====================SUMMER GAMES DONE QUICK 2020===================== ===========Raising $2,345,785 for Doctors Without Borders============ =========================August 16-23, 2020========================== -------------------------------SUNDAY-------------------------------- Demon's Souls (PS3 - From 2009) Any% by BertoPlease host Squint, couch ashewyn 51m42s (est 1h00m, wr 44m49s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube oJxdFgQQWEM+260 Review: A solid start to the marathon (even though I'm watching this in November, lol). Not very glitchy, but a good variety of tech, well-explained. And I hope other runs start copying the lore commentator idea, it could really help certain games. Streets of Rage 4 (PC - dotemu 2020) Arcade Mania - Blaze by Mike Uyama [2RH] host PuzzlePea, couch sprint, Jordi [DEV] 53m19s (est 1h04m, wr 48m49s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube yL6MuC_M1TA+39 Review: Bmups tend to be light on glitches, heavy on execution and routing, and this was no exception. It's a bit too new to have the meticulous polish most bmup runs have - in fact, Mike came fairly close to a game over at one point. He makes up for it with good commentary, including a nice dev on the couch. The combo exhibition afterward is probably interesting for SOR4 players but didn't seem too interesting to me. Rayman Legends (PC - Ubisoft Montpelier 2013) Any% by DepressingChild [2RH] host PuzzlePea, couch Nils147, Cane, DJTHED, SpikeVegeta 1h30m24s (est 1h32m, wr 1h21m11s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube -kB00bVC0TM+14 Review: Fucking COVID, I swear. This run was seriously hurt by technical issues - namely, the runner is on satellite internet, so the game stream would occasionally freeze, then fast-forward through an entire level as it reconnected. This always happened during technical sections the couch had been trying to hype up, never during the autoscrollers. The saving grace was that the couch was watching the run on the same stream - combined with the runner not speaking past the intro, this gave a sort of reaction-video vibe, like we were watching the (quite excellent) couch watching the speedrun. Ico (PS2 - Team Ico 2001) Any% PS2 PAL by Beuchi [WRH] host SamWithoutAPlan, couch SanchoPanda 1h12m00s (est 1h12m, rta wr 55m37s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube W-xMQpb9y8k+6 Review: I think there is a reason the speed community for this game is so small. Substantial differences between versions, constant Yorda RNG, tricks that are punishing to fail and can fail for seemingly no reason. This run spends maybe 10% of its runtime attempting a single trick, over and over. It's just not that interesting to watch. Shovel Knight: King of Cards (PC - Yacht Club 2014) Any% by davidtki [WRH] host SamWithoutAPlan, couch MooMooAkai, Munchakoopas [DEV] 31m30s (est 40m, wr 31m23s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube LdtyXBJLCLE+10 Review: This was a really good run, bare seconds off WR. Commentary was really good except for two things that absolutely wrecked it for me - audio lag meant they were constantly talking over each other or reacting to things that happened half a minute ago, or the runner's kids were making noise and I couldn't make out what the runner or couch were saying. IDK how they were even audible, a headset mike shouldn't pick up much ambient noise, but the audio mix had them blowing out everything else. And fine, kids are cute and all, but fuck did it always happen at the worst possible points. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x (XbC via Xb360 - Neversoft 2001) All Goals and Golds (All Career) by ThePackle [2RH] host SamWithoutAPlan, couch Shockwve, Biglaw 32m19s (est 35m, rta wr 25m05s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube E5ZfilJlxBE Review: Honestly, kind of a sloppy run all around. Lots of mistakes, on things that seemed fairly easy. Commentary was meandering and uninformative, mostly a running gag about the bad remakes. The host seemed to be barely paying attention. Even the crew was sloppy, missing the start timer by several seconds, and messing up some game info. If you're a THPS fan, you'll probably like this anyway, but it's not easy to like. DUSK (PC - David Szymanski 2018) Any% OoB by B.G.B. [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch SomeNerdyNoob, David Szymanski [DEV], Dave Oshry [DEV] 18m18s (est 20m, igt wr 15m30s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube wfDlsmua8kU+15 Review: This is going to be a polarizing run. On the one hand, BGB absolutely wrecked this game, blazing through everything in mere minutes with seemingly no trouble at all. And David Szymanski seemed to be doing enjoyable dev commentary, a bit heavy on the exaggerated "how are you breaking my game?" act, but occasionally he broke character and actually said something interesting. But fuck Dave Oshry. He just would not shut up, even when he had nothing worth saying. He seemed to think this was some kind of COVID-19-specific event, and kept trying to promote the game instead of the run. Same shit he pulled at AGDQ2020 with Amid Evil, except even more obnoxious. I don't think SomeNerdyNoob even got a word in the entire run. Absolutely none of the tech got explained. I'd have enjoyed this run more on mute. NM: Metal Gear Solid run happens here? Secret of Mana (SNES - Square 1993) Any% 1p1c by Crow! [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Yagamoth 2h49m52s (est 2h51m, wr 2h29m32s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Fnsoc4ZuyYs+17 Review: I struggled to get through this one, honestly. Long RPG runs rely on charisma and chemistry to stay interesting, and this just didn't have that. It had the right elements, they just never clicked. -------------------------------MONDAY-------------------------------- Millennium Racer (PC - Cryo 1999) Amateur Championship by Fireman [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 39m53s (est 45m, wr 39m34s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube ck74KxvrhKU+34 Review: Ouch. This was rough. Runner did okay at explaining stuff, but was a bit lacking in charisma. The game isn't that competitive, and the speedrun is pretty loose - he pulled off some cool skips, but also messed up some simple gameplay. But the tech issues really killed it - long sections of audio cutting out, followed by minutes of the host talking over the runner, seemingly unknowingly. It just didn't work well. Amnesia: The Dark Descent (PC - Frictional 2010) Any% (Quit-Outs Allowed) by bloodthunder host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 30m22s (est 35m, wr rta 27m31s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube PpSDohowjcQ+4 Review: The perfect horror game speedrun for me - skipping all of the horror. Heavy use of out-of-bounds and a save loading glitch, so it bears almost no resemblance to casual gameplay. BloodThunder did pretty good on self-commentary, but the run itself had a couple hitches. Silhouette Mirage (Saturn - Treasure 1997) Any% JP by kariohki [2RH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch shentok 43m04s (est 52m, wr 39m58s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 71uFiIQmHeU Review: A strange and interesting game, but perhaps not the best speed game. The route mostly seemed to be "grind for cash early, buy an OP weapon that wrecks all bosses". Other than that, it's mostly just "play the game good", and with no reference for baseline difficulty, it didn't seem all that impressive. Decent late-night filler, but still filler. Keio Flying Squadron 2 (Saturn - Victor 1996) Beat the Game by Mee host AnEternalEnigma, couch BeyondThisLife7 35m04s (est 40m, wr 35m20s) Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube 0j4jCMqTBUU Review: This was a hard run to watch. It just completely failed to be interesting. Even now I can barely remember what happened in this. The story is anime nonsense *that the runners don't know*, the gameplay seems very straightforward, the route has no interesting tech or glitches, and nobody involved had any charisma. This is bad even for late-night filler. NM: Apparently WR changed after I prepared this, or it's measured differently or something. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA - Flagship 2004) 100% by swordsmankirby [WRH] host Ezmar, no couch 1h12m03s (est 1h15m, wr 1h08m26s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube zTFVyc81m8M+14 Review: A very straightforward run. It's almost all movement, the only combat of note is in the boss fights, which are annihilated in seconds. I don't think the runner did anything particularly wrong, it just was not interesting. Maybe it would have been fine as a half-hour run, but an hour of this, with no couch, was just too much. Jimmy Neutron vs. Jimmy Negatron (PC - AWE 2002) Any% by culinwino [2RH] host Ezmar, no couch 13m36s (est 20m, wr 12m56s) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube D20RXGkHYLw+23 Review: Speedrunning a game you got from a cereal box. It's exactly what you expect - terrible early-00s graphics, nonsensical story, awful movement but so many glitches that you barely use the intended movement anyways. A decent chunk of the run was missed due to tech issues, but what we did see was mostly good. Rabi-Ribi (PC - CreSpirit 2016) (Casual) 10 Town Members by IIvgmII [3RH] host Ezmar, couch Mikan, Hakua 28m18s (est 29m, wr rta 24m43s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube oLqWRpbtH6k+15 Review: Seems like a mildly-jank weeb metroidvania. The category seems fairly easy but the runner absolutely crushed it, this is some surprisingly high-tier gameplay. Good commentary explaining some of the details, but it was a bit dry. Seriously, the only humor I recall was explaining the pun in the title. You can do better than that! Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES - HAL Lab 1990) Any% by rayeo [2RH] host Ezmar, no couch 28m47s (est 30m, wr 23m42s) Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube w9f5M3PNDO4+16 Review: Another really boring run to watch. It's a puzzle game, but the mechanics are not explained at all, I only partially followed by recalling his AGDQ run of the first game. About the only thing you *will* understand is when he messes up, which was not infrequent. And it's just not an impressive game to watch. Chicken of the Farm (NES - Mitch3a & Link_7777 2019) 100% by Xarnax42 [WRH] host Ezmar, couch AngryLarry, Mitch3a [DEV], Link_7777 [DEV] 9m35s (est 14m, wr 6m20s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Ez7nVN6Agck+16 Review: It looks like an old NES bootleg, but it's actually modern homebrew. Unfortunately it still *looks* like a jank bootleg, and despite having the actual devs on commentary, everybody involved seemed lethargic, even bored. NM: May have been shifted to between Gravity Trooper and Micro Mages? New Ghostbusters II (NES - HAL Lab 1990) Any% by MadMegaX381 [WRH] host Baidol, couch gliitchwiitch 21m25s (est 25m, wr 20m39s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube YNGqpBxMl8k+27 Review: An interesting little NES run. Misses a lot of things you'd expect from a game of this era - no glitches, not even much lag mitigation - making it feel like a more modern game. Not bad, just not super exciting. NM: Assuming JP version, PAL has separate leaderboard Gravity Trooper - Metal Storm (NES - Tantex 1991) No Wrong Warp by MadMegaX381 host Baidol, no couch 13m04s (est 15m, wr 11m53s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube jrA1dgTGPTs+34 Review: A nice little bit-sized run. Lots of history being explained, but actually not super much in the way of strats or tech. Micro Mages (NES - Morphcat 2019) Any% by WhiteHat94 [WRH] host Baidol, no couch 19m41s (est 22m, wr 19m09s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube fp7BXCTOe2E+18 Review: A modern-day NES release, very fluid and well-designed. Not a super complex run but the execution is good. Legacy of the Wizard (NES - Nihon Falcom 1987) Any% by Dragondarch [WRH] host Baidol, couch DarkTerrex, Starbird 28m11s (est 35m, wr 23m44s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Utge6rouLjQ+5 Review: This looks like a very interesting game, though perhaps not one that aged well. Lots of RNG manips and minor glitches, but in the service of breaking the skill ceiling and making some very flashy movement possible. This particular run didn't go off too well but it's interesting nontheless. Power Blade (NES - Natsume 1990) Any% Expert by NeoKad host Skybilz, couch OldSchool_Richard 16m11s (est 25m, wr 17m19s) [NF] Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ☆☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube l0jDLkyjj3A+7 Review: Yikes. This was a trainwreck of a run. NeoKad had a pretty bad case of nerves, dying multiple times just getting through the first level and giving rambly explanations. Couch wasn't much help, to either audience or runner. And then, just when it seemed to be getting into a groove, the stream cut out. You can absolutely skip this one. Kid Icarus (NES - Nintendo R&D1 1986) Any% by fruitbatsalad [WRH] host Skybilz, couch rumbleminze 21m58s (est 26m, wr 21m12s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 7ppZSr1Pi3g+52 Review: A perfectly okay run. I have nothing really to complain about, it just didn't excite me or impress me like other speedruns. It's just not a very flashy run - too unfamiliar for perfect execution to shine, too glitch-light to dazzle. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES - Nintendo EAD 1987) Reverse Boss Order by EnchantressOfNumbers [3RH] host Skybilz, couch Megmacattack, Solstng 50m59s (est 58m, wr 47m29s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube J0H5Pnp7K7Q+1 Review: RBO runs have to be pretty glitched, and there's more than a few glitches involved here. But a lot of it's actually just good gameplay, since she had to take on the last boss first, with very little equipment or XP. Commentary hit it out of the park, although I wish it had gotten a little bit more technical. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC - Bethesda 2006) No OoB by sandyX [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch ElongatedMusketgun 36m44s (est 40m, wr rta 31m33s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube s7x__-h600A Review: A pretty fun speedrun. Oblivion is infamously glitchy, and this run is broken. But not too broken - you do actually finish most of the quests, instead of just clipping straight to the end, which is a lot more interesting. Some audio balance issues, but otherwise good commentary. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC - CD Projekt Red 2015) Any% Old Patch by Kaadzik [WRH] host musical_daredevil, no couch 2h09m42s (est 2h12m, wr 2h05m50s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube P_KVlKxk9jE+13 Review: A run that mostly boils down to one glitch, decent movement, and some good routing of all the various mandatory quests. Kaadzik's commentary seemed enthusiastic but was frequently hard to make out, and was mostly just hyping up a donation incentive, rather than offering funny or insightful commentary. Fun to watch at first, but if you find yourself getting weary of it, it never changes. Batman: Arkham City (PC - Rocksteady 2011) Any% Easy by ShikenNuggets [WRH] host iggyzig, no couch 1h07m31s (est 1h10m, wr 1h02m44s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 5ZFUCDqp8W4+4 Review: A surprisingly energetic run, considering it was just Shiken doing it all. Decent descriptions of the many tricks, some good running gags about the story, and a breakneck pace through the game, compared to casual. Valley (PC - Blue Isle 2016) Any% by TheRedSock [WRH] host iggyzig, couch havrd, lifel1ke 15m10s (est 19m, wr rta 12m45s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube dE2URIIs3gs+24 Review: A very movement-heavy game, very fluid and very impressive. Doesn't have too much variety of tricks, but being over in 15 minutes, that never becomes a problem. Commentary was a bit amateurish but other than that, top-notch run. Dandara: Trials of Fear (PC - Long Hat House 2018) Any% by PoleCat [WRH] host iggyzig, couch Gooby 21m19s (est 35m, wr igt 29m38s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube h7_7tT_Q78c Review: Another movement-heavy game, this time a 2D metroidvania. Execution was very polished (save a few errors) but it just didn't hold my interest. Portal (PC - Valve 2007) Glitchless by Shizzal [2RH] host iggyzig, no couch 16m07s (est 19m, wr igt 15m19s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube PmpBsuab8ts Review: It may be glitchless, but that still doesn't mean solving things the way Valve intended. Lightning-fast execution, and some precise cube throws, make this a real spectacular run to watch. Portal 2 (PC - Valve 2011) All Main Courses coop by AJ_from_portal, betsruner [WRH TEAM] host iggyzig, couch Msushi 33m28s (est 36m, wr 26m20s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube KzZAYd8zmKI Review: The good part is, they absolutely crush every level in almost no time at all. The bad part is, they do it so fast that you can't possibly keep up, and thus half the runtime is loading screens or waiting for end-level dialogue to finish. A great run to watch with a finger hovering over the skip-forward button, but I can't really recommend watching it straight through, no matter how good the runners are. The Talos Principle (PC - Croteam 2014) All Sigils by Azorae [WRH] host Brutal_Melo, no couch 47m39s (est 53m, wr rta 37m23s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube VaeJ0IKHGFU+6 Review: Speedrunners turned this game into a platformer - pretty much everything is done by clipping or jumping where you're not supposed to, in a multitude of ways. It's an interesting speedrun but is a very different thing than the casual experience of the game. NM: Assuming "unrestricted", over "60 fps" Superliminal (PC - Pillow Castle 2019) Any% Warpless by Crisper [3RH] host Brutal_Melo, no couch 18m25s (est 20m, wr rta 12m32s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube f4gS19F1ZL0+17 Review: A trippy game, but not yet that great of a speedrun. The tech is mostly just colliding into a prop to launch yourself OoB, and a lot of them don't have good setups yet. Those that do, go by fine, but there's multiple minutes spent just getting one to work. In a run this short, that's a pretty severe drag. Runner did well at holding interest, with a sort of playfully chill vibe, but even that couldn't save the tedious bits. Hollow Knight (PC - Team Cherry 2017) Any% No Major Glitches race, Pestilentbox2 [WRH] vs fireb0rn [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, couch skurry, shayfe, paum 41m22s, 42m23s (est 41m, wr 32m55s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Hl-w6J4_-mc Review: A solid race of a very difficult game. This category is the most grounded, so it wasn't as flashy as it could have been, but it was very tight throughout most of the race, and commentary was robust (if a bit dry). Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PC - Moon 2020) [BONUS GAME 1] Any% Easy, No OoB by sikynar [3RH] host Mr. Game & Shout, couch Skarfelt 35m50s (est 40m, wr rta 31m01s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 3bcdcnjTZ0c+9 Review: A very pretty metroidvania, though perhaps not the most technical or challenging speedrun. Commentary was generally on point, though the story mentions made no sense to me as a non-player. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX (PC - Inti Creates 2019) Any% by Benja [2RH] host Mr. Game & Shout, couch tinahacks, KeatonRL, MiKenyan 34m17s (est 38m, wr 31m18s) [NV] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube zmS7Clm-vQc+2 Review: A beautiful run, ruined by tech problems. A fast game like this is particularly sensitive to frame hitches or bitrate issues, and this run saw plenty of that. On the commentary side, the severe lag and perhaps too many people on the couch, led to frequent confusing descriptions being said on top of one another. This absolutely would have been a great run, had it been done in-person, or even in a more online-experienced GDQ. Yono and the Celestial Elephants (PC - Neckbolt 2017) No Major Skips by Bullets [2RH] host Mr. Game & Shout, couch zic3 15m34s (est 20m, wr rta 13m56s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube XjGr43M6nBI Review: A game where pretty much every border is more of a suggestion than a rule, which makes for a very cool speedrun. Execution is more about nailing a long stream of small skips, rather than any constant movement tech, or hitting any really hard skips, which is a nice change of pace, and Bullets's self-commentary is a similar steady stream, very pleasant to listen to. Alien: Isolation (PC - Creative Assembly 2014) All Missions, Nightmare, No CC by Drayux [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Nikoheart, Nolz 2h39m09s (est 3h00m, wr rta 2h33m50s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 3kDSVzyXhJw+28 Review: This run would have been excellent, if it had been only an hour. But there's just not enough tech to be worth talking about nearly three hours in - and with this run being so heavy on AI manipulation, you rarely even see the things that could be dangerous. The energy also seemed kind of wrong for a horror run - they were hype beyond reason, doing all the stereotypical Twitch-persona shouting and forced laughs, popping off for every little thing, which ironically made it hard to tell what was actually cool and what was just the run as normal. It was worst at the beginning, thankfully Drayux's caffeine high started wearing out maybe an hour in, but that hour was hard for me to get through. -------------------------------TUESDAY------------------------------- Silent Hill: Homecoming (Xb1 - Double Helix 2008) All Bosses NG+ by shmumbler [WRH] host Ecdycis, couch AnEternalEnigma, Starwin 59m00s (est 1h00m, wr 45m26s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube mAZG3TW5lIc+9 Review: A rough run, lots of clips failed for whatever reason, and not all of them had backups besides "do it casual". Couch never found their groove, it felt like an hour of filling dead air. Certainly not the worst run but you won't miss much if you skip it. Alone in the Dark (DOS - Infogrames 1992) Any% by PlasticRainbow [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 9m57s (est 12m, wr 7m20s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube TsMx-Kegqn0 Review: Commentary is a bit of work to listen to, due to the runner's thick accent, but very informative. Lots of tricks going on for such a short run - he didn't nail all of them, but still a decent run. Quest 64 (N64 - Imagineer 1998) US Any% by Bingchang [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch JazzyChoi1991 1h44m56s (est 2h05m, wr 1h21m18s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube KC2lfqDMgPk+18 Review: RPG runs come in two flavors - some are intricate, immaculately-polished marathons, others are completely busted glitchfests, getting to the end far faster than devs would have thought possible. Quest 64 is neither. It's glitched, but still hits most of the main bosses and so still needs tons of tedious grinding. But it's not meticulous - the glitches were inconsistent, the grinding was loosely-routed, and a lot of the battles still ended up being RNG nightmares. Even the commentary was poorly-planned - never explaining some of the basics of the gameplay, leaving most of the audience in the dark. The Lion King (Genesis - Westwood 1994) Any% Difficult by eight [WRH] host Lizstar, couch Nicole, cajink 16m50s (est 17m, wr 13m03s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube qnGHEFgP5zc Review: Very polished run, very polished commentary. Not much more I can say. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis - Sega AM7 1990) Any% Normal by Paulsaltine host Lizstar, no couch 18m23s (est 22m, wr 17m17s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube dwX-o_2H5mw+38 Review: A pretty standard action-platformer. Light on glitches, just a game of tight routing and some precise enemy bounces. Perfectly competent but nothing spectacular. Pulseman (Genesis - Game Freak 1994) Glitchless by d4gr0n [WRH] host Lizstar, no couch 38m06s (est 45m, wr 36m57s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Z2BszKL1e8w Review: A run heavy on autoscrollers, including some mandatory bonus stages where lag means the fastest strat is literally standing still for a minute. If the rest of the game was a tight, polished run, that might make up for it, but it was typical 16-bit platforming, and d4gron's self-commentary was remarkably low-energy. Super Turrican (SNES - Factor 5 1993) Hard by d4gr0n [WRH] host Lizstar, couch ShinerCCC 10m08s (est 15m, wr 9m43s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube VIXm-Sx3ZJA+7 Review: A clip-heavy run-and-gun game, but a bit short. Somehow like a third of it was an autoscroller, but the rest was quite fast, making a good bite-size run. Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES - Rare 1995) Warpless by Tonkotsu [WRH] host Lizstar, couch Madmarc22, Chillex 51m28s (est 55m, wr 49m52s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube qGnTkquPVJY+11 Review: A pretty good speedrun, but not great to watch. Commentary had some serious lag - they would start explaining an "upcoming" trick after it had already happened. Tonkotsu was silent after introducing himself - probably the right decision, but one that put even more burden on the couch, who failed to carry it. If you can watch a DKC2 run without commentary, you'll enjoy this one - he's clearly good at the game - but if you're not already familiar, this is a rough watch. Demon's Crest (SNES - Capcom 1994) 100% by Z4T0X [WRH] host LattMackey, couch bambooshadow 45m34s (est 50m, wr 38m21s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube OCl9l9DMtQk+13 Review: Just a pretty bland run. Not much in the way of tech, besides a very precise trick the runner was inconsistent at (with huge time losses), and some pretty weak commentary. [[[CASTLEVANIA BLOCK]]] Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge (GB - Konami 1991) Any% by Tinnue host Pythonicus, couch Crunan 28m49s (est 34m, wr 25m54s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube sFksHPFs0rk+13 Review: A glitchless run of an early-style Castlevania game. Not the best execution, sloppy in a lot of places, but commentary was good. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (PC - Inti Creates 2018) Low% by Starwin [3RH] host LattMackey, couch ecdysis 41m08s (est 45m, wr rta 39m21s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube XFRvhOg45eo+14 Review: A difficult run, and surprisingly done deathless - with better RNG, it could well have been a WR. It's pretty much all execution, no glitches and not even many skips. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PC - ArtPlay 2019) Zangetsu Any% (NMG) by The Blacktastic [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 22m53s (est 25m, wr rta 22m15s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube FzZLT0lbvyc+18 Review: This run proves that an online GDQ can absolutely work, being just as fun and hype as it ever was in-person. Barely any downtime, not the most technical but still plenty of speed on display. Loved the handcam, it really shows just how fast everything is. [[[/CASTLEVANIA BLOCK]]] Jet Set Radio (PC - Smilebit 2000) Any% by kitcarsonn [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch RedMogo, MF_D00M, Brobey 37m08s (est 40m, wr 34m42s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube hWycHrKNiK4+21 Review: The problem with runs of unique games, is that it's hard to judge how well someone's playing them, without having done so yourself. I never really got a feel for whether this was jaw-dropping execution or just a well-routed casual play, plus a glitch to skip an entire mechanic almost completely. Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (Gamecube - Toys for Bob 2003) Any% by Helix [2RH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch esoterics 15m47s (est 23m, wr 12m52s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube a5d3xvwtcVY+17 Review: A licensed THPS clone should not be this good, but it was. Solid speed game - the shorter length and a bit of actual speed tech makes it better than actual Tony Hawk games, IMO. It's still not great, but Helix does it better than most would. Tony Hawk's Underground (PC - Neversoft 2003) Any% Beginner by Biglaw host Nichole Goodnight, couch nase 36m26s (est 37m, wr rta 33m05s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 5mFsfR_enoM+22 Review: Just not a very interesting speedrun. The score requirements seemed trivial, the execution was basic, maybe there was some interesting routing but we didn't hear anything about it. I didn't actively hate it like a lot of skateboarding runs, but it's not something I'll be rewatching. Trackmania Nations Forever (PC - Nadeo 2008) All Tracks (No E05) by Wirtual [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 1h06m52s (est 1h15m, wr rta 1h04m45s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube DZehDx-o810+4 Review: Perhaps the most impressive thing about this run is that he managed top-notch commentary, by himself, for over an hour, while also putting down ridiculous times. Missed a few skips, but always managed to recover them. And stick around for the shortcut showcase afterward, some of those strats are insane. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U - Tantalus 2016) Any% by gymnast86 [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch Jacquaid, Skuruwolf 3h22m06s (est 3h30m, wr rta 3h15m48s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube yoXYXEv55rE Review: An excellent run, if a bit long. Never too much downtime though - while it doesn't have too many flashy, game-breaking glitches, it also doesn't have many unskippable cutscenes or tedious as-casual sections. It's three hours of nonstop small tricks, perfectly explained and well-executed. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch - Nintendo EAD 2017) [BONUS GAME 2] 48 Tracks 200CC No Items relay by Amber, jacob, Pianist15 host PlanetGhost, no couch 1h25m57s (est 1h29m, wr 1h25m37s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube HGvOxku75l8+7 Review: A really good run. Excellent commentary, near-flawless execution, and with each track taking only two minutes, it feels like a lot shorter than a 90-minute run. Each runner got a chance to commentate, and did an excellent job. Splatoon (Wii U - Nintendo EAD 2015) NG+ by Kingj0444 host PlanetGhost, couch tonesbalones, Hydrus 57m11s (est 1h05m, wr 49m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube f1tPNH5KKCM Review: An execution-heavy run, with very few glitches or even skips. The game has great movement so it's interesting to watch, but not varied enough to really hold one's attention for a full hour. Also suffered more than most runs from being online - bad microphone quality, and audio latency leading to people frequently talking over each other by accident. Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS3 - Insomniac 2004) NG+ No Quit Exploit by Xem [WRH] host PlanetGhost, couch CapnWiffle 30m16s (est 34m, wr rta 28m13s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube K2RKvYABhoU Review: A frenetic sort of run, very little downtime, and tons of interaction with the remote couch. Seamlessly shifts between explaining the speedrun and some actually-funny jokes, making it a pretty fun watch overall, even if the speedrun isn't the most impressive. ------------------------------WEDNESDAY------------------------------ DeadCore (PC - 5 Bits 2014) No Major Glitches: Speedrun% by imawakka [WRH] host Prolix, couch SAAM, Tron_Javolta, nrrillinthas 30m02s (est 40m, wr 27m51s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 83nzUibh348+53 Review: A first-person platformer getting pretty fairly wrecked. Only occasionally did Wakka follow the intended path, although the variety of (allowed) speed tech does basically boil down to "ways to get high fast". Darksiders Genesis (PC - Airship Syndicate 2019) Any% by Sunnymuffin [2RH] host Prolix, couch Lapra, Kevin 59m07s (est 59m, wr rta 45m26s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube KJRbTyAVQgA Review: Speedruns sometimes change the way a game is played so drastically that it's almost a different thing. This turns a Diablo-style ARPG into a platformer, with all the out-of-bounds, clips, and launches. The bosses are cheesed, which unfortunately takes a while with such low levels, but this crew is able to provide antics to get through it. BioShock Infinite (PC - Irrational 2013) Any% HRH Mod by bloodthunder host Ecdycis, couch jamacanbacn 1h47m09s (est 2h00m, wr rta 1h37m31s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube fSjlXiIuT20+10 Review: There's a surprising amount of tech to this run, but somehow it still felt like a bit of a slog. I think two hours is just a bit much for a shooter like this. Gunman Clive (PC - Hörberg 2012) Clive - Easy by FCRacer host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 15m14s (est 23m, wr rta 14m14s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube m5YwgpfDIpA+9 Review: A run-and-gun game less twitchy than most, this sadly makes it a less interesting speedrun. Lots of RNG, lots of cycles that just don't have good ways to make them, and bosses that can be swiftly beaten just by tanking damage and spamming the basic attack. There's worse runs out there, to be sure, but also much better ones. EAT GIRL (PC - Tesselode 2019) Any% by touhoe [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch frozenflygone, EricJ_Math 9m51s (est 12m, wr 8m57s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube IMgxtXGk-GY+34 Review: A neat little spin on the Pac-Man genre, but marred by frequent video hitches in the latter half. No tech but "play game good", but it did have solid execution, when we could see it. NM: Swapped with below? Dogurai (PC - Hungry Bear 2019) Bones - Any% by FelinoAlbino [WRH] host DoctorBobtastic, couch BattyPrincess 25m08s (est 30m, wr 23m12s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube x8cL5pD9vGM+33 Review: Just a very underwhelming run. It's a play-game-good sort of run, the biggest tech being a particular damage boost. It's not particularly polished platforming. The commentary was often mumbled and stilted, and frequently threw over to donation-reading for lack of anything to say. It wasn't an awful run by any means, but it was a cut below the rest. NM: Assumed Hard difficulty Kemono Heroes (Switch - MadGear 2020) Beat the Game (Normal Difficulty) by GreenZSaber [WRH] host DoctorBobtastic, couch danpelgar [DEV], tinahacks, The_Sid 32m13s (est 42m, wr 34m36s) [WR] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube xvLmQU0kOU4 Review: Alright, the biggest obstacle to enjoying this run was just a technical fault - but when the stream was hitching so badly that you only see about half the gameplay, in alternating five-second chunks, it's hard to recommend watching. Otherwise, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill sort of run - an uncontested leaderboard, one player honing skills but not rising too high, plus some bland, unenthused commentary, even from the dev. Just another casualty of the COVID era, unfortunately. Kousoku Kaitenzushi (PC - Yukihito Horiguchi 2015) All Stages by Cisco147 [WRH] host DoctorBobtastic, no couch 6m04s (est 7m, wr rta 5m36s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube SqlKfQ6yr-I+32 Review: A weird little game. Seems like a high skill ceiling, since it looks like the programmer just didn't put in a speed cap. Not too much tech besides a few cuts. Wish the commentary had been a bit better - seems like a bit of a language barrier - but it's mostly self-explanatory. Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (Game Boy - KCE 2000) Very Hard by plywood [WRH] host DoctorBobtastic, couch jaguar_king 1h19m53s (est 1h24m, wr rta 1h19m52s) [WR] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube pHzljHu3AXc+23 Review: Even with some bad RNG, plywood set a new WR by twelve seconds, IGT. That shows just how good the rest of his execution was. Not the flashiest speedrun - basically glitchless - and commentary could have been better, but the polish on this run was evident even without knowing the time. Neon Boost (PC - Sample Text 2019) Any%- Lights on, 1.2 by kykystas [2RH] host DoctorBobtastic, no couch 9m20s (est 18m, wr 8m05s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Aij6Rx8qJ-A+24 Review: A stylish parkour platformer with rocket jumps, with the run heavily using unintended routing. Somehow it was getting repetitive after just ten minutes - probably not helped by the somewhat lethargic self-commentary. One Step From Eden (PC - Thomas Moon Kang 2020) Neutral Selicy Seedless Normal by Risch host YoBGS, couch Erothaur, Tterraj42, Thomas Moon Kang [DEV] 15m48s (est 19m, wr rta 10m57s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube oj9QyLw4qYs+14 Review: A fast-paced but also incredibly complex run, which Risch absolutely wrecks. Unfortunately the speedrun commentary didn't leave much time for the dev commentary, which is usually a highlight when we get it. Probably the right pick, since the game would not have made any sense without commentary, but still disappointing. Virtual Boy Wario Land (Virtual Boy - Nintendo R&D1 1995) 100% by swordsmankirby [WRH] host YoBGS, no couch 23m29s (est 27m, wr rta 23m09s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube hF3Xy7G-EwQ+7 Review: A decent enough speedrun, but obviously the draw is the sheer novelty. A console never before run at GDQ, playing a game most people have never even heard of. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS - AlphaDream 2015) Any% by GigaDB [2RH] host YoBGS, couch Allegro 57m19s (est 1h00m, wr 51m55s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube J3Yggcd93LU+2 Review: A fairly solid run, all considered. Decent commentary, good execution, and didn't drag on too long (as RPGs are wont to). Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB - Nintendo EAD 1993) Warpless by mghtymth host YoBGS, couch PhantomMat, astronumous, Alpha-5 52m22s (est 55m, wr 43m09s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Ev7N-hFMyAg+6 Review: A run that seriously suffered from being online-only. Couch kept tripping over each other, runner said basically nothing, audio balance was all kinds of screwed. The Last of Us (PS4 - Naughty Dog 2014) Grounded mode, Glitchless, New Game by AnthonyCaliber [WRH] host marphoria, couch DeanoTheLastofUs 2h53m43s (est 3h00m, wr 2h49m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube JQhpUEAqr9Q+6 Review: I was expecting this to be a slog, but it was actually quite interesting. With only a few minor glitches allowed, the run is all about careful AI manipulation and an extremely tight route, almost every step has to be pre-planned in order to make it through with any speed. Lots of mistakes result in immediate death, but Anthony pulls off a few frantic improvs, which just demonstrates the mastery over the game. It's still quite a long run, but it's a solid one. The Last of Us: Left Behind (PS4 - Naughty Dog 2014) Any% by AnthonyCaliber [WRH] host marphoria, couch DeanoTheLastofUs 5m46s (est 7m, wr 5m17s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube JQhpUEAqr9Q+10538 Review: A quick bonus run, and a repeat from AGDQ2020. It works a bit better here, as a contrast to the max-difficulty glitchless run, but it's still more a novelty than a real speed game. [[[SONIC BLOCK]]] Freedom Planet (PC - GalaxyTrail 2014) Carol Any% (Classic Mode) by Revolucion [WRH] host Lizstar, couch Tris, UraniumAnchor, Punchy 44m55s (est 50m, wr 35m50s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube PGcuMXPR-ww+1 Review: A bit of a clunky run, commentary that just filled space rather than complemented the run. Fortunately, a lot of it's pretty self-explanatory, but it was still not the best showing of this game we've seen. Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis - Sonic Team 1991) Beat The Game Glitchless by t0uchan [2RH] host Lizstar, couch V0oid 23m12s (est 25m, wr rta 19m39s) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 4pWZHYVsibE+703 Review: IMO the best category of the game, glitched has too many zips to be interesting. Gameplay is really tight, but a few mistakes proved very costly. Some good pure platforming skill, but not too much of interest otherwise. Invalidated by game over, necessitating level warp to complete run. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis - Sonic Team 1992) Sonic - Beat the Game by Joeybaby69 [2RH] host Lizstar, couch superboomfan 24m14s (est 30m, wr rta 19m07s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube DiKrf2h705w Review: I find it hard to review this run except by contrast to the previous. It's glitched, so there's some "underflow straight to end of level" zips, but not too many. It had more energy, more hype than the last run's laid-back style. But it was also just sloppier. Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Genesis - STI 1994) All Emeralds (Sonic) by TheSoundDefense [2RH] host LattMackey, couch AlecK47, joeybaby69 1h03m49s (est 1h10m, wr 56m27s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube NH8tbRH4im0+13 Review: A truly magnificent run - pinpoint execution, crazy glitches, great explanations, and just enough struggle to make it seem valiant. I would not be surprised if this ends up as one of the best runs of the marathon. Sonic Heroes (Wii - Sonic Team 2003) Team Chaotix [BIDWAR] by CriticalCyd [WRH] host LattMackey, couch Talon2461, dakitteh 47m44s (est 1h00m, wr 40m33s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube U8Kgg6q98yw Review: Kind of a rough run to watch. Audio balance was awful - game audio completely drowned out runner and commentary for entire levels, and this game has some of the most annoying, screechy voiceacting I've ever endured. There's only a handful of interesting glitches, and the explanation of them was garbled and confusing. Maybe this is exciting for the people who've played this game (other than some odd deaths, his execution did seem pretty good), but I haven't, and it was not fun to get through. [[[/SONIC BLOCK]]] Resident Evil 3 Remake (PC - Capcom 2020) [BONUS GAME 3] NG Standard by MikeWave [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch Maxylobes, Waifu 52m55s (est 58m, wr 47m29s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube lfQmGmibryE+25 Review: Not that much different from the RE2 Remake runs I've seen. It's a newer release so the strats aren't quite as refined yet - it'll be interesting to see this game develop. Commentary wasn't bad but could have been better, felt kind of low-key. Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PC - Capcom 2015) NG Nero/Dante Devil Hunter by ██████████ host Bobby Blackwolf, couch DECosmic, VashTSB, bryonato 1h15m38s (est 1h30m, wr rta 1h10m43s) Youtube aHfnN39pwlI+78 Review: Video was taken down after the runner cheated in a later event (MGR @ SGDQ2022) ------------------------------THURSDAY------------------------------- Pacify (PC - Shawn Hitchcock 2019) 2 Player 100% by Metro72, YourAverageWhiteChick host LLK, no couch 4m46s (est 10m, wr 3m05s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube WBkfdrlCwFc+18 Review: A ridiculously short indie-horror run - but surprisingly interesting. There's not *that* much depth, but more than some half-hour runs have gotten, and the runners did a fine job packing their commentary into such a dense timeframe. NM: Assumed "Dolls" category, runners aren't listed for "Farm - 2 Player" [[[SILLY BLOCK]]] Night Trap Anniversary Edition (PS4 - Screaming Villains 2017) Best Ending, Blindfolded by Ecdycis [WRH] host LLK, couch Maxylobes, clendaria, Starwin 29m01s (est 37m, wr unblindfolded 25m45s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube FBvQ2Q4nMYY+24 Review: You'd think this would be an incredibly silly run, since the game is deliberate B-movie schlock. Except it kind of isn't? You can't actually watch most of the awful FMV acting because you have to activate traps elsewhere. Not awful by any means, but not as good as I'd hoped. NM: Doesn't seem to be a leaderboard for Anniversary? Pringles: The Video Game (Genesis - Future Driver 2009) All As by SecksWrecks host LLK, couch pea 3m45s (est 5m, wr 2m52s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube kxo95N8IjIg+9 Review: An inexplicable homebrew game, but it looks actually fun, and while the speedrun is mostly "play game without mistakes", that does require some skill, and at under five minutes, it hardly has time to even explain itself before it's done. Hypnospace Outlaw (PC - Tendershoot 2019) Any% (All Cases) by Lizstar [WRH] host LLK, couch Brossentia 18m33s (est 20m, wr 18m34s) [WR] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube sF3RA23LNyU+16 Review: I'm still not sure what this game even is, but I think that's more feature than bug. Not the most skill-heavy game (it's some kind of point-and-click adventure), but it's still a fun watch. Saint Hazel's Horsepital (PC - HYPH-N 2019) Any% by Bullets [WRH] [ORH] host LLK, couch Newt [DEV] 22m22s (est 25m, wr 21m33s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube SBeGX2jajYo+7 Review: A very, very, *very* weird student game. Best that I not describe it too much more. Stick around for the glitch exhib afterward. Ribbit King (Gamecube via Wii - Infinity 2003) All Courses by Dakitteh host Ezmar, couch Pearstrike, Punchy, CriticalSid (sp?) 18m58s (est 23m, wr rta 14m32s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube aEDLC3d3HpU+13 Review: "What is even going on?" "It's frog golf, don't worry about it." An excellently silly game. Streets of Fury EX (PC - Guard Crush 2015) Any% Ruby Diamonds by SCXCR [2RH] host Ezmar, no couch 23m11s (est 27m, wr 19m56s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube W3EllUZEblk+7 Review: Kind of an outlier in Silly Block, since the only odd thing about it is the digitized graphics, like a high-res early Mortal Kombat. It's a pretty rote beat-em-up, not a huge variety but some clever pieces, and well-commentated (if a bit blandly commentated). Rocko's Quest (PC - Revistronic 2003) Any% by NoseJones [WRH] host Ezmar, couch BumHoboKarl, JohhnyThaGod, Moose73 15m39s (est 20m, wr 8m07s) Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ☆☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube GYuwjBbPs4s+8 Review: This run had many of the failings common to this event - constant stream hitching, bad audio mix, awful microphones, commentators talking over another. Onto that, it added poor execution and poor explanation, as well as a heaping dose of coughing phlegm directly into the mike. It didn't even have much of the late-hours madness energy going for it, it was somehow a *boring* trainwreck. NM: Purged from GDQ's channel, AFAICT only for being terrible Homey D. Clown (DOS - Synergistic Software 1993) Any% by corndan [WRH][ORH] host Ezmar, couch Brossentia, Fyzzu 9m51s (est 12m, wr 6m59s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Fuxi_RZGOxo+22 Review: I just straight-up do not understand this game. It's a license I've never heard of, some bizarre comedy sketch, but turned into a 90s point-and-click adventure so it's even more incomprehensible. The run was fun enough to watch, but give up on actually understanding what's going on. [[[/SILLY BLOCK]]] Little Big Adventure 2 (PC - Adeline 1997) Any% by janglestorm host Ezmar, couch JackofHearts 29m18s (est 34m, wr 24m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube JUfMhfJrL8I+24 Review: A weird little French RPG, defeated almost exclusively through physics glitches and sequence breaking. But most RPGs make for weak platformers, and though they tried to keep things entertaining, the audio delay really bit them. ALF (Master System - Nexa 1989) Any% by Starbird host hugewitches, couch gliitchwiitch, dragondarch 6m24s (est 13m, wr 4m53s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 3oTmnsOa2Ow+24 Review: A moderately shitty licensed action-platformer, from the era of shitty licensed action-platformers. The comedy would wear thin, had it not been so short. Note that actual runtime is 10m+ due to an incentive-required reset being done early by accident. El Matador (PC - Plastic Reality 2006) Any% by catalystz [3RH] host hugewitches, no couch 17m25s (est 25m, wr rta 15m31s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube ubpdom03SjE+68 Review: Not the jankiest game, but still a deeply glitched run. Unfortunately, the useful glitches are mostly variants on one core bug, so the run did get quite samey. Still, it's hard to get bored in just twenty minutes. Asghan: The Dragon Slayer (PC - Silmarils 1998) Any% by havrd [2RH] host hugewitches, couch kotti 32m34s (est 44m, wr 23m38s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube hVVo055T7pY+50 Review: This could have been a good run. The game is busted beyond reason, the story is nonsense, the cutscenes are baffling. But havrd gives commentary that manages to be stiffer than the game's controls, just completely unengaging. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition (PC - Overhaul 2012) Legacy of Bhaal%, Current Patch by SeriouslySurly [2RH] host hugewitches, couch tyty61803 24m53s (est 38m, wr 26m29s) [WR] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube oH1tah5P-8w+32 Review: RPG runs are usually about a carefully-planned route that exploits deep knowledge of the game, blazing-fast menuing, and some luck. This did all of that, and in a much tighter package than a lot of other RPG runs. It kicks off with a fun comedy bit, before getting into the nitty-gritty details of the run. The Simpsons (Arcade via PS3 - Konami 1991; Backbone 2012) Any% Expert JP [BONUS] by LRock617 [WRH] host PuzzlePea, couch darkalexandr 20m33s (est 25m, wr 15m50s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube k8HIME-UZyA+113 Review: An old bmup, so not the most technical but still quite hard. It's a play-game-good sort of speedrun, so your enjoyment is probably proportional to the number of quarters you've lost to this game. Decent self-commentary, but hurt by some very harsh audio quality. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (Gamecube - Sonic Team 2003) Any% by Kyrrone [WRH] host PuzzlePea, couch Kosmic, YourEverydayGiantClam, Exeloar 1h08m58s (est 1h15m, wr 1h05m57s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube c9MivI6m60w+5 Review: A slightly-messy run of a very polished route of an obscure gem of a game. Lots of skips and tricks, and some of them are so risky I'm amazed he went for them in a marathon. DOOM 64 (PC - Midway 1997; Nightdive 2020) Be Gentle by ZELLLOOO [WRH] host PuzzlePea, couch Peaches, Punchy, ChaosWolf 37m37s (est 40m, wr 35m32s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube V3oBvzHekn0+16 Review: The PC re-release of the game changed enough of the speedrun strats that new discoveries happened multiple times just during this run. So it's not a super optimized route, but the low-level gameplay is still classic Doom, so execution was still impressive. Good couch commentary and chemistry, too. DOOM 64 (PC - Midway 1997; Nightdive 2020) Lost Levels - Be Gentle by ZELLLOOO [WRH] host PuzzlePea, couch Peaches, Punchy, ChaosWolf 12m12s (est 16m, wr 11m20s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube m0BvICYvZvE Review: A high-difficulty addon campaign, acting as a nice (but short) epilogue to the previous run. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC - LucasArts 1997) Any% by Alnak host SamWithoutAPlan, no couch 32m23s (est 32m, wr rta 24m38s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube tLC-y4E3vSY+12 Review: A surprisingly dull run. The runner had very little energy in his self-commentary, and though the tricks certainly seemed difficult, the amount of quicksave usage made it seem a lot less polished than most speedruns. Blood (PC - Monolith 1997) Any% One Unit Whole, No Episode Warp by Psych0sis host SamWithoutAPlan, couch pogokeen 20m21s (est 33m, wr 13m26s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 9rcrt1UCbvw+13 Review: Yet another classic 2.5D shooter, this time from the Build engine. Psych0sis's execution here was kind of insane, lots of movement tech being used in very cool ways. Getting a Build engine dev (if not a Blood dev) on the couch made for some high-quality commentary. NM: Used category "Any% (No Episode Warp), Skill 1" Blood (PC - Monolith 1997) Post-Mortem (Episode 6) [BONUS] by Psych0sis [3RH] host SamWithoutAPlan, couch pogokeen 6m40s (est 8m, wr 4m21s) [NV] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 9rcrt1UCbvw+1290 Review: Yet another high-difficulty expansion pack, this didn't do too much the main run didn't. Invalidated by a crash and level restart, but it didn't eat up too much time. Doom 3 (PC - id 2004) Any% by ripchip_ host SamWithoutAPlan, no couch 1h08m30s (est 1h10m, wr rta 57m25s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 4xmydhRcSGw+9 Review: An interesting comparison to classic Doom and nu Doom runs. Reminds me a bit of early Half-Life runs, lots of explosives-jumping and other momentum skips, combined with enemy memorization. Runner kept up good commentary (especially considering it was solo), but also roasted the game's aesthetics and enemy design. Warframe (PC - Digital Extremes 2013) Boss Showcase by KrusKader host SakuraTsubasa, couch Megan [CM] 20m49s (est 22m, no wr) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube n42KywzXF-c+28 Review: For those unfamiliar with the game, this run was incredibly hard to follow. I was never really sure what was going on, let alone understood the strategies involved. The commentary was either impeded by audio balance and a thick accent, or veered into jargon. If it was at least visually impressive, it could have been salvaged, but other than some polished movement, it looked like a lot of standing around shooting. I actually would like to see more non-speedrun showcases, just not like this. Mega Man 9 (Wii - Inti Creates 2008) Any% race, Slurpeeninja [2RH] vs HJA host SakuraTsubasa, couch amad_, LVCreed, vonrufio 33m27s, 34m24s (est 40m, wr 31m36s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube v3rpwqXWbaA+33 Review: The race got off to a rough start, with one runner taking multiple quick deaths. But he made up time over the course of the run, and some mad RNG made for a tight ending. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC - Ryu Ga Gotoku 2019) Any% by Froob [2RH] host LLK, no couch 1h52m52s (est 2h10m, wr rta 1h53m57s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube loMAG-WznzA+76 Review: A surprisingly engaging run, considering it's basically glitchless and has no singularly difficult tricks. It's just a constant barrage of small speed tech, playing well, and good routing - much like many JRPG speedruns, but with skippable cutscenes and more direct gameplay. And Froob proves that a couch is unnecessary, providing a continual stream of commentary, ranging from the story to the development history to pointing out all the little decisions and adaptations one has to make during a run like this. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC - Ryu Ga Gotoku 2019) Majima Saga by Froob [2RH] host LLK, no couch 9m40s (est 13m, wr rta 9m40s) [PB] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube loMAG-WznzA+6914 Review: A short addon run, doesn't add much new but if you spent two hours watching the main Any%, you can stick around for another ten minutes of Majima. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1998; TestRunner et al 2018) Randomizer coop by Raikaru, WoodenBarrel host musical_daredevil, couch SpikeVegeta 3h01m47s (est 3h00m, no wr?) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube Rpe2L5hlW6E Review: Rando runs are always great. Got some great couch interaction, good humor from the runners, and some crazy routing. Ended up going a bit over, because the seed was pretty obtuse, but I doubt anyone else would have done it faster. Half-Life: Alyx (PC - Valve 2020) [BONUS GAME 4] Any% No Spin by Buffet Time host musical_daredevil, couch Auraboy 31m16s (est 40m, wr rta 27m17s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube LPCMGHkR5x0+8 Review: The first VR title run at GDQ, and it was definitely an experience. Not quite as broken as most Source runs, but that's not saying much - almost every level was beaten by clipping through, under, or over something, in more than a few ways so it never got old. A bit hard to watch, with the VR nausea, but I didn't have too much trouble with it. DOOM Eternal (PC - id 2020) Any% NMG Nightmare by BloodShot9001 [3RH] host Mr. Game & Shout, couch bryonato, metalive, ekorn 1h30m55s (est 2h00m, wr igt 1h09m40s) Overall ★★★★★ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube tjk86JFCM_k+35 Review: Ho. Ly. Shit. This run was insane. Masterful movement, flawless combat, a perfect mix of normal-gameplay execution and completely unintended skips. And on Nightmare! I can't even beat the first level on Nightmare, yet Bloodshot makes it look downright easy. -------------------------------FRIDAY-------------------------------- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC - Infinity Ward 2009) Any% by Klooger [WRH] host PlanetGhost, couch RedDagger 1h27m06s (est 1h35m, wr rta 1h24m50s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube lMkFRWq_Nrw Review: There may have been more speed tech to this game than I could see, but most of the commentary was drowned out by game audio. Turns out it's hard to hear a quiet explanation of airstrafing while a booming voice is barking orders at the player character. There was some fine twitch shooting and a bit of movement tech, but that's about all I actually got. We Happy Few (PC - Compulsion 2016) We All Fall Down by DemonicRobots [WRH] host PlanetGhost, couch ecdycis, waifu 24m55s (est 30m, wr 22m46s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube DBXQvV1JhNk+45 Review: This DLC is very different from the base game - lots of comparisons to Dishonored and Mirror's Edge, which seem apt. No massive glitches, mostly just short skips, even just a few seconds by doing an unintended jump. Commentary is more story-side than speedrun-side, but that seems fitting for this sort of run. Miami Vice (PC - Atomic Planet 2004) Any% by KZ_FREW [2RH] host ButteredN00dles, couch pmcTRILOGY 24m10s (est 25m, wr rta 9m59s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 8UoQdT3LWIU+12 Review: Decades-late shovelware? Now that's what I call a speed game. The only real tech is ignoring walls, but it's helped along by some wonderfully high-octane commentary, better than even most of Silly Block this year. Valdis Story: Abyssal City (PC - Endless Fluff 2013) Any% (Gilda) by RiskyCB [WRH] host ButteredN00dles, couch Koatal 25m44s (est 34m, wr 28m55s) [WR?] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 7MtSc3mrLCE+3 Review: A sidescrolling RPG, heavily broken by advanced movement tech and a lot of small clips. Held back mainly by a severe lack of energy, even for a dark-hours filler run. It felt like the runner didn't actually care much for the game, even with a time that I'm pretty sure is WR, he barely seemed excited. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC - Bioware 2003) Any% by ChaosDrifter [WRH] host Prolix, couch Lane 43m12s (est 51m, wr rta 41m57s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 5V-ST8TTKCc+6 Review: A very, *very* glitchy run. OoB, save glitches, menu glitches, sequence breaking, item duping, this has pretty much everything except playing the game as intended. It's a bit hard to follow, the explanations could have been better, but it's still an amusingly busted run. Elevator Action Returns (Saturn - Taito 1994) 1CC (Edie) by The Opponent [2RH] host Prolix, no couch 17m02s (est 18m, wr 14m57s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube DhQcLU4eCfE+11 Review: A cozy little run, of a pretty obscure game. Nothing super impressive, just making lots of tight cycles, and good reactions to RNG, but it comes off smoothly. Terminator: SkyNET (DOS - Bethesda 1996) Any% by tbcr [WRH] host Prolix, no couch 17m56s (est 18m, wr 12m40s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube T-jb_qJ43SE+6 Review: A mess of a game gets a delightful mess of a run. Crashes, tricks randomly not working, highly inconsistent enemies, all serve as a backing track to TBCR's bemused rant about Bethesda. Hello Neighbor (PC - Dynamic Pixels 2017) Any% by smythe [WRH] host Prolix, no couch 15m47s (est 14m, wr rta 11m17s) Overall ☆☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ☆☆☆☆☆ Youtube t3VYRHJorq0+6 Review: Wow this was a rough watch. The game is kind of infamously broken, but the run doesn't show many cool tricks, just "oh yeah you can skip the entire level by jumping this way". Execution was a mess - about a quarter of the run was trying to get through one short section - and commentary was unenthusiastic. I've seen runners more hype while halfway through a six-hour RPG slog, how did this guy start out sounding so bored? Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero (DOS EGA - Sierra 1989) 100% Thief Route [BIDWAR] by davidtki [WRH] host Prolix, couch darkarmist, Mr PRMiller, Crow! 25m20s (est 30m, wr 20m38s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube EECGMFto-vw+10 Review: This was an oddball run. It had the fast pace and bizarre gameplay that should have lent it the manic energy this GDQ has lacked, but it just... didn't. Things seemed very under-explained, like they assumed everyone is familiar with titles older than the average GDQ viewer. Didn't help that the runner had to keep quieting down so as not to disturb his kids... could have been a cute moment, but it just turned kind of awkward. Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero (DOS EGA - Sierra 1989) [INCENTIVE] Any% by davidtki [WRH] host Prolix, couch darkarmist, Mr PRMiller, Crow! 1m22s (est 2m, wr 1m16s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube EECGMFto-vw+1828 Review: Well, it's even less well-explained than the 100% run, but for a ninety-second run I can hardly complain. Contra ReBirth (Wii - M2 2009) Normal by WhiteHat94 [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, no couch 13m56s (est 17m, wr 12m59s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube JJQFcouRN_A+72 Review: Contra runs tend to be more play-game-good than glitchfests, and this follows that trend. Maybe a more obscure title but a pretty good one, and some decent self-commentary, really comes across as loving the games. Puzzle Bobble 2 (Neo Geo via Switch - Taito 1995) Puzzle by poshi host Kungfufruitcup, couch TokuHer0 13m00s (est 16m, wr 12m16s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube QrEb65Uk0M0+32 Review: An arcade puzzle game, which means fast, precise execution, and the run delivered on that. Commentary was informative but a bit stammery, some people might find it hard to listen to. A Short Hike (PC - adamgryu 2019) All Gold Feathers (No S+Q) by warm_ham host Kungfufruitcup, couch Girl Ham 10m01s (est 10m, wr 6m49s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube IwvdK-fCH8U+96 Review: An indie exploration-platformer, of the "relentlessly twee" flavor. The commentary matches, gently enthusiastic, which works quite well. A bit short, but it doesn't overstay its welcome. Baba Is You (PC - Hempuli 2019) True Ending by Punchy [2RH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch Will 22m39s (est 27m, wr 19m56s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube EdEnUHxy0CQ+88 Review: (Not Yet Reviewed) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS2 - Sucker Punch 2002) Any% by Zenthrow host Kungfufruitcup, couch cinderkit, AWRIE, Kevin Miller [VA] 46m43s (est 42m, wr 35m39s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube SZBYWuumVIM+25 Review: Run got stuck on a few tricks, and not a super execution-heavy game to begin with, but the couch banter more than made up for it. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (PS4 - Square Enix 1PD 2014) Lvl 1 Data Organization RTA by CrispyMe [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch SpikeVegeta, JHobbs 21m26s (est 30m, wr 18m46s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube dhDjKubN-Ks+150 Review: A great run - top-tier execution, excellent commentary, and a breakneck pace. Kingdom Hearts runs have tended to drag on a bit too long, but this was about the perfect length - a concentrated dose of a speedrun. NM: Check couch spelling? Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (PS4 - Square Enix 1PD 2014) [INCENTIVE] Lvl 1 Super Bosses by CrispyMe host Kungfufruitcup, couch SpikeVegeta, JHobbs 8m56s (no est, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube dhDjKubN-Ks+1642 Review: More of the same, really, like most addon incentives are. Super Hark Bros (SNES - ChrisG 2018; Nintendo EAD 1990) [SMW ROMHACK] 100% race, UghRochester [3RH] vs SuperBen [WRH] vs papanug [2RH] host Doctor No, couch Truman, Harkness, ChrisG [DEV] 20m25s, 21m36s, 23m07s (est 25m, wr 18m58s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube NyeDAaCE7ws+243 Review: Obligatory kaizo race? Obligatory kaizo race. Not the tightest race, settling into a predictable spread by the halfway mark. But it's still a good speedrun. The commentary helped a lot. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA via Wii U VC - Nintendo ST 2004) Any%+ by ViolinGamer [WRH] host Doctor No, couch SpikeVegeta, StarrlightSims 1h15m33s (est 1h20m, wr 1h15m11s) [NV] Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube mrx3kduACz4+18 Review: A somewhat forgotten puzzle-platformer. Not exactly a high-octane run - lots of cycle-based levels, and not too many different tricks to use - but good couch work as always from Spike. Run invalidated by lengthy pause due to technical issues. Super Monkey Ball 2 (Wii - Amusement Vision 2002) Story Mode All Levels by PetresInc [2RH] host Doctor No, couch Alist, ComplexPlane, Brandon 30m32s (est 38m, wr 28m20s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 9kCXtilVFTA+31 Review: Super Monkey Ball runs are always crazy, and this was no exception. Crazy strats, brilliantly executed, and some good couch shenanigans. Super Mario Bros. (NES - Nintendo EAD 1985) Warpless race SuperSonic71087 vs Kosmic [2RH] vs GTAce99 [WRH] host Skybilz, couch Tecate, EthanRTA 19m29s, 19m36s, 21m05s (est 23m, wr 18m59s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube pMLsJ1svguE+5 Review: A very competitive race, positions changing constantly but rarely by more than seconds. Not the flashiest game to watch, but so contested that high-level play is always entertaining. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES - Nintendo R&D4 1986, 1993) Warpless D-4 (Mario) race SuperSonic71087 vs Kosmic [WRH] vs Picante vs GTAce99 host Skybilz, couch GoofyChocobo, EthanRTA 38m23s, 38m35s, 41m13s, 43m08s (est 45m, wr igt 36m09s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube PDtZsZ_lCKI+25 Review: A much crueler game, leading to a much rougher race. Even these top-tier runners were taking game-overs. As often happens with four-player races, it split into dual two-player races, but commentary was good (though it seemed to lag behind the game feed a bit). Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4 - Guerilla 2017) TFW NG+ Ultra Hard by Elkjaer [2RH] host iggyzig, couch Blegas 44m22s RTA, 39m56s IGT (est 55m, wr rta 40m46s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube k09UufDlUdU Review: Kind of a weak run. The difficulty was more than balanced out by the NG+ weapons, making it seem easy, and the glitches were few and minor. Even the strats were not super interesting - lots of "just run past the enemies", sometimes broken up with "use this really OP weapon to attack the weak spot". Not an awful run, but definitely one that can be skipped if you've never played HZD. Metroid Fusion (GBA - Nintendo R&D1 2002) 1% Hard race HerculesBenchpress [2RH] vs CScottyW [WRH] host iggyzig, couch Rossu123, JaggerG 1h19m35s, 1h29m02s (est 1h45m, wr rta 1h18m26s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 1K-eaOG-90E+24 Review: This stopped being a race very early on. Herc was already well behind when he got repeatedly steamrolled by a boss. Taken alone, Scotty's run is a good watch, but a ten-minute gap between racers is not very entertaining. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2017) All Dog Treasures by Limcube [2RH] host hugewitches, couch datguychucky 1h28m15s (est 1h40m, wr 1h23m50s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 6tghEXGd68c+19 Review: A bit of an obscure category, but a good alternative to All Dungeons, something in-between the short Any% and the tediously long All Shrines. Was actually on WR pace for a good bit, but the movement tech is a bit inconsistent so that didn't last too long. Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen (GBA - Game Freak 2004) Any% Glitchless race JP_Xinnam vs PulseEffect [WRH] host DoctorBobtastic, couch Etchy, shenanagans 2h21m17s, DNF (est 2h20m, wr 2h02m16s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube YLo4BxDWH4Y Review: A bit hard to follow - commentators tried to provide the encyclopedeic knowledge needed to understand this run, but with runners taking divergent routes, it's even trickier. I do appreciate the split routes - especially how close they were once they converged - but two and a half hours was a bit much. NM: No "Glitchless" category, "Any% Eng" times seem reasonable Crypt of the NecroDancer: AMPLIFIED (PC - Brace Yourself 2015) Coda All Zones by SpootyBiscuit [WRH][ORH] host marphoria, couch EladDifficult, Chris 14m52s (est 20m, wr igt 9m36s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube _DFCXQoKtu8+13 Review: A ridiculously hard run. Took a few tries to actually get going, but once he had good equipment he started flying. It was a hectic watch - super-fast gameplay, rushed commentary - but that captures the feel of the game. NM: Leaderboard is for "Coda Low%"? Pump It Up (Arcade (PIU LX Model) - Andamiro 2016) [BONUS GAME 5] Showcase by happyf33tz host marphoria, no couch ~1h (est 1h00m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube mjoG2LRrTFk+26 Review: Ho. Ly. SHIT. That was insane - blazing fast from the first song, and only accelerating from there, with barely a pause in between. The only flaw is that, due to the athleticism involved, happyf33tz couldn't interact with the host, having to do his own commentary or (more often) just throw it over for donations. But it was a *brilliant* showcase of the genre. NM: Get the name of the runner for that one coop track ------------------------------SATURDAY------------------------------- Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4 Pro - Square Enix BD1 2020) Any% Normal by Boring_Borin [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, SakuraTsubasa, couch foxydits, Closetowar 6h06m56s (est 7h20m, wr 6h13m01s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube K-jP9LXEM1M+66 Review: (Not Yet Reviewed) Touhou 09.5: Shoot the Bullet (PC - Team Shanghai Alice 2005) All Scenes by pingval [WRH] host Baidol, couch Bjw 57m17s (est 1h01m, wr rta 52m01s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube NDsRHSoXNzI+84 Review: An unfortunately dull run, considering the skill required for a shmup like this, or the mechanic that actually allows for speed optimizations. But it's an hour of pretty repetitive gameplay, and commentary that dove no further than "this is a hard level" or "it's this character now", neither of which did much to engage. Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi (PS4 - Cave 2003) 2 Loop (Ura) by Moglar5k [WRH][ORH] host Baidol, couch Softdrink, kz the kusoplayer 45m10s (est 50m, wr 42m34s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 27dQkdph-4w+53 Review: Another bullet-hell shmup, this one with some pretty explicit score-boosting mechanics that made every moment a challenge. Commentary was a bit low-energy but at least informative, so it was still a fun watch. Dodonpachi Saidaioujou (Xb360 - Cave 2012) High Score Showcase by kayar* host Brutal_Melo, couch ReFKey, Softdrink ~35m (est 35m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube BMKdI69MNB8+184 Review: It's always a pleasure to see super-hard bullet-hell shmups get absolutely demolished. The runner gave only a few intro/outro remarks, but handed it off to a great team on the virtual couch, some very classic running versus color commentary. About the only downside is that this game absolutely demolishes the video bitrate, so you can't see all that much. NM: Maybe try to record the scores too? Super Metroid (SNES - Nintendo R&D1 1994) 100% by ShinyZeni [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, couch Zoast, Kipp 1h16m48s (est 1h20m, wr rta 1h13m42s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube IuYZUqX_kY0 Review: This was a pretty good run by any objective measure. The problem is, it's coming on the heels of an insane Super Metroid Impossible run at the last marathon, and that run makes this one look like a cakewalk. And it's just been run so much in general, that this felt like filler. Good filler, but still filler. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC - Rockstar North 2002) All Missions by KZ_FREW host Doctor No, couch EnglishBen, Makkebakke 2h19m28s (est 2h28m, wr rta 2h06m22s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 7zI3qrbxnPo+3 Review: Some of the best work, trying to translate in-person couch banter to the online age. It's still not quite seamless, didn't quite match the energy levels, but it's close. And though there a lot of the speed tech relies on weird replay glitches, there's not too much that's hard to follow, and relatively few tedious autoscrollers. Super Smash Bros. (N64 - HAL 1999) Break the Target, All Characters Blindfolded by Bubzia host Squint, couch VIdya James 8m29s (est 12m, wr 6m20s, wr nonblindfolded 3m48s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube GKq2aIpIDQM+32 Review: A nice party-trick sort of run. It actually doesn't look super hard to do blindfolded, if you've got the memory for it, but it's impressive enough for a sub-ten-minute run. Super Mario 64 Shindou (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1996) Any% No BLJ TAS by mkdasher, dar gos, snark, et al tasbot dwangoac, tasblock taters, host Squint 7m32s77ms (est 15m, no human wr) Overall ★☆★☆★ Skill ☆★☆★☆ Fun ★☆★☆★ Youtube viJ2D6ZJ-ks+46 Review: It's a TAS of a game I've seen a million TASes of. It's a neat category, an overall route that's human-capable with BLJs (1-Star) but impossible for humans BLJless. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2017) World Peace by Dangers [3RH] host Squint, couch Tyron18, Fir 1h14m47 (est 1h17m, wr 1h12m36s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube VZY3JZ_c97c+43 Review: It's one of the most speedrun games of all time. And one of the better categories - more varied than Any%, but not as tedious as any of the longer categories. Unfortunately, commentary is what makes this game worth watching, and it was a bit weak in that regard. Bloodborne (PS4 - From 2015) All Bosses by Ahady [WRH] host Squint, couch curiouspeanut, Kwitty 1h17m15s (est 1h30m, wr rta 1h07m57s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube r6qrxwNIBP4+23 Review: Souls runs are always a treat, and All Bosses leans more towards conventional skill than glitch execution. There's still quite a bit of fall damage cancelling and some brief OoB, but it's mostly a boss rush, or running past hordes of enemies. Minecraft (PC - Mojang 2011) [BONUS GAME 6] Any% Random Seed Glitchless (1.7) by Illumina [WRH] host YoBGS, couch BlueCrystal, Msushi 41m33s (est 1h05m, wr rta 23m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 32sinxCUwXA+12 Review: As you can tell by the spread between WR, estimate, and actual time, this game is RNG city. It bounces between lightning-fast combat and navigation, and tedious grinding. Everything was fairly well explained, at least for those who are vaguely familiar with the game (I've never entered The End). Pokemon Shield (Switch - Game Freak 2019) Any% + Isle of Armor by eddaket [3RH] host Nichole Goodnight, YoBGS, couch Keizaron, Etchy 5h24m33s (est 5h25m, any% wr 4h07m06s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 4m6vNeCVf08+43 Review: And in classic SGDQ tradition, we get an obnoxiously long RPG run to cap things off. This hasn't been routed as methodically as other Pokegames, but that allowed some nifty talk about how they came to this route and contrasting it with alternatives. Runner and couch tried to muster the madcap end-of-marathon energy this run needed, and almost got there. But five hours is a long time to keep that going. Much like the marathon as a whole - I appreciate the attempt, but I'll be very glad to see in-person marathons start again.