Yoshi_Zilla host Kungfufruitcup, couch GhostKumo, Glan, SwayNC [3RH] 2h36m11s (est 2h30m, wr 2h16m18s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube bm63MeaZDcQ Review: I'm not sure how to describe this run. The route is absolutely pingponging around the story with no regard for linear progression - but the tricks to do so aren't super technical, the way stuff like Zelda BiT magic is. It's an RPG but it doesn't have tightly-routed combat or extensive memorization. In the end, all I have to go in is: I enjoyed this run. Can't explain why, but it's a good run. Thief: Gold (PC - Looking Glass 1998, 1999) Any% Normal NewDark [BIDWAR] by Psych0sis host Threach, no couch 41m55s (est 38m, wr 30m09s rta) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube uaWgDMyqkog Review: (not yet reviewed) Ducktales: Remastered (PC - Wayforward 2013) Any% Easy by Roach788 host Threach, couch DukeFireBird 35m16s (est 37m, wr 35m03s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube 3QL4BDYBvPY Review: (not yet reviewed) Disney Gargoyles Remastered (PC - Disney 1995, Empty Clip 2023) Enhanced - Easy Any% by Cypherin host Threach, couch anarchy, AshSaidHi, Brutal_Melo 16m37s (est 17m, no wr?) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube WLdyfq87FKs Review: A very straightforward run - the commentary was dominated by discussion of the cartoon, or arguing about pizza. I liked the positive vibes, I just didn't find the speedrun at all interesting. NM: cannot find WR - not on SRC, not on Google Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade via PC - Konami 1989) Any% 1CC by LRock617 [3RH] host TrainerAnade, couch Cypherin, Rotorstorm331, TempestMask1000 18m58s (est 20m, wr 13m48s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube H_1MXWEnUnY Review: (not yet reviewed) NM: assumed Medium difficulty, also assumed successful 1CC Goof Troop (SNES - Capcom 1993) Co-op (JP 3) [INCENTIVE] coop by Bbforky, swordsmankirby [WRHs] host TrainerAnade, no couch 19m57s (est 23m, wr 18m57s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube fHs3WFMULRw Review: It's a game composed almost entirely of sliding-block puzzles and boss fights. Extremely well-polished, for a game this obscure and a category this niche - I think the runners got their WR in the GDQ practice room. Bluey: The Videogame (PC - Artax 2023) Any% by Phillie host TrainerAnade, couch DelilahIsDidi, SpikeVegeta 36m09s (est 38m, wr 35m12s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube wTRYBaqsi-0 Review: Absolutely a meme run - the game is more of an autoscroller than Pepsiman. But it's a glorious meme. Hooray! Super Mario Bros. 2 USA (NES - Nintendo R&D4 1988) Any% by TheHaxor host TrainerAnade, couch GTAce, Kosmic, Stewie_Cartman 10m45s (est 12m, wr 8m11s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube Gh9L_GieXls Review: The most overlooked of the mainline Mario games, it's not nearly as polished as SMB1 or SMB3 speedruns, but still a fun little bite of platforming excellence. The Secret of Monkey Island (PC - LucasArts 1990) [BIDWAR] Any% by thewoofs [2RH] host TrainerAnade, couch frozenspade [REM] 29m30s (est 35m, wr 25m42s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 1hGCo2nLkFM Review: Point-and-click speedruns are pretty weird. They don't touch a lot of the things speedruns are traditionally judged by. This is worth a watch if you like Monkey Island, or if you want something unusual to shake things up a bit. Satisfactory (PC - Coffee Stain 2019) 2Package% by Epiphane [WRH] host ThomasPatrickWX, couch Aaron, Maxxorz, Xenadir 21m23s (est 14m, wr 12m41s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube GbslNVzse28 Review: You'll be disappointed if you wanted to see efficient factories and exponential resource growth, but if you want to see the game absolutely crushed by abusing glitches, you'll enjoy this one. Metroid Dread (Switch - MercurySteam 2021) 100% NMG race JustNZane [3RH] vs CScottyW host ThomasPatrickWX, couch Hobbit, lolFortify 1h49m43s, 1h49m46s (est 1h55m, wr 1h43m26s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube ZbCrMjItdwE Review: A very fluid, clean run, coming down to a photo finish. Light on glitches and sequence breaking - even an intended break goes unused - and the commentary is dry and technical, but if that's what you like, you're in for a treat. Pokemon Crystal (GBC - Game Freak 2000; erudnick-cohen et al 2020) Full Item Randomizer coop by Shenanagans, 360Chrism host frozenflygone, no couch 2h01m14s (est 1h50m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube FVuKzn_yhxc Review: The items are random. The pokemon are random. The moves are random. The runners are lunatics. The full randomizer means that battle strats take a distant second place to remembering every single place an item can be found in the game, but the banter has rarely been surpassed. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA via Switch - AlphaDream 2003, 2017) Any% by Tonkotsu host frozenflygone, couch Mr_Shasta, AltaBiscuit, Murmilio [REM] 1h20m42s (est 1h30m, wr 1h11m32s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube RiDEPp6bdSs Review: (not yet reviewed) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 via Wii VC - Nintendo EAD 1998) MST by SpitleSan [3RH] host ateatree, couch thunder_oot 2h01m23s (est 2h15m, wr 1h42m20s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube -g1cOkZVwXQ Review: Half an hour of collecting items, then a ninety-minute chain of boss rush and wrong warps. Some familiarity with the game's speedrun will help - other runs have explained it better - but c'mon, who doesn't know OoT by now? Super Mario 64 (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1996) [BONUS GAME 2] 16 Star Drum% by CZR host ateatree, couch Thormungandr, 360Chrism 23m06s (est 24m, wr 14m35s normal controller) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube 93KJcGlBxmE Review: There have been stranger controllers used to beat games. There have been more difficult challenge runs done at GDQ. But still! He beat SM64 with a drumkit! The absolute madlad! Super Metroid (SNES - Nintendo R&D1 1994) any% tas by Sniq host iggyzig, tasbot by dwangoAC, couch DarkXoa, Stump 35m58s31ms (est 35m, human wr 40m36s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜… Skill β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜… Youtube jkwGTu1TNzE Review: A more human-like TAS, in that it actually plays the game and beats it, rather than using a chain of exploits to rewrite the software. Still far from how a human would play it, but it's at least still playing the same category. DOOM (PC - id 2016) 100% Nightmare by Raitro_ [3RH] host j0kerr, couch Hugo Martin [DEV][REM], Meta, BloodShot9001 2h27m57s (est 2h30m, wr 2h10m21s) [NV] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube BFQm7nTbPrY Review: A nice blend of the glitches and OoB of Any%, and the combat prowess of glitchless. Hitting every weapon and rune mastery adds a lot of multitasking to the run, and in the rare downtime, we got some interesting dev commentary. Two hours might be a lot, but if you like Doom, it's worth it. ------------------------------THURSDAY------------------------------- [[[AWFUL BLOCK]]] Beetlejuice (NES - Rare 1991) Any% by Gargon100 [3RH] host Shado_Temple, couch Bassguy4, Burst_Error, N30V3N0M 13m38s (est 13m, wr 10m55s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube mG9aAagx-_c Review: Confusing gameplay, stilted explanations, and a complete lack of humor. Not the best start to Awful Block. Sneak King (XbC - Blitz Games 2006) 50% by Konception [2RH] host Shado_Temple, couch Amyrlinn, Limga SBB, PrincessAshfire 23m50s (est 23m, wr 17m58s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube RnCZKVVnqYk Review: It's an old meme, sir, but it checks out. No speed tech beyond a good route, and lots of mistakes simply from paying more attention to couch antics than the run. But the couch antics are far more fun, so all is forgiven. Ninja Gaiden (Game Gear - Japan System House 1991) Any% by infinitemystery host Shado_Temple, couch grumpmeister [REM] 9m50s (est 12m, wr 7m51s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube QkY_lhTFzH0 Review: Maybe if the commentator hadn't disappeared for a third of the run, we'd have gotten a better explanation for why this game is Awful. As it is, it just seems like an unfair, punishing, and somewhat clunky game - in other words, a faithful Ninja Gaiden experience. The Last Ninja (NES - System 3 1990) Beat The Game by janglestorm [2RH] host Shado_Temple, couch JSR_, yelsraek, IceBlue 8m44s (est 11m, wr 8m21s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube DCrti0BRnxc Review: Too clunky to be slick, too slow to be exciting, and too confusing to be interesting. Most of it's on the game, but the couch just meming on everything, with no context, fell flat for me. Brilliant Bob (PC - Zonitron 2015) Any% by GaryJGames [WRH] host Shado_Temple, couch amyrlinn, grimwav 13m23s (est 20m, wr 13m20s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube YTNy1LxK6_Y Review: (not yet reviewed) Fort Boyard: The Challenge (DOS - Microids 1995) Full Show by tbcr host Shado_Temple, couch Neetsel, Spocklan116 34m22s (est 30m, wr 15m07s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 2aAxNNl-fS8 Review: Just a very weird run. Most of it was spent just explaining the game show it was based on, to us Boyard-less Americans. The run itself is a minigame collection, but none of them seemed to be executed well. I was never clear whether things were being failed because it's faster, because it's part of the category rules, or just because the runner was messing up. Skull Island: Rise of Kong (PC - IguanaBee 2023) Any% by SweedOla host Peace Egg, couch Ecdycis, j0kerr [3RH], shmumbler [2RH] 12m24s (est 15m, wr 11m06s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube WBO5ZpY13Dk Review: The infamously "bad" game of 2023 (though in reality, just given far too little budget and dev time), turns out to be an okay speedrun? It's almost all "get out of bounds and go straight to the end", but quarter-hour run, that's about all you need. Tintin In Tibet (SNES - Infogrames 1995) Any% Hard [INCENTIVE] by Neetsel [WRH] host Peace Egg, couch FlannelKat, NPC 24m51s (est 30m, wr 22m28s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube aZt5T8k4Ov0 Review: There is a risk, when playing an awful game too well, that you fail to show just how bad the game is. That bit this run - Neetsel made it look like a pretty normal, mediocre 16-bit platformer, the kind that makes for typical late-night GDQ filler. And it was fine even by those standards, just not what you'd expect from Awful Block. Zadette (PC - Le Club des Sacs 2021) Better Gamer% by Neetsel [WRH] host Peace Egg, couch FlannelKat, NPC, Tenmicu [2RH][REM] 14m25s (est 18m, wr 10m14s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube sSaQFYzqjDI Review: A sort of deliberately-bad game, it's got some funny ludic jokes but they wear thin after just fifteen minutes. Fun, but hardly the best Awful Block run. Or even the best Zadette run at a GDQ. Still enough to get a few laughs. Virtual Hydlide (Saturn - T&E Soft 1995) Any% Set Seed by Mechalink [2RH] host Peace Egg, couch NPC 27m11s (est 45m, wr 30m48s) [WR] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube tpW1OVdBNGI Review: What happens when you put way too much work into perfecting a speedrun of a game this terrible? It becomes a much more entertaining speedrun, it turns out. Skipping as much Virtual Hydlide as possible is certainly the way to play it, and finding a seed to cut out as much overworld trudging as possible only makes it better. And frame-perfect tricks become much easier at 4fps. [[[/AWFUL BLOCK]]] Pseudoregalia (PC - rittzler 2023) Any% by Jaxler host TheKingsPride, couch CorundumCore 17m24s (est 20m, wr 11m39s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube TFPWb8rDnVs Review: (not yet reviewed) NM: assumed current patch Skator Gator 3D (PC - Weathered Sweater 2023) Any% race, Ozmourn [2RH] vs allison8bit [WRH] host TheKingsPride, couch Quacksilver, shovelclaws 11m07s, 11m42s (est 15m, wr 8m54s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube Uq_Ui33n8dA Review: As a race, it mostly comes down to a few big tricks, scattered through the run. But there's enough of them that there was never much downtime, and no single one skipped enough for the race to be a foregone conclusion. Plus - game is heckin cute. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (PC - Yacht Club 2014, 2019) Plague of Shadows 100% [BIDWAR] by MooMooAkai [2RH] host TheKingsPride, couch Troyofathyns 1h16m16s (est 1h10m, wr 1h09m22s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube LwoxukAFuSE Review: (not yet reviewed) COCOON (PC - Geometric Interactive 2023) Any% by Sunnymuffin [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Asheevee [3RH], bobbyburm, Troyofathyns 1h28m35s (est 1h35m, wr 1h27m31s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube Pht0KUQsMAw Review: It's like if someone took a metroidvania, and replaced all the combat with increasingly mind-blowing puzzles. The speed tech is limited, a very play-game-good sort of run, but it's worth it just to see how crazy the late-game puzzles get. My only regret is that I'm now spoiled on a few of the big gameplay twists, now that I want to play it. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA - Flagship 2004) 3 Player Co-op Any% coop by Kobazco, Mr_Shasta, swordsmankirby host Quacksilver, no couch 22m12s (est 25m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube Glz--_qPFIk Review: Delightfully chaotic. It's basically three simultaneous and separate speedruns, which is impossible to track but a blast to watch. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES - Konami 1989) Any% Famicom / Sypha by JSR_ host Quacksilver, couch Bedwablackburn, Cantaloupeme, Iceblue 36m48s (est 40m, wr 27m47s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube GlYG1dk8hQI Review: A pretty typical early Castlevania run - dangerous strats to gain small slivers of time, with mistakes being brutally punished. Celeste Strawberry Jam Collab (PC - Maddy Makes Games 2018; Team Strawberry Jam 2023) Beginner Lobby by talia [WRH] host Quacksilver, couch frozenflygone [DEV], Kevin Regamey [DEV][KINDA], Sevadra 49m13s (est 1h00m, wr 45m27s igt) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube lSsvaT-OTdY Review: A massive fan levels pack, with this set going more for interesting mechanics than kaizo-like precision demands. Having both a dev of the original game, and a level creator, both reacting to the speedrun for the first time, added to the flavor. And c'mon, it's Celeste, it was always going to be a good time. Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube - Nintendo EAD 2002) 120 Shines by sblectric [WRH] host PippyInATopHat, couch HexSpeedruns, Rox 2h55m28s (est 3h05m, wr 2h52m24s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 9LvMEKqc7xw Review: Three hours of 3D platforming perfection, with a couch that just never runs out of hype. Might be too much for series outsiders, but if you want to see SMS annihilated, this is exactly that. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (DS - Game Freak 2006) [BONUS GAME 1] Any% by Etchy host Nichole Goodnight, couch Corvimae, eddaket, Shenanagans 1h01m45s (est 1h15m, wr 56m51s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube k6hyAGlvMJA Review: Sort of a weird mix of other Pokemon speedruns. The bulk of it is typical of glitchless - phenomenal recall of every stat and battle, plus maintaining an overworld RNG manipulation for way longer than should be possible. But then it abruptly smacks into a glitch-straight-to-the-end run. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but if that sounds fun to you, go right ahead. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PC - From 2023) NG+ Any% True Ending by Raine_BT [2RH] host G1 Michigameandshout, couch pmcTrilogy, Cardinal [REM], Edgecase, RebelKnight3000 1h33m19s (est 1h50m, wr 1h38m26s) [NV] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube U51lSID4VuM Review: On many measures, this wasn't a great speedrun. Technical issues invalidated it right off the bat. The strats are almost always "run on old patch and use busted weapons" or "pile bunker while they stand still for cutscene". It has neither the difficulty nor the depth of a Dark Souls run (in case you expected this to be a soulslike). But if you spent an entire day slogging it out with the autonomous PCA craft, BALTEUS, seeing its pulse armor broken and massive damage inflicted to one-cycle it is still pretty satisfying. And bringing in actual scientists to talk about the plausibility of it, use it as a springboard for current advances, is fascinating. NM: catch the science couch's real names on replay Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2019) Glitch Showcase by CarlSagan42 host Brutal_Melo, couch jneen, Marble 36m48s (est 30m, no wr - showcase) Overall β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜… Fun β˜†β˜…β˜†β˜…β˜† Youtube G8v5bAj0WXI Review: Not even a pretense of a speedrun here, and better for it. This is purely showing off all the stupid, busted things you can do in SMM2. And seeing CarlSagan42 get absolutely trolled on stage. Equal parts informative and hilarious, I'd recommend this even if you don't play Mario Maker. Halo: Combat Evolved (PC - Bungie 2001; Gearbox 2003; 343 Industries 2014, 2019) Coop Legendary coop by Helpless, NervyDestroyer host Brutal_Melo, couch Bryonato, Chronos 1h06m26s (est 1h20m, wr 1h04m05s) [NV] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube ioMsOsBRKhs Review: Even on legendary, these players are so good that they make the combat trivial. I think they only ever died to each other (in banter-filled coop shenanigans), or themselves (as part of speed strats). There's a good mix of out-of-bounds broken-ness and more as-intended speedrunning. And of course, moments after mentioning they were on WR pace, one of the computers died. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (PC - Team Reptile 2023) Any% by Storied [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch bryonato, Helix, shovelclaws 56m59s (est 1h10m, wr 48m31s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube Y4wY2xPj2dI Review: (not yet reviewed) -------------------------------FRIDAY-------------------------------- The Last of Us: Remastered (PS4 via PS5 - Naughty Dog 2013, 2014) Any% by Yoranto [WRH] host Critique Quartz, no couch 2h27m01s (est 2h35m, wr 2h20m39s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube tvmzh38ZD24 Review: Where to even start? May as well begin with the run itself. There's some tech here, a few major skips via out-of-bounds, and a lot of minor checkpoint abuse or enemy despawning, but it's just not enough to keep a run this long, engaging, and there's just so many cutscenes, so much waiting around, especially early in the game. Delving into the plot and lore might have filled that space, with how story-heavy a game this is, but Yoranto seemed to spend more time talking about the TV show than about the actual game he was playing. When he was talking at all - he had planned on having a couch, but events precluded that, and he was left with just the host to try to get any sort of conversation going. Sprawl (PC - MAETH 2023) Any% by bloodthunder [2RH] host Shado_Temple, couch REVEL [DEV] 23m24s (est 35m, wr 21m38s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube bh5TgV86B0k Review: A parkour-heavy shooter with some very abusable movement tech. Kind of short, and the commentary meandered a lot, but there's some interesting stuff here. The skill ceiling seems very high, this could go far as a speed game. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (PC - Ubisoft Montreal 2005) Any% by Distro [WRH] host Shado_Temple, couch NoSleepCoffee 44m48s (est 50m, wr 42m19s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube k-iwkdACJuw Review: There's a lot of clever planning here, pressing up against the limitations of the AI to run through everything. But man, this was just some of the lowest-energy commentary since GDQ went back to in-person events. I found myself paying more attention to the dialogue than the runner or couch. Their explanations worked, it was just delivered in such a droning way. Viewfinder (PC - Sad Owl Studios 2023) 100% [INCENTIVE] by Zoochable [WRH] host Shado_Temple, couch bobbyburm [3RH], bryonato, Ozmourn 34m08s (est 40m, wr 29m28s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube UfUqxdkNZ5E Review: Much like a glitchless Portal speedrun, in that it's puzzles being solved at lightning speed and frequently in unintended ways, but the only real glitches are a few tram ride skips. A bit hard to keep up with, but I don't think that was ever the point. Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4 - Japan Studio 2012, Bluepoint 2015) Any% by Raine_BT host j0kerr, couch Singing Muffin [REM] 1h40m05s (est 1h40m, wr 1h23m15s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube yU5l6FyRXaQ Review: Too simple and basic a speedrun, to justify this much of a time sink to anyone but an existing Gravity Rush fan. The few glitches in use are either getting items early with menu shenanigans, or clipping out of bounds to fall for five minutes instead of play the game for six. Plot and character explanations could maybe have salvaged it, but neither runner nor couch managed more than a barebones summary. I'm sure if you're familiar, seeing the combat executed this well will amaze and wow you, but it didn't do much for the outsider. Spark the Electric Jester 3 (PC - Feperd Games 2022) Any% by shovelclaws [2RH] host j0kerr, couch Jedi_Ad [REM], Themimik 1h09m57s (est 1h15m, wr 58m49s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube 2AbMvLevS44 Review: I always like when GDQ shows off speed games that don't quite have enough runners to reach their full potential. This game could easily get there - it's a Sonic Adventure clone, but with *fantastic* looking movement, and much more speed tech. It was amazing to see just how fast shovelclaws could go - but sadly, it also stumbled, making many mistakes that seemed amateurish. Even with those inconsistencies, this was an enjoyable watch, but I'm more excited by what could happen from the post-GDQ influx of new runners. Spark the Electric Jester 3 (PC - Feperd Games 2022) All Levels [BONUS] by shovelclaws host j0kerr, couch Jedi_Ad [REM], Themimik 9m21s (est 10m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube GgPndfx43Vw Review: Just a quick addon, showing the levels that weren't played in Any%, making use of some old-patch glitches. Skippable if the main run was the first you'd heard of the game, there's nothing exciting going on here. Undertale (PC - Toby Fox 2015) True Pacifist, Glitchless race Shayy [WRH] vs mrlink2k [2RH] host ateatree, no couch 1h48m43s, 1h49m37s (est 1h50m, wr 1h46m35s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube y_eyqO68coA Review: (not yet reviewed) Luminescent (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1990; TheBourgyman 2021) Pride% [INCENTIVE] by GlitchCat7 [3RH] host CovertMuffin, couch BK, JankPickle, TheBourgyman [DEV] 41m36s (est 50m, wr 41m43s) [WR] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube Wci3ZUfr_ps Review: Not the hardest Kaizo Mario World hack we've seen at GDQ, but one of the more innovative, and just about flawless in execution. Dark Souls (PC - From 2011) Any% No Wrong Warp by Regole [WRH] host CovertMuffin, couch Ashewyn, QueueKyoo [2RH] 44m51s (est 55m, wr 37m43s igt) [NV] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 3G2cdYFCsTg Review: Categories like this are usually about actually playing the game, while still using glitches. But this didn't really scratch that itch? Most of the bosses are just melted, enemies are avoided, and movement is rarely complicated. Borderlands 2 (PC - Gearbox 2012) Any% (2 Player) coop by UnjustAction, Deceptix_ [WRHs] host CovertMuffin, couch utsu, zzrules21 1h21m08s (est 1h25m, wr 1h17m37s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube STtWyKERKS4 Review: This run takes a while to hit its stride, and is never all that flashy or demanding of a speed game, but once they found their groove, it was a hella fun watch. Probably more of a treat for fans than to outsiders, but perfectly watchable with no prior experience. Risk of Rain Returns (PC - Hopoo 2023) Any% by scaz host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Altairis, Furon 18m22s (est 20m, wr 8m32s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube Q27Z1g28zyM Review: Far too little time to properly explain a roguelike like this, even with a softlock and an entire second run happening. And it's zoomed out enough to not be visually apparent what's going on. Those who've sunk a hundred hours into Risk of Rain will probably be amazed, but it's not a great run for outsiders. Aragami (PC - Lince Works 2016) NG No OoB by Amyrlinn host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Shockwve, LadyCyndaquil, MonkeyMan 25m40s (est 29m, no wr?) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube oc_skQVei9o Review: A pretty straightforward run of a "Dishonored without cutscenes" ninja game, but wow, this couch are *electric*. They could have made filing taxes fun to watch. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2023) Any% by JankPickle host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Dangers, GlitchCat7, Kosmic 1h25m55s (est 1h45m, wr 1h22m59s) [PB] Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube o3IBKAjvf7U Review: Such a new game, so clearly far from its potential, but it's interesting how quickly it's been broken like this. And four decades of cumulative 2D Mario experience has laid a strong foundation, making a much more polished run than other games this recent. Resident Evil 4 (PC - Capcom 2023) NG Professional Any% by spicee host iggyzig, couch CaptainEzekiel, KatLink, MsGraciana 1h58m07s (est 2h00m, wr 1h41m58s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube EppAs2dGa9c Review: A run that's always riding on the edge of disaster, but never quite tips over it. RE4 enemies, OG or remake, are more aggressive than in prior games, so the walk-briskly-past strat isn't nearly as safe. *Mostly* played as-intended, other than that - glitches exist but not often, nor skipping too much content. Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways (PC - Capcom 2023) [BONUS GAME 3] NG Professional by CaptainEzekiel host iggyzig, couch KatLink, Nyiddle, spicee [3RH] 54m24s (est 1h00m, wr 41m57s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube 88NcJDpINcM Review: It's more RE4 Remake. But it doesn't do anything the main-game run didn't do, and has even less time for the route to be polished. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64 via Wii VC - Nintendo EAD 2000) 100% NMG Relay relay by Marco8641 [WRH], morpheus080, popesquidward [2RH], dopezzera host Brutal_Melo, cartridgeblowers, no couch 4h52m13s (est 4h55m, solo wr 4h30m49s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube NXuwBQzBnBI Review: There's a lot to like about this run. There's a ton of different, interesting tricks. There's plain old good execution. There's robust commentary and fun banter. There's also, unfortunately, a ton of autoscrollers, unskippable cutscenes, and repetition, because this run is five hours long. It is easily one of the better five-hour-long runs, but it is still a five-hour-long run. If you're up for five hours of N64 Zelda, you'll be quite happy, but I suspect most of us will have our fill before half the runners have gotten to touch a controller. ------------------------------SATURDAY------------------------------- Steelrising (PC - Spiders 2022) Any% Unrestricted by NicowithaC [WRH] host AttyJoe, couch CaptainEzekiel, DemonicRobots, TobiThrows 37m13s (est 50m, wr 31m46s igt) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube eBHMjffxxdI Review: (not yet reviewed) Mega Serval (PC - Syaxamaphone 2022) Any% by Mikan [2RH] host AttyJoe, no couch 25m44s (est 28m, wr 22m40s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube CtHN4fuUsyY Review: (not yet reviewed) Astalon: Tears of the Earth (PC - LABS Works 2021) Black Knight mode by Flagalstan [3RH] host AttyJoe, couch altabiscuit 15m58s (est 20m, wr 13m58s rta) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube Zl0TfBqNEUU Review: (not yet reviewed) Star Fox 64 (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1997) 2K% by adamX0315 [2RH] host AttyJoe, couch Argick, CMM1215, Smoopasm 32m33s (est 40m, no 30m58s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube KcIVUiYrqzI Review: An interesting mashup of speedrun and high-score run, requiring 2000 points while clearing the game. Commentary probably assumed more familiarity with the game than most of us have, but still entertaining. Magical Tetris Challenge (N64 - Capcom 1998) Magical Tetris (Expert) [INCENTIVE] by FFR Pro 21 [WRH] host AttyJoe, couch Piepusher11 28m38s (est 18m, wr 9m29s) Overall β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube poRR7pEgxBo Review: Lot of deaths for a speedrun! The runner pointed the finger at bad RNG - and certainly, the game seems to have a lot of RNG - but I saw a lot of misplays, too. Either way, failing stages this many times, makes for neither an impressive nor an entertaining speedrun. Go! Go! Hamster Chef! (PC - Matt Henry 2023) Inbounds by Char_bunny host Jaypeg, couch critiquequartz, enbyzee, lizzyberry 14m05s (est 18m, no wr?) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube Kw8OFRyBUt4 Review: It's an extremely simple speedrun - a casual second-playthrough might have come in under estimate. But having the couch act out every cutscene pulled this run together - yes, it's just a cutesy animal story-game, definitely not anything more than that, but they make it worth watching. Ghostwire: Toyko (PC - Tango 2022) Any% Standard by nyiddle [WRH] host CovertMuffin, couch DemonicRobots 1h09m20s (est 1h15m, wr 1h06m45s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube _U7Tpxw9ueA Review: A straightforward play-game-good run. I suspect the route and tech are far from optimized yet, but the level of execution polish is impressive for such a recent and overlooked game. Sonic Origins Plus (PC - Sonic Team 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2022, 2023) Anniversary Mode Relay relay by itsflyingfox, JoeyBaby69, Sonikkustar, SuperSonic host Jaypeg, couch Argick, Hibnotix 2h26m46s (est 2h30m, no wr) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube PKBcVhE_OqI Review: Do you like classic Sonic? Then this is the run for you. Four or maybe five Genesis-era Sonic platformers, in a row, by a collection of top runners. Plus some new characters and tech, from the new remake. Might be a bit more Sonic than outsiders are looking for, but a treat for series fans. Fire Emblem Awakening (N3DS - Intelligent Systems 2012) Normal Mode by Kirbymastah [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Aleck47, Quo [3RH] 50m52s (est 50m, wr 32m44s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube E65hbSwlHzA Review: (not yet reviewed) NM: assumed Normal/Classic NG Mario Kart 64 (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1996) All Cups (Skips) by kazn [2RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Brody64, Weatherton 28m20s (est 27m, wr 22m58s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube rOUJJp1XE9M Review: A tough game to run live, since so many of the skips are so inconsistent. Kaz wasn't 100% on them but got the backups and at least went for everything that anyone goes for in All Cups runs, and he had a great crew doing commentary for him. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels (FDS - Nintendo R&D4 1986) All Levels [INCENTIVE] race Kosmic [WRH] vs GTAce [2RH] host Xenadir, couch Supersonic_, TheHaxor 38m37s, 39m12s (est 25m, wr 36m43s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube Qacb1HkFUgk Review: The proto-kaizo game gets speedrun, and it did not let them beat it easily. Lots of scrambling to recover powerups, but that kept the race close. Elden Ring (PC - From 2022) [BIDWAR] Any% Unrestricted by Mitchriz [3RH] host Xenadir, couch Blanxz, SpikeVegeta 18m30s (est 20m, wr 3m56s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube Yuh7Eg38IuU Review: The skills tested by a speedrun are often quite different from those tested by a normal playthrough, but this takes it to an extreme. It's just clipping. Some obscure sequence of frame-perfect inputs that will zip you out of bounds, which if done correctly can despawn bosses and beat the game. There's some intellectual joy in seeing a game beaten this quickly, but done this way, it's surprisingly boring. Lies of P (PC - Neowiz Games 2023) Any% by blanxz [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Mitchriz [3RH], NicowithaC 55m33s (est 1h00m, wr 41m56s lrt) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube BzpA-5rXtBI Review: A longer soulslike run, but IMO the better one. A wider array of tricks to do shorter skips, and some actual combat (and requisite building of character). And for such a new game, with no existing series to build off, it was impressively polished. Trepang2 (PC - Trepang Studios 2023) Any% Unrestricted by bloodthunder [2RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch CovertMuffin, Maxylobes 52m45s (est 55m, wr 43m02s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube boJzlMCbPdM Review: A neat little FEAR-like. Playing on Easy trivializes the combat but there's still a good mix of in-bounds and out-of-bounds movement, with a very fluid system. Lost Judgment (PC - Ryu Ga Gotoku 2021) Kaito Files Any% by Froob [3RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch DECosmic, Tapioca 54m06s (est 1h00m, wr 48m39s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube 5lFDrfoo8uE Review: The smoothest commentary of all time returns, this time with a game that *isn't* four hours long. I don't know why he even has a couch - Froob probably knows these games better than some of the people who worked on them, and keeps up a buttery stream of plot synopses and gameplay explanations that is second to none. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2023) Any% (pre v1.2.1) by gymnast86 host Kungfufruitcup, couch PippyInATopHat, TheKingsPride 49m04s (est 1h00m, wr 41m39s) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Youtube sDnk-g8r-38 Review: Like its predecessor, this game's Any% is "clear the tutorial then charge directly at final boss", each taking up about half the run. But now, through the power of downpatching, there's all kinds of item duplication glitches and some out-of-bounds movement - in enough different ways to require gymnat86's trademark tech primers. Baldur's Gate 3 (PC - Larian 2023) [BONUS GAME 4] All Acts by maeeeeee host Kungfufruitcup, couch Chronos, delph, tomatoangus 33m21s (est 35m, wr 23m24s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜† Youtube seXnImnUrvo+0 Review: In most games, speed strats are somewhat unconventional. So in a game that deliberately supports many unconventional solutions, the speed strats get really, really weird. It's great. Spoiler warnings, though. Baldur's Gate 3 (PC - Larian 2023) [BONUS GAME 4] Any% [BONUS] by maeeeeee [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch Chronos, delph, tomatoangus 7m12s (est 8m, wr 4m32s rta) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube seXnImnUrvo+2942 Review: Mostly a retread of the main run, using a premade protagonist with a special early ending. Nothing special but if you wanted more, after the main run and showcase, this will do it. Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster (PC - Square 1992, Square Enix 2021) Any% Cutscene Remover by Zic3 host Prolix, couch FoxyJira, WoadyB 3h00m37s (est 2h35m, wr 3h00m55s no remover) Overall β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Skill β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜† Fun β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜† Youtube amyuJjTe5gk Review: The good parts: fast menuing, no long cutscenes, no long grinds, and some interesting JRPG mechanics to abuse. The bad parts: some brutal RNG, and no good explanation of a near-runkiller that cost a massive amount of time. Mistakes happen, but even after rewatching a bit, I'm not sure what even happened, just that it lead to many repeats of a simple random encounter, trying to survive it. Explaining those disruptions from the plan is far more interesting than tossing over to donations while trying to quietly get things back on track. Still not a bad run, if you like JRPGs, but a disappointing one.